Dec 07 2006
What kind of Christmas are You Expecting?
It seems like just yesterday we sent our two oldest off to Ecuador and Chicago followed shortly by the rest of us moving to Spain. Now we are pulling everyone back together again to enjoy a few weeks as family in Barcelona. We will probably see snow when we travel over the Pyrenees to visit France but most likely will see more sun and fresh produce at the Boqueria Market downtown. The colors of these peppers began to get me in the mood for Christmas while the rest of the signals have not. Where is the frenzy that most pastors experience right about now? Hmmm, we are not as frantic as we usually are at this point in the year. That is nice on the one hand. However, it shows we are less a part of a community, so far, on the other hand.
God has been very faithful in our transitions and new ministry opportunities are beginning to emerge. I was with a group of pastors and missionaries yesterday on a tour of a local historic town with marks of the Roman Empire. Very interesting to have that influence here in Spain but not necessarily strange. The Romans got around in their day! There were also stories of St. Paul’s missionary journey at some of the Catholic sites we visited. If you remember from your Bible reading, Paul was always eager to get to Spain. That prompted him to write the book of Romans by the way (see Romans 15:24-28). Anyway, it was a valuable time of networking. Around the dinner table I had two couples from Ecuador, another two from the Philippians, a single guy from Mexico and another group of folks from Spain and Argentina. This international flavor seems to be a theme of our lives here in Spain (see story below about the cell group last week). I got them talking about their favorite traditional foods from home. Wow, was that fun. We brainstormed about each other hosting a meal with our new friends. They all said I could prepare hamburgers for them. We all got a good laugh out of that. I seem to be the unique person from the U.S. in the groups I connect with. Carol´s experience is similar, even at the American school where Erick attends. I find that both curious and enjoyable. Not sure why. That is just our situation currently.
Well, as you approach Christmas, remember to….(here I’m supposed to kick into some gooey Christmas sentimentality but I will resist!)… well, remember to have a good time. Don’t get stressed out and try to connect to the simplicity of Christ’s coming and the implications for your life and our world!
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