CHRISTMAS CACTUS
It was not blooming when I left before Thanksgiving, but
today, when I returned to the office after my Thanksgiving break, the Christmas
cactus that sits on my desk was in full bloom. How unexpected! How beautiful!
I think that’s what Christmas can be if we let it—if we
don’t give into the cynicism about the holiday, complaining about the
commercialism, wearing a chip on our shoulder about how we greet others. If we
consciously decide to turn from all of that, I think that Christmas can be beautiful,
even in its corniest elements, the deep yearning to connect with the people who
mean the most to us, the decency that is at the heart of folks just waiting to
be revealed sometimes in small acts of breathtaking goodness.
And I think that it can be unexpected. Oh, to be sure,
Christmas is always on December 25, and the countdown to that date has been
going on for months, but I think that Christmas can be unexpected in the way it
actually happens for us—that moment that we cannot plan when something is born
again in us—call it love, call it joy, call it peace, call it hope. The heart
stirs. Maybe there’s a tear in your eye, and Christmas happens for you again.
My Christmas cactus is blooming again! And I hope that
something unexpectedly beautiful blooms in your life in the weeks to come.
--Pastor Don Steele
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