If we are always worried about what is left behind
we may never see what lies ahead.

There was a little boy sitting with his great-grandfather. The boy looked across the table and said, “You look old. Really old. How old are you?” His great-grandfather smiled and said, “Well, I’m 98.” The boy looked around and said, “I grew up in Texas, and I would sprinkle gunpowder on my oatmeal every morning!” “Amazing,” the great-grandfather answered. And you know what? That man lived long enough to see three children, seven grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, and the only thing he shouldn’t have left behind was a 22-foot-long crematorium! (And please, do not put gunpowder on your oatmeal.)

The point is this: when we’re so focused on what we’re leaving behind, we forget to enjoy what God has placed ahead of us. This season is a time of preparing for what is coming, a time that is, in the best possible way, explosive. We are preparing for the Messiah, preparing for God once again to enter the lives of God’s holy people, into this house of worship where we adore Him and praise His heavenly name. When we come into this sacred space, we also bring our lives with us. And our lives are full of reflection, sometimes painful reflection. There are parts of our story that follow us the rest of our days, and sometimes we can’t move forward because we can’t let go. And yet, that reflection is necessary. It is one of the ingredients God sprinkles upon us so that our hearts can respond to His Word when the Son of God returns.

This season of Christmas is a season of growth and preparation. As we prepare, we must ask ourselves: What are we holding onto so tightly that we can’t see the new thing God is doing? Do you ever feel that way, that you can’t see beyond yourself, beyond your struggle? That something in you is being prepared for a transition, and yet something else is keeping you bound? Christ is calling us to move to new heights that can only be found in Him.

When we talk about human development, we also talk about community development. The church is not one person, it is a body, made of many parts, and every part is held together by the Father who has already given us the secret to life. He shows us how to enjoy life, how to move and have our being, how to let God’s grace enter every day, and how the sacraments enrich and grow us. Yes, sometimes it feels like things are blowing up around us. Sometimes it feels apocalyptic. There’s plenty in the world that seems to dim the light of Christ.

Scripture today turns us back to language from Isaiah and the Psalms, language about Jerusalem, Judah, and Zion. Generations have grown up in God’s house, from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David. The people of Israel saw God’s presence on the mount, on Mount Zion and in the city of Jerusalem. And throughout Scripture, God keeps challenging His people not to cling to what’s behind them. They couldn’t erase their past, just like we can’t. It lives in us. God calls them, and us, to remember who they are today, in God’s presence.

Many times, we can’t respond to that call because we won’t let go of what holds us hostage. But Jesus comes and says, “You are my people. You are my children. And I will give you the secret ingredient to live. Will you take Me? Will you allow Me to be your Father, your guide, your strength?” We complicate things. Even the simple becomes complex because it’s wrapped in pain, fear, depression, and uncertainty. Every year, and every day, God moves us away from the past so we can enter the future, the Kingdom of God. Where Jesus is, the Kingdom is. Where the Kingdom is, there is life, life everlasting. This is the conversation Christ invites each of us to have during this holy time. And I pray that you will. I pray that you are nourished each time you worship God here, here in this place, this Zion, this city on a hill. This church is part of the legacy. This is the place where prophecy continues. This is where we proclaim the Good News of Jesus.

Because the world around us? It often cannot let go. It hangs on to anger, blame, jealousy, division, all the things we heard in Scripture today. But we are called beyond that, so that God can clothe us in light, arm us with grace, and lead us into life. So today, as Jesus calls us to prepare for His coming once again, do not be consumed by what is left behind. Look forward, to what is, and to the Father who leads us there.