A Singular Anticipation of Christmas - Day 19

Said the night wind to the little lamb 
Do you see what I see? (do you see what I see?) 
Way up in the sky, little lamb 
Do you see what I see? (do you see what I see?) 
A star, a star, dancing in the night 
With a tail as big as a kite 
With a tail as big as a kite

Yesterday, after I picked Ian up from school and got him settled in the back seat of the car, his first words to me were: “daddy, there are only seven days til Christmas.”

Be not mistaken, our kids are filled with the anticipation of Christmas. I’m just thankful we’re close enough to the big day now that both boys can accurately count down the days.  Instead of asking me every five minutes how many days are there until Christmas, they are telling me how many.  Any parent can tell you there is a very big difference.

For a lot of us I think that’s where it started.  Anticipation.  Because it never really goes away.  Whether we’re counting down the days until the weekend or an upcoming vacation, graduation or the start of a new job, we are always anticipating something.  And when we’re not, I believe we’re searching for something to look forward to.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing,  I believe that is exactly how we were created.  After all, the Christmas story is one filled with anticipation.

The Israelites anticipated the arrival of a messiah with hopes that he would end years of brutality.  Every pregnant mother wondered if she might be carrying the arrival of a king and the fulfillment of centuries of prophecies.  Ian has seven days of anticipation left; the Israelites experienced anticipation that lasted generations.

How ironic that the answer to their anticipation was the beginning of ours.  That through a baby in a manger we could all begin to anticipate a day we’ll reunite with loved ones who have passed before us.  Anticipate a day when all diseases are cured; all violence tamed.  In a world filled with a longing for prosperity, we can anticipate a day when our riches will exceed what our mind can’t begin to imagine.

Even more ironic, I suppose, is the realization that the final answer to all of our anticipation is anticipation will be no more.  I think of heaven, of my family members who have passed away, and I don’t picture them doing anything but celebrating the moment they are in.  I am awed by the thought of living in the presence of a Father who will make every moment beyond anything our limited minds could imagine looking forward to. 

But until then, I will count down the – and I have this from reliable sources – 6 days until Christmas.   I will look forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior.

I have always loved the following song.  Turn it up.  Close your eyes.  You’ll not only hear anticipation, but feel it as well.