It’s that time of year again! We have trekked west to the sea, the storms and hot tubbing on the beachside because it’s Gord’s birthday. It’s convenient he was born just before Christmas as it’s low season and there are deals to be had on the vacation side of things. I love going away at this time of year! We miss the crowds and regain a true Christmas perspective by pulling ourselves away from the “other” holiday rush and take time to re-focus and re-refresh. No cookie baking, no gift-wrapping, no shopping. Rather, we stoke the fire, BBQ crab on the deck, walk the beaches, read to one another, talk travel and slow down.
Evelynn Underhill writes this, “Human nature is like a stable inhabited by the ox of passion and the ass of prejudice; animals which take up a lot of room and which I suppose most of us are feeding on the quiet. And it is there between them, pushing them out, that Christ must be born and in their very manger he must be laid – and they will be the first to fall on their knees before him. Sometimes Christians seem far nearer to those animals than to Christ in his simple poverty, self-abandoned to God.”
It seems contrary that perspective can be regained in the indulgence of retreat, especially one as comfortable as this one. Yet, somehow Christ’s simple poverty gains clarity as we step away from the rush of North American Christmas culture. Infusing this experience of creation with the celebration of the coming of our Saviour subdues both animals Underhill speaks of and they regain their rightful place. The only appropriate response? Self-abandonment. The surging seas, and towering trees call me to it, as if the babe’s cry isn’t enough.
