Have you ever felt despair that created a need to exclaim, "What is the point of this?"
Nativity scenes are everywhere, and we sometimes take them for granted. We know the story and even have rules for arranging a manger scene. When I grew up, placing the Baby in this scene was sacrilegious if done before Christmas Day. The three Wise Men though? Yeah. They were there.
Recently, I heard the story of Hagar again - for the first time. (Genesis 16)
I had entirely missed the idea that this slave-girl-made mother had named the God of Creation. She talked with the Angel of the Lord and then called Him, El Roi.
The translation given means, “The God who sees me.”
Yeah, I’m clear that God made me, Jesus loves me, and well, all of the things we may have grown up learning. I know that God sees everything. I also know that it’s not the naughty-and-nice-list kind of seeing as well. But Hagar’s story begged me to realize the depth of this seeing.
And now, I am experiencing the nativity scene a bit differently.
A change of plans demanded that I wait for almost 2 hours. I found no coffee shop for miles around. The choice was to sit in the car with nothing to do or to sit in the car with nothing to do. I made my choice.
Top that off with a device that was steadily losing its charge and one could say that I was completely unprepared.
However, what could have been one of those ‘this-is-taking-forever’ experiences turned into something surprisingly worthwhile. It turned into something spiritual.
“There was a scene where they wanted me to run down these steps. It was outside on these cement steps. After I did this, the director said, “Can you come down faster with more of a sense of urgency?” I was like, “No. I can’t. Listen. I know I still look like Axel Foley (Beverly Hills Cop) but don’t ask me to do nothing you won’t ask Morgan Freeman to do!” Eddie Murphy: interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel.
Oh, the rabbit hole you have avoided today! This one might have turned into a word salad of unimaginable proportions. There's just so much to talk about! But you'll be relieved to know that I have done my job and narrowed the focus appropriately.
The entire 3-season television series would be complete in about 5 minutes and bedtime would immediately commence. The protagonist has been justly rewarded for the defeat of evil and is heading back to their West Virginia childhood home for the first time in a decade. The winding drive through hills, valleys, and mountainous forests is on the screen while the background music begins to play, "Take Me Home Country Roads".
