Christmas season. Spent last year in a world-class city. One of our favorites.
All shiny and bright. Perfect lights. Colors on point.
Christmas soundtrack playing continually. In stores. And on the streets. Everywhere.
In an Asian city.
Christmas music
We walk and walk.
Through tunnels.
Up staircases.
Down into basements.
Traveling through underground worlds of shops and rapid transit stations.
Christmas music still going. In the city.
Watch
And I watch faces as we go.
Individuals walking here and there. A few animated conversations popping up every now and then.
But mostly? Silence. Some, expressionless. In their own little worlds. Just getting to the next destination. As the music plays.
Like most cities, this one is complex. Varied. Layered.
Lostness at every turn. And hidden in high rises. Behind closed doors. Walls. Faces.
On Christmas Eve, we travel by bus to gather with a body of believers in that city. And joyfully worship the King of kings together. No canned soundtrack, but songs sung from the heart. Joining together in praise of the One and Only.
The City
Reflecting on that fellowship and others we’ve been a part of in various cultures and settings, anticipation grows.
I’m looking forward to the City that is to come.
Clear, transparent. Full of light and beauty. Where all will be open and free.
Truth on full display. Worship ongoing in our words and ways. Gloriously together, united with those from every nation, tribe, people, and language.
Fully knowing as we are fully known.
O what a day to anticipate. When the journey challenges. And the night feels long.
Merry Christmas.
What about you?
Are you celebrating Christmas in a big city? How have you seen God at work amid the complexities of an urban center?
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One reply on “City Christmas”
Last night I attended Lessons & Carols at a beautiful cathedral in my city. The concert of human voices singing praise to God lifted my heart and made time stand still. Just a bit like heaven, as I imagine it.