Thanksgiving is tomorrow and the Christmas songs are already filling the airwaves. You can feel the frenetic energy building in our society as the collective anxiety builds in anticipation of the holiday season.

Is this how we are supposed to feel as we enter Thanksgiving and Advent?

A nice convergence of ideas came upon me this morning. It started yesterday when Pastor Brandon showed us the Advent Conspiracy video during staff meeting.

We all marveled at the fact that Americans spend $450,000,000 on Christmas, and it would only cost $20,000,000 to provide clean water to everyone. The staff meeting continued as we discussed all the added activities and services that we provide during the holiday season. Deep breath.

This morning I sat down for my daily meditations with the reality that I must do a live painting tonight during the FEAST Thanksgiving Eve Service and preach on the first week of Advent Conspiracy this weekend. I must confess that I am a bit anxious about both of these things.

Then I read Richard Rohr’s meditation for today. He is doing a series right now called Living in the Now. Today’s meditation is titled One Thing. It focuses on the story of Mary and Martha. He says,

Martha was everything good and right, but one thing she was not. She was not present—most likely, not present to herself, her own feelings of resentment, perhaps her own martyr complex, her need to be needed. This is the kind of goodness that does no good! If she was not present to herself, Martha could not be present to her guests in any healing way, and spiritually speaking, she could not even be present to God. Presence is of one piece. How you are present to anything is how you can be present to God, loved ones, strangers, those who are suffering.

Presence. To be fully present in each moment. This, I believe, is the antidote to the insanity that the holiday season has become in our culture. We worry about what is coming and allow all the “what ifs” to consume us. What if the turkey is dry? What if she doesn’t like my gift? What if there is a big fight at the family gathering? What if I’m disappointed?

What if…

Jesus told us to not worry about tomorrow. He told us to not worry at all, but to be simply present to the reality that God is fully with us and for us in the now.

Yes, we should plan. Yes, we should be good stewards of what we have. But, we…I need to breathe deeply and enjoy each moment as it comes, and each person as we interact.

Perhaps our presence, to God, to self, and to others, is the best present we can give this season, and is the beginning of the Advent Conspiracy.

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