A couple of years ago I began a series of posts on Facebook listing things I liked about my adopted homeland for 23 years. I never quite made it to a hundred. For now, I’m updating and transferring some of those short posts to this new blog site. Now that we’re settled in Kentucky, it is interesting to look back with fresh perspective that comes with time and distance.
It was just last week we put away all the Christmas decorations. Then just when you think the holidays are over, they’re not. At least not in some parts of the world. That would include Bosnia & Hercegovina and Serbia. In BiH, we got to celebrate Christmas twice each year and the season runs from the beginning of Advent through Orthodox Christmas! And many of the Protestant-Evangelical churches celebrate on December 25th and again on January 7th, for the Serbian Orthodox Christian calendar. So the entire season of Christmas gets extended by two more weeks! It lasts for six weeks! Where else does that happen?
As a Christian, I take the meaning of Christmas seriously. I mean I enjoy the cultural-festive part of Christmas with lights, decorated trees, good food, special music, and gatherings of family and friends. That’s all good. It’s fun. Hohoho! But I especially appreciate the real purpose of this focused celebration, even if we don’t know the precise date of Jesus’ birth. I recall a couple of years ago, in early January, the pastor at the Baptist church asked me to preach the next Sunday. At first, I asked if I was free to choose the topic. He reminded me that it’s Christmas. Again! Oh yeah. Orthodox Christmas. Duh! That narrows it down a bit. The birth of Jesus, the Messiah, the anointed one who came to save us from our sin. The poet-prophet, Isaiah, predicted 700 years before Jesus’ birth, that it would represent a massive shift in the redemptive history of the world. Inspired by the Spirit of God, he sees beyond the visible horizon and writes: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us”. So whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you a good one. But even more, I wish for you the ability to perceive with the eyes of Simeon, whose satisfaction in life is complete when he sees the newborn Messiah with his own eyes: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people…”. (Luke 2:25-32).
I learned and received many things living in Bosnia for 23 years. Among them, is an appreciation for the religious heritage of other faith traditions, especially this time of year, when it means a greater focus on the birth of Jesus the Messiah, not once, but twice! Amen i amin i šrećan Božić!
Awesome Jimmy! Love this. Keep at it, brother. Many blessings!