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Where is Jesus this Christmas? I used to imagine that grace-filled moments, moments where Jesus works in my life, will hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought it would be like a blind man receiving his sight — that I’d recognize instantaneously and obviously an act of God in my life.
Sacred art has cemented this idea in my head. I’m picturing images of the Presentation in the Temple, for example. Simeon, bathed in a ray of soft sunlight on the top of a flight of stairs in the temple, holds the child Jesus, also bathed in light, and knows “This is my Savior; this moment is eternal.”
Looking for Jesus at Christmas
However, I’ve realized over time that moments of grace are often less like they are portrayed in sacred art, and more like what you might find in a “Where’s Waldo” or an “I Spy” book. It’s like a children’s book where you have to look closely for an object or person amidst a sea of colorful and distracting images. The moment is there, but it isn’t immediately obvious, especially if you aren’t already aware of it or are already looking for it.
Amid the myriad happenings on and around Christmas Day, I’ve found I can get to the end of it and wonder, did Jesus even show up this Christmas? I’ve been preparing for His entrance into the world, but I didn’t see Him anywhere, and I don’t feel any different.
The anticipation of Advent, and all the Christmas decorations and grocery store soundtracks that have been playing (since at least Thanksgiving) suddenly feel anticlimactic and arbitrary.
He is present
So, will you feel Christ’s presence and saving power in a tangible way this Christmas? Maybe not. Our feelings are fickle, and spiritual consolation doesn't usually come when we expect it. That doesn’t mean that He isn’t present and tirelessly working His grace into every moment of your Christmas. It just means you’ll have to look a little harder, keeping your eyes peeled in the midst of all the decorations, the lights, the presents, the carols.
Where will Jesus be? He'll be there in all of the little unexpected moments of beauty and joy throughout the day. In the thoughtfulness of a gift from someone who usually gives you something generic or inappropriate to the occasion. You may find him in the peacefulness of a conversation with a family member that might have gone very differently. Or in the beauty you notice outside in the new fallen snow, or in the familiar winter browns and greys transformed for a moment by the light of the sun setting.
Hopefully, you will also see him in the success of Christmas dinner, cooked perfectly despite everything that could have gone wrong.
In the difficult moments, too
Jesus will also be there for all the moments of pain and frustration that sneak up and try to derail the day. He’ll be right next to you in your Christmas loneliness, when you feel have to spend Christmas alone because your travel plans fell through, or because of sickness, past family hurts, or because no one invited you over.
You will find that Jesus is weeping with you because this isn’t what you were made for. He’ll even be there in any painful memories that surface this time of year, that threaten to set your mind spinning into dark places.
Yes, Jesus will be there with you, too, dispelling the pain and darkness, if only you are willing to accept His help.
Jesus in the Eucharist
All through and in your Christmas celebration, Jesus is there. He'll be in your Christmas everything, from sunup to sundown, but He won't advertise himself with a huge spotlight or writing that suddenly appears on the wall saying, "Hey look at me everyone!"
Jesus will be present but easy to overlook, the source of everything, the source of life itself, who lies helpless in a manger, or hides in the appearance of bread and wine. And that is the most mundane yet grace-filled moment of Christmas you will experience.
At whatever Christmas Mass you attend, Jesus offers to enter under your roof, to spend His Christmas closer to you than anyone else could ever be. Your Creator who knows you inside and out, wants to be with you now on Christmas, and for eternity.
You probably won’t see the host bathed in light or notice your reflection in a mirror emanating light after Communion. Like Simeon, however, you’ll know by faith that “This is my Savior; this moment is eternal.”
