The celebration of Heaven

The city's getting colder, the days are getting shorter - there may not be silver bells and snow here in Delhi but we all know Christmas is around the corner. Very soon the Diwali sales will give way to the Christmas ones and here in India one festive, family holiday of giving and recieving will give way to another and once again lights will be lit and celebrations will start.

Growing up in a christian home, Christmas was always a big deal. There were many guests over and lots of celebration. But in the middle of all the fun that Christmas began to mean there was a sad undercurrent that I did not see. Slowly the wonder and grandeur of the first Christmas was lost to me.  The stories of the nativity, the angels, the shepherds and so much more had now become rather commonplace. I had acted in various roles of this story through sunday school years and heard the same story year after year and now slowly Christmas had become replaced by more dynamic and fun things rather than the static, unchanging nativity story.

At the end of November I happened to be at a gathering that happened outdoors. The choir started up their renditions of the same old Christmas carols and as I stood there under the dark open chilly sky all of a sudden the glory of Christmas started to dawn on me. It's not mundane or commonplace to have the skies filled with the glory of God. Trumpets, angels, songs, choirs in the clouds are not part of our everyday life. Never before did he earth witness the glory of heaven like this. No other point in time allowed earth the front row seats to the celebration of heaven quite like it happened that first Christmas night. And as my mind's eye gawked in wonder at what must have happened I was quietly reminded that heaven was not merely celebrating the birth of Christ, no not that trivial. Heaven and its hosts were rejoicing that most ingenious piece of the puzzle of God's incredible salvation plan for man was now being put in place - when God Himself took on flesh so that in the flesh He may destroy the carnality of flesh and so gift to us eternal life.

As I pondered in amazement over the tiny baby lying in the manger, my heart sank within to think of all the thousands every year who "join" in the celebration of heaven. We participate in the songs, the fun, the romance... but how many of us are actually celebrating what heaven is really celebrating? As we peer through the looking glass of the manger do we stare in utter amazement and joy at the God who chose to become man so that through that one man all may have a chance to not just live, but to live abundantly and eternally in a city that goes beyond our dreams and in a kingdom that will know no end? Truly the angels got it right when they picked up their harps and sang "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men."

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