The Tension of Christmas

6 December 2019

Melissa Winnell

The beautiful Christmas carol ‘O Holy Night’ reminds us that it is in the birth and presence of Jesus that souls feel their worth, and weary ones can rejoice. Such powerful and captivating truth as we head into the Christmas season.

No matter who we are, Christmas can be both wonderful and tough for a bunch of reasons; the presence or lack of family, too many social events, or loneliness to name a few.

This is part of the reason we are celebrating advent together at Streetlevel. Experiencing with one another in the tension of the ‘now, but not yet’ nature of following Jesus and being part of His family. We rejoice and celebrate Jesus birth, and that he is with us. We enjoy and celebrate His good gifts in the present. Yet live in a world that is still broken, so together we are longing for what He has for the future.

So what does that look like at Streetlevel this Christmas season?

It looks like a lot of things. The gifts of advent; hope, peace, joy and love being unwrapped and at the centre of our regular community rhythms, our Christmas plans and also in who we are. It looks like decorating our centres proudly with the beautiful handmade creations of our community. Like sharing many meals, while sharing with one another our joys and struggles. It looks like watching Christmas movies together as a family, gorging on homemade Christmas treats while hearing what our English class is thankful for, and helping out local families doing it tough. And then there is the parties…

All of this and more, while hoping and praying that together we might experience more of Jesus. And that any soul, weary or otherwise that walks through our doors this Christmas might better understand their worth.