My late evening walks around White Bear Lake have been greatly enhanced recently.  It seems that virtually every house is lit up with Christmas lights and decorations, and the entire neighborhood has an enchanting feel about it.  The twinkling of the lights beneath the recent snow only adds to the sense of beauty and, in my soul, a sense of wonder. 

I remember this same sort of feeling when I was a kid.  Anticipating arguably a child’s most cherished day of the year, I would lie beneath the Christmas tree gazing through the evergreen branches and piercing white lights at the ceramic angel that was positioned at the tip top. It was, and remains still, such a magical experience. For those who didn’t understand, I would feel compelled to issue an invitation… come and see.  Come walk around the neighborhood and sense the wonder.  Come lie beneath the Christmas tree and feel the mystery.

Come and see.

Those were the same words issued by Philip after he had met Jesus.  There was just something about Jesus that penetrated into the very heart of Philip.  He couldn’t understand it, much less describe what he was feeling.  Philip was immediately drawn to follow Jesus, and further, he felt compelled to become one of the very first evangelists. When Philip encounters Nathanael who cynically asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”, Philip, quite literally, becomes rather speechless, responding only, “Come and see.” To my reckoning, that is evangelism at its best.  Some things just can’t be described through the use of human words; they need to be experienced.  That’s the way it is with Christmas lights for me.  That’s the way Jesus was for Philip.

We will be worshiping in the church for our Christmas services this year. Thanks to Steve Johnson and Harvey Caldwell, the garland has been hung and the aislabras have been mounted.  Members of the Altar Guild have polished the sacred vessels and carefully prepared the liturgical hangings.  Twinkling lights are in the windows of the church.  Our Music Minister and Choir have been rehearsing familiar Christmas carols.  Bulletins have been printed and the creche will soon be placed in front of the altar.  All of it has been prepared for our annual celebration of the nativity of the Christ child at the Christ-Mass.  Our preparations have been completed out of a sense of reverence and love that we have for our Lord.  And it is all so very wonder-full.

Words are inadequate to recount the experience so many of us have in church at Christmas time.  The sights and smells and sounds and Spirit are blended in such a mysteriously rich way that it sometimes makes me dizzy.  When people do ask me to describe it, like Philip, I say simply, 

Come and See.

Because here’s the thing… the Jesus that Philip had such a hard time explaining to Nathanael is the very same Jesus that is in our midst at St. John in the Wilderness.  Of course, Christ shows up in our midst in all places and conditions and times of our lives, but there’s just something special about being in church at Christmas.  Don’t believe me?  Well, just come and see.

~Father Art