Let us pray: O God, may these words be ones which help us to know your word, and may they be ones which lead us to respond faithfully as your people. Amen.

Judy paused for a moment as she turned from the sink where she had just washed some bowls she needed again. She was deep into her Christmas preparations, a routine that except for moments like this, did not allow her any reflective time at all. A phrase in the music playing on the CD caught her up short, just like it always did. Christmas baking and Handel’s Messiah, that was part of her Advent tradition. The radio always had a performance of the Messiah on Christmas Day, but she couldn’t wait for that - she always picked her baking day to put on her own copy of the Oratorio. It was a welcome relief from the Christmas songs and carols that were part of the season elsewhere - not that she didn’t enjoy the Christmas music, but sometimes she just needed something different.

Her reverie had come quickly. She had barely finished mixing the first bowl of cookie dough when the tenor voice started into the opening recitative - Comfort ye, Comfort ye, my people. Helpful words indeed for her to hear in the midst of all she had been doing for the past couple of weeks. It had been the typical advent struggle - the push on one hand to make Christmas special for everyone, and the call on the other hand to slow down and make it a time of soul preparation. She knew that it was almost impossible for her soul to get prepared in the frenetic rush to decorate, buy gifts, cook, attend functions and watch television specials. And so, like a cosmic wedge, directed by God, using Isaiah’s words and Handel’s music, her busyness got interrupted - just for a moment, as she turned from the sink to the counter. She just stood there, half turned, as all these thoughts went flashing by. Comfort ye, Comfort ye, my people. The words were both reassuring and disheartening, reminding her of all she had to do, and yet allowing her to remember why this season is so important. A sense of peace is what she wanted, and it was hard to find in the middle of everything else. It took moments like this for her to find some perspective.

She resumed her baking, but the moment of reflection - the God time in the midst of her baking time, had stayed with her as the recitative ended: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God and the following tenor aria began: Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight, and the rough places plain. She smiled to herself at the strange vision this conjured up for her - the majestic music and the words of scripture, and a road construction scene. She couldn’t help it, that’s the image that came to mind, along with sign that warned you to slow down because there were workers ahead.

Talk about getting a sign - Slow Down. She whispered a quick prayer of thanks to God, and stopped what she was doing for yet another moment. What’s really important here, she wondered, as her to-do list flashed through her mind. It’s all important in one way or another, but just this little dose of perspective helped to settle things. Yes, it’s all important in one way or another, but the way I feel is important too. Peace is what I need for myself and peace is what I want for the world. It was as if she had clicked on the column header for her to-do list to sort it in a new way. What were the things on her list that would bring her peace of mind, and was there anything on there that would bring peace to the world, even if only a little bit to someone, somewhere?

Judy continued her reflection as she measured out the ingredients for her next batch of cookie dough. “Slow down - road work ahead” became a kind of mantra for her as she almost sub consciously considered the things she had to do with this new criteria in mind. Some items and some people on her gift list took on new importance, while others were moved down the list. She moved some things that were “hope-to-dos” up to the “need-to-do” because she knew they would help her feel more settled. Some of them were things to go to, and even though it seemed like they would add to her busyness, she also realised that being able to sit and enjoy something would be a welcome change and it might even lead to more God-times like the one she was experiencing right now. She also added some specific God-times to her list. Fifteen minutes a day. Even the thought of it eased some of the tension she was feeling in her shoulders.

She put the next batch of cookies in the oven and sat down for a moment, still deep in thought about all of these things. She wasn’t even aware of the music at first, but the repetition in the chorus began to work it’s way in: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. What a thing to hear in the middle of election, and the Prince of Peace, indeed! Judy smiled, and thinking about God-times started her next chore. Amen.