Destiny. Matthew 2.

My quiet time this morning was interrupted by one of the loudest train whistles I can remember. Oh yeah, the window's open. Looking out, the tree next to our house is bursting with color. It's spring. It's almost Easter. And there I was, reading the Christmas story. You too, sometime today.

Life is seasonal. While civilization tends to divorce us from the rhythms and cycles of the earth, we are creatures of God, made for this planet, and we respond to those cycles. Our language is filled with imagery of spring as new life, rebirth. It's how the bunny and the egg get mixed up in the Easter celebration.

But today, our reading is about the birth of Jesus, a different season entirely. There's no reason for that to be the case. Today is as good a day as any to read about Jesus' birth and the visit of the Magi, the flight to Egypt, and the return to Nazareth. In fact, it's a better day than most. We don't have to worry about the rush of the season, when we have to work extra hard to even stay focused on Jesus. We don't have to put aside all the trappings that come at Christmas, which have nothing to do with the Christ child. There are no Santas around right now. (You may have to ignore the giant bunny in front of the car dealer when you drive by.) You have extra time to think about the atmosphere and circumstance of Jesus' birth. In a desert place, where palm and fig and date trees are the norm. Can you come before the Christ child this morning, bowing down in your heart, as those astrologers did when they entered His presence? Are you prepared to offer Him your most valued gifts today?

This is a great day to read about Jesus' entry into this world, because His destiny was always to reach today -- to be tried, beaten, scorned, condemned, and crucified. It was His inevitable and necessary fate, from the moment Eve and Adam succumbed to temptation, His reason for being born. Today is the day we remember Jesus' crucifixion. His destiny. We also need to remember that it was our destiny -- death and separation -- and that He chose it as His destiny, for our sake.

I hope you are each able to spend some part of the day in reflection and remembrance. And you are always encouraged to share you thoughts in the comments.