But, isn't part of the fun of Christmas all about the art of keeping secrets, after all?
I mean, who hasn't known the fun of secretly buying someone what you believe is the perfect Christmas gift? Who hasn't snuck through the house trying to find the Christmas "stash?" Who hasn't shaken that beautifully wrapped present, felt its weight or considered its shape? Secret-keeping is part of the fun. Family legend at my house says that one year my grandfather had unwrapped all his gifts, tried them on and even returned one, all before Christmas morning. Now he was good.
But there are other kinds of secrets that don't have to do with surprise. They have to do with fear or shame. Sometimes, they may even do with a strange kind of latent hope that lives inside our hearts, but we become afraid that sharing our secret hope might mean that it never comes true.
We live with the shame, burying it inside of us. We let the flame of vision and hope burn down to the tiniest ember. And the pain of carrying those secrets steals our joy.
Adam Hamilton points out in The Journey, that Mary must have held Gabriel's message as her own secret for the 9 or 10 days it would have taken her to travel to Elizabeth's house.
Can you imagine the weight of it? The angel had told her that Elizabeth was pregnant too, in her old age. Mary couldn't send a text, or hit her up on facebook.
She had to travel, on foot, over mountains. And all the while, there was a secret to be kept.
When they saw each other, the secret burst forth. Elizabeth exclaimed that she knew Mary's news. She could see it on her. Hope, mixed with fear, gave way to joy.
Releasing the secret to this trusted loved one, Mary cried out the famous words..."my soul magnifies the Lord!"
What about us? What secret is stealing your joy? What makes you hold it? Who can you tell?
Start by saying that secret out loud to God, and ask God to show you someone else who will understand.
That secret source of pain could be the very place of joy that God longs to give you. It could be the piece of your life story that someone else desperately needs to hear.
Don't let a secret steal your joy.
Grace, Peace -- Come hear more about Mary and Elizabeth this Sunday at 10:30 at SOTH!
Adam
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