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During my Confirmation prep, the first thing our priest, Canon Tom Hotchkiss, told us is that this was not something our parents could make us do, and if we didn’t want to be there, he would be happy to talk with them. He was trying to emphasize to us that Confirmation is supposed to be a desire for us, not an obligation. I took those words very much to heart. I worked hard to make my Confirmation my own. That action had a huge impact on my life and my faith. It helped me feel the Holy Spirit’s presence as Bishop Henry Parsley of Alabama laid his hands on me. It helped me start to take my life in the church seriously.
So much in our lives can become a matter of what we are supposed to do, or rather what we think we are supposed to do. Our relationship with God is not one of those things. Instead, like Canon Hotchkiss before me, I hope that your relationship with Christ is one you seek out and which gives you joy.
That was certainly the case for the shepherds in the Tale of the Nativity. When they first appear, they are minding their own business, living out in the fields away from civilization and taking care of their sheep, their livelihood. Out of nowhere, the angel brings them the Good News of Christ Jesus’ birth, not far from them.
That’s all they are told. There’s no obligation for them, simply the news.
Yet there’s a curiosity that has been raised in them. Their desire is to learn more. Their desire is to “see this thing which has come to pass.” They want to nurture this connection, this encounter, they’ve had with God.
They leave the place they were living and working far from others and go into the city. Presumably they brought their sheep with them, but who knows. Clearly seeing the Christ Child takes precedence.
My hope is that when you are here, whether this night, each Sunday, or the odd weekday, that you want to be here, like the shepherds wanted to be there to see Jesus. Most of all, though, I hope you share in that same desire that the shepherds did. I hope that you want to be closer to God. I hope you want to experience Him. I hope you take the time to make your Faith your own. Please know that whenever or however it is that you want to come to be closer to Christ Jesus, we will be here to help. I will be here too.
The shepherds had a deep desire to witness our Lord. I hope the same is true for you, now and always.