A Little Crazy

Fourth Sunday of Advent

When I mention to people that I run outside through the winter in New England, most people tell me or look at as if I’m crazy. Certainly I run inside if its icy or slippery or snowing (although I have run with my Yaktrax when it was snowing), but, for the most part, I’ll do all I can to avoid the monotony of the treadmill. The way I see it, I have two choices, well maybe three: not run in the winter (not really an option), let the weather completely dictate and curtail my running, or, embrace and adjust to the weather by wearing proper attire and equipment.

And the thing is, with the right attire and equipment, running outside in the winter in New England is not as bad as people seem to think. Of course, you sometimes get surprisingly warm days like these last several days, but even if its bitterly cold, you warm up a lot and really quickly, you get some needed fresh air, get to enjoy the sunrise or other beautiful sights you otherwise wouldn’t be out enjoying, and, at least for me, it keeps the winter blues from turning me into a zero-energy blob. I think more people should try it!

Crazy indeed!

And maybe I am a little crazy. But then again, it seems to me that it takes a little craziness to be a Christian, since, when you really stop to think about the foundations of our faith, they can sound a little crazy. Take the Incarnation, which we are in the midst of celebrating: God becoming human. Think about that for a moment! And not just a human being, but being born into the most humble and challenging of circumstances. If God had consulted a committee of the smartest, most educated and savviest among us, I doubt this is the plan they would have proposed. I can imagine the questions: "but how are you going to get your message across to the world if you’re born into some backwater country?" "If you’re not going to be born into the kind of privilege that will give you a world mike, at least wait until a time of mass-communication." "And why this Virgin thing? Can’t you see the added danger? What if Joseph has her stoned (he could have you know)?"

Yes, when you stop to think about it, the Incarnation is a little crazy. Its not just the thought of God becoming a lowly human being, but of God placing such trust on people: on Mary to say yes, on Joseph to accept her and the child, on Jesus’ disciples and those who first heard the message to carry it forth, on the evangelists to write it down for future generations, on every ensuing generation to continue to embrace and proclaim this message. Such faith and trust in us! Us! Who can be so selfish, self-centered and clueless, so impatient and irritable towards others, so flawed and blind… How can God have such faith and trust in people like us?

I love Easter and the whole paschal journey from death to new life. But there is something uniquely moving about the Incarnation and the sense of hope and possibility the Christmas narrative communicates and inspires. God is placed in our weak hands to be cared for and nurtured; God’s message of unconditional love, faith and trust, is given to our insecure, wounded and sometimes distrustful hearts to proclaim with courage and passion to the world. I suppose the question is whether we have a little of that crazy in us, to say yes and do as God asks?