There is one particular moment that I’ve come to look forward to the last few Christmases. We’re walking down the street or coming around a corner in our car when a display of lights catches our child’s eye. I might not notice it until I hear him whisper, “Oh wow….” That’s the moment the Christmas season begins for me now. That’s the moment I join our son in a season of wonder.

I don’t know when calling Advent and Christmas “the Season of Wonder” began, but it makes sense. For me, feelings of wonder keep me in a moment of soulful surprise. My breath catches. My attention is captured. I am present.

My feelings about this season have waxed and waned throughout the years. If it wasn’t for my son, I don’t know if I would have found my way back to feelings of wonder in quite the same way. Even when I join him in these moments, it’s hard to tell if I’m truly joining him or remembering what I felt when I was his age. At the least, I am in awe and admiration of his wonder.

At those moments we are not enraptured by wonder, we do have other options. We can still engage the stories of this season with curiosity and openness. What did the census have to do with Jesus’ birth story? Why was it important for those who came before us to ensure we knew that Jesus was born in a manger and not an inn? Why was it so important that shepherds knew about Jesus’ birth and were the ones to share the news?

For some of us, this will be a season of wonder. For some of us, this will be a season of wondering. Some of us may find ourselves entranced by the beautiful lights, and others may seek to be enlightened. These ways of knowing do not compete with one another but complement each other. These ways of knowing make our community whole and help root us more deeply in the deep, rich soil of all that faith can be; an experience of the heart, soul, and mind.

Blessings in this beautiful season of wonder and wondering! Merry Christmas!

The Rev. Mike Denton is the designated pastor of South Congregational Church (UCC) in Pittsfield, MA. Join us for worship at 10 am on Sundays! Click here if you’d like to donate to the church and its ministries!