A White Christmas in Europe

I’m in Amsterdam over the holidays with more snow than they’ve seen since the early 80’s. The children in the neighborhood are in full construction mode with snow-forts going up like condos in a boom economy inhabited by snowball warriors and strange giants with carrot noses.

The adults however aren’t quite as amused. I was trying to work out why 3-4 inches of snow were causing major disruptions of train lines, traffic and people’s holiday plans.

Then I found out that since they don’t get much snow, people just aren’t prepared. The cities have no snowplows and people don’t even have snow shovels. They bank on the assumption of being without snow and they’re usually right. But not this Christmas.

Their unpreparedness has started me thinking of another assumption about Europe I have held for years. It’s the one that says Europe isn’t really responsive to the God of Christmas. Most of the time I’m not far off the mark, but I’m wondering just how prepared we as followers of Jesus living in Europe are for God to answer our prayers for friends and neighbors here. What if the Spirit of God ever really let loose here?

I get pleasantly surprised when a conversation turns to the eternal. Once in a while I get the chance to see hints of God’s grace in the midst of broken relationships, shattered hopes and destructive choices. Maybe not huge flakes, but small glimmers that settle on me long enough to notice them and make me wonder if a blizzard’s on the way.

I would love to see Emmanuel to show up so heavy and so deep that life will be interrupted… and rediscovered with child-like joy. And so like a child, I’m praying for a white Christmas in Europe and hoping I’ll be ready.

Merry Christmas,