The Owls of Christmas

I was awakened recently by the sounds of our neighborhood Great Horned Owls, hooting away at each other in the still darkness of the early morning hours. I love their calls to each other, and whenever they awaken me, or I hear them as I get up in the early mornings for prayer and devotions, I thank God for their calls. Owls do not announce themselves loudly. They do not fill the night with noise or spectacle. Their presence is known through soft calls, stillness, and watchfulness - heard more than seen (and believe me, I have longed to see them). In the stillness of the dark night they bear witness to life, movement and awareness.

Christmas, too, arrives quietly. Not the Christmases we experience today, with countless formulaic Hallmark rom-com movies, or arguments as to whether "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie or not. The birth of Christ 2000 years ago was not announced with fanfare to the world at large, but whispered in the night - heard by shepherds, revealed to the watchful, noticed by those in the dark. The Light of the World enters not with noise, but with presence.

| “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5, ESV

I have experienced dark moments in my life. A year ago my wife woke me very early in the morning not feeling good, and I had to call 911. In that dark moment our owls started to hoot to each other, and both my wife and I took comfort in that, as if God was saying to us that He was present with us in that moment. In that time of darkness His voice wasn't loud, but soft. It shone upon us as light in a dark moment. Christ, too, enters the darkness without force, just as quietly as those owls hooted that morning in reassurance.

| “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” - Luke 2:8, ESV

The greatest news of all mankind was not revealed by a herald at mid-day in the square, but by angels to the night-watch of local shepherds. One of Jesus' best-known parables is of ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom at night. Throughout scripture we see God revealing Himself to the watchers, those that stay awake and are attentive, rather than to the sleepers. Christmas does not start in the morning when we have breakfast and open presents, but in the night, when all is quiet. The shepherds are kin to the owls, in that they are attentive in the night.

| “The Lord was not in the wind… not in the earthquake… not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” - 1 Kings 19:11–12, ESV

I have always loved this passage from 1st Kings, because when I hear the owls hooting away, it reminds of my of that still, small voice that speaks to our souls more than our ears. It's like the Christmas music that I listen to, which sometimes is glorious and thrilling. But the music that calls to me is the soft music that pierces the darkness like the owl's soft hooting, and keeps my focus on the way God chose to bring His Salvation in the form of a small child.

Christmas is not loud. Christmas is luminous - full of light in the darkness. The owls, in their way, represent the Light of Christ, born on this day, shining in the darkness. Their soft hooting in the night parallel the quiet arrival of God's redemptive work. And both the owls, and the birth of the Christ Child, invite listening, not spectacle. On Christmas night, the Light of the World did not shout into the darkness. He was born into it. And ever side, those who are willing to listen - really listen - may still hear the quiet signs that He is near.

Merry Christmas!!