Advent, 2007

Dear Friends,

Last Christmas Eve we thought it only fitting to complete our Advent journey by traveling with countless other worshippers to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Joining the throng, we scooted close together for warmth, as it was a crisp and windy day in Manger Square—near the basilica of the Church of the Nativity, which is built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born. We watched the procession of marching bands, bagpipe players, Boy Scout parades, and awaited the arrival of the Latin Patriarch who would later celebrate Mass. Despite the weather, the streets remained packed with visitors excited about spending Christmas Eve in one of the world's holiest Christian sites.

As newcomers to the region, Advent season produced in us a prevailing sense of sadness. During this season, when we prepare our hearts and wait in anticipation of  the joyous miracle of the Savior’s birth, we found ourselves struggling to objectify living and serving among suffering brothers and sisters in Christ, becoming impassioned over their plight, and yet feeling powerless to do little but accompany them as they wait for the occupation to end.

And so we stood transfixed and surprisingly delighted to take in the scene around us. Life’s burdens seemed lifted for a moment as the throng sang Christmas songs and chanted Psalms, their faces glowing and cheerful. We couldn't help but marvel at the resilience and fortitude of a people so oppressed, and finally we comprehended that those waiting under occupation live with a hope that comes from a deep well of faith in the Christ whose birth we’d gathered to celebrate.

A year later, our Advent journey has brought us to our homeland. While we miss our friends and colleagues in Jerusalem, we are celebrating more than one birth while in the United States!

Left to right: Mari, Malia, Will, Michele and Cade, Terri, Jaime, Travis, Reed.

Cade Solomon Finseth joined his brother Reed and sister Mari on October 19, 2007, and we are glowing grandparents! We will celebrate Christ’s birth with Travis, Jaime, and the children in Mississippi, and enjoy every minute of it! Photos of the family can be seen on the Finseth Web site.

Our waiting for the miracle of birth will extend beyond the Christmas season this year, as Reed, Mari and Cade are expecting a new baby cousin, due in March. Daddy–to-be Will and Mommy-to-be Malia will be staying closer to home in California this Christmas, as Baby Brooks is soon to enter his third trimester in preparation for his birth. Yes, it’s a boy. Thanks to incredible modern technology, his pre-birth photos can be seen on Baby Brooks' Web site along with photos of his mommy's growth in carrying him!

As we gather for the celebration of the Christ child’s birth, we are struck by the profound joy that togetherness brings. What awe Joseph and Mary must have felt as they became a family in those quiet moments in the holy place where Jesus was born. And as Christians, we are an extension of that Holy family, which we remember in our hearts and prayers on Christmas and throughout the year. Let our prayerful connection to them extend from Bethlehem to the world as we celebrate!

Christmas blessings, 

The Finseths

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 170