Maybe the most faithful thing we can say is: “Who am I to hinder God?”

I wonder what would happen if we approached something as ordinary as breakfast, or work, or a conversation with a friend, or going to the beach, as a sacred space to commune with Christ.

The kind of time we spend most of our lives in is one of schedules, appointments, and calendars. It’s chronological from the Greek work “chronos”, the idea of linear time … But there’s a different kind of time; time measured in moments, not minutes. In the Greek, it’s kairos.

I challenge you, in the weeks to come, to not only look for ways to stand for justice, but to also intentionally look for hope, and places where your laughter might smuggle in a sense of hope.

Jesus doesn’t do these things—doesn’t live these ways— just so that we might retell the story of what he did. Jesus was, and is, continually modeling for us and inviting us to try out his ways, so that we can continue to be the hands of God in this world.

Jesus invites us to rewrite the world’s tired narrative of isolation and exclusion into a glad song of radical reconciliation with God and each other.

As we keep journeying with God our hearts can open, our perspectives can shift, and our very lives can become an offering to God. We just have to keep walking.

The [Christian Nationalist] movement is neither Christian, nor patriotic. Instead, this movement is the politicizing of Christian beliefs and the co-opting of Christian terminology and symbols, to promote what is essentially White supremacy.

Consider how you’ve seen the light of Christ shining through the faces around you. Next, wonder about how you’ve been Christ’s light to those around you.

Love is the only true antidote to all that's going on in our world.

May we let go of our ego attachments, so that we may be met with our deeper spiritual need. May our longing and yearning uncover God’s longing in and for us, and our spiritual hunger lead us to what will really fulfill us. And may our radical love and works of justice enable all people to live under God’s blessing.

If we look at these call stories closely, we see five themes that can guide us to a greater understanding of how the Holy Spirit is moving in our lives.

We mark these life passages together in community so that we can be a light to each other, so that when one of us doesn't feel so strong in our light, somebody else can shine God’s light in our direction.

Mary understands something profound about Jesus—he can transform moments of emptiness into abundance, bringing healing and fullness where there is need.

All last month, we talked about waiting for the coming of the Christ-child, then we celebrated the birth of Jesus, and, finally, last week we observed Epiphany, when the announcement of that birth was shared widely, out in the world. Today, we jump ahead in the life of Jesus, to when he himself was baptized. 

Our world today seems as dark and perilous as the one through which the Magi traveled. But we can arise, shine, and find God in hidden places – perhaps in the space between breaths, or through the whispers of the waves on the shore. We too can choose the compassionate road and offer refuge to those who, like the holy family, are excluded and afraid – those searching for shelter, healing, identity, connection.

I am blessed by your presence in my life, and celebrate the ways we share God’s love, grace and mercy with the world around us—one person at a time. Merry Christmas!

Today's readings memorialize Mary consenting to be the God-bearer, but they also prod us to wonder how we might serve as God-bearers to and for each other. And, believe it or not, all of that is probably as simple as the words of the song  “What a wonderful life” by Louis Armstrong. He sings: “I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘How do you do?’. They're really saying, ‘I love you.’”

In these next two weeks of our Advent waiting you may want to light a candle each evening to meditate on the light that is coming into the world through Jesus’ birth and through Christ being made fully manifest in our world.

Our new Children’s & Family Minister, Jackson (Jack) Cord, took the time to answer a few questions from our communications desk this past week. We certainly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him a bit better, and we hope you will too!