On January 7 we continue the celebration of the twelve-day Christmas season, and in fact, this year we are adding a bonus “thirteenth day of Christmas.” We will celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord (“Feast of the Wisemen”), traditionally observed on January 6, with a bonfire, children’s star procession, and the music of the season.
This Christmas season blog neither reflects upon our Lord’s Nativity nor ponders the mysteries of the Incarnation. However, I hope it will cause a smile, and perhaps, bring to mind a long-forgotten memory of a Christmas past.
On Christmas Eve in the Year of our Lord 2023 we are not at peace. War and death rage on in Gaza, Ukraine, with ongoing conflict in Burma, Sudan, Ethiopia and elsewhere. Hate crimes and acts of bigotry mar our public life. Our imminent election season divides us and scares us. Our welcome of our migrant new neighbors is touched by resentment and fear. We In our country, in our world, in our lives, we are not at peace on this Christmas Eve of 2023.
Like so many of you I have been distressed and heartbroken by the continued suffering in wars and conflict across the globe. I am always thinking about Ukraine, especially since some of our members look to relatives suffering there. And in this holy Advent season our hearts go toward the Holy Land and the ongoing conflict and suffering there: from a horrific terror attack, to remaining hostages, to civilian deaths in Gaza. Previously I had shared some reflections from a journal I kept in a visit to the Holy Land. Today, with Advent hope and waiting on the coming of the Prince of Peace I share verses from Jewish and Muslim scriptures and a final entry in that journal.
FROM THE PASTOR Have the Conversation The punchline of the story about my paternal grandmother I told a few weeks ago was “If I die, how will I get in touch with you?” The point is – why wait? There’s no better time than the present for a conversation. Especially a conversation with those you…
This past Sunday, God certainly answered the call found in the Advent Prayer of the Day: “Stir up your power, O Lord and come.” God’s power in the Holy Spirit was present as we received seven new members; as we assembled almost 200 Christmas packages with the Sunday School children for migrant children through RefugeeOne; as we shared the beginning of a lively Bible Study of the Gospel of Mark at the Adult Forum; as we gathered in a full church to experience the beautiful Candlelight liturgy; and as our worship and Candlelight services were available to members and many others through livestream technology.
You are invited to celebrate the Season of Christ’s Birth at St. Luke’s. Begin with Advent—the season of preparation, through Christmas, New Year, and Epiphany—the season when Christ is revealed. There are many worship opportunities as well as times for fun and joyful celebration indoors and outdoors. Bring the family and your friends and join the celebration.
With songs, litanies, candles, and prayers, St. Luke’s will offer “holy ground” to acknowledge the complexities of life’s journey, while celebrating light and hope that comes in the birth of Jesus. Please join us on Thursday evening, December 21, at 7:00 p.m. for this service.
I want to share some readings, both ancient and new, which can help to arouse our imagination of our awareness of what Advent’s time brings: a mature expectation and sensitivity toward the lord’s coming. Advent summons us to the beginning. The lavishness of God’s compassion and mercy frame yet another year of the church for us. In my blog each week I will share some reflections to help us shape our expectation of the coming of Jesus. I hope and pray that these readings will speak to your hunger for deeper relationship to God through the advent of Jesus Christ into our world and our hearts.
I am remembering a note I received from one of my children many years ago. It was boisterously colorful, scribbled with a rainbow of many crayons in a random way. In the middle of a page full of wiggly color. Written in big red thick crayon was this: Dear Daddy, I love you soooooooo much!!!!!” It was a masterpiece, a stunning work of art because it reflected true thanksgiving. There was no particular occasion. I hadn’t done anything recently that I could think of think of to earn such a lavish offering from one of my children. It was simply an act of love for me, a human being who shared a life and a home with another human being and remembered him.