Message from the Clergy
Merry Christmas greetings are extended in the name of the One whose birth we in the Christ tradition celebrate.
I surely do honour all ways of celebrating, all states of belief and non-belief, and all paths that folks find to create meaning and hope. I will share my Christmas spiritual path with you- noting that Christmas for me, as retired United Church clergy, is a time to be wrapped up in the spiritual message, the gift of hope, the promise of new life and the accompaniment of a Universal Presence in life, in death and in life beyond death.
I must admit that this realization came gradually over time, and that when I was young, to the chagrin of my mom, I hoped, indeed longed, for many, many Christmas presents. As a child I would spend hours with the Eaton’s Christmas catalogue- perusing it for toys, clothes - all for myself. I loved to write down the item and colour number and basically learned to read and write thanks to Mrs. Eaton’s literature.
As a visual person, the many church plays, pageants, Christmas concerts both inspired and piqued my interest, all of which led to a departure from Eaton’s reading materials to that of the Holy Bible, to the delight of my mom, I might add. In the local nativity pageants and plays, I identified with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her ability to listen to God’s plans for her to bear the Saviour Jesus Christ.
This very young and very pregnant heroine’s decision to listen to God and to let the Christ be born in her always seemed to me, and still does today, a very brave action. A young girl of aged 13 to 15 years, living in a time when unwed mothers were often stoned to death or abandoned to die of starvation, Mary, rose up and accepted the challenge of God.
Responding to God, and accepting God’s challenges, is not, as Mary discovered- easy. It’s not easy to give birth to the Saviour - but that is what we are asked to do- every day- to give birth to Jesus Christ in our hearts, minds, homes.
It’s a reminder to us that God can and does come into the messy situations of our lives, churches, communities and our world, if we are willing, that is. Mary’s story is our story and it’s an on-going birth story, not a once-a-year Christmas time event - but an on-going event of giving birth, and of letting God into our lives, hearts and homes and into our messy matters.
May we, as the eyes, ears, hands, feet of Jesus Christ allow Him to grow up, move out of the manger and into this messy world that God sent His son into. May we welcome Him into our hearts and homes this Christmas and all year long. Merry Christmas!
