Monday 11 December 2017

Well, it's Monday morning and two weeks from today will be Christmas.  Yesterday we continued our look at characters from the Christmas story.  The lesser known  character of Zechariah was chosen because in hearing good news he was struck "mute".  The idea of being made "mute" resonated with me when I considered all the grief, worries and hardships that seem to get pushed under the rug at Christmas time.  Christmas is a time for hope and joy to be sure, but something about the modern Christmas seems to mitigate against people acknowledging their struggles.  Our service was deeply enriched by the words of Dianne Young, a local writer and a member of our church, who spoke about learning the language of grief after her husband's death.  It was a very important message and it is contained in the video from Sunday and elsewhere on the website.  Together we acknowledged that the God of love is different than the idea that God intervenes with good and bad in our lives.  Recognizing God as the Source of Love allows us to see God incarnated amidst our joys and griefs as a gentle tear, a good memory or the hug of a friend.  With these resources we are able to live in the midst of both the celebrations and struggles of the season.  What supports you in the more difficult moments of Christmas?  How do you understand God's presence in those times?  I would love to hear from you.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Brian. Watched and listened to some of the service, between making banana muffins. Great job. I always knew you were the golden tongued orator of the United Church. Do St. Martin's people know how lucky they are to have the best among them?

    As I comment this Christmas, my wife is about to start the Day Program at Oliver Lodge. We were there for the interview today; it is devastating to hear and see just how much she has lost. But, we persevere. She does not know her granddaughter and is uncertain how many children we have. So, Christmas may be coming, but there is no sense of joy and little sense of hope. And Donald Trump has made sure that there will be no peace. That leaves us "love". Thank God for family and friends - friends like you. Keep up the great work at St. Martin's, my friend.

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  2. Thanks for your comments Tom. You are in the most difficult of times. Hopefully you will have good companions. See you soon.

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