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| p4. December 27-31Nativity: Dec 27. Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, �Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way, for as I�looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, �To an unknown god.� What�you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it�does not live in shrines made by human hands.� See Acts 17:22-24. Our �gods� come and go, but God remains forever. The images, metaphors, and buildings in which we try to capture God also come and go. The Athenians, erecting an altar to an unknown god, were on the right track. There is a part of God that will always be unknowable and mysterious. Many religious people think they know God and, with the Athenians, are �extremely religious.� But they only know God in part. If they learn our experience of God, they will know more, for it is the collective, communal experience of God that gives us the fullest picture. Thank you for your mystery, and that we may learn more of you through one another. Amen. Dec 28. �and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. See Genesis 15:1-18. Modern messengers teach us to control our lives through thinking positively, practicing visualization, defining our dreams, and describing what we want out of life. Although these techniques can be helpful, ultimately, God�s will will be done. We have some say and some sway over our actions and attitudes and the results we experience. Even so, most of us will eventually experience events that can leave us in a deep and terrifying dark place. Often this is where we become most aware of a living and loving God. It is often in just these times we learn how much we can trust God. So, while it is good to plan and dream, it is even more important to know God is real and really is in control. Dec 29. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. See Psalm 146:5-10. The God of Jacob is also the God of a lot of other people in Jacob�s family. Through a series of questionable or unethical deeds, the twins (Jacob and Esau) mother (Rebekah) helped Jacob steal what rightfully belonged to Esau. As the first born of the twins, Esau had certain rights. Jacob and Rebekah plotted to trick father Isaac into giving these to Jacob instead. As would happen in any family today, the result was a painful conflict followed by years of geographical and emotional separation. Yet God worked through these broken people to fulfill the promises given to Jacob�s grandfather, Abraham. Again and again we are reminded that our help and our hope is in God and not in ourselves or even those people we love and trust the most. The source of happiness, peace, and security comes from trust in the God of Jacob. God of Jacob, thank you for your patient steadfast love at work in my life. Amen. Dec 30. John the Baptist appeared�proclaiming, �Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.� See Matthew 3:1-12. John the Baptist is sometimes considered eccentric. He was different than most people in how he dressed, ate, and lived. The word �repent� means to �go a different way.� John challenged people to repent in his day. Who is challenging us to repent today? Political candidates? Financial teachers? Students who struggle to finish school calling us to restructure programs? The mentally ill, calling us to restructure our communities, and also challenging us to have more compassion for each other? In his day, John the Baptist invited folks to come back to God. The same invitation is being extended to us in our day. Lord God of community, help me to see where I need to adjust my life. Amen. Dec 31. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted�See Jeremiah 31:15-17. Rachel�s hope rose out of her refusal to accept the permanence of her loss. She kept praying and remembering. Through her tears, she demonstrated her faith in God�s power to bring her to a better place. As we pause to remember those who have died unjustly-including the Holy Innocents and the martyrs of the faith-we give voice to the hope that refuses to be comforted in the presence of violence. We show others the way to our God who never leaves us alone in the silence. God of all people, teach me how to seek safety and security for all your children. Amen. |
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