From Our Ministers: Unexpected Grace
The stories of this season are ones of unmet expectations. The Maccabees didn’t expect the oil to last eight days, but still the story became a potent symbol of faiths power over darkness. Those waiting for a Messiah expected a burly warrior who would fight and win freedom for the Jewish people. No one envisioned an unwed mother or a birth in a stable. The wise people traveling from the East surely did not expect a tiny baby – or they would have brought more appropriate gifts. We’d be singing about blocks, dreidels and onesies rather than gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
This year, neither Christmas nor Hanukkah might look like a Hallmark special. You could have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree or forget where you hid grandpa’s present. The candles might not stand up in the Menorah. But it doesn’t matter. The miracle comes whether we have a houseful of folks or are contemplating the stars by ourselves. The good news tells us that we matter; not because someone else says so but because we were born of this earth. Each life is unique and precious beyond measure. Our presence and our love make a difference and deserve celebration.
The stories as they’ve come down through the years are subversive tales that say power isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. That love can live and act through the world in ways folks at the top could never imagine. Love of G-d, of family, and connection to this good earth help to ground us. The strength and resilience of those connections allow us to overcome seemingly intractable obstacles.
It’s folks like you and me who turn expectations on their head. People who wait in the darkness of the stable and listen for the cry of a newborn babe. People who hold trust that the fuel of love will never truly burn out. Who know that Christmas doesn’t come from a store – it comes from the love within ach human heart.
The angels may not be singing our names, yet, but today we choose to believe in possibilities. We choose to celebrate the power of love. We choose to bless the world with light – and celebrate starlight that shines from each and every eye.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Good Yule & Blessed New Year. May your light continue to shine in ever new and unexpected ways~
With Love & Peace,
Revs Pam & Karen