Merry Christmas

Dear Friends in Christ -

As I type this to you, the evening bells are ringing out from the old church. In winter, the sound of the bells is especially bright and resonant in the crisp dry air.

I'm tired. Not because of the church services. Not because of the storm of ebulent energy emanating from my children. I'm tired because this was a day in which the joys and sorrows pressed so closely together. The tremendous happiness of being with my wonderful husband and children in giving and receiving presents - and goodness in general. The delight of connecting on the phone with my brother who just got engaged. The sadness of not having my grandmother's peanut brittle to gnaw on; she passed away this year. The frustration of running into painful old patterns in relationships and being without what I need - the skills? the energy? - to try to forge a new path.

Even in the midst of it all - ESPECIALLY in the midst of it all, the church bells ring out the glad tidings. "Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given." Emmanuel is with me - with us - in the midst of it all, the glue that not only holds me and my world together, but also holds HOPE.

This morning, the sermon I preached reflected on this little poem . . .

I saw a stable, low and very bare,
A little child in a manger.
The oxen knew Him, had Him in their care,
To men He was a stranger,
The safety of the world was lying there,
And the world’s danger.
... Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861-1907)

In this season of Christmas - today is the first day of twelve days of celebration! - I'm going to listen for more on this mystery: that our Savior - who is both radical safety and radical danger - has come, with the promise to make all things new, including me!

May you hear in your heart the pealing of the bells of Christmas, the bells that ring out Emmanuel has come, God is with us!

Merry Christmas!!
Blessings,
Janet+