From the Pastor
J. Barrie Shepherd shares the following Advent reflection:
Just when you felt convinced that the inevitable was already happening.
Just when the dailyness of every single thing had finally persuaded you not to expect,
not even to look.
Just when tomorrow had completely lost its meaning as distinct from everyday.
A melody of dancing was caught from far away.
One sigh became transmuted in mid-air into a gasp of sheer astonishment.
And now a word, He comes, new whispered on December’s wind,
Melts grim-set lips to simple speech and song and framing salutations.
Hard to believe, but as I write this, the season of Advent is almost upon us. Ready or not, here comes Christmas! I have shared a lot of Advents and Christmases with you here in Sebastopol. Again and again, we have lit the same candles, sung the same songs, spoken the same hopes of peace on earth and good will to all. And now we prepare to do it all yet again.
What do you think? It is getting old? Does it still have meaning? As we light our Advent candles of HOPE, PEACE, JOY AND LOVE does it really make any difference? My mind returns to the words of the poet, “And now a word, ‘He comes’ new whispered on December’s wind…” For me, even after all these years, that new whispered word makes all the difference.
Yes, it seems that we are no closer to that Advent/Christmas dream of peace and good will than we have ever been. And yet still, He comes. He comes into our conflict, our pain, our misunderstandings, our mistrust, our persistent failure to be the people we were created to be. He comes and still invites us to make a way, to prepare a path, to dare to believe the dream is possible. He invites us to make room in our crowded, often hurting and fearful hearts, for God’s new birth…and ours!
Gene
