On Christmas Eve, the Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista considers the shepherds in Luke 2:1-14: “One night, a long time ago, a group of shepherds was huddled together for warmth as they were watching their sheep, and an angel shows up… The shepherds were surprised they had been visited by an angel, but they were also surprised for another reason. They had traveled far and wide. Yet in all that time and experience in the world, they had never ever been invited to the birthday party of a prince.”
The Rev. Carr Holland meditates on Matthew 1:18-25: “In Matthew, it is Joseph who cradles Jesus in a blanket woven of character and compassion. He offers the lineage that gives shape to the Christmas crib. He lives the ethical dilemma: law or love. He dreams a way into a compassionate life and yields to it as God’s gift of life for him. His actions become the straw of Christ’s comfort. Perhaps for each of us there is a gift that waits for us as Advent yields to Christmas.”
The Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista reflects on Isaiah 35:1-10: “Translation is not an easy task. It’s difficult enough to do between two spoken languages; you can grab the nuance of things if you are familiar enough with the culture and the context. But it’s another altogether when it comes to languages spoken long ago….”
The Rev. George Adamik contemplates the season of Advent: “We really cheat ourselves when we think that Advent is just these four weeks to get us ready for Christmas. Advent is really that and beyond. It’s a season that invites us to look to the fullness of creation, the fullness of who we can become. In a sense, Advent is the Alpha looking towards the Omega.”
The Rev. Candy Snively discusses Isaiah 2:1-5 and the beginning of Advent: “Maybe we’ve depended a little too much on God transforming our spears and swords while we’re still swinging them, instead of laying them down long enough to make a few plowshares. But Advent is a time to repair what is broken, to heal what is hurt. It is the time to remember the work we need to do on our lives, our spirits, and our hearts.”
During this timely feast of Christ the King, the Rev. Carr Holland reflects on the vulnerability and compassion of Jesus (Luke 23:33-43): “There’s very little reflective listening in the actors who bring about Christ’s death. The passion and death of Christ is driven by fear, deep human fear. Fear of the potential loss of power, fear of the divine Other’s expectations, fear of an expectation that we can grow more tender and less harsh. Fear that we will lose something.”
The Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista considers what we can learn from the prophet Isaiah during uncertain times (Isaiah 65:17-25): “Our history is also long and complex, and we too may be facing a sense of uncertainty and insecurity.”
As we near the end of our stewardship campaign, Fr. George reflects on who we are as a parish community, where we are, and where we’re headed. Remember to pledge, and thank you for your support of St. Paul’s and its ministries.
The Rev. Carr Holland considers Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10): “In this political season, we can find Zacchaeus. In fact, we can find several of them. Someone who has prospered and you’re not sure by what means, how they have come by their wealth, and the level of their morality. Zacchaeus was despised by others, his own people, though he was rich. He had no place, so he was viewed by some as outside of God’s grace and care. Maybe we don’t all know his feeling of alienation, but many of us know what it’s like to come to a moment when we realize what we have held as important suddenly is not.”
The Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista discusses Joel 2:23-32: “I’ve been thinking about water lately. Human beings, of course, are full of it. Its strength relies so heavily on its weakness. It is weak enough to roll off our hands, yet strong enough that it can creep through crevices of rock and stone and break them apart.”