“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus…”
In these days a decree went out from Governor Hogan...
From Mayor Scott...
From Dr. Fauci...
From President Trump...
From Bishop Sutton...
A lot of decrees these days.
I’ve found myself saying over and over these days “Well, we have never seen a Christmas like this!” and in some moments, “This is the worst Christmas.” And this might be true! But let’s not forget the perils and difficulties of the first Christmas.
Perhaps a mandatory census is the opposite of a mandatory travel ban, but the death of thousands of first-born children rings true, and we all dream of a few wise individuals showing up in January bearing gifts. More importantly, the loneliness of the stable, the isolation of a long walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem, giving birth to a child far from home and alone has been a reality for too many this year.
So this Christmas may not be so different or foreign. There is even a chance that Jesus might be a little more present this Christmas than most.
This year every home is a stable.
Every hospital room a manger.
Every ambulance a donkey.
Every front line worker a shepherd.
Every package delivered a sheep.
And all of us are stars in the sky.
Tiny lights shining in what feels like infinite dark.
But when you step back and look at all of us you can’t help but feel hope. Hope for the future. Hope for each other. And Hope in the incarnation.
In that big light shining far in the distance, but that comes ever closer, bring us all together.
So as you ponder this decree and those decrees - take some time to consider which decrees matter most to you.
Throughout Advent we have been repeating THAT decree over and over again to start every service: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."
If we live into that decree, into those words, then all those little points of light will get brighter and brighter, until the incarnation is visible in all of us.
May This Be A Very Merry Christmas Indeed.