Christmas and Being God-Bearers Today
Our theme is Christmas and how we, like Mary, can be God-bearers today.
On many levels 2016 was rough year—the divisiveness of the presidential campaign, heartbreaking images from Syria, an outbreak of hateful acts and speech in our country, and the death of some beloved public figures, musicians, and more. 2016 is leaving us with a collective, "Ugh!"
John Oliver summed up the feelings of this exhausting and challening year for many people when he literally blew it up on his TV show.
In such difficult years and challenging times, the message and promise of Christmas feels all the more important and poignant. Jesus himself was born into a difficult and challenging time—under Roman oppression in first-century Palestine, born in a stable, greeted by lowly shepherds. His mother, Mary, is a symbol of faith and hope for the way she accepted God's call to bear God's Son, and for the way she brought Jesus into the world. Jesus was the light shining in the darkness, which the darkness could not overcome.
Two questions:
Given this year we've experienced together, what are you looking for in this year's experience of Christmas? Is it hope, peace, promise, reconcilation, time with family? How does the Christmas story speak to you this year? Is it different from other years, or the same message that you need to hear afresh?
And how can we be God-bearers in our world today? How can be bring to birth the justice and joy, the love and peace of God in our world?
Centuries ago, the German mystic, Meister Eckhart, wrote, "What good is it to me that Mary gave birth to the son of God fourteen hundred years ago, and I do not also give birth to the Son of God in my time and in my culture? We are all meant to be mothers of God. God is always needing to be born.”
How is God being born in you this year? How will you bring that to birth in our world?
You know, we usually wait until January to make our new year's resolutions, but for some reason this year, this Christmas feels like a much better time to it. What are your Christmas resolutions for next year and beyond?