Almost everyone I talk to these days has the same comment:  "It is really hard to get into the Christmas Spirit this year." And the weather seems to have a lot to do with it. My go-to sources for weather predictions are all confirming that Christmas Day is likely to see temperatures in the 70s. My daughter in Roanoke, VA texted me that she was Christmas shopping in a tee shirt and flip flops and it just didn't seem right. Most of us would agree.

But there are other reasons that make it hard to embrace the exuberance of the season this year. The proliferation of violence, not only in acts of terror but also in words and attitudes, seems to mock the vision of the peaceable kingdom of Isaiah's prophecy. The insecurity and anxiety of life in our neighborhoods and throughout the global village challenge the angelic proclamation to "Fear not." 2015 seems a particularly challenging year to proclaim the Christmas Gospel or hear it in ways that are transformative. Yet those who join together for worship and community are desperate to hear it again. They are hungry to be reminded once more, through Word and Sacrament, liturgy and music, candlelight and prayer that God is, indeed, with us. They long to know that even though hope seems as fragile as a newborn, it is hope forged through following in the way of the child of Bethlehem,  proclaimed boldly and lived courageously, that will save us from the current destructive paths that threaten us.

This is the first time in 35 years that I am not actively involved in the planning of congregational worship and activities for Advent and Christmas. Though my office and duties have changed this season my heart is still very much rooted in the places where so many of you are at work in the life and worship of your congregations. I know well the awesome responsibility that comes with leading a community of faith through these weeks. I used to agonize over whether I could do it well enough that it truly would touch hearts and make the love, peace, joy and hope come alive for the expectant ones who gathered. I also know, as you do, that they come not just for candlelight and candles but for the meaning of this season to be proclaimed with authenticity and conviction and for the blessings of standing together in common witness to the transformative Gospel of love and peace in a world of violence and fear. 

My faith assures me that the mystery, wonder and truth of the Incarnate God, whose love and justice really is at work in our world, is not wholly dependent on us or what we do in this season.  But I also affirm that God works in and through us in this season and deserves the best we can offer.  For the Word has become flesh and dwells among us, even now, full of grace and truth.  May you experience that grace and truth in your own life this week as you work to make it come alive again, in your congregations.

Blessings,