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Dear Covenant Family,
The Southwest was a beautiful and interesting place to begin ministry. My husband and I shared our first call at First Presbyterian in Roswell, New Mexico. Many of the Christmas traditions there originated in Spanish speaking countries. My favorite was Las Posadas, celebrated throughout Mexico for over 400 years. The tradition recalls Mary and Joseph’s difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a warm place to stay the night. (Posadas is Spanish for “lodgings” or “accommodations”.)
Beginning on December 16 and ending nine days later, Las Posadas commemorates the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy. Each night, one family agrees to house the pilgrims. At dusk, a procession takes to the streets with children often dressed as angels and shepherds. Religious figures, images and lighted candles are a part of the festivities. The Holy Family stands outside a series of houses, singing songs, asking for lodging. They are refused time and again until the group reaches the designated house. Finally, the travelers are permitted to enter. Prayer and song continue in the home, and festive foods are shared. The evening ends with a piñata in the shape of star.
Our church hosted a Las Posadas evening every year to remind us of our call to be a place of hospitality and welcome. We made posole and cornbread for a crowd, sang hymns and joined in community building activities, with a pinata at the end. One year we created our own nativity scenes fired in a clay oven by a member. Maybe because we lived in Roswell, I always thought our Joseph looked a little bit like an alien!
Even as we moved, we kept some of the southwestern traditions. We still make posole on Christmas Eve and the Retablo pictured below hangs in our home year-round. What traditions have you carried even if you moved from place to place? How do those traditions remind you of Jesus, and Christmases past, and home? How do you remember that God is with you everywhere and always?
EVERYWHERE AND ALWAYS
Right here.
That’s where God is.
In the sun that turns our bedroom gold,
in the creaks of this old house, and in birthday candles on the cake;
in clean sheets, sock feet, and porch-sitting;
in pancakes for breakfast and pancakes for dinner;
in the swell of a lit candle, in fireplace conversations;
in your grandmother’s carrot cake, and the smell of evergreen.
God is in the seed-starters on the porch,
and the space between my bones;
in garlic butter, early mornings, and twinkle lights.
Certainly in dancing and laughing, in cups of coffee,
in the art hung on the fridge, snail mail, long phone calls,
and oh how I love yous. God is right here.
God pulled up a seat. God has traveled all the way to the heart.
Tell the next generation.
Prayer by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
Blessed Advent,
Pastor Jessie
Pastor@covenantweb.org
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