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Dear Covenant Family,
Every year we stop by the Rockefeller Greenhouse to see the poinsettia display in that peaceful place. I love to walk down the wooden path with poinsettias carefully placed on either side. It’s a simple pleasure, it’s free, and it brings me joy.
Maybe you’ve heard the Mexican legend of a girl who could only offer weeds as a gift to Jesus on Christmas Eve. When she brought the weeds into a church, they blossomed into the beautiful red plants we know as poinsettias, known as Flores de Noche Buena in Mexico (Spanish for "flowers of the holy night"). She was filled with joy.
This week faithful volunteers will adorn our sanctuary with flowers in preparation for the Christmas Pageant on Sunday and worship services for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I hope they feel joy as they decorate, and gentle peace in their shared tasks.
On Sunday we lit the pink candle on the Advent wreath for Gaudete Sunday, derived from the Latin word for Rejoice! We heard the story of Joseph giving up some of his power and privilege to do the right thing and accompany Mary on her divine path. I wonder if he felt joy as he walked with her toward Jerusalem.
We are still recovering from more than two years of Covid and its lingering effects on the way we gather and interact with one another. We are still living in a time of anxiety, still in need of God’s healing. Things will not suddenly bloom profusely like flowers in Isaiah’s desert. It takes work and careful nurturing to form a thriving life or thriving community.
On a recent trip to the desert, my husband and I noticed that the oasis we so admired was only made possible by underground pipes and careful irrigation. The steady drip of water created life and beauty. What if we nurtured our community life as carefully with the steady nourishment of shared joy and kindness? What beauty might yet bloom?
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