“We dwell within a small circle of light surrounded by an immense mystery...”
“Universal mystery, guide us away from the desire to shine light into all the corners...”
Was it just last Saturday, one week ago?
What a wonderful Red Bow Fair day it was- good weather, great energy, new connections, some great deals, lots of alumni- some of them with babies and toddlers. I hope all who made it happen had some fun, enjoyed the spirit and the people. Thank you all so much!
We are now two weeks away from the longest night of the year and shortly after that, Christmas. This year, the story of Jesus’ birth runs head on into current events: Bethlehem and Jerusalem are located in the West Bank, displaced people are on the move with no room at the inn, and the wars continue on.
Even without current events weighing us down, this can be a busy or stressful or lonely time. Now that we’re past the high energy of the Fair, I thought I’d repeat one of the reflection questions that I shared last week: What’s one thing you could do this month to more deeply encounter mystery? How might you fill up your soul? Maybe with music, star watching, walking, silence, prayer, religious gatherings, or sitting in the dark with candles or the Christmas lights on?
Let’s make a communal agreement: Why don’t we all let go of any lingering belief that we should create a “perfect Christmas” and instead let ourselves rest a bit in mystery, in the dark. With all that people are managing- pragmatically, emotionally, spiritually- I have a sneaking suspicion that we’ll all be better off that way.
This Sunday we have a Hanukkah/Solstice/Christmas mash up between the service and singing carols at lunch afterwards. Come to whatever will fill up your soul.
Yours in the shortening days,
Rev. Lee