The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Paul, in Phil. 4:9
Dear Friends in Christ,
None of us have seen Paul, exactly. It is rare to see Jesus, generally. But we have learned and heard about them, and Advent is the season when we can see something new, even in the stories we’ve heard already. Plus all of us enjoy an imperative here and there: these things do. That’s a good place to begin Advent, with an invitation and a loving imperative.
The reason to quote Paul is that we heard that text in worship in late November, the week after the Rev. June Cooper preached. In her sermon she talked about “the asking God.” God asks us to be loving, to do the works of justice, and so on. Which blended into Paul the next week, which lifts up doing acts of compassion. All this leading up to the season when we helped to supply meals for 300+ guests at the Brighton UCC for Thanksgiving, and started word about supporting Community Health Workers in Haiti. We’ll be talking about the folks who help mothers and infants right around the time our Pageant and our carols ask us to celebrate mothers and infants, like Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Mary, and Jesus. This Advent the asking God and the doing God all connect to our life and practice at NHCC. Because we believe something.
This Advent I am thankful for the beliefs we share here. There is a God. Our ancestors from Deborah to Isaiah to Paul heard this God call them to community and compassion and equality and hope. And these are more than ideas or symbols or metaphors. These are choices and commitments, hence all the feeding and housing and sharing that we do here. So I am thankful for our beliefs.
Meanwhile, I am hurt and worried when national leaders or global leaders attack the values of Christian faith. I am spiritually exhausted by the multi-year, intentionally cruel war against Ukraine. I am stunned by the destruction of Gaza (that I’ve seen first-hand). I am insulted by the reference to a Muslim woman “wrapped in her swaddling Hijab,” right before we share the text about being wrapped in swaddling clothes at the birth of our savior. It’s a hard time for humanity.
Although in some ways that’s what June Cooper, Paul, and the balance of our faith invite: that we practice humanity. This call is poorly hidden in many terms that you know already: Adam, means human (and even humble), Advent references to “the son of man” also translate as “the truly human one,” and Joshua or Jesus mean salvation, rescue, for a person in trouble or in need. The call to be human toward each other is all through our stories as well as the names in our faith. So if it’s a hard time for humanity, it’s a good time to be a people of faith, and I am thankful for that, too.
Redundant reminder: we don’t need to wait for January 1 to make resolutions or sense a fresh start. The Church New Year began the first day of Advent. The shortest day of the year comes before Christmas. So faith claims that renewal, humanity, and hope are the story of this season, this month. I say this often, but if you have a friend of family member or colleague or neighbor who might value some renewal, it’s a nice season to offer them a ride. You can tell them that while we talk about God quite a lot, basically we’re all trying to be human and share humanity. Which is a good place to start the New Year.
Peace to you,
