Ordinarily Divine

This is it. We have made it to Christmas week. We will gather on Sunday proclaiming the Incarnation of the Divine. The birth of a baby is pretty ordinary. It happens every day all over, in every place. Yet, those who have been at a birth recognize that it doesn’t seem very ordinary. Actually, it feels like the opposite. It looks and smells and sounds like a miracle right before our eyes.

I am constantly amazed at the human body and it’s capacity to adapt, change and persevere. Yet, I recognize how fragile it is and how fleeting being alive can be. When our bodies ache or hurt, it changes our attitude and our ability to find joy in the world.

This month we have been focused on joy. Joy that we recognize as happy to overflowing and joy that sustains us in a deep and meaningful way when life is hard. Joy is so much richer and deeper than simply being happy. It’s about assurance that we get from the Holy One that we are not alone. It is the recognition that we believe in a God who desperately wants to be in relationship with us. A God who understands the fragility of being human. And the hope that we will be united with our God and our loved ones who have gone before us. It is the Holy and liminal space of the Divine. It deserves a moment of silence to ponder the awesomeness of it all.

Maybe your Advent season hasn’t held any moments of silence. Maybe you have gotten caught on the hamster wheel of your to-do list. So I invite you to join us for worship on Sunday. Be still. Remember. Breathe deeply the miracle of the birth of this baby who calls us to a life of more. As we gather around the table where Jesus claims us as worthy, may we be reminded of the Divinely ordinary significance. And like Jesus may we see miracles in the ordinary surrounding us.

If you are traveling and away from the body of Christ, we pray for your safety until we are together again. I hope you will join us online from wherever you are.

I love you and God loves you,