From the Rector…
“Let every heart prepare him room.” This line from one of my favorite Christmas hymns was also the inspiration and title for our Christmas tableau, which premiered last Sunday in the nave of the Church of the Ascension. I knew it would be something special—and it was more than that. Our youth and children offered a profound witness to this long-told story. Their care in telling it again was both powerful and purposeful. It truly felt like preparation for something bigger than any of us can fully understand or name.
It’s easy to assume we know what the Christmas story is all about. A pregnant woman and her husband. No room in the inn. Shepherds keeping watch by night. Wise men traveling from the Far East. Angels. A baby born in a stable. It’s a familiar story—one we have heard over and over again, especially if we grew up in the Church. Yet, I wonder if, because of that familiarity, we sometimes lose touch with its mystery and wonder.
How marvelous it is that a star would shine so brightly in the heavens that it could guide three men across great distances to a foreign land—and then give them the courage to defy a dangerous and unstable king. Shepherds, standing watch over their flocks by night, are visited by angels who announce the birth of a new king and tell them that they—the lowliest of all—are the ones chosen to go and pay him homage in a stable in Bethlehem. Even Mary and Joseph, each visited by divine messengers, embody extraordinary faith and trust in a God who completely disrupts everything they thought they knew about life and its possibilities.
When we stop and truly think about these responses, none of them make much sense by worldly standards. The wise men were not Jewish. The shepherds held no status or power. Mary and Joseph were not people of wealth or social standing. And yet, none of that mattered to God. What mattered was their faithfulness.
Faith is born of desire and discipleship. It is the willingness to choose God every moment of every day. It is a life of God and is lived with God before it is ever about ourselves or even one another.
The Church, at its best, is a place of that kind of faithfulness. It bears witness to God’s work in the world and gathers those who long to be part of it. Through worship, story, and sacrament—especially the story of the Incarnation—we are reminded that our lives are grounded in God’s larger story. We are gently de-centered, our egos softened, and our sense of self reoriented toward love.
Too often, we become caught up in the story of our own lives—our families, careers, children, and dreams—and forget that we are part of something much bigger. We are participants in God’s story, not its stars. Christmas reminds us of this truth year after year, which is why we tell the same story again and again.
I hope to see you in church this Christmas, hearing this familiar story once more and remembering that though it is not about us, we are still vital to it—and to the kingdom God is bringing into being.
Light and Life and blessings for a Christmas filled with peace,
Candice+