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| Image by Tim Green |
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A GREETING
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples.
(Psalm 57:9a)
A READING
When the table was set for me and an abundance of food placed before me, I said to my son Tobias, ‘Go, my child, and bring whatever poor person you may find of our people among the exiles in Nineveh, who is wholeheartedly mindful, and they shall eat together with me. I will wait for you, until you come back.’
(Tobit 2:2)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
So that my soul may praise you and not be silent,
O my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
(Psalm 30:12)
A PRAYER
Turning to the day
and to each other
We open ourselves to the day
and each other.
This is the day that the Lord has made
and a day we’ll have to make our way through.
Whether with ease or pain
with patience or joy.
May we find opportunities for generosity
toward others and ourselves.
May we find moments of encounter
even in isolation.
May we find stories and memories
even in the most complicated corners.
May we start again
where we have failed again.
May we confess
and be confessed to.
Because this is a way of living
That’s worth living daily.
- from Being Here: Prayers for Curiosity, Justice, and Love
by Pádraig Ó Tuama
VERSE OF THE DAY
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
(Psalm 36:8)
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| Image by Keith Hall |
This week, as Advent comes to an end and we start to lean into Christmas, we turn to what it means to celebrate, even as we continue to hold the hardships of the world. How can we be mindful of the suffering of others, and also rejoice in the coming of the Christ child into our midst?
In the book with his name, Tobit is a good and generous person who invites the poor to his table to share in his abundance. While his son is out looking for people to gather up, he hears of a fellow member of the community who has been murdered and cast aside. He runs home to tell his father. Despite the life-threatening danger of doing so in this era, Tobit leaves his meal to go out and find the body to give it a proper burial. When he finally does eat, he does so "sorrowfully." His desire to welcome others to his table led to his further acts of kindness, but for Tobit there is no happiness unless all are safe and fed.
In the stable gathering imagined by Francis of Assisi and adopted in Christmas pageants the world over, each of those gathered did not choose to be together. Mary and Joseph end up where they do by desperate luck and chance. The animals are interrupted in their routines. The shepherds make an unexpected long journey. And eventually the wise ones do the same. We recite verses and sing songs that say that the coming of the Christ child brings peace on earth — but it is a disruptive peace: it is the peace that comes from the deep yearning to build up the kindom of God. That kind of peace is achieved through us, through what we do with the message Jesus brings. It happens when those who are gathered together unexpectedly make room for the holy.
By contrast, in our own Christmas times, many of us create or maintain rituals we have held for years with familiar people. Whether we mean to or not, we fix a seal around our family-only times, allowing in only those we feel most comfortable with, or new attachments of family members. What would it take to break these patterns, reach out to someone less lucky and invite them into your gathering? Or if you are alone, how can you be prompted to gather others to you who like yourself are on their own, so that you can share in a sense of community together?
There are still two days left. As uncomfortable as it might be, who is there in your world who might be grateful to hear you say to them, “Come away in?” How might you still disrupt your Christmas, to incarnationally welcome the Christ child by adding a seat at your table?
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A STORY OF GORSE
Gorse is an ancient plant that thrives throughout Ireland and the British Isles, where it figures in Celtic spirituality as a symbol of goodness, hope, abundance and generosity. Associated with the Spring Equinox, gorse seed pods are picked in July and August -- a challenging task because of their very sharp thorns. After a period of drying out, they burst open to reveal their seeds. Even still, however, the seeds are hard and need to be broken in order to germinate. In the wild, animals, wind, and intense heat take care of that. When trying to do so in a greenhouse, boiling water is poured over them. Just as it is sometimes with human beings, the seed's protective shell has to be encouraged to open up. But when it does, the scent of the flower, and its yellow beauty, draw many others to it. What are some of the ways that each of us are protective, when in fact being more open might let new light in?
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LC† Seeds of Hope is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!