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| Image by Charles Stinchcomb |
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A GREETING
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
(Psalm 33:22)
A READING
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
(Luke 2:1-6)
MUSIC
Note: Today's music offering is two songs.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all day long.
(Psalm 71:8)
A POEM
The crevasse
is deep and impenetrable,
its edges defined by sharp rock.
Its source,
once fed by glacial melt,
has long since dried up.
Wind-sheared trees
stand off on either side,
disfigured by the elements.
An eagle
riding the currents
across the divide
drops a seed
of hope.
- "Schism" by Emma Walton Hamilton, found in "Door to Door"
VERSE OF THE DAY
Then they spoke to the angel of the Lord who was
standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth,
and lo, the whole earth remains at peace."
(Zechariah 1:11)
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| Image by James Wheeler |
In these few days leading to Christmas, we are reflecting on how we can hold the suffering of the world, alongside our sense of joy in the news of Jesus coming. Today's reading offers us some of the very few lines that exist in all of Scripture to describe how Jesus was born. From these few lines through the centuries we have imagined a robust scene, but we can also dive deeper into the lines we actually have. The story is told against the very specific political backdrop of emperors and governors and bureaucratic expectations. Joseph is required to register his family in Bethlehem because that’s where his family is from. Mary and Joseph have been living in Nazareth in the Galilee, and must travel to Bethlehem, not far from Jerusalem. It’s a long journey (longer today, through checkpoints and the barrier wall). It is also a journey out of comfort zones. Galileans had distinct accents, were not liked very much by Jerusalem folks who found them inferior in education and birth. It’s a reverse migration for Joseph: he has obviously come north for a reason — perhaps he was unable to make it as a farmer in his home region. Knowing Mary was close to term they may have been anxious about the birth. There’s no room for them at the inn — and would there be room for some Galileans anyway? "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" As much as they might have preferred to stay back, they are required to go. How much did they anticipate that Jesus would be born in such undesirable conditions?
In her poem, Emma Walton Hamilton offers us contrasting images: on one hand, the heartbreaking reality and evidence of climate change in a receded glacier, and on the other hand the vision of an eagle dropping a seed into the exposed crevasse of a canyon. In a similar way, into the midst of corruption and violence, God drops a seed. A child is born. He will survive, despite all odds.
“We beheld the glory of the father”, sing today’s two choirs. The two groups facing each other in a perfect blend of voices, sing first in celebration of the glory of God that is revealed by Jesus becoming human and dwelling among us. The second song takes us to the first verses of the Gospel of John that describe Jesus’ presence at the birth of the world.
We praise God for the one who arrives to change our sorrow into hope. What are the sorrows you are carrying that you can now lay at the foot of the creche? What are the deepest desires you have for how the coming of Jesus can transform our world?
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A STORY OF HOPE
When a fire ripped through St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto on June 9, 2024, onlookers and art lovers the world over grieved. In the dome of the historic church were murals painted by ten artists, including artists associated with the famed Group of Seven. J.E.H. MacDonald, Frederick Varley and Franklin Carmichael all created works that depict key moments in the story of Jesus. MacDonald believed it was important for Canadian artists to work in Canadian spaces, particularly churches, as Giotto and Michelangelo had. (Source.) Finished in 1923, just over a hundred years later, they were all lost to the fire, as the church's dome collapsed inward. Now, in early December, it has been revealed that parts of the murals have survived. In an interview with the CBC, Toronto Art Restoration Inc. restorer Alicia Coutts describes it as a 'miracle' that some charred pieces have survived in a way that may allow restoration, despite severe damage. On the Instagram page for the restoration house, she posted this video of herself working on MacDonald's dome painting "The Tempest," in which Jesus stills the waters. In her post she explains that she is trying to remove the fire soot that exists behind the layer of varnish that the artist himself put on it to protect it. (For a wider view, see here.) In other eras, artists often used tree resins (from conifers like pine) to act as varnish -- though whether MacDonald did with this work is not known. If he did, he would have had access to pine through the many trips he made into the Canadian north. What we most love becomes a part of all that we do.
Found on the Instagram page of Toronto Art Restoration Inc.
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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!