Hope

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings in tune without words, and never stops at all.”—Emily Dickinson

Christmas is on a Tuesday this year. Tuesday has a long history of being a day of special celebration. In Jewish tradition, Tuesday is when God said twice ki tov —“It is good.” The tradition is to marry on this day of double blessing. Doug and I were married on a Tuesday.

Tuesday seems like the correct day to welcome the birth of Jesus and hope into our world. And this year we are in need of an extra measure of hope.

This December we meet at the church on Tuesday nights from 6:00-6:45 for a meditation and prayer service. It will be a time of rest, quiet, and centering prayer.

We prepare ourselves to experience fully the birth of hope into our lives. And we need hope. As a people we have just gone through a long electoral race that divided and polarized us. Our economy is still in a precarious place and many are unemployed. Conflicts between nations threaten to escalate violently. We could begin to feel discouraged, fearful and isolated.

The birth of Jesus—a tiny, helpless, new born who brings the promise of God and God’s grace to the world—is exactly what we need. Jesus’ birth reminds us that, no matter what happens in our broken world, we are not alone. We are not forgotten. Our God is present with us.

The birth of Jesus reminds us that no matter our circumstances, our soul sings and does not stop. We are a people created to hope—engineered to hope—because resurrection is possible.

Come and be with us on Tuesdays in Dec. for a double dose of prayer and hope. It is good. It is good!

Rev. Pam