From the Pastor…….

This Is No Lullaby!

During this Advent/Christmas Season of 2009, we will be reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke.  Although the Gospel of Luke begins with the narrative of Jesus’ birth, do not be misled.  The first chapter is more than a sentimental story about a baby.  It is more than a collection of songs sung by an aging priest, Zechariah, and a young mother, Mary.  Her canticle – the Magnificat – is a song of freedom and hope, as well as job and celebration.  As a prophet to the poor, Mary sings a song of liberation that envisions a transformed social order.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant…he has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in their conceit.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He

has sent away empty  (St. Luke 1:46-48, 51-53). 

In December of 1985, the apartheid government in Pretoria, South Africa, banned the lighting of candles and the singing of Christmas carols in the vast ghetto of Soweto.  They knew…Mary’s song represents more than a sweet Christmas carol…it is no lullaby!  It is a raucous, defiant chant toward a world that can be oppressive and harsh…but a world that is still under God’s soverign control.  And a world that is changing!

During Christmas of 2009, many of us see the world changing.  Isn’t it good to know that amid all the changes and chances of this life, God is still in control and that His Will is being worked out in our world.  May we trust God’s goodness and care…knowing that His Divine Guidance is what we need for the Living of these Days.

Merry Christmas…and may God’s Peace and Love be with each of us in 2010.

Peace and Love,

Pastor John