December Message

Dear Friends,
I suspect your mailboxes, snail-mail and/or e-mail, bulge with many kinds of items this time of year. Flyers, catalogs, wish-books from vendors far and near tantalize and tempt us every day; pleas from people and agencies tug at our hearts; winter tax statements remind us of our obligations; statements and bills, the old standbys, wait for us; there too, “The Companion” and other newsletters greet the reader; finally, brightly and cheerfully peaking out from all these other pieces of mail are the cards and letters from family and friends, those we see everyday and others we only hear from during this season. I think you will agree that it is because of these cards and letters picking up the mail in December than It is in July, even though it is colder!

The season, Advent, not the shopping season or even the weather season, is, I think, the best of seasons. When I sit down to write the notes on cards, address the envelopes, it is a time for me to reflect, to reflect not only on what has been happening in my life or my families life, but on the relationship I have with each of the people to whom I am writing. It has become a ritual I relish.

Then, of course, there is the reading of the letters and cards received! My blessings are here in front of me as I open each card, read the note and verse, see the signature! My heart and the room are warmed by the thoughtfulness and friendship these people have extended to me. The cards symbolize the relationships we have formed over the year and/or years before; they provide warmth and light on wintry days.

Our first card of the season was from our daughter and her family wishing us Peace in the year ahead; the second was a letter from my friend, Helen Hyland, who shared what has been happening in her life this past year. Each day brings more mail, more cards and letters.

Of course, it brings the other things as well. In addition to the cards and letters, I’d like to think about those pleas for help, for intervention, to do good in someone’s life. Because there are so many, and we, after all, only have so much we can give, it is tempting not to open these pieces of mail, to put them into the trash, unopened and/or unread. Let’s try not to do that. Rather, if we can at least open and read the mail, then, even if we cannot respond with a check, we can offer up a prayer for that cause, that person in need. We can put the letter, the cause, on our “to do” list, so that when there is time and/or money available, we can answer that plea. Sometimes, we are given the opportunity to present that cause, that person’s need, to someone who can make a difference. Saying the prayer, keeping the letter helps us keep the need in our minds, so when that opportunity comes, we’re ready!

Advent is not just for reflection but also for planning and preparation. This period of getting ready is not only for the holidays and the festivities ahead, not even for thinking about next year’s budget, or vacation, or work schedule, though those things need our attention. No, we should be getting ready, planning and preparing for the coming of Christ. Jesus reminded us that as we offer a meal, a coat, and a helping hand to our neighbor then we are offering those same things to him. This is the business we are to be about now and in the days ahead. We do not know when we will be called to serve, but we know we will be called, so let’s be prepared!

Another way I prepare for the day and the days ahead during this Advent season, during the cold days of November and December is to turn on the light—the light by my chair, the light at the front door, the light in the kitchen, the light by my bed. These lights warm the room, but the light I refer to is the Christ light that exists in my heart. This light shines when I read “Forward Day by Day,” scripture, as well as those cards and letters I mentioned earlier. It glows during my prayer time. It shines when I can lend a helping hand or listen to a friend or a stranger. This is the Light that not only brightens my path but warms my soul and gives me courage to move forward. Do you find it to be this for you too?

Let us walk in the Light together!
Deacon Marlyn