The most recent government shutdown has been resolved. As I write this in late October we are experiencing the costs and confusion of re-starting. This past week I was part of a group of pastors and fruit/vegetable/flower growers who met with two of Representative Fred Upton's staff on the topic of Immigration Reform. Next week I plan to attend the informational meeting at the Hartford Library on the Affordable Care Act. Nothing seems to be working as it should or as we hoped it would. Our human ways of visioning, organizing, planning and acting more often than not come out distorted and dysfunctional. I smile as I remember my grandmother's wisdom in knowing the humanness and foolishness of politicians and leaders.
But, we carry on anyway because there are breaks in the storm clouds, moments of clarity, and more than random acts of kindness and compassion. There is something in us that continues longing and searching for meaning in this earthly life.
One way we live in this tension of hope and fear is to celebrate the seasons and Sundays of the Church year which concludes on November 24 and begins on December 1 with Advent. I also have found it helpful to recognize the unofficial spiritual season that begins November 1 with All Saints' Day and includes Thanksgiving.
Saints are those beloved children of God in whom we saw the Light of the World and who are no longer with us. The blessing we speak in worship is that they are "Absent from us. Present with God." Thanksgiving grounds us in healthy dependence upon God, the giver of all good gifts, and healthy interdependence with each other as we affirm the need we have for community and to follow Jesus together.
Advent and Christmas show us that the birth of our Savior begins with pregnancy, expectation and preparation. In our Advent worship we light a new candle each week and confirm the work we do in the season: Hope, Prepare, Rejoice and Love. At Christmas we remember that God did not crash land or mistakenly come into this world. But through a gentle, strong mother, Mary; a humble, respectful father, Joseph; and Holy Spirit presence and creativity Jesus entered this distorted, dysfunctional world to disrupt and deliver us from sin and despair.
By faith we return to the people and stories of these seasons so that we can return to a world that is not finally shut down, but transformed and made new. Praise God for sharing this life with us in Jesus.
