Christmas. Marc has brought a CD he made with a selection of classic Christmas music. He puts it on and the sound fills the sanctuary. I step out for five minutes to get a cup of coffee at Barney Greengrass. The restaurant is filled to overflowing. It's a longstanding tradition for Jewish neighbors to gather here on Christmas morning for a sturgeon breakfast. When I get back to my office, I discover that the Christmas Eve offering I left on my desk has disappeared. It wasn't that much, but it makes me sad. That and my missing cell phone makes for a down start to the day. I can only hope that whoever took the money really needed it.
Marc wants to see things take off. Not sure why more people don't come. I don't have an immediate answer for that but need to deal with the issue in the New Year. Somehow translate the weekly life into our Sunday morning life. John arrives, happy that we are open. I know we must have had another Christmas Sunday morning during my time here, but I can't remember it. I think all the way back to my only Christmas in Oakdale when I invited everyone to come as you are and had hot chocolate and cookies while we sang carols. I'm happy when I see my son Dan come in and then Laura, a young woman from the neighborhood looking for a service. Well, when two or three are gathered together...
I light the Advent candles. the Christ candle. We read the scriptures together. The gospel lesson is John 1,... in the beginning was the word...We talk about how in Genesis, the world was created by word, and God said....and how the Bible as we have it is a living word...and how we are living words. ...The word became flesh and dwelled among us....God in us...And how the darkness has not overcome the light...even when it feels that way...And we sing Joy to the World and I give the benediction.
Turns out Laura works for the city in energy conservation. I tell her our new boiler, our commitment to bring our building back green. We will talk again.
Dan and I head home. Tracy has told me there'll be a special Christmas Day picket in front of Saigon Grill.
It's Christmas.
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