Second Sunday of Advent
As I write this, I am returning from
two intense weeks of extended family brought together by events, namely a
wedding and American Thanksgiving.
Family is a complicated thing for many
of us. Of that, there is no better reminder than spending holidays together
after time apart. Navigating changing family dynamics, new members, differing
opinions on just about everything, and relationship maintenance across varying
distances - it all can add up to a lot of work!
The family of God is no less
complicated - the church is made up of broken people in a broken world. Given
the admonishing tone of many of Paul's letters to the early church, it's clear
that it was no less complicated in the beginning. And yet, in this passage
we're reminded that despite the difficulties that people inevitably face when
choosing to be family to one another, we also have so much to be grateful for
in one another.
In late October, we held an All Age
Worship Service on the topic of thankfulness. In it, people of many ages and
backgrounds shared things that they were particularly thankful for in this
season of their lives.
What struck me about these testimonies
was that in each stage of life, every person mentioned one or more
relationships in their lives through which they are richly blessed. These ran
the gamut from siblings and parents to significant others to friends to the
church family itself. It is such a beautiful testament to the work of God in
our lives that despite all the potential complications, God is constantly
working through each of us to show love and grace to others, and through them
to show love and grace to us.
This Advent, may we live out Paul's
prayer of thankfulness for the Philippians. May we abound in love for each
other, and in our love help one another to grow. May we see our huge,
complicated family as a blessing and not a burden, and through our striving to
love one another better, may we prepare for the coming of Christ this
Christmas. Amen.
Natalie Jones
Attribution:
Paul Preaching at Philippi from a set of Scenes from the Life of Saint Paul, ca. 1600, Flemish, Brussels, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Lillian Stokes Gillespie Collection, Bequest of Lillian Stokes Gillespie, 1915, www.metmuseum.org.
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