Christmas Greetings from the Standing Committee
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. John 1:14
Two weeks ago, I got the call I expect every Christmas: the notification of a parishioner’s unexpected major medical emergency. I was standing in the toy store on the square in Baraboo, my eyes looking at the Melissa and Doug exhibit while my heart shook in fear for the suffering of my friend. I told a friend that getting bad news while Christmas shopping was part of the juxtaposition of ordained ministry, and he responded, “Or maybe it’s just life for all of us.”
His rejoinder reminded me that it’s certainly what Christmas is for all of us. Jesus Christ took on human nature so that God could be with us: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. God didn’t choose to become human in an alternate reality that was already perfect but became human to be with us in the world we actually live in – a dangerous, difficult reality where, in ancient times and in our own day, war and genocide, loneliness and tragedy are everyday experiences for so many. Even in the midst of that desolation, we behold the glory of God in the infant born to Mary in Bethlehem.
We really see what God is like in Jesus even though the world isn’t perfect. The good news of the angelic host is still good news for us: Jesus really is with us. Jesus really does love us. Jesus really does identify with the poor and suffering of our world and really is grieved by the difficulties that so many people are going through. Jesus is with us: this is a fact. We believe and preach and proclaim this good news not because it’s an interesting philosophical construct but because God was really in the manger, choosing to be with us and for us forever.
On behalf of the other members of the Standing Committee, I wish you and yours a blessed and joyful Christmas tide.
The Rev. Dave Mowers
Standing Committee, President