The Graze V.138: Holy Mess

Dear Friends:

I awoke this week with a list in my head - a list of all of things that needed to get done before Christmas…….a Christmas Eve service to plan, the pageant costumes, the Advent Program, a grant half finished, the dust in the vicarage, the floors in the sanctuary, bills to be paid, the shopping, the cooking,…..You may have a similar list.

After a brisk walk on this snowy morning, I recognize that my list has very very little to do with the intentions for my own life nor with the deep story of this season: A story of light in the darkness; A story of a baby born in the mess of a barn; A story of homelessness and fear; A story full of fraught, complication, suspicion and mystery. It makes sense that I would want to wrap that all up in a pretty bow, with a warm meal and a clean desk.

But life is messy. Perhaps, at times, it all looks alarmingly different than we had hoped or expected. Perhaps it feels not at all like joy and peace. Yet the story of this season encourages me to lean into the mess.

The ancient stories and Spirit reminds us that the wonder and joy of that big mess is that the Holy enters in and makes a home. The mess is the place where God is born.

And oh, the beauty of this mess! As we journey through our Advent Exploration we joined in a conversation this past week about the Cosmos! This is the anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission and the remarkable first photograph of Earth from space. Enjoy this short film made in collaboration with the New York TImes. It reminds me of the precious treasure of our planet home. What a blessing to be part of such beauty and love! (I even forgot about the mess on my desk and the dust on the vicarage floor!)

Blessings in the mess of it all,

`Lisa