Hello, dear friends of the Diocese of Olympia.
We’re entering into Christmas tide, these 12 days of Christmas, and we’ll be reminded once again that when Jesus comes, he’s to be called Emmanuel, God with us. I think that’s an important thing for us to hold onto this year, especially as we’ve been dealing with these catastrophic floods around us here in Western Washington, or the news about school shootings, or attacks against our Jewish neighbors in Australia, of the breaking of the peace agreements in Gaza, and on and on and on it goes. Within all of that turmoil, both on a large scale, but also in our own individual lives, we’re reminded that God is with us.
I remember hearing once from a parishioner that she really just wanted to grab people who were in a hard time and drag them through it just to get them to the finish line, just to get them beyond where they were, which really misses the point, I think. Because the reason that Jesus comes to be among us is so that God might be with us.
Jesus comes offering us peace and joy, comes offering us love and hope simply so that we might have the strength to make it through those difficult times in our lives. Jesus doesn’t come waving a magic wand in order to make our lives perfect, but rather comes reminding us that God will be with us through it all.
So, as you gather with those around you during this season of Christmas, I hope that you remember that God remains with you, that no matter where you are or where you’ve been, or the experiences that you’ve had, that God continues to remain faithful and present with you in every circumstance of your life.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, trusting fully in the goodness of God that you might experience Christ anew this season.