Padre’s Ponderings - December 2024
Dear beloved of St. John’s, the night falls upon us much earlier these waning November days and early December days. As I write, we’re preparing to host a large family Thanksgiving at our new home in Charleston. My mind is on Advent, our Bishop’s visitation, and celebrating our first Christmas together as new rector and parish.
I confess my heart and mind are full of various emotions. I work to put Christmas lights on our new home; my mind is flooded with memories of our once-little children in a beautiful rectory in a “Mitford” setting. Memories overwhelm me as I look through Christmas decorations. I flip through the worn pages of photo albums and recall who won’t be at the Thanksgiving and Christmas table this year. And yet, I am grateful for all the people remaining in my life.
These holy days can be difficult for many of us. I’ve heard of some wanting to push ‘fast-forward’ to mid-January, bypassing Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s. I can certainly get that feeling sometimes, too. The holidays and preparations can be downright exhausting when attempting to prepare for the ‘perfect’ Christmas, whatever that may be in one’s mind.
Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas - none of it is about perfection. I enjoy Thanksgiving because it isn’t tied up in gift-giving or receiving. Advent is a beautifully poignant season of active waiting and watching for the coming of Christ through the Incarnation. And at Christmas, we come together to celebrate the gift of Christ’s unconditional love for all creation through the birth of a child. The church seasons are chock full of deep meaning, wonder, and hope.
I invite you to give yourself and others the gift of patience and grace this December. Grieve if you are grieving. Celebrate if you are celebrating. Caught in the reality of living amid grief and celebration? Join the club. You are not alone. Be gentle with yourself, and be gentle with others. Just as others are unaware of your struggles, you are unaware of theirs. Be kind. And no, I’m not advocating for practicing kindness and turning a blind eye to injustices. We are to stand up for the marginalized, to seek peace and justice as the body of Christ. Too often, though, we can focus on the larger picture of justice-seeking, while neglecting to care for self and others. Be kind to you, your loved ones, and the stranger.
The days are darker earlier and earlier, and the light of Christ still kindles in our hearts, especially as we worship together, as we live into fellowship and formation, and as we witness the wonder of God-incarnate during these precious seasons.
I am deeply grateful to serve as your priest and rector, especially during these challenging days. St. John’s has what it takes to make a difference in the world about us; our community of faith is continually transforming and being made new. In our grief and our celebration, how will we show up for each other and the world this December?
In God’s Grace,
Eric L. Miller+
