Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Perhaps it’s just as we draw closer to Christmas, people begin to get more frantic. In the short space of a two mile drive to run an errand for the office there must have been at last two accidents and one crazy driver weaving in and out of traffic on a busy street.  It was worse than last week when it was just beginning to snow.

People seem to in such a hurry.  And, for what?  The local supermarket parking lot was packed.  I bought the few items I needed and laughed with the cashier who wore a wild Christmas outfit under her apron – she was so pleased someone noticed.  We wished each other a Merry Christmas and added the phrase of the year:  "Stay safe.”

With the spike in Covid cases, staying safe is a real concern.  The numbers keep climbing and hospitals especially in rural areas of our Nation are overflowing. The obituary notices take pages. In a season when we celebrate a birth there is still so much death.  As a people of faith, we live in hope, not just in vaccines, but in caring for others. 

Prayer for the Day

In hope and longing we seek your presence in our lives, O Lord;
    Help us to build a community of love and service.
In trust and faith we seek your mercy and grace, O God;   
    Help us to build a community of care for each other.
Be with us as we consider the past year and the promise of hope 
    And may we have the grace to share hope with others.
In the name of him who came to increase that hope,
    Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Thoughts for the Day

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, and hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal and that every path may lead to peace.
                                                  - Agnes Mae Pharo, writer (1904-1985) 

Seeing is believing but sometimes the most real things in the world are what we can’t see.
                                                  - Quote from the book The Polar Express

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The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom,
   Like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. 
                                                   Isaiah 35: 1