Thursday, December 27, 2007

…and they shall name him “Emmanuel” which means
“God is with us.”
Matthew 1: 23

Today and tomorrow we offer reflections on how Christmas can be a time of sadness — and that’s OK.

Most pastors have some experience with a church that was destructive of the soul and even the body.  My appointment from Hell intensified during the only Advent and Christmas we spent there; the appointment lasted only seven months, and for that I am extremely thankful.

In the exit interview at the church (Goodbye, we don’t want you, you don’t really fit here), I was given several reasons for my “termination,” but what they described as my “70s values” was the heart of the matter. The leadership was stuck in the entertainment/consumer values of our culture, and didn’t want to hear about simplicity, trust, ecology and non-violence.

Is my self-righteousness clear enough? I was so good; they were so evil!  I was so persecuted; they were so mean!  I was not a cheerful sufferer, but allowed others to affect my self-image and ego. 

Emmanuel— God with us— was present to me during that time in the signs of support from many people, especially my family.  Some were with me in my pain; others supported me by challenging me to come to forgiveness.  God was incarnationally present in those people, who spoke words of love; words of grace. 

Yes, God is with us; God also saves.  These are different faces of God. I experienced saving grace in coming to serve three small churches that loved me as much as I loved them.  We were welcomed, we were blessed, life became really good again.  We made good friends.  My self-image was restored and made more honest, too.  

Thanks be to God!

Do you remember a painful time that became a learning time?  Or a time of hidden blessings that were only appreciated later?  Can you point to Emmanuel (God-with-us) times and Jesus (Yahweh saves) times? 

Jim Cotter