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Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes –
He comes from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray,
And on the eyes oppress’d with night
To pour celestial day.

These are words to what was once a commonly sung Christmas carol. The language seems archaic and irrelevant. It isn’t just quaint but it is difficult to understand given today’s contemporary English usage. These lyrics are interesting from a historical perspective but are hardly inviting or compelling for today.

Some people feel that way about church in general. They feel that it is old fashioned and quaint. Interesting from a historical perspective but hardly relevant and with little meaning for today.

I think the song of the angels celebrating glad tidings of great joy to ALL people is meant to speak to all ages and eras. The gospel of Jesus Christ is as relevant and meaningful and needed today as it was in the first century. So it is continuously incumbent upon the church to present the gospel in ways that speak to each age and every circumstance. It is the responsibility of the church, the living body of Christ, to contextualize the gospel so that it speaks to people where they are. The church should prevent the message of Jesus from becoming irrelevant or archaic.

And sometimes this means using new music and changing the words of hymns and carols which are familiar to make sure the glad tidings get across to ALL people. To be faithful, the church must embrace change. If the church were shirking its calling, we would still be singing about the “thickest films of vice” – and there would be very few of us doing it. Enjoy the music of the season and celebrate the glad tidings to all people!

Prayer: We are so grateful for the gospel with its glad tidings of great joy to ALL people. May our hearts be open to new ways to share the good news of Jesus Christ that speak to people today. May we appreciate what the church has been, what it is to us, and what it can be for others, especially those who are new to the church. May we not let our love of tradition stifle the future life of the church. Amen.

Today is Bodhi Day; a significant Buddhist holy day. It is said that on this day in 596 BCE Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. To celebrate Bodhi Day, people put up colored lights around the home. In some places, people decorate ficus trees with colored lights, with strings of beads to symbolize that all things are united, and with shiny ornaments representing the three jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma (teaching) and the Sangha (community).

Doesn’t this sound familiar? Decorating a tree with lights and ornaments is not only a Christmas tradition! So while we are putting up our evergreen trees and decorating them with symbols of the season, Buddhists are decorating ficus trees with lights and symbols for a different holy day.

To me this is just another way that God is delivering glad tidings of great joy to ALL people. In every land, in every tradition, in every culture, there are celebrations of the wonder of God’s love. Whatever our language or culture, divine love finds us and illumines our lives.

As we enjoy the decorated trees in our homes and in our public spaces, may we remember all the Buddhists around the world celebrating the enlightenment of their religious path.

Prayer: We are grateful that God finds ways to bring glad tidings of great joy to all people. God moves through all cultures and traditions. Divine love is endlessly creative and is limitless. We give thanks for the joy of our spiritual path and pray for all people to know glad tidings this season and in all seasons. Amen.

December 7. For those of a certain age, that date is unforgettable. On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. This major attack on American soil propelled America into World War 2. December 7.

Then there is August 6, 1945. That is the date that the US dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Another infamous date.

While both dates reference horrible events and should be remembered, they also invite us to look at our circumstances today. Today the US has very cordial relations with Japan. And, despite the unleashing of the use of nuclear weapons, they have not been used again. By anyone. While 1000’s of nuclear weapons have been manufactured and exist in the aresnals of numerous countries, they have not been used. While various treaties to curtial their use have failed, they have not been used. While agreements to end their prolioferation have failed, they still have not been used.

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s during the Cold War, we lived in fear of nuclear war each and every day. Doom loomed. The fact that nuclear weapons have not been used and the world has not been destroyed is no reason to be complacent. We still need to work to eradicate the threat of nuclear war and all war. But in thinking about our Advent theme “Glad tidings of great joy to ALL people” it is a great joy that nuclear weapons have only been used once and have not been used again. We have the capability to destroy the world, yet it has not happened. Now that is good news!

Prayer: In the Christmas story, the angels proclaim, “Peace on Earth, good will to all.” Peace is difficult to achieve and to maintain be it in our families, in our communities, or in the world. May we help to birth peace in the world; peace that is glad tidings of great joy to ALL people. Amen.

Every night I go to bed in the same room. I sometimes lay down on the bed during the daytime, too. It is a very familiar space that I see daily. And the decor hasn’t changed in years. Yet recently as I was laying on the bed, I noticed that a sign on the door and a poster of a painting just outside the door have the same color scheme. It’s uncanny, actually, especially when you know that the sign on the door was made by the resident advisor of my son’s college dorm his freshman year and the poster is Van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace. These two images have no relationship to each other (except physical proximity in our home) and yet I have just noticed that the colors are remarkably similar. I mentioned this observation to my son, the artist. He said that he had never noticed the similar color scheme either. That was another surprise since he is supremely visually observant.

Here is something I am exposed to every day, the proverbial wallpaper of my life, and I only just noticed this glaring connection. As we think of the Advent/Christmas theme “Glad tidings of great joy to ALL people” I am wondering if there are glad tidings around us each and every day that we just have not yet noticed? I suspect that there are, and I would venture that they are many. This is a season to notice. To pay attention. To reflect. To see those glad tidings that are a regular part of our lives day in and day out and that may have become so familiar that we don’t see them. I invite you to think about the glad tidings that are close at hand in your life.

Prayer: In this Advent season while we may be looking for a star in the distance, we may miss the glad tidings that are close at hand, perhaps as near as the smile of a loved one or colleague or neighbor. God is nearer than we think. May we not miss the glad tidings of God’s love each and every day. Amen.

What does Santa need to know? Apparently in Japan, there is a Santa Claus Academy which is a training school for Santas. They learn magic tricks and straight answers, among other things. Probably a lot about the north pole, elf culture, and reindeer, as well!

In Japan, about 2% of the population is Christian. And yet Christmas is a very popular holiday there, as it is in the rest of the world. When I was younger, I felt that only Christians should celebrate Christmas. If you weren’t a follower of Jesus, then why would you care about the celebration of his birth? Then I learned about how many of the traditions that I associate with Christmas come from non-Christian religions and cultures. So, Christianity borrowed a lot of what I associate with Christmas. Now, it looks like the tide is turning and other religions and cultures are borrowing what we consider Christmas traditions, even though they are not Christian.

Actually, the universal attraction of Christmas should not surprise us. Don’t the angels in the story from Luke promise glad tidings of great joy to ALL people? So, many people beyond the Christian faith are celebrating Christmas. They are enjoying the wonder and joy of the season. They are celebrating the love and light of Christmas. They are glorying in the expressions of good will and generosity. They are taking delight in the music and festivities.

Christians see Jesus is an expression of God’s love for the whole world so it seems fitting that the whole world celebrate his birth.

Prayer: Help us not hoard the joy of this season. May our celebrations reflect the universality of the divine love that we see in Jesus. May we be filled with good will toward all people. This is the true spirit of Christmas. May it be so. Amen.