St. Ed Said

“You must be really busy at Christmas time.” This is a common question I receive when I have a conversation with someone who has just found out I am an Episcopal Priest. It always makes me chuckle. Because while Christmas is one of our two biggest services, it generally isn’t all that busy, compared to Holy Week and Easter it’s a breeze. I say that, but I always add a caveat. Because, for whatever reason, people find Christmastide a really good time to die. It makes sense, it is one of those moments in the year when families all gather, and the effort to meet an come together is a little higher than it normally us. Kids have breaks, so are back from college, or at home with no school work to do. Work has slowed down a bit, and it becomes important to gather as a family. Oftentimes our elders, grandparents and other matriarchs and patriarchs wait until these moments to leave this mortal earth. Now, please, don’t take this as me telling you, a member or friend of St. Ed’s that you should...

On Slime Mold Sunday last week, I said something that triggered my brain, I said we have accomplished all we have because you all show up. Showing up is important, because any given Sunday you could be doing anything else but joining us for the morning. There’s a lot of pressure this time of year. Pressure to be joyful, to be organized, to be present for everyone in your life, to hold things together even when you’re tired or stretched thin. I want to name something gently: nobody shows up to church by accident. Whether you come every Sunday or wander in once during Advent, every act of showing up is a small act of courage, hope, and trust. Because when we walk through the doors, we’re taking a risk. A risk that we might be met with silence when what we need is connection. A risk that the words or music might not land the way we hope. A risk that we’ll bring our questions or grief or weariness and not know how they’ll be held. And yet we come. We come because something in us knows that...