December 2009 Pastor’s Corner
After 35 years, I was excited to see Glacier Peak. It’s not like the other volcanoes of Washington — Baker, Rainier, Adams and St. Helens – which stand ready for us to admire from our cars or homes. Glacier Peak hides from any freeway or urban viewpoint. It lies deep in the wilderness. You have to hike miles and miles to gaze upon its splendor. I’ve approached the peak from the west and from the east in years gone by. My August hike gave me access from the north, but not before I had hiked 20 miles. The trees blocked the view even while we saw the rugged valley thousands of feet below us. Finally, we rounded the bend, and there was the peak. We stopped to appreciate the spectacle–deep in the wilderness with no sight or sound of civilization.
Christmas in Glacier Peak — a beauty worth beholding but also a beauty requiring some work. We may approach it from the four traditional compass points, or we may find ourselves gaining access through a different angle of vision, say NE or SW. The four stories about Jesus we call “the Gospels” each have their distinct angle of vision, but they all agree that Jesus of Nazareth came to show us that God is for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” reads the familiar John 3.16. As such, all our Christmas giving has its source in the gift of God to us in the Christ child. “Love Came Down at Christmas” (Christina Rossetti) Beautiful!
Where’s the work in Christmas? We call it the Advent season. It’s work to “be alert at all times” as we are told on Nov. 29th. It’s work to spend time with John the Baptist “in the wilderness” and to consider what Paul means by “the harvest of righteousness” as we will hear on Dec. 6th. It’s work to hear John shout, “You brood of vipers…Bear fruits worthy of repentance.” (Dec 13th) It’s work to hear Mary sing to us that God “has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.” (Dec. 20th) All this work will make the view glorious when we hear on Dec. 24th the angelic proclamation that the child born in the “city of David is a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.”
I hope the church’s work during the Advent season will give you balance when you can’t face another shopping trip, charity request, office party or the ever-lengthening “to do” list this time of year. Follow our lessons, our hymns, and our worship services on Wednesdays and Sundays. There’ll be work to do, but I promise you that God’s Gospel story will unfold with unusual beauty. And who knows, you or someone else may not have seen the beauty of Christmas for 35 years, if ever. What joy it will be when we round the bend and discover this rare treasure once again! “Unto you is born….a Savior!”
Grace and peace,
Philip Nesvig, pastor