One Tiny Little Light

One tiny little light. That describes in the simplest of terms what comes to mind when I think about Christmas.  It comes from my childhood memories of multiple Christmas Eve services at Kenmar Presbyterian Church all wrapped up in one. It came towards the end of the service, after the choir, the scripture readings, the Christmas carols, and the sermon. On the altar at the front of the chancel rested a manger set, and as all the lights in the church dimmed, the only light remaining was one tiny little candle set in the front of the manger. The pastor would sing in his lovely tenor voice, “Dear Little Stranger, Born in a Manger.” The light from candle would cast shadows of the manger onto the wall behind it, twinkling small and brave and true, like the infant receiving the lullaby.

There are a lifetime of additional memories I could share about Christmases past, the single orange in the toe of the stocking (a treat beyond measure), or the scent of the pine tree, or the sound of my father’s voice reading the Christmas story from Luke before we could go into the living room to see the gifts under the tree. But the simplicity of that one tiny candle is what grabs my attention.

Perhaps it is the littleness of Christmas that matters most. God, the creator, redeemer, sustainer, the One Beyond our human capacity to grasp, poured all of what is good, God’s faith and hope and  love, into the tiniest of vessels – a helpless and totally dependent little baby left in the care of two naïve, poor, parents. Jesus, the helpless and dependent, is life, and that life is the light of all people, darkness not able to overcome it.

It is so easy to fall under the spell of bigness in our culture of supersized meals and more is better. It is easy as a congregation to compare ourselves with bigger churches, and our small town with bigger metropolitan cities. But the miracle of Christmas, indeed the hope of Christmas, is in small, personal, intimate acts of love and grace and justice expressed not in wealth or dominance, but in peace and kindness and hope in the darkest of circumstances.

Jon Kabat-Zinn wrote, “The big things in life are things.” This month our congregation will be involved in a number of worship experiences, decorating the church, leading one of the Woodstock Minister’s Fellowship Lunchtime Advent Services, the Hanging of the Greens, four Advent worship services, putting up and taking down the Singing Christmas Tree structure, providing gifts for those in the greater community in need, two performances of the Singing Christmas Tree, and the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. The challenge for us is to remain focused on the Light of all people in the midst of what is going to be a very busy month. Be alert, looking for that light in the smallest acts of kindness, of sharing, of peace. Only God knows what a tiny little light can accomplish in the darkness of winter.

Thanks you.

Pastor Anne