Minister’s Christmas Message

If you have the sense that big changes are just around the corner, you're probably right, and you're definitely not alone. If you're thinking politically, you're certainly right, especially for our U.S. cousins. If you're thinking climatically, you're probably right. If you're thinking about the state of the church, I suspect you're also right. These are safe bets, though, because these things are always changing. It's the rate of change that catches us off guard.

In the days when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, imperial skirmishes were the norm, so political change was persistently constant. Mary yearns for a particular type of change: in her Magnificat, she calls upon God for a more just world. We've recently heard from John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, that big changes were afoot. John seems both excited for and worried about these changes. Change was the norm.

And these days, the changes happen so fast that it's hard to judge whether they're helpful or harmful. Will generalized artificial intelligence help humanity? Can humans adapt to a changing climate to increase food security while mitigating natural disasters? Can changes in political leadership turn the housing or affordability crises around? Can we reverse some of the declines in well-being that many folks have experienced recently? Nobody has the answers to these questions.

Maybe it was during times like these that our ancestors in the tradition began referring to God as "eternal" and "unchanging." I can relate to that sentiment: with all these changes going on, it's comforting to know that God never changes. And yet, our understanding of God changes all the time. The early Biblical writers clearly saw God as a war-mongering, winner-choosing deity. Most of us now see God differently. The later Biblical writers saw it as God's priority to differentiate the sheep from the goats—those who would dwell in paradise versus those who would not. Many of us now see God differently.

The changes are happening fast. And sometimes, it's difficult for us, as guardians of tradition, to know what to do with these changes. In many ways, churches will do what churches have always done. In other ways, we have to innovate and move to the cutting edge of what's going on around us. I foresee a period of growth and change at James Bay UC, and we will have to make sense of the changes in identity that emerge.

Fortunately, we have nearly everything we need to embrace these changes proactively.

We have a deep pool of skill and talent among our staff and volunteers. We have a good reputation in the neighborhood. We are rooted in story and song such that we can fully love each other and fully receive the love that ultimately comes from God. We are like an apple tree: we adapt to the changes happening around us while simultaneously creating our own microclimate, and if we are firmly rooted, we will indeed bear the fruit that our world needs.

The changes are happening fast. And if we are wise and courageous, we ensure these changes don't simply happen to us. Instead, if we stay true to our values and the calls God puts on our lives, we actively create the changes.

Big changes are just around the corner, and we have everything we need to co-create the kin-dom of God—the world for which Mary, pregnant with her first child, yearns so deeply.