A Hope Beyond Reason
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome at this table - to come as you are, to bring all that is weighing on you, to pull up a chair, to rest, to find welcome, to experience the grace and renewal of simply being. Quiet your body. Still your mind. Open your soul. Know that in this very moment you are seen, you are fully known, and you are loved.
Sometimes the things that are most real and special to us, we cannot explain; they are significant because we experience them to be so - because they change us.
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me … Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
— Shel Silverstein
Matthew 2:11
And going into the house they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Food for Thought
My friend’s son once asked her, “How do I know I am real?” This is one of those big questions that children have - that adults have, even. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life?
As I think about that young boy and his question, I am reminded that sometimes the things that seem most real and significant to us in this world are also those things that are not easily explained or answered or understood. Sometimes the most compelling moments in life may not make sense to us, and yet they move us toward hope.
That little boy is not only real, but he is filled with possibility. He is cherished and important to all those who love him - those who gathered around to celebrate his birth - those who continue to offer gratitude for his presence in the world. And in his short life, he has already brought hope, light, and love in ways he may never know.
As we move into this season of Advent, I am reminded of those wise ones long ago who journeyed across their world seeking answers to big questions - who, at journey's end, declared a baby born in a barn to be the long awaited king of creation.
How could they explain adequately enough to anyone what they knew in their hearts to be true - that something of God’s hope for the world was embodied in this babe? How could they justify giving their most valuable and precious possessions to a child? What sense did all of that make? He certainly was not a king as they had known or expected kings to be, but there was something about their experience that convinced them that this babe was something special - something real. So real, in fact, that it changed their hearts, redirected their journey, and moved them to place their deepest hopes in a child.
Hope is that force that grabs a hold of your heart and won’t let go. Hope defies reason. Hope is that which refuses to give in. It says, “this is not the end of the story; this is not the last word.” In times of injustice, or despair, or grief, hope keeps us seeking, striving, and asking big questions. Hope keeps us believing - often beyond our own understanding to see what might be possible.
We have each been given the same heart and curious spirit of the wise ones long ago - and of my friend’s son - to keep asking questions, to seek what is wondrous among ordinary things, to find significance in that which is beyond our understanding. We each have the capacity of offering hope to one another. As we move through this season of Advent, let us open ourselves to better understand the ways our own significant lives can offer welcome and love in this world. And as we observe the inbreaking of Advent all around us, let us not be surprised when we find that the most meaningful and real things of life are those moments of hope that make imperfect beauty rather than perfect sense.
Take some time this week to reflect on the hope that you have for this season and the year ahead. Write down what you believe to be possible for yourself and others. Challenge yourself to share that hope with a friend!
If you would like a daily reflection of hope this advent season, consider purchasing the book, Advent at The Welcome Table.
Blessing
May peace, hope, and a healthy dose
of curiosity be with you in all things.
A little Table Talk for your table...
What are things that you know to be true but cannot see?
Share a time when an unexpected experience was so meaningful that it changed your heart and mind.
Discuss ways that we can move through this season with more hope for the year to come.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask your kiddos to define hope (it is always neat to hear what hope looks like through the eyes of a child).
Have them draw pictures of things that give them hope.
Talk about how we can be hope in the world (volunteering, planting flowers for our neighbors, acts of service, etc.)
Meet our Welcoming Voice!
Rev. Daryn Stylianopoulos is originally from North Carolina, but has called Boston, MA home for the past eighteen years. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Boston University School of Theology and serves as a Baptist pastor in the Boston area. Daryn is an advocate for the marginalized and works against injustices in her community. She believes in creatively cultivating a spirit of cohesion, welcome, and healing in the world. A lover of art, music, gardening, and, most of all, family, she often looks to these for inspiration in her work and ministry.
To hear more from Daryn throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
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