The Love of Christmas!
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. The Spirit of God is gifting you great joys in little things. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, sit in the glow of your Christmas tree lights – do something that brings you comfort.
Take a moment to fully know that you are loved – deeply – just as you are.
"What can I give Him
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him,
give my heart."
- Christina Rossetti, “In the Bleak Midwinter”
"I played my drum for him
pa rum pum pum pum;
I played my best for him,
pa rum pum pum pum . . .
Then he smiled at me
pa rum pum pum pum,
me and my drum."
- Katherine Kennicott Davis, "The Little Drummer Boy"
Luke 2:10-12
And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
Food for Thought
Each year, a pastor friend of mine invites his congregation to create their own nativity scene. Upon the altar are all the usual characters of the Christmas story: Mary, Joseph, the Baby Jesus, magi, shepherds, sheep, donkey, and camels. But alongside those, members of the congregation bring in their own witnesses to the birth of Christ. You might see R2-D2 or a Pokemon, a transformer or a character from the Simpsons; you might see a seashell, a picture of a loved one, or the words of an inspirational figure from history. The congregation is encouraged to imagine a host of new witnesses to the first Christmas Day, and these are welcomed to show up alongside the usuals in the scene, paying their homage to the Christ-child.
Generations have imagined others into the Christmas narrative, as well. What, for example, would it be like for a simple boy with a drum to greet the holy family upon the birth of their babe? Or like the poet in that winter so bleak, imagining their own presence before the manger, “What can I give him, poor as I am?” These have since become staples of our Christmas celebrations, regular characters in the pageantry of the holiday.
What is it about these characters and their questions that have so captured our hearts? Perhaps it is that they challenge any exclusive notion of who can come before God. In the end, all are welcome, poor and odd as we are – the traditional and the avant-garde, the eclectic and the unassuming, the loud and the pensive, the expected and the ill-fitting, the learned and the learning.
Even the shepherds, some of the most treasured of our storied guests, more than likely did not expect to be invited by an angelic host to such an awesome and holy moment. But, the manger wasn’t arranged to host a reception for the popular, powerful, wealthy, and honored – at least not as we so often understand these things; I’m sure these, too, would have been welcomed there had they shown up. But the manger of Bethlehem became a gathering place for the honored presence of those our world often understands to be unworthy and unwelcome. And perhaps especially for those who understand themselves to be.
This Christmas season, you may be wondering whether this season is for you – whether you are deserving enough or adequate enough. You may be wondering whether you have a place in this celebration of hope, peace, joy, love, and light; or whether you have anything at all worth offering to this world, much less the Savior of the world. So, in keeping with the most good news of Christmas, let me say to you: you are invited, just as you are. You are welcome, just as you are. You are loved, just as you are. You are enough, just as you are.
Come, encounter the Christ-child this Christmas. Come, knowing that you are both worthy and welcome, and that you do not arrive at this nativity alone. You gather with a host of other misfits and outcasts, of wonderers and wanderers. The love of Christmas is for us all!
And if you find yourself wondering what on earth you have to offer this day, you are invited – like the shepherds, like the drummer boy, like the wondering poet or the wandering magi, like the humble hearts of my friend’s parishioners and all their misfit toys – simply to bring your heart and all that you are, just as you are, a most precious gift to the world. You are a one of a kind vessel of love, loved by the One who is Love incarnate. It is love that calls us to the manger and love that sends us forth into the world. For, whoever we are and however we find it, love is the greatest gift our world can ever know.
Have fun recreating the nativity story for yourself! What characters can you imagine might have been there? Are they characters that already exist in our history and pop culture, or do you imagine that a completely original character – or even yourself – might have been present for the birth of Jesus?
Take a few moments every day for the rest of this season to repeat this affirmation to yourself: “I am invited, just as I am; I am welcome, just as I am; I am loved, just as I am; I am enough, just as I am.”
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
If you are looking for a few ideas to create a more welcoming space this holiday season, here are Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays.
Blessing
God of Love,
You love us just as we are. Help us to know – more deeply than ever – how much we are loved by you. Allow us to receive your invitation to come as we are, to have a seat at the manger side, and to give thanks for Love incarnate born into the world.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Discuss why it can be hard sometimes to accept that God loves us just as we are.
Do you ever struggle with the sense that you are not enough? What helps you overcome this feeling?
How does seeing yourself in the nativity, attending the birth of Christ, change the way you imagine your place in the story of God’s love? What gift of love would you have brought to the manger? What gift of love can you offer our world today?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
“God is Love”. What does that mean to you?
How can you help bring more love to folks around you this season?
Make a joyful noise! Together with some friends and family, sing a few of your favorite Christmas carols or songs about love. Perhaps you could even sing outside so your neighbors can hear!
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
Rev. Daryn Stylianopoulos is originally from North Carolina, but has called Boston, MA home for nearly twenty 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!