This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I've always been a bit of a grinch when it comes to getting into the Christmas spirit. I have used a ton of excuses for this: Christmas is too commercial, I'm trying to celebrate Advent, we celebrate 12 days of Christmas, not 50 plus, and so on and so forth. The truth of the matter is, all of my Christmas gripes boil down to the fact that Advent and Christmas represent the busiest and most stressful part of the church year. That, combined with social stress, school stress, and the financial stress that comes with an expensive season, makes Advent and Christmas in my life just a little "extra" and not always in a good way. Now, inevitably, by Christmas Eve, I am all in, but usually I am slow to warm up. Today, however, something was different.

My morning started as every weekday morning starts for me. I get up, make coffee, and then cook a hot breakfast for Lydia and Denise. I've done this for the last 10 or so years; it's just a part of my routine. Between eggs, bacon, coffee, and toast, I got a text message from a member of the church, our dads had had dinner together last night. Then friends from another Episcopal Church texted, they were heading to Sewanee and wanted to get Noah's number so they could take him out to dinner. Then I heard from a young couple in the parish, a new baby (little Owen) had been born. He and Mom were doing great! It was like rapid fire, with all of this happening even before I had poured my first cup of coffee! 

I then went into the office and got to work with Caitlyn and a guest to record a podcast on St. Nicholas of Myra, whose feast day is this week. The podcast ended with an interesting thought. In a time of daylight ending early and darkness being longer, in a time of work and financial stress, in cooler temperatures and erratic weather that keep us indoors, Advent, and in particular, St. Nicholas remind us to look outside of ourselves and be a people of giving, community, and preparation. 

This reminder made me very aware of all the blessings of this life, particularly the blessings of church friends, community, and new birth! St. Martin's is a community, a community of worship, service, friendship, and love. It's a community that needs Advent and Christmas because we all need times of preparation and seasons of joy! I was reminded of that today, and I am grateful. I also know that I am not alone in my December stress. For our families out there also experiencing the Christmas crunch, please know I am praying for you. Please also take a moment to lean into the communities that give you joy. Counter the winter urge to go internal with a spirit of gladness and blessing. It might just be the thing you need to grab hold of the spirit of the season and celebrate. 

Peace,

Mitch