The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus stepping away to pray. He often went up the mountain or crossed to the other side of the sea to have an intentional moment by himself and I believe it safe to say that it is a good model for us. I am always hopeful that coming to church on Sunday can be that respite for you every week.

Every last Sunday of January, the Holy Spirit congregation gathers to mark the year. It is an interesting day to do so considering how many other moments we have, both secular and liturgical, to delineate chunks of time. This marking of the year is, at least in appearance, a meeting meant to do what some would call the work or business of the church. I would like to suggest that this meeting is actually about our faith.

Fears often reach back to a reference point for context. When it gets cold and windy, I start praying for ERCOT and the electrical grid. When there is a disturbance in the south Atlantic, I start praying for some kind of pressure system that would take any potential storm out to sea. You can pretty much fill in the equation with words like variant, diagnosis, accident, or threat. Over millennia we have come to be survivors because we learn from previous challenges or tragedies in order to prevent future ones.

This Friday is Homecoming at Holy Spirit’s school…which means it is SPIRIT WEEK!! Every day my kiddos have a different clothing theme. It was especially fun to see all the “crazy socks” and “crazy hats” as we gathered on the field yesterday for a school Eucharist service outside. Also, I’d be remiss to not mention how fun it was to send them both in University of Georgia gear on Tuesday which was sports team spirit day (go Dawgs!).

This morning, I walked out of the church office to hear Chaplain Suzy ask the Pre-K classes at outdoor chapel, “…and what was the third gift the wise men brought?” There was a resounding declaration “MYRRH!” Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. The 12 days of Christmas have ended and we now move into a season in which the world comes to know and understand just who this Jesus is who was born for us.

Grace and peace be with you as we near the coming of our Jesus! We have had such a wonderful Advent season and as we come finally to the manger and all that God’s incarnation means for us, I am excited to be able to celebrate a hope that trumps all else. I am grateful for everyone involved in our special events this time of the year, especially our Thanksgiving Dinner Eucharist, St. Nick party and movie on the lawn, Lessons and Carols, pageant, and the wonderful reception for the Wrights. Now we turn our attention to the very moment we have all been preparing for, Christmas. I hope you will be able to join us for one of our services tomorrow. Merry Christmas to all!

When I was a teenager and opened a present from my grandmother one Christmas, I was quite surprised to find a CD. This particular CD had quite a strong image on the cover and wasn’t something I would have thought was on Grandma’s radar. I remember it so vividly because not only was it a bold gift, but for the life of me, I could not imagine her walking up to the register and placing the CD on the counter for purchase. I later asked her how she chose it and she had asked someone who worked at the music store what young people were listening to these days. I wondered if she had been as baffled to see the album cover as I was when I opened it. I, of course, thanked her and gave her a hug.

If your family is anything like mine, the movies we watch this time of the year are an importan part of enjoying and immersing ourselves in the holiday season.  There are the funny movies like Elf and my favorite, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  We have numerous versions of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (The Muppet version stands out!).  There are some emotional classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, and some films whose “Christmas movie status” may be dubious (I’m looking at you Die Hard).  This last month of the year comes with so many things that compete for our attention, but taking a couple of hours to relive a favorite movie holds a special celebratory place.