Week of 4 Advent, Wednesday

Where two or three are gathered

The words of the Prayer of St. Chrysostom struck me during Morning Prayer today:

"Almighty God ... you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them" (BCP 102).

As I prepare to fly home this morning from my last trip of the year, I am very much aware of the way friends and family are struggling this Christmas. Unemployment, the impending death of a cherished grandmother, visits to family that cause more frustration than they give joy, the snowstorm that has disrupted travel and made a duty visit even more difficult -- there are many reasons to dread the next few days.

But Paul, in his letter to Titus, urges that we hold to "sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1). And here's the soundest doctrine I know -- when we gather in Christ's Name, God is with us.

When we gather in Christ's Name over these next few days, God is with us. God is with our dying relatives, God is with our suffering friends, God is with our insufferable family, God is with everyone who helps us reach our destinations.

The reason we celebrate Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation -- God's coming into the world in the person of Jesus -- is that it hasn't stopped happening. Whenever we gather in Christ's Name, God is with us.

So God bless you this Christmas with his presence in whatever gathering you're part of. God bless your grief and frustration, your hurt and resentment, your loneliness and sorrow.

God bless all of these and turn them to joy.