December 23

Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,

Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Advent is soon to drop us off at Christmas. For the past few weeks Advent has tried to weigh us down, like putting rocks in our pockets, with the happy burden of love in order to slow our pace from running to a nice, easy walk. Toward the end of our journey through the wilderness of a modern December, Advent has a secret to tell. It’s okay if you didn’t manage to slow down in any way, shape, or form. You don’t have to practice a holy, slow, quiet Advent to receive the gift of God’s love at Christmas. You can be breathless and banged up and greedy and arrogant and rude and impatient and envious and afraid and all the other things that love is not and love will still be your birthright, your steady companion, your source and your sustenance. “Love never ends.” Love keeps coming your way no matter what. That’s the scandal of Christmas. God loves you now and will love you always no matter what. Some of my friends call that cheap grace. I call it Christmas. If love is not an undeserved gift given freely and abundantly to people who can’t help but come up short, then love is just another prize won according to our ability to navigate this confusing life competently. And that is decidedly not what love is, love is the mercy and grace and peace of God given to you unwrapped and without conditions to satisfy the longing that has always ached inside your chest. Love is all you want, love is all you need, and love is yours for free no matter how you’ve managed to perform. You don’t have to worry about love running out because “love never ends.”

Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!

Love is all, 

Hendree+