No person could go on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem this year. It was too dangerous to go. Christian churches in Southeast Asia canceled services because bombs were being set. I saw a map of the world which had from light to darkness in terms of wars and conflicts that were going on internally. There are far too many dark spaces.
People are hungry and people are lonely.
We had a memorial service for those from our shelter who had died. We invited people to light candles and bring them up who knew of someone much as we invite those of you to stand in the memorial service in our congregation. I shall never forget a woman who none of us knew who got up at the very end of the service. The Christmas story begins with candlelight and starlight over the city of Bethlehem but the city of Bethlehem remembers always Rachel crying for her children because they were not. To ignore the darkness of Christmas is to diminish the light that came.