FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

Dear Friends in Christ, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack." he said. He stood there, consumed with loneliness and regret, but unable to take the next step. He'd asked Jesus for the secret, and heard the answer. Jesus had looked at him with love and said, "Come with us. Give it all away and come with us." The knot in his gut twisted and he began to sob with despair as Jesus and his posse walked on down the road. They looked over their shoulders at him, nodding: the invitation was still open, but he still couldn't go. Jesus had told him not what he lacked, but what he had too much of: money, art, gold jewelry, rugs, clothes. He had great wealth, but the man couldn't part with his things. So he rejected God's Son and went home, which had suddenly become the loneliest place in the world. (adapted from Kristen Johnson Ingram) The next two months can be the loneliest time of the year for us, a time of hard memories and crushed hopes. But God is familiar with the lonely places, and Jesus can find his way there anytime. The Psalmist wrote, "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted." This familiar cry reminds us both of the normalcy of loneliness, the unbearable nature of too much loneliness, and our desire for God in those times of being most alone. For when God joins us in our loneliness, it can be transformed into solitude. We tend to shun the solitary places, and go to great lengths to prevent loneliness from settling in. Solitude is seen in our culture as severe punishment, the edges of society where the outcasts, misfits, the forgotten, the unloved and the unlovable are hidden. Yet it is everywhere. Mr. Rogers of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood told of being a child and stealing some cookies, and when he was caught his grandfather simply said, "You must have been feeling really lonely to do that." Similarly, the news carried the story of a young gunman who open fired on people at a shopping mall, and then turned the weapon on himself. As his story came out, it was one of great loneliness: shuffled through foster homes, his girlfriend had just dumped him, he'd been fired from his job. In the sad suicide note, he apologized, and wrote that he would no longer be a burden to anyone, but at least he'd be famous. The depth of his loneliness was unspeakable. Some people will struggle with illness or health concerns this season, some will struggle with depression and anxiety. Most of us feel that we should all be exempt from troubles during the holidays, but know that is not the case. One doctor, speaking to a group of mentally ill patients and their families, suddenly pushed his papers aside and pointed to someone in the first row and said, "YOU, how long have you worn those glasses?" "Since first grade," answered a surprised voice. "Well, for heaven's sake,"said the doctor, "Don't you think it's time you got over that?" And the crowd roared with laughter. Here was someone who understood. Here was someone who knew that behind every case was a chorus of voices saying, "Can't you just snap out of it?" and the futility of listening to them. Our real lives, the dark parts as well as the bright parts, continue through the winter, and through the holidays alike. Yet it is at this point in the year when we turn our eyes to the stars again, looking for the light that will guide us to the manger - another lonely place, but a place of hope as well. The manger and the cross are both made of wooden cross beams, and they both hold the shepherd who went after the one lost lamb, and they both hold the salvation promised to the rich man who would not leave behind his worldly belongings. Do not be trapped like he was. Those who have walked through times of darkness and loneliness testify that with God there is always healing. This does not mean there will always be a cure, or there will always be happiness, or there will always be a full bank account, gas tank, or closet. But there is something more subtle, something more powerful, that takes the shape of tears and laughter, something born in a stable, turning loneliness into grace and solitude. "Come with us." When we are all together in the presence of God, we are healed. PastorJulie

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