In those days a decree went out from the Emperors in Washington and Damascus that all the world should be embroiled in civil wars, so that their spheres of influence might be extended. And many were driven from their own towns by bombs and drones and tanks.

            A man named Joseph fled from his shattered ruins of his home and business in Syria across the harsh deserts to a refugee camp, where he knew no one. He went with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were in the camp, on their way to anywhere else, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son shortly before dawn, while others slept, in a tent provided by an international aid agency. She wrapped him in her own cloak to keep him warm through the bitter cold of a desert night, and she laid him on the sand, because they had nothing else to put him in.  

                  In that camp there were armed militia patrolling among the tents. They kept their faces covered and their guns ready, keeping watch for enemies who might attack unwary refugees.  

                  Then they heard in the night the cry of an infant. And they were afraid, lest the infant’s cry should attract attention to their location. They said to each other, “Let us silence this child before he can cause any trouble.”

            But the stars shone as brightly as ever above them, and they seemed to hear a voice saying inside them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy, to all in this camp and beyond it: for unto you is born this night a sign of new hope. This shall be your sign: in a temporary dwelling, you will find a child wrapped in his mother’s only cloak and lying on the sand.”

            And the voice seemed to turn into a heavenly chorus, chanting, “Lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh; on earth, peace and goodwill to all!”

            And the patrollers said to one another, “Allahu akbar! Let us see this miracle that has taken place, even in the midst of war and death and despair.” 

            So they went among the tents and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying on the sand. When they saw it, they were overcome by compassion. They marveled that a helpless infant, who would surely be a burden and a handicap to his parents in their flight into an unknown future, could be so loved that his mother would give the only thing that kept her warm in the desert night to her child.

            And they each held the child in their arms. They pulled down their masks to expose their lined and weathered faces, and muttered soothing sounds. And the baby gurgled and smiled at them.

            And they gave his parents what they could – their water bottles, some snacks, and their warm coats. Then they went back out into the darkness just as dawn crept over the eastern horizon.

            And Mary treasured their kindness and pondered the experience in her heart.

            But the patrollers told no one what they had seen and done.

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Copyright © 2017 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved.

            To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca

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YOUR TURN

Last week’s column borrowed the metaphor of three doors, from the old “Let’s Make a Deal” TV show, to imagine three different understandings of God. As with many other issues, it seems, the responses fell into two groups – those who got the metaphor, and those who didn’t. I’m including only the letters of those who did; the others were all over the map.

Tom Watson quoted the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates who asked, “Suppose you were given two choices -- one to immediately possess all truth, the other being to embark upon a lifelong search for truth. Which would you choose?”

            Tom continued, “Socrates answer was that only the fool would choose the immediate possession of all truth for then there would be nothing further for which to live. Sounds to me as if the lifelong search for truth lies behind Door Three, and therein lies life.”

Barb Taft liked the Three Door metaphor: “Door Three is for me -- hard to open, but what a joy to step through into an abundant life.”

The same with Jean Hamilton: “I love this column, especially the invitation to step through and see what's on the other side.  Now that brings real excitement to the quest.”

Gord Kerr: “I like the three doors metaphor. I think that we do need to worship the mystery of door three; both because it is awesome and because if we do not, it is too easy to fall into worshiping ourselves.”

Bob Rollwagen: “I walk through door three every day and celebrate life with people of many different origins whom are strong in their faith of their culture. A wonderful base for a diverse understanding of our world.”

            On the subject of church decline, the previous week’s column, Bob wrote, “I have participated in the administration of many churches, presbytery, and conference, at local, regional and national levels, and as a result, I have never been surprised that many people younger than myself are reluctant to take on a circumstance that might lead to leadership within the church.”

Krista Markstrom found John McTavish's letter last week “fascinating -- though a bit of a stretch with regard to the Pill. Much like Mr. McTavish wanting to put the onus on The Pill as to which type of church is dying, I see media as causing a great deal of our ills. Yet what is behind the taking of the ‘Pill’ and watching TV, that has become our next god, is us. If women were regarded differently and there had been more of a partnership in relationships from Biblical times to now, I wonder if the ‘Pill’ would exist as protection against unwanted pregnancy?  If we weren't dissatisfied with watching hypocrisy play out from the TV megachurch level where deceit, lies and corruption have run rampant, would we have turned from the church to popular TV/media shows as our god? At least the popular shows are honestly billed as filled with deceit, lies and corruption. 

            “I [admit that] I have been deeply hurt how the church has treated people. There is a spectrum of ‘dis-ease’ that often plays out between a congregation and a minister that can wreak havoc in the hearts and minds of many church-goers. My personal experiences have caused me to turn away from organized religion. However, lately I've come to see that our society as a whole has become misguided. That is because we put too much emphasis on what we watch, on social media, fulfilling our own personal needs, etc., that I see what we need is a better guide. A healthier guide. I've turned back to understanding the significant role that organized religion has played in my own life. What I find is that there's a strength and support I'm offered through organized worship that isn't offered through sitting alone with beer and popcorn -- or wine and cheese -- watching my fav shows on a screen, or tapping into social media that oftentimes offers empty connections in times of great need.”

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PSALM PARAPHRASES

I’m not providing a paraphrase of a psalm this week. Instead, you got a paraphrase of Luke 2, above.

For paraphrases of most of the psalms used by the Revised Common Lectionary, you can order my book Everyday Psalms from Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.

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TECHNICAL STUFF

If you want to comment on something, send a message directly to me, jimt@quixotic.ca.

            To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to jimt@quixotic.ca. Or you can subscribe electronically by sending a blank e-mail (no message or subject line) to softedges-subscribe@lists.quixotic.ca. Similarly, you can un-subscribe at softedges-unsubscribe@lists.quixotic.ca.

            I write a second column each Sunday called Sharp Edges, which tends to be somewhat more cutting about social and justice issues. To sign up for Sharp Edges, write to me directly, jimt@quixotic.ca, or send a note to sharpedges-subscribe@lists.quixotic.ca

            I’m leaving out some of the links to other blogs and pages, to see if those links have caused the recent blockages, preventing some of your from receiving the columns at all, and preventing others from sending responses. We’ll see.

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PROMOTION STUFF

To use the links in this section, you’ll have to insert the necessary symbols.

            Ralph Milton ’s latest project is called “Sing Hallelujah” -- the world’s first video hymnal. It consists of 100 popular hymns, both new and old, on five DVDs that can be played using a standard DVD player and TV screen, for use in congregations who lack skilled musicians to play piano or organ. More details at wwwDOTsinghallelujahDOTca

            Ralph’s HymnSight webpage is still up, http://wwwDOThymnsightDOTca, with a vast gallery of photos you can use to enhance the appearance of the visual images you project for liturgical use (prayers, responses, hymn verses, etc.)

            Wayne Irwin's “Churchweb Canada,” an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://wwwDOTchurchwebcanadaDOTca>

            I recommend Isabel Gibson’s thoughtful and well-written blog, wwwDOTtraditionaliconoclastDOTcom

            Alva Wood’s satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town -- not particularly religious, but fun; alvawoodATgmailDOTcom to get onto her mailing list.

            Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony” -- ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’s readers. Write him at tomwatsoATgmailDOTcom or twatsonATsentexDOTnet