Dislocated but not Distracted 

     This Sunday (December 20, 2020) the church where my wife and I worship reverts to all virtual Worship in the face of the rising tide of Covid-19 cases in the community and surrounding county. It will be the same for many people across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in many other parts of the country as well. The Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Blue Christmas Service on December 21st, and the multiple Christmas Eve Services will all be live-streamed. It is a sad but necessary disruption in what had been a gradual return to the familiar patterns of the Christian Sabbath and Church Holidays. Instead of up to fifty masked parishioners scattered throughout the sanctuary for social distanced safety, only the pastor, the liturgist, and a few musicians will be present. The rest of us will be home, seated on a couch or in a comfortable chair, watching on the church’s YouTube channel. While it is not the same, having a cup of coffee nearby and the ability to sing the Carols along with the Minister of Music, is a plus among all the minuses. 

     Being dislocated and inconvenienced provides an entry point for us into the story that is at the center of the final week of Advent and the celebrations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No one in the story of Jesus’ birth ends up where they were accustomed to be “on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.” Everyone was dislocated: Mary and Joseph from their home in Nazareth, Jesus from the comfort of Mary’s womb, the Angels from wherever they hang out between angelic excursions, and the shep-herds from the fields outside Bethlehem. For all the disruptions in routine and the dislocation from normal locations, the participants in the story were not distracted from the wonder of what God was doing through them and “for all the people.”

     In 2011, the normal routines and familiar location of the congregation which I served as pastor was disrupted when the Susquehanna River slipped out of its banks in September and flooded a major por-tion of our community. The First United Presbyterian Church of West Pittston, Pennsylvania was one of more than 800 homes and businesses damaged by the floodwaters. After weeks of mucking out the building, by Christmas Eve we were in our third month of “nesting” in St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic Church in Exeter, PA. “Grateful for the kindness of an open door,” we found a place to be blessed by the old, old story rooted in God’s grace. While dehumidifiers and mold mitigation air exchangers ran in our own church building, we found shelter in which to celebrate the birth of the Savior. Dislocated, but not distracted, we retold the story, sang familiar Carols and circled the sanctuary to sing “Silent Night” while spreading the Light of Christ with lighted candles.

     In addition to being dislocated from familiar worship spaces this Christmas season, many of us will also have customary gatherings of family and friends canceled altogether or replaced by a gathering enabled by the internet. We need not be distracted from the meaning of the manger or the call of Christ to love God and love our neighbor. Like the obedient servants who welcomed their child in an unfami-liar place in a time of great uncertainty, we too can open our lives to the unexpected blessings that await those who serve the Lord with gladness even in the midst of sadness.

     On Christmas Eve in 2011, our worship included this prayer, which you may read here, or listen to it on you tube. A Christmas Prayer - https://youtu.be/hvUidCrRSUE

                                                        A Christmas Prayer for 2011

                                                            Chaos calming Creator,
                                                            gathered in a new place
                                                            we lift our prayers
                                                            as we seek to be blessed
                                                            by the old, old story
                                                            rooted in your grace.

                                                            In a borrowed space
                                                            we contemplate the wonder
                                                            of your first night
                                                            in similar circumstances
                                                            grateful for kindness shown
                                                            by an open door.

                                                            Surrounded by unfamiliarity
                                                            we count upon the peace
                                                            which passes understanding
                                                            to keep our hearts and minds
                                                            filled by knowing you
                                                            and the One you sent us.

                                                            Overwhelmed by your love
                                                            we lift our Christmas Prayer:
                                                            send angels and shepherds to teach us to sing
                                                            brighten our dark skies with heaven sent light,
                                                            enter each welcoming heart
                                                            and grow us to resemble Bethlehem’s Child.                                                                                                    (c) Copyright, 2020 James E. Thyren

        from We Need  You More Than Ever - Christmas Blessings in Story and Verse, available at                     Amazon.com.