"And ye, beneath life's crushing loan,
whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way
with painful steps and slow,
look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road, and
hear the angels sing!"
~Edmund H. Sears(1849) It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Perhaps we simply never sing all the verses of this Christmas carol. Or if we do, I had never really paid attention to the words that make up the third verse. Yesterday as we sang them in worship, I was struck by their timeliness. It seems to me I am walking among many who are 'beneath life's crushing load.' Everyday the news seems to worsen as the economy continues to move us further into a recession. We hear of retailers who are hurting....... because ordinary people are hurting...... because businesses are failing.....because nations are in economic chaos. All are made up of very real human 'forms that are bending low.'
As I continue to prepare for the joy of Christmas, I cannot get the images of all those who steps are painful and slow out of my mind. I see them each day as I drive around the city: those who stand on corners hoping for a handout; those who stand in line for food at the food shelf. On the news and in the papers are still other stories of those in need, those who are getting lost on the margins. My heart is full of them
In the midst of it I am acutely aware of the privileged life I lead. Last night I sat among friends so gifted and beautiful it felt impossible to get my heart around. As people shared songs, poetry and stories to mark the Winter Solstice, I looked at the faces of people I love and gave thanks for the amazing plenty and grace in my life. I thought of the generosity of these people, how they give their time and money to help in countless ways those who are less privileged. Yet, some days, most days, it never seems like enough, like we are making a difference.
And then at lunchtime today, I was walking out of church and ran into several men I have come to know through our Dignity Center. This ministry helps those who have been hit by hard times to get back on their feet and make a new start. These gentlemen often refer to me as 'their preacher', which always makes me feel a little odd. If truth be told, they are the preachers. They tell the 'good news' with their lives every day. I stood and talked about everything from the weather("Cold enough for ya?) to politics(Do you think Caroline Kennedy will be the first woman president?) to which service they would attend on Christmas Eve. We laughed, shook hands and went on with our day.
Then it hit me. Maybe there is a difference being made. Maybe creative people are helping sew together a quilt that will hold us all together after all. It is being sewn by the privileged and those who have the courage to reach out for the help they need. It looks like it will take many pieces of human fabric to continue to stitch this human blanket together again. It will take all of us...the privileged, the needy, people of prayer and those who act, those with money and those with big ideas, those who know how to talk and many who know how to listen. It will not be easy. There will be those who need to 'rest beside the weary road' until they have the strength to go on. But I have faith that, eventually, we will weave something better than we've known before. Better because we have struggled and learned from one another. Hopefully someplace along the road, we'll hear a few angels singing.
