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Story Archives: As God loves us, so we love each other


As God loves us, so we love each other
posted Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 @ 10:10 amE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Ouachita Citizen's annual Christmas message for 2009 was written by The Rev. Dr. Bette J. Kauffman, Deacon, Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana. Make sure to pick up a copy of this week's Citizen, on stands this afternoon, to see the annual Merry Christmas special section.

In a few days, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Many of us will read the story from Luke's Gospel, with all of its wonderful, historical specificity: "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered ..."

Our homes are decorated with detailed representations of that ancient scene: Mary and Joseph dressed in flowing robes, a babe lying in a manger to, surrounded by animals. Mary's donkey is nearby. Shepherds with sheep kneel in adoration.

We know the details of that story so well it is all too easy to come to believe that God came to earth just once, some 2,000 years ago.

But it's not so. God has been in the business of coming to earth for eons, and will continue to do so.

God comes to us disguised as family members, friends and strangers, presidents and poor people, co-workers and welfare mothers. God comes to us in extraordinary challenges and in mundane tasks, in times of joy and sorrow and in times of boredom, in sickness and in health. God comes to us in the flow of life.

It often seems that God comes to us to get us to perform a role or accomplish a task, but that is only part of the point. God comes to us so that we can say "yes" to God, and thereby experience being God's chosen, God's beloved and somehow God's presence in the world. Of course, we will swing into action and do what needs to be done. But more importantly, we will communicate to others the beloved-ness and chosen-ness we have experienced.

And that is the fullest and best meaning of Christmas: As God loves us, so we love each other.
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