Church Newsletter-December
THE MESSENGER
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF CHATHAM
Volume 15, Issue 12 Nancy G. Bischoff, Pastor
December 2011
FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR
As we approach the second Sunday of Advent, the familiar words of Isaiah ring out once again: "In
the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
(Isaiah 40:3b) I have to admit, I laughed when I read this text again this year, now, in the context of
Chatham's own version of the "Big Dig" on Main Street! Given that the Advent season is filled this year
with multiple detours that are anything but straight, this familiar text seems to be speaking directly to all
those who are trying to navigate their way through the wilderness of highway construction around town.
I can't believe that I have joined the ranks of those who complain about the detours and delays because
I truly have no reason to complain. For almost five years I drove 45 miles of the dreaded Route 80
corridor in New Jersey between Sussex County (near the Pennsylvania border) and Roseland, N.J.
averaging 90 minutes each way in traffic. So traveling 1.5 miles, regardless of the number of detours
and the waiting time should be a piece of cake.
But, the images used in the 40th chapter of Isaiah really aren't about traditional pine-forested wilderness
places and deserts of wind-swept sand, and they aren't really about highways as we think of them today.
These images from Isaiah's prophecy are about the wilderness places in our own lives and God's desire to
take a direct line approach into our lives through the Christ who comes to us at Christmas. And we are
simply being called to prepare our lives once again during this wonderful season of Advent to receive the
direct line approach from God through the Incarnation.
Five centuries after the time of Second Isaiah, John the Baptist appeared in the desert at a place along the
Jordon River and proclaimed the good news about Jesus in some of the very same words; "Prepare the
way of the Lord. Make a straight way in the desert for him." Like the prophet of old, he urged people to
make a venture of faith. We always need to prepare for whatever we want to happen in life or we find
ourselves simply drifting along without direction or purpose, and frustrated much of the time. Advent
allows us the time to truly prepare by acknowledging that there are hills and valleys and rough places in
our lives that are barriers to God working in any of us, and they need to be leveled and smoothed.
They may be rocky relationships or strained or broken friendships. They may be stormy tempers that
flare and moody valleys that are unpredictable and hazardous. They may be deserts of negative attitudes
that creep into both our behaviors and our conversations. There is no better time than now to begin to
work on straightening out a disordered and aimless lifestyle that encourages us to wander off into detours.
So, here we are in the season of Advent preparing for Christmas. We can just decorate the exterior and
cover up what is inderneath, or we can make some substantive changes that will smooth out the way for
the God-presence of Immanuel to come into our lives in a special way this year. We can take a venture
of faith and discover the inner strength that is true comfort in the midst of whatever distress or turmoil we
find ourselves. And we may find to our surprise that the God who chose to become known in the Child
of Bethlehem will choose to be born anew in our hearts and minds.
May I suggest, as we move into the center of our Christmas celebrations, that we share a very different
Christmas greeting with one another this year. Instead of the traditional "Merry Christmas" spoken simply
out of habit and tradition, that we greet one another this year with new words that express the true
meaning and power of God's straight line approach into our lives as we greet one another by saying,
"May Christ be born in you."
Grace and Peace,
Nancy
