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Rector's Blog: Wait and Wonder

This blog is also available as a podcast.

Every year is the same. Every Christmas, as the day approaches, we stress about the same things: About our expectations for the day, for the season, about if we will give and get the right things for and from people, about the decorations and the food, even about having the appropriate amount of “Christmas spirit”. It blows my mind how ready we are to feel guilty about not getting it all just right, how we will agonize over getting the day or the season right.

And, of course, every year is different. The worry and fret may be constants, but the things over which we worry and fret are unique each year: specific relationships that need more attention, specific gifts that are unfindable. The things we want to get right are certainly different this year: What time should we Zoom with our extended family, and how much food will we prepare for just ourselves or just two or three of us instead of a whole crew of people? How will we make sure it feels like Christmas even when everything is different? This has been the subject of a lot of handwringing and tear-shedding in the DeVaul house. We want to get it right. We say we want to get it right “for the kids”, and sure that’s partially true, but let’s be honest: We’re as heartbroken as they are that we won’t be hugging grandparents or caroling or going to the movies (yes, that’s one of our family Christmas traditions) this year.

So, it’s the same and it’s different. We know what to expect and also, we have no idea.

I’m not going to tell you not to worry or fret this Christmas. That would be futile and unhelpful advice, like telling a runner not to get tired during a marathon. I say worry and fret if you have to. Don’t listen to people who shame you for not feeling perfect. Don’t listen to Christians who tell you worry and fret are unchristian. Goodness gracious. Feel whatever you have to feel this Christmas.

I remember waiting for the birth of our first child. She was due right around Christmas, so I always associate the comingling of worry and excitement, anticipation, fear, and wonder with both preparing for Christmas and preparing for childbirth. Like, the celebration of Christmas, we bring a lot of baggage to the birth of a new life. People’s circumstances are so different from person to person, from family to family, but every birth is the same in that we know what to expect and also, we have no idea. After billions of people being born, we have a basic sense of how a birth will go, but we don’t know how this one will go. What with billions of people walking the earth, we have a general idea of how wonderful and terrible people can be, but we have no idea how this new human will be wonderful and terrible. There is so much mystery and so much certainty side by side.

We can plan and prepare, and still a good portion of our work leading up to Christmas, leading up to a birth, is just to wait and wonder. And where there’s waiting and wondering, there is almost always a little of worry and fret. It’s part of the deal.

I refuse to believe Mary and Joseph glided through the first Christmas free of all these feelings – free of excitement and fear, free of hope and worry. A young couple in the late term of a pregnancy on a road trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, forgetting to get a reservation, everything’s booked and her water breaks. The baby is coming. Right now. The certainty and the mystery are magnificently, terrifyingly present.

And so, it is with so much of our lives right now. The vaccines are coming out. We can see a way through this pandemic – there is almost an inevitability it, but there is still so much unknown. Both are true. The election is over. The transition from one president to the next has begun. We’ve done it many times before and we get the basic idea, but this one feels different, doesn’t it? And we wonder how it will all go. Certainty and mystery. Anticipation and fear.

What if we didn’t try to talk ourselves out of feeling all these things at once this year? What if we let our complicated feelings just be what they are right now?

The power of the first Christmas is as always that Jesus shows up. God does not require us to feel the right way about it. Jesus does not show up only when we’re all perfectly prepared or understanding, and the reality of Jesus’ presence is not conditional upon our getting it or feeling any particular way about it. Jesus is perfectly at home in the mystery and certainty of your life, in the things that never change, and the things that are never the same. This year is nothing like any other year. And yet, like every other year we’ve ever known, God shows up. Grace abounds. Real Love is yours, right now, as you are.

From my worried, excited, fretting, joyous house to yours: Merry Christmas!


Tags: Rector's Blog

Sermons

  • Mar 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    The Present Past
  • Mar 12 | Tym House
    Direct Access to Grace
  • Mar 6 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Being Righteous
  • Feb 27 | The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
    Two Sides of the Same Coin
  • Feb 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Superman Transfigured

Rector's Blog

  • Mar 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, When God Feels Like It
  • Mar 17 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, But Through Me
  • Mar 10 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 2
  • Mar 3 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 1
  • Feb 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Better Not Easier

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2944 Erie Ave. · Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 321-6700
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The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
2944 Erie Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45208

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Welcome Children Service Times Membership Contact Us

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer! We invite and welcome ALL to join us in worship and community. In addition to worship, we have a vibrant music community, a fun and welcoming community for children and youth, plus offerings for everyone from young adults to seniors, covering many varied interests.

The Rev. Philip DeVaul, Rector

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We love children, and children love Church of the Redeemer!

Children are at the heart of life at Church of the Redeemer. Children learn about the word of God through our Children's Christian Education programs; they are involved in worship services, they play music in our services, and they form lifelong friendships with each other through their experiences.

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On Sundays we have an 8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I service, a 9:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II service (which is also livestreamed), an 11:00 am Banquet Eucharist service and a 5:00 pm Celtic Eucharist service.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we offer Morning Prayer on our Online Worship Podcast.

On Wednesdays, we offer Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 6:00 pm in the Chapel.

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The community of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer welcomes you! We are glad that you have chosen to explore your faith here and hope that this document can answer some of the questions you may have about Church of the Redeemer. We seek to be an open, inviting community. Our invitation to you is to join us as we grow in faith and reach out in love to others. At Church of the Redeemer we are always seeking to know Jesus and grow in love. We hope that in whatever ministries you undertake will strengthen your relationship with him through your ministry and fellowship here.

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PARKING: Parking is on the street. Please pay attention to the signs indicating proper parking zones. Handicapped parking is available in the front on Erie, in the back parking lot, and on the south side of Raymar.

ACCESSIBLE REDEEMER: The front entrance has a ramp and there is an elevator inside the back door and to the left. Accessible restrooms are located in the Lobby inside the front entrance.


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Flowers in our holy worship spaces are a beautiful gift to God and those who attend services at Church of the Redeemer as well as those being honored or remembered. A contribution to the Flower Fund is a meaningful way to honor or remember a loved one for special life events such as birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, confirmations, thanksgivings, or in memory of a loved one.

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The Church of the Redeemer is blessed to have received special gifts from parishioners who wanted Redeemer to have permanent savings to care for our facilities and to supplement our pledge income.

Such permanent savings are often called an “endowment.” The endowed funds are permanently set aside by donors or by the Vestry. Some of our donors have specified uses for their endowment gifts. A limited portion of the funds is distributed each year to supplement our general budget. All funds are invested with professional advice.

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What about your connection to Redeemer changes the way you live in this world? Your financial commitment is a response to the work that God is doing with you here. It is a practical way to ensure that others are able to experience the relationships of holy connection and communion that are shaping your life.

For 2023, we ask that you make your commitment through regular scheduled electronic giving, if possible. Whether it be weekly or annually, giving electronically is a safe and sustainable way to ensure your continued financial support.

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Your planned legacy gift to the Church of the Redeemer is a practical way for you to empower generations to come. It is a powerful witness of faith, love, and gratitude. This type of gift recognizes the heritage left by those who came before us and acknowledges that we bear a responsibility to the future faithful - to insure the continuation of God’s work within and beyond Church of the Redeemer.

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