“Passion” by Andrew Weatherly
A special angel
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God … — 1 Peter 5:6
… He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. — Luke 1:51
I was intrigued when an angel of color was placed on the tree in the sanctuary. I was especially surprised after hearing a racial slur whispered about the angel by visitors one Sunday. Why did this white congregation choose such a tree topper?
I later learned the angel had been a tradition since the foster child of one of the church families died of AIDS. It was that year, on Christmas Eve, the angel appeared. No one ever found out who put it on the tree. When Mary sings about God scattering the proud, I think about how that angel with the darkened skin scattered a family away all because it didn’t fit their picture of a Christmas. They couldn’t see God’s picture, complete with new traditions and a new call to love radically. — DFJ
What blessings do we miss when we stick to what we think Christmas should look like?
Boundary-breaking God, help us remember that your message of salvation first reached the humblest of your children — the shepherds. Amen.