Happy Twelfth Night

After all the planning and preparation, I usually have a sense of ennui following the Christmas excitement.  I know I am not alone in this as the tradition of “Twelfth Night” attests.  In the long, dark days and nights of Elizabethan England, any reason for celebration seemed to be a good idea, and since there is a (seemingly) religious context – the end of the Christmas season – all the better.

Of course, the first time I remember hearing the term “Twelfth Night” it was in reference to William Shakespeare’s play, which has nothing to do with a religious holiday.  It was called “Twelfth Night” as that was the occasion for which he wrote the play, not about its subject or content.  The first production of “Twelfth Night” that I saw was in the middle of summer and the characters in the play were allusions to characters from “Gilligan’s Island” (strange, but it worked!).

Shakespeare’s play is full of hijinks, mistaken identity, gender bending and sexual tension – the perfect recipe to overcome the winter doldrums.  It does not have anything, really, to do with celebrating the Incarnation or the Epiphany, other than the joy it is to laugh at ourselves, a truly human quality.

This night does allow us to pause for a moment (before taking down and putting away all those Christmas decorations) to reflect if we made the most of this season – that we found a way to birth Christ into the world in some way, to celebrate truly the awesome gift we have been given by God to know we are not alone, no matter how we feel.

Thank you to all who so generously supported the Christmas families and the Mitten Tree.  These ministries are ways which we as a community show and share Christ’s love and caring for the world.  These activities are good, but we cannot rest on our laurels until next Christmas but be inspired by them and find another way to express Christ’s presence in our lives.

We are re-inaugurating Peanut Butter Sunday on January 15th so bring some jars of peanut butter (or sun butter for those who might be allergic) with you to church. This is an important staple for food pantries, especially during the time after the holidays when the selves become bear.

I also want to challenge the members of St. Barnabas as disciples of Christ to seek ways to develop our spiritual selves.  Outreach activities are wonderful and important, but we also need to nurture our souls by deepening our relationship with God.

We will be having a great Lenten Program call “Set Our Hearts on Fire.” I am mentioning this now because I want everyone to consider making the commitment to attend all 5 sessions in which we will explore God’s reaching out to us and us reaching back wholeheartedly. There is a big heart on the bulletin board in Hubbard Hall and there are “flames” for us to write our names on them to show our commitment to full participation in the program.  It will be on Wednesday nights from 6:30 PM (dinner) 7:00 – 8:30 PM (program). 

On this Twelfth Night, we can take a moment to reflect, but we must also look to the future and make a commitment for this to be the best year ever at St. Barnabas, where we strengthen our commitment to Christ by knowing our stories and living them boldly.  Come and set all of our hearts on FIRE!

In Christ,

Rev. Valerie+

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