The Rev. Bill Sinkford, Senior Minister of First Unitarian Church of Portland (OR), reflects on “The Christmas Story” as PNWD’s holiday pastoral message, now posted on the PNWD website.
Rev. Sinkford points out that the message of rejection and lack of compassion often conveyed by the traditional story is mistaken. In fact, there are good reasons to believe that “Mary and Joseph were welcomed by relatives but the guest room was already full. They had to stay in the large family room. Mary, when she gave birth several days later, was surrounded not just by animals but by cousins and aunties, women who were accustomed to helping at births.”
“There is less shame and less loneliness in this telling,” notes Rev. Sinkford. “The simple people in Bethlehem offered Jesus their best. We should do no less.”
Rev. Sinkford goes on to explain a Unitarian Universalist lesson for Christmas. He invites us to consider that, “All stories are true…and some actually happened.”
May you have as your holiday gift the many blessings of these days of darkness, light, hope and surprise. And may we all share generously the simple and profound gifts of love, kindness and joy.