Beloved Epiphany friends–

I’m away on retreat this weekend. I’m at the Kanuga Retreat and Conference Center in the western hills of North Carolina, a rustic and beautiful place. I’m praying, writing icons, and writing sermons for Advent this week, and soaking in the restorative blessing of doing these things in silence and in conversation with fellow iconographers. 

This is one of the ways that priests do what is necessary to approach their work in a healthy way: we recognize that much of our work may be invisible to our parishioners, but some of it is extraordinarily intense – what the experts call “emotional labor.” An annual retreat like this is a chance to catch our breath and heal the frayed edges of our souls. It’s something that northern Virginia folk don’t often consider: that need to heal and restore ourselves. We’re just so darned busy!

Now here’s a secret: you don’t need to do everything you think you need to do for Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas. What your family and friends and God all want from you is one thing: YOU. Not a zillion parties or ginormous meals that you’ve already started preparing and freezing. Not piles of presents. Not even necessarily trips to visit folks, although I do know that for some of us, visiting our beloveds has been put on hold for too long. 

What would it look like to consider these weeks of prescribed jollity instead a time of retreat? A time of restoration of soul, of heal of the frayed edges of our hearts? When we consider the simplest, least stressful way to enjoy that which we celebrate and instead simply be our own beautiful selves engaging with God and each other?

We will, of course, still do most all of the things we’ve come to expect at Epiphany in November and December, with a couple of twists: instead of the pageant being on Christmas Eve or on the third Sunday of Advent, with Lessons and Carols on another Sunday, we will be doing a Festive Lessons and Carols on the First Sunday of Christmastide, which happens to be December 26^th. We will have just had a very busy time of Friday’s two Christmas Eve services and Saturday’s Christmas Day service. Many will be traveling. So this service, which will have the readings recorded by the youngsters of the parish and music recorded by our gifted musicians, will be a simple and lovely restatement of the story told over the millenia of the coming of Christ. Don’t be surprised if some of the children are dressed as key characters in the story!  I will be here leading this service in our beautiful worship space for those who want to attend in person, but it will also be available online for those who have headed to the grandparents’ house or who want to quietly celebrate at home. 

For those who feel the tug toward doing more even when you’re already spent, consider this as your permission: God doesn’t ask you to do all the things you’re doing. God simply wants you to be in relationship with the divine, to feel your heart warmed by the story of God’s love, to share your love with those around you. Just that. 

Do consider this season, in this exhausting year, as a time of retreat and restoration. You might be surprised how little you miss the extraneous competitive busy-ness and how much you appreciate the moments of stillness, as I am appreciating these moments this week.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Mary+