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When asked what Christmas is about, most people especially children would say gifts. And there are gifts involved in another Christmas story we hear at Epiphany, the first Sunday in January, the part about the wise men bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh. But today we don’t have wise men we have shepherds, and at first glance are not bringing gifts or are they?

What am I a man doing talking about this pregnancy and birth today? Nancy is preaching next Sunday, so I will be the one today. Yet Brian McLaren in his book Finding our way again, lets me off the hook by quoting Paul in Galatians 4:19; My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.

John the Baptist is not the Light, and we are not the Light, but where do we go from here? How to we testify to the Light? Henri Nouwen sheds some light on this when he in his book “Spiritual Direction” points out three steps to ministry. There is a progression from one to the other, but how we experience this may be in a non-linear fashion.

When we hear the words of John the Baptist, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'” we think it is all about God. But can we prepare the way of the Lord without it having something to do with ourselves?

This is not just about staying awake on the face of it, or not sleeping. Maybe this means more about what we pay attention to and actually notice. Bo Lozoff, talks about a painting from Tibet. A boy is sitting in the morning sun with his cup of tea. There is a fly buzzing around his cup of tea, and he has his hand covering the cup of tea, why?

Is it realistic for us to see helping others as helping Christ himself? It is a nice thought, but is it helpful and is it a concept we can actually practice? After all, in the parable, the sheep, the ones praised for caring for those in need, actually deny it was helping Christ by saying; when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison?

This passage reminds me of how Dr. Scott Peck starts “the Road Less Travelled” with; life is difficult. I say this because my thought from this is; life is not fair. Some seem to be given a lot more than others, and it is easy to feel that life has treated us unfairly.

Every time this parable of the ten bridesmaids is read, I have the same question; why don’t the five with oil share it with the five without? It seems selfish at first glance.

As we come to the end of the Church year we celebrate this great feast of All Saints Day, to remember and give thanks to the communion of saints.