Rev. Kris Light [The shepherds] went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Luke 2:16 CEB Eyes set on our barn’s changing hues, my hands dive blindly for sudsy spoons while evening rays repaint the farmyard. The remains of an ample table encircle the sink, aromas of sautéed onions mix with green apple dish soap, and I am content. I love our kitchen. I love our home. I love our barn. Dreams of what we might do with the stately structure outside the sink window encourage recurring conversation. Decades have passed since it sheltered livestock, but that can be fixed. The cattle of yesterday may give way to goats or llamas or a dozen other possibilities. For today, a solitary fox keeps company with barn swallows, bats and nativity scenery. Soon the manger and other props in the barn will appear at road’s edge. For one cold night youth and adults will create a living Christmas card addressed to all in the community who venture into darkness to behold the sights, smells and sounds of sacred story retold. Ever so briefly, real barn animals will repopulate this farm as old words become flesh. Tonight, I am grateful for the comforts of home on this side of frosty glass, and glad to peer through gathering darkness at brighter promises still unfolding. - - - Divine painter of the setting sun, Draw on our hearts, and enlighten our Godly desires. Meet us where the sacred story is retold. Amen. Kris is pastor of UniPlace Christian Church on the corner of the University of Illinois campus in Urbana - Champaign. Married to Ed Taylor she enjoys their combined total of 6 young adult children and 4 precious grandchildren. Previously serving Disciples congregations in Nebraska, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas and Georgia, she is now putting down deep roots in Champaign and Ford counties in Illinois. Gardening, home restoration projects, sewing, writing and crafting are her idea of a really good time. I would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
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