Reflections
Reflections shared by the pastor and members of the congregation.
Whatever your faith, we welcome the light together
By The Southern Berkshire Interfaith Clergy Council
Berkshire Edge — Dec 24, 2024
We write to share with our community the power of light as it is celebrated in many of our faith communities while we enter the final days of December.
This year, the winter holiday season comes together in a way that doesn’t happen every year. For the first time since 2005, the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas coincide. The Jewish eight-day Festival of Lights and the Christian 12-day season of Christmas both begin on Wednesday, and both will stretch into the New Year. Meanwhile, many also celebrate Kwanzaa or honor the Winter Solstice, in each of which light is also central. Here in the northern hemisphere, days have just begun to lengthen after a season of increasing darkness, a phenomenon we might really feel. As clergy serving congregations across Southern Berkshire, we are grateful for the opportunity to elevate light and hope amidst the darkness of these pre-solstice days.
We members of the Southern Berkshire Interfaith Clergy Council have taken this coincidence as a blessing and an opportunity to share our top 12 reasons to celebrate the light in all its literal and symbolic power, in all earnestness and playfulness. We invite you to let these shed light for you, too.
Light comforts the afraid, like many children we might know or might have been afraid of the dark and soothed by light. We hope you will be blessed with childlike wonder at the beauty of the lights that characterize this holiday season.
The distant light of unimaginably faraway stars reminds us of the splendor, power and mystery of the cosmos and silently encourages us to turn our earthly lights down. We hope you will be blessed with a sense of awe at the universe.
Light makes knowledge and wisdom by making reading and study possible even late into the night or in the early morning. We hope that your minds and hearts will be filled with the warmth of learning and the light of new ideas.
It can come as a welcome correction when someone tells us to lighten up. We hope that your interactions with friends and family are light with happiness and good humor.
One of the central themes of Hanukkah is rededication; the lights that we kindle are symbolic of the Eternal Light, which helps us to designate sacred spaces. We hope you will be blessed to be in places and spaces that feel holy to you over this holiday season ahead.
Hanukkah reminds us that miracles are possible, even when we don’t think we have enough to keep going. We hope that you will be blessed with renewed hope for the possibility of transformation.
Christmas calls us to celebrate that the Holy breaks into our lives as light born anew into darkness — in fragile, broken, invisible places — reminding us that love can always find a way. May you know the presence of a love that shines as a light in the darkness, a light that can never be put out.
Light helps us to see others and allows us to be seen. Whether your gatherings glow with the lights of a Christmas tree, a Hanukkah menorah or a Kinara, we hope that it will illuminate the faces of those you love, and allow them to see you in your fullness as well.
In kindling candles, we connect ourselves with people from all times, past, present and future, rooting ourselves deeply in human traditions. We hope your remembrance of things past brings healing and gratitude and your look to the future comes with hope about what good is possible.
During all of the Seasons of Light in the Northern Hemisphere we will actually begin to perceive the return of the light to the world as the Earth keeps rolling through space — look for it, embrace it, celebrate it.
In the light of fire that enables the cooking of special meals and sharing of food with friends, family, and those in need, we bless these special meals to shine light into our hearts. May the hands of those who prepare them see light in the faces they feed and those who partake recognize all the labor that has produced such bounty.
In the beauty of candlelight which is never diminished as it spreads its flame to other candles no matter how many are lit from that one candle, we see it physically displayed that we all have something essential to contribute to the project of thriving in joy.
We wish you, our Berkshire County neighbors and friends and all of your loved ones, the blessings of light as we cross the threshold into 2025.
The Southern Berkshire Interfaith Clergy Council includes the Rev. Marisa Brown Ludwig, First Congregational Church of Lee; the Rev. Carol Allman-Morton, Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire Housatonic; Rabbi Jodie Gordon, Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, Great Barrington; the Rev. Liz Goodman, Monterey UCC; the Rev. Tadd Allman-Morton, First Congregational Church of Great Barrington, UCC; the Rev. Erik Karas, Christ Trinity Church Episcopal and ELCA Lutheran, Sheffield; and the Rev. Jill Graham, First Congregational Church of Sheffield, UCC.
December 24th: Final Advent Reflection
Luke 2:8-11. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord—
Well, we have come to the end of this year’s Rossier Devotionals. This one is for you, dear reader… to meditate on.
Imagine yourself as a shepherd... guided by angels… in the cold of winter… to a lowly manger. You stand enchanted and… more than a little bit frightened... by the stillness of the night… by the brilliance of the stars... by the scene unfolding before you… by the manger… by the sounds of a baby crying. You, embodiment of the most humble in the century in which you lived, will someday realize that you were present at the birth of a New Age.
Prayer: Help us to be like the shepherds as we stand in wonder and awe. Tomorrow is Christmas Day. Hallelujah!
LO
December 23rd Advent Reflection
Peter 3:8, 9 The Message
Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. (The Message)
In this letter, the writer of Peter is answering the concern of the first century followers who didn’t understand why Christ’s second coming (and the end of the world as they knew it) hadn’t yet happened. What a powerful reminder – God’s time is not like ours. Don’t worry, the writer says, God’s got this! Don’t we all know what it’s like to want God’s intervention in some place or some person of our lives and be frustrated because it may seem God is not acting? So today, we are invited to remember that the God who created the stars and sent forth all things into being, who created and is creating still, is acting, all the time. God is accompanying us and hearing our prayers, and according to the writer here, making sure we all get plenty of time to get on board, so we all can make it, no one left behind.
Prayer: O Creator of the Stars, help us to remember You’ve got us covered. You’re in this for the long game, knowing us better than we know ourselves, giving us the time to catch up to You. May this knowledge bring peace to our hearts as we ready for Your coming again and again! Amen.
(Rev. Marisa)
December 22nd Advent Reflection
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1
In celebrating the birth of Jesus, this Holy time of the year. We behold the very power of the universe lying in a manger in Bethlehem. Coming to show how much He cares that he sent His Son that we might behold God in human form, the astonishment of the Word made flesh. How great a miracle born that night in the city of David that all creation cried out Hosanna blessed be the name of the Lord.
God almighty, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, that we may see the glory of God, Emanuel, God with us.
NB
December 21st Advent Reflection
Romans 15:5-6
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In a country and a world that seems so divided in recent years, wouldn’t it be a joy if we could live in harmony with one another? Harmony, in musical terms, is a “pleasant musical sound that is made by different notes being played or sung at the same time.” Another definition of harmony is “a situation in which people are peaceful and agree with one another, or when things seem right or suitable together.” (Cambridge Dictionary). We will have differences, like the different notes being sung together in harmony, but if we can agree to have a mindset like Christ Jesus, and we surrender to God by living a life of love and sacrifice, I believe that Paul is teaching us that we CAN live in harmony with one another and praise our God with one voice. Have you heard the song by Barry Manilow called “One Voice”? He may not have been thinking about this Bible verse when he wrote it, but it encourages me in my walk with Christ… “Just one voice, Singing in the darkness, All it takes is one voice, Singing so they hear what’s on your mind, And when you look around you’ll find, There’s more than one voice, Singing in the darkness… Hands are joined and fears unlocked… It takes that one voice, And everyone will sing!”
Dear Lord, I pray that you would continue to encourage us to strive to live in harmony with one another. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to be our example. Let us work diligently to sing together as one in the darkness in praise to You. Amen.
JAT
December 20th Advent Reflection
Mark 1: 16-18
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Coming from a generation of Alaskan commercial fishermen, what I can tell you is that they worked hard, and they played hard. They were a determined bunch that knew how to read nature, could calculate the odds, understood the value of the catch of the nets, and spread the nets as far as they could. There was not a hint of refinement, scholarship, or reticence. And yet, in spite of, or because of, those qualities Jesus chose fishermen to be the first of a band that He expected would bring men into the knowledge of the Kingdom, charging them with the Holy Spirit, and changing the World forever.
Lord Jesus, help us to give You our strengths and weaknesses to use, enabled by Your Spirit, to cast our nets wide, inviting those lives we touch to join us in the Kingdom, “on earth, as it is inHeaven.” Amen
LB
December 19th Advent Reflection
Luke 1: 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Can you imagine this scene? A young teenage girl has an angel appear to her. That alone would send most of us into a state of shock! Lots of thoughts come to Mary and would to us also, “Why me, who am I that you have come to me?” Secondly, the news that we all know – you will bear a child and he will be our Messiah. A key word that Luke records here is the very clear statement that we cannot miss but is not in common usage today, the servant of the Lord.
What does it mean to be a servant? To serve and do so willingly. No, “Sorry not my job”, or “Why don’t you ask someone else to do this?” We know if we are quiet God still speaks. Ever resist a call? Ever tell God, “I cannot do that.” We know stories from scripture about this sort of thing. God can make us pay attention as he did Paul on the road to Damascus. Does he really need to go to that extreme? Love your neighbor – let’s not ask, “Who is my neighbor?”
Lord, we pray that we may be more attentive to your call and respond with, “Yes, Lord”.
GS
December 18th Advent Reflection
John 1:23
He said, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.
This message, from the book of The Prophet Isaiah, is also noted in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. John the Baptist, spoke to the people telling them he was not the One they were seeking. When Jesus arrived at the river John said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
Thank you, God, for sending Jesus to take away our sins. Thank you, Jesus, for saving us and being with us always. Amen.
MM
December 16th Advent Reflection
Luke 1:46-50
My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed: for the Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is his name.
Mary’s beautiful song has celebrated through the ages the joyful anticipation of Christ’s birth. Mary was a remarkable young woman of great faith and courage. As we anticipate the outcome of her mysterious pregnancy each year during Advent, it reminds me that the Christ is also waiting to be reborn in each of us. While this expectation is often felt at Christmas, its potential is also true every day, in everything we do, and in every choice we make.
Dear God – help me to gratefully, joyfully, and courageously accept the Advent challenge to embody God’s love, compassion and promise of renewal, for myself and the world around me, every day.
DP
December 15th Advent Reflection
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, Give thanks in all circumstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This is a tough one, to rejoice always. Who among us has not experience unbearable pain or sorrow? Therefore, it seems impossible to give thanks in all circumstances. One of the greatest sorrows in my life has been the passing of my mother, Elda Hayes Ptacek. We were very close, and when she died, I felt lost for a very long time. Her missing presence was felt at Thanksgiving, on Christmas, on her birthday, and on so many other ordinary days as well. To get beyond the unbearable feelings of sadness, I found myself praying without ceasing, prayers for my mom to be safe in the everlasting arms in a peaceful place we call Heaven. Eventually my prayers turned into prayers of praise, thanking God for the wonderful gift my mom was to me, for all that she has given to me, and for all the life lessons she has taught me. I was able to give thanks in all circumstances, even sad ones. After a while I was able to get back to saying other prayers, thanking God for each new day, for a beautiful sunset, for a Robin’s song, for the beauty of a field of snow sparkling in the sunshine. Currently, as we reflect upon the tragedy of war in our world and the violence and unrest that takes place in our own country, it seems hard to rejoice always. The good news is that we can because God has sent us the gift of his son to show us the light.
Dear God,
Please show us your true paths so that we can find something to rejoice in always. Let us commune with you without ceasing in all circumstances of our lives, knowing that your son Jesus came to take away my sins and the sins of the world. Amen
MM
December 14th Advent Reflection
Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
I love to imagine our God as a potter and us as clay. What a vivid image. An artist works diligently to create an end product that is beautiful. A potter takes clay, which is sticky, messy, gooey, and basically bendable mud… and gently spins and pinches and turns that mud into something lovely and often useful, like a pot, a bowl, or a vase. When we are feeling pushed, pulled, and stretched, we need to remember that our loving Father, Creator, Artist, God loves us and knows what he is creating in us. He knows what the end result will become… he is making us into something beautiful.
Thank you, Lord, for making me and molding me into something precious in your sight. Help us to remember to be open and pliable to Your careful working in our lives. Amen.
JAT
December 13th Advent Reflection
Romans 1: 1-2 NRSVUE
Salutation: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures.
I would like you to read these Biblical verses ONCE. Then I would like you to read these verses a SECOND time and substitute your name for Paul’s. Can you put yourself in this role? What does it mean to be a servant of Jesus Christ? Are we servants on Sundays or the whole weeklong? In vital ways Paul asks us to live as if we were set apart (or destined) to live into the gospel. Maybe this was God’s plan for us from our beginnings: to be a vital scripturally- grounded part of generations of disciples, reaching back to the apostle Paul as our inspiration.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be like Paul, grounded in our faith in You, set apart to do your work of love and healing in our beautiful yet broken world.
LO
December 12th Advent Reflection
Isaiah 11:9
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
“I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES”
I am full of God’s love and guidance, and when I open my eyes and heart to Him, I become strong and hopeful once again. I find that I can face the challenges of life with renewed strength.
LL
December 11th Advent Reflection
Psalm 146:9
The Lord watches over the strangers, he upholds the orphans and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Psalm 146 is a long list of all the ways in which God helps the weak and powerless, rather than royal princes and other, stronger mortals. God seems to have a preference for the underdog! This may be why Jesus was “born in a barn.” After all, if he’d been born in a palace or mansion, it's doubtful that the doors would have been opened to the shepherds; probably not to you or me either. In Jesus’ time, widows and orphans were the lowest on the social scale. Who would be on that list today? Maybe refugees, foster kids, the homeless, the unemployed. The list is long. During this holiday season, we can be Christ’s hands, feet and voice by blessing others as we have been blessed already.
Holy One, in this season of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, grant that we can give up judgmental ways towards others, and rather begin to reach out in Christian love and sympathy to those in need of a smile, and handshake, and kind word. Amen.
ME
December 9th Advent Reflection
Isaiah 11:6 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
“The wolf shall live with the lamb;
The leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the lion will together,
And a little child shall lead them.”
What would our world be like if this depiction of enemies or adversaries living in harmony could actually occur? This passage speaks volumes given the conflict in our world today, with the war in Ukraine, the Israeli/Palestinian situation, as well as many other conflicts taking place throughout the world and the division in our own country. I often wonder why we see our differences as something to be feared rather than trying to understand each other, even if that means agreeing to disagree, but to do so with respect for one another. The final verse “and a little child shall lead them” is poignant. Children possess the innocence and curiosity that is often lost as we grow up. Prejudice is taught - often over several generations. I wish we could all retain some of those qualities as we grow up.
Heavenly Father, help me to be open and understanding, and to work through conflicts with honesty and respect. Perhaps if all of humanity could do this, achieving peace would be possible. JG
December 8th Advent Reflection
Matthew 3: 1-3
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’ ”
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness. This is the one of whom The Prophet Isaiah spoke saying – “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!” That message is also for all of us, members of this church. We too are called to “prepare a way for the Lord” in our own hearts, and in the community where we live. Jesus doesn’t force himself upon people, nor does he come upon us suddenly and secretly. All of us in the church are called upon to prepare a way for the Lord, by being open and welcoming to all, forgiving and loving to those who are hard to forgive and love. We are the advance team, preparing the ground of human activity and thought for the arrival of the one sent by God to save us. The whole worship enterprise during Advent is to “prepare a pathway for the Lord”, so his message may be heard, not only in the church, but beyond, so that Jesus may have contact with people thru us. Let us make his path straight to the heart of all life.
Thank you, God, for including us in your mission and ministry of reconciliation. AMEN. CVA
December 7th Advent Reflection
Romans 15:4
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness, and by the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have life.
Sometimes we forget that Paul wrote his letters before there were any Gospels. His only scriptures were what we call the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus, too, read and learned from them. Paul cites Psalm 69:9 to show that, when Jesus laid down his life for others, he was following an earlier command.
These are Jesus’ family stories, as they are ours, along with our New Testament. Paul reminds us that Jesus calls us to acts of love, kindness and mercy, an ancient Hebrew tradition that Jesus now brings to life in his birth, life and death here on earth.
Holy One, in this Advent season, grant us the strength and wisdom to follow in the tradition of the ancient prophets and of Jesus himself, by being kind, loving and generous to those we know and those we meet, and to the stranger in our midst. Amen.
ME
December 6th Advent Reflection
Wed, Dec 6 Matthew 24: 36, 43-44 New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
The Necessity for Watchfulness
36 ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
I HONESTLY DO NOT WAIT FOR THE “FINAL TIMES”. For many on this globe the final times is a very present reality, and yet what has brought a particular person from destruction? Luck.!!! The bombs thought decimating their homes and livelihood and families have not yet killed him or her. What is he/she to look for. How in the beautiful Berkshire County of the state of Massachusetts, how, why have we been spared. California has suffered unimaginable fires, the south horrific tornedoes. And the people seem to pick up and carry on with the help of their fellow man. Destruction and mayhem seem to be everywhere.
What am I to be watching for? Whatever “it” is, I believe if I can believe and focus on my basic love of my family and of mankind and keep my spirit alive, everything will be as it ought to be, whatever. I will sleep.
On the other hand, I WILL get out of bed to vote, pray, and participate in any way I am able to the spiritual community of action and survival.
SS
December 5th Advent Reflection
Psalm 122:v1, v.6-9
I was glad when they said to me, “let us go into the house of the LORD! “ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you, Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers. For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
This psalm moved me because of its joy, as the Jewish people were on a pilgrimage to the house of the Lord, i.e., the Jerusalem temple. And it moved me, especially because of its call for peace. I didn’t know when I selected this reading that Israel and Hamas would be in a violent war of hostage taking and responsive destruction. How long will it take for the sake of my relatives and friends to say Peace be within you?
Prayer: May the stirrings of peace be within all factions in Israel as we await the birth of the Prince of Peace.
LO
December 4th Advent Reflection
Romans 13: 12
The night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
God is our 'armor of light' and he will help protect us from the evils/darkness in the world if we put our trust in him. We are constantly challenged to make choices in our lives with positive and negative results. By putting our trust in God, we can make better choices.
Dear God, Help me to continually see your light and make the best choices possible. Amen.
TR