Christmas Letter from the Rector

His name is Milo, age 6; he lives in England. Recently, Milo’s mum posted a video of a chat the two of them had on their way home from school. Milo was excited to report that he’d learned that day what his role was going to be in this year’s Christmas nativity play. But he didn’t just blurt out the news—he drew his mother in with a guessing game, giving her only the clue that his part was one of the “classic” roles.

“Joseph?” “No.”

“One of the three Wise Men?” “No.”

“One of the innkeepers?” “No.”

Mum gives up, having run out of guesses, so she asks Milo to tell her outright.

Milo (delightedly): “I’m door holder number 3; I’ll be holding doors!”

There’s a quote attributed to the actor and theater director, Konstantin Stanislavski, which says that there are no small parts, meaning that even so-called “bit” parts are important in moving a story forward. Perhaps part of the reason that the video of Milo and his mom went viral is because Milo so fully embraces the role he’s about to play in the story of the birth of Jesus, even if it’s one we might never have heard of.

Christmas, we say, is the celebration of Incarnation, when God chose to reveal God’s self in human form, in the person of Jesus. A humble, grounded, earth-y act which serves as an invitation for all of humanity to take part and play a role in bringing about the just, peaceful, joyous, and loving future that God envisions for us. Sometimes our role in that transformation may be big and dramatic, with lots of lines and visibility; other times, we will serve in ways where our part in the story arc is more modest, and less clear. Yet no role, no act, is too small to matter.

This Christmas season, may we respond to God’s invitation to be part of this glorious, hope-filled story with the same commitment and enthusiasm as Milo, Door Holder #3.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, and joyous New Year.

Elizabeth+