I am painfully aware that this year, more than any since the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in 2012, it has been challenging to believe in the possibility of “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All.” We are bombarded by stories of civil war, refugees fleeing their homes, terrorism and senseless violence. These heartbreaking stories are juxtaposed with the heartwarming and hopeful stories of international climate agreements, local stories of great generosity and the deep beauty of our western landscapes. I am experiencing a sort of emotional whiplash. Are you?

I was whining about my emotional whiplash to a friend recently. She told me about Kintsugi Kintsukuroi, the art of mending precious ceramics and pottery with gold. Their philosophy is to, “learn to see the scars from the mending as works of art in and of themselves.” Maybe this is an option here for our broken hearts - hearts broken by our love for the world might be mended by our hope for the world and made stronger and more beautiful. Your beauty is magnified by the compassion you share with our wounded and wonderful world. The Rev. Galen Guengerich has written that faith is the capacity to “live as if”: as if transforming love will change the world; as if each life matters and this life matters; as if new possibility is always breaking through; as if our differences are fascinating and worthy of a holy curiosity; as if we really are all in this together. I sincerely wish you deep happiness.