THE WORD THAT CHANGES LIVES

Once upon a time, when I was less than 5 feet tall, my family and I would receive a visit from my favorite uncle. Uncle Cecil, for whom the bright lights of New York were standard illumination, was greeted by a different kind of light when his night flight landed in Trinidad – millions of stars twinkling in a clear, unpolluted sky.

Uncle Cecil’s greeting was always the same: a term of endearment – honey, sweetie, precious – followed by his perennial question; “So, what’s the good word?” For a long time, I never really understood what he meant, so I’d just smile and say, “good is the good word.” We’d laugh as we went on our merry way.

Now, many years and several inches later, I occasionally ponder Uncle Cecil’s question. But more often, I marvel at Uncle Cecil – now sixty-something. His skin remains as smooth and soft as a baby’s, his positive, life-affirming attitude is as inspiring as that of any larger than life hero, and his gentle, unassuming manner is as soothing as any anxiety-relieving drug.

Uncle Cecil’s life seems grounded in a good word – reminding me that we are active participants in our life story. It also reminds me that the words with which we write our stories not only reflect our past and introduce our present, but they also help to shape our future.

Words are powerful. Take, for instance, the words that demand to be included in our individual, familial and cultural stories of Christmas – it’s the season to be jolly; it’s a time for family and friends, and it’s a time to give them the gifts that say how much you love them. Words which reflect good things in life – happiness, close relationships, caring and sharing – all words which shape the Christmas story which many members of our society choose to make their own.

But why is it that when the often spirit-assisted merriment has subsided, loved ones have returned to their respective homes, and the gifts admired or exchanged, many are left feeling strangely unfulfilled?

Besides:

If it’s the season to be jolly, what about folks who don’t feel jolly?

If it’s a time to be with family and friends, what about those who can’t be with their loved ones at Christmas?
And if it’s a time to give them the gifts that say how much you love them, what about those who can’t afford to buy those gifts?

So what is the dilemma with society’s largely beautiful and often memorable rendition of the story? Well:

it excludes those who do not fit into its rendition of Christmas;
it has no real staying power – its ideals quickly fade in the days, week and months after Christmas;
It comes into direct conflict with another Christmas story, and those who subscribe fully to it run the risk of erasing that story from their lives.

And, most importantly, except for a guest appearance now and again, it excludes the protagonist. Into society’s story comes the Word of God, Jesus, the one who invites us to participate in a larger, more enduring, more life-giving story:

The story of a God who invites humanity to share in God’s life;
the story of a God who moves with the twists and turns of the plot – when characters write their own parts independent of God,
the story of a God who, as New Testament scholar Gail O’Day reminds us, sends his only son to be among us so we can “see, hear, and know God in ways never before possible.”

In Jesus, God invites us to know the God whose story is distinctly different from the world’s story – a God whose story excludes none, embraces all, and values the greatest as well as the least among us. That way:

those who feel lonely can discover that they are never alone.
Those who feel unloved can discover that they are infinitely loved.
And those who feel excluded can discover that they are always included.

As theologian, preacher and spiritual director Peter Gomes reminds us, the miracle of Christmas is that God cares enough to send the very best – the Word of God – Jesus, who teaches us above all that God is love. As a child once said when asked to state the meaning of love, “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Each of our names is safe in God’s mouth. God invites us to love others in such a way that their names are safe in our mouths as well – so they, like us, can come to know the Word that changes lives – not just at Christmas time, but throughout the ordinary days, weeks and months of each year.