December 2021 Pastor’s Letter
From the Desk of Pastor Melissa
Dear Friends,
There are many legends around the Christmas story-even one about a spider. According to one legend, when Joseph was warned in a dream to flee from King Herod and the massacre that Herod would inflict upon the children of Bethlehem, several animals from the manger decided to accompany the Holy Family on their journey. Each of the animals was determined to protect the baby Jesus, and each felt sure his or her particular talents would prove invaluable in that task. When the spider decided to come, the other animals thought an insect would be useless. The spider wasn’t big or strong, she had no teeth or even claws. Nevertheless, the spider begged to go with them. The other animals agreed she could join them, provided she did not get in the way.
During the journey, all the animals ran away or were distracted by their own adventures. Herod’s troops were following closely. Exhausted, Joseph and Mary had little choice but to try and hide in a small cave. Huddled inside, they sought shelter and rest, with the donkey and the spider their only remaining companions. Holding Jesus in her arms, Mary gently rocked him to sleep, and, for a while, it appeared everything would be fine. But it was cold in the cave, and it wasn’t safe to light a fire. Wanting to help in some small way, the spider carefully wove a web over the opening of the cave to try to keep the baby warm.
The spider had just finished her weaving when suddenly voices were heard outside the cave. The soldiers had caught up with them. When they came to the cave, both Mary and Joseph held their breath, certain their doom was upon them. Yet the soldiers passed by the cave. It would be a waste of time to search the cave since a web covered the entrance. After all, the web would have broken when someone entered. The seemingly insignificant spider had saved the day. Some say this is why we hang tinsel on Christmas trees to remember the spider’s work and to remind us that no act of kindness, no act of courage, no act through which we seek peace with justice is ever wasted.
The legend also reminds us that we do not live in an ideal world. We speak of keeping Christ in Christmas, but we also need to remember that there are people, like Herod, who love to exercise power more than sharing the power of love. We who follow Jesus are asked to live our lives while loving adventure, siding with those who are too often seen as vulnerable, expendable and unimportant. We are asked to kneel in the manger before the Prince of Peace and then to go out to weave whatever webs we can as we continue to commit ourselves to acting justly, loving tenderly, and walking humbly with God.
I look forward to weaving with you in worship, study, and mission this Advent.
Pastor Melissa