A Reason to Hope

Each year, Martha and I write a few words expressing our feelings about the year past and the year to come. We place these words on a card that we send out as our Christmas message. Over the past few weeks we've pondered a good bit about the sentiments that seemed to pervade society as 2002 came to a close. These are the words we placed on the front of our card:

"Forget the candles this year. There is too much violence. There is too much fear.

There is too much despair. There is nothing to celebrate.

"This was the conventional wisdom when Jesus was born. This was the prevailing sentiment in John Wesley's day. But they begged to differ – and lit candles that continue to blaze."

As 2003 dawns, we seize a new opportunity to turn against the prevailing sentiments of society and attempt to renew the spark within our own souls and for the world. Forget the candles this year?

Absolutely not! We're lighting more candles this year than ever before. The darkness be damned!

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Bishop Ray W. Chamberlain
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