There is nothing so secular that it can’t be sacred.

There will be two posts today for Living Advent.  This first one, although posted on 12/13, is for Advent Day #14 (12/12/15).  Today, I really liked Michael's quote prompt:
"There is nothing so secular that it can’t be sacred. That is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation." — Madeleine L’Engel

This morning, in Church (I know I am cheating by using 12/13 events for a 12/12 prompt but....), I was describing the role I had to play in the Children's Pageant as a loud, large character.  One of the kids asked me if I was playing Santa in the pageant.  I smiled..... Because, although Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, I do not consider him a religious figure.  But, kids do not always differentiate.  And, as my kids are reaching (and one has reached) the age where belief in Santa is questioned, I have to say _I_ believe in Santa.  To me, belief in Santa Claus is to believe in something that you're not sure you have ever seen and to believe in a spirit that enters people and creates a desire to good for others. In this way, I think that belief in Santa is similar to believing in God.  And I believe in both.  So, even though Santa has become an over-commercialized entity, I believe that the basic essence of Santa is close to faith in God.

Psalm 23 is one of the most known of all of the psalms....But, today, the verses I would like to focus on are the last two:
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long."

This morning, Michael preached about the difficulties that exist locally and globally in our lives. And how this morning's lighting of the Advent Candle of Joy assures us that good things are coming (and are present as well!)  I feel that these verses of Psalm 23 reinforce that feeling as well!