Christmas came early this year. Twenty-one years ago a very important person in my formation disappeared from my life. He is a retired priest in the Episcopal Church living in another province. This priest, I will call Father, was for me what a priest should be. He taught me the importance of having an active prayer life and a good spiritual director. He said my prayer life is what I would need to lean on throughout life.  

Father was also close to our family. When he visited our family he felt so much at home that he would help himself to drinks in the refrigerator. Our children thought of him as part of our family. For many years he served the parish where we worshiped, until he left under difficult circumstances. It was a painful day for our family and for Father.

When Father left it was one of the darkest days in my early career. My mentor had left. Who would guide me? Who would help me understand the movements of the altar? There were so many unanswered questions.  

Over the years I inquired of his whereabouts. Every question led to a dead end until this past weekend. I happened to run into a parishioner from Father's old church. She was able to locate an address and phone number. When I called it was Father who picked up the phone. Tentatively I said, "Father I don't know if you remember me or not but...". "How are you Bishop?" he said.  

Tears welled up in my eyes. For twenty plus years I have been searching for him, wondering how he was doing and suddenly we are speaking like it was only yesterday when we were together. To once again hear his voice and the clarity of his thoughts were a gift from God.  

The season of Christmas means many things to us but for me Christmas is about God's relationship to the world. Longing to be connected to us, God chooses to live among us, to walk the way of life with us, and to show us how to love. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light," Isaiah wrote. Indeed. We have walked in darkness, but God blazed into the world with great light and that light shone upon us. The light of Christ continues to shine through saints of old and saints of present. Recognition of this light is a gift from God. The gift of Father's voice reminded me once again of God's relationship to us. Love passed down from God through the Christ Child to us to be given away.  

May this Christmas be one of remembering God's gift to you and the desire to give that love to others, near and far.

Blessed Christmas to you all.