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The "Glorious Impossible"

This week, Christians and Jews alike will be celebrating the wonder of miracles - and actually it's the first time in decades that Christmas Eve and the first night of Hanukkah coincide. The author Madeline L'Engle called the birth of Jesus the "Glorious Impossible." Historically, Jesus was born during a period of the Roman Empire when oppressive power and taxation were sorely hurting the people, and many were driven off their land. A widening gap was growing between the rich and the poor, and oppression was taking hold. Similarly, roughly two hundred years earlier, the Jewish Macabees were driven to the mountain tops, fleeing from oppression against their beliefs and way of life. Refugees of different eras...how relevant to our world today.

Mary and Joseph were traveling to Bethlehem in answer to the Emperor's decree that "all the world should be registered" so that the empire could maintain records of their taxpaying citizens. When they arrived there, all of the housing was already filled with the influx of out-of-towners. They found a sympathetic innkeeper who offered his barn for them to sleep in. Luke 2:7 recounts, "She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." And an angel says that this shall be the sign of a savior?! The famous Rev. Karpen explores this "sign": "Surely that angel must have noticed the irony in that sign: a baby born outside, wrapped in rags, and put into a feeding trough. That's supposed to reassure us? That's a sign to a hope-starved world?" And when the Macabees reclaimed the temple after a 3-year guerrilla war, their holy oil was supposed to be sufficient for only one night, but instead it burned bright for 8 days. In the midst of suffering and destruction, a simple light that didn’t die out would become a sign of hope for generations to come. For Christians, Jesus' birth is a joyful sign of hope for the world, even in the midst of adversity and suffering, even for "such a time as this". We are challenged to live out the ministry that Jesus embodied - serving the poor, the underserved, the disenfranchised, those marginalized by society.

What does all this have to do with our work to be faithful stewards caring for sacred waters? It means, Glorious Impossible comes in ironically humble forms. All of the ways that you protect and preserve the waters of our watershed - even though they may seem unnoticed - are the signs of hope that feed the faithful around you. Your acts may not make the nightly news, or the papers, and you may feel your work has been "relegated to the barn." But, you are enacting the magnificent work that will someday be the glorious impossible.

Caring for our shared waters is humbling, overwhelming, and not for the weak. It is essential so that all may have the right to clean water, in present and future generations. Let us unite across all faiths to continue to work together to someday bring about the glorious impossible.

"Fear not!" says the angel declaring the good news of the glorious impossible to the trembling shepherds:
"Rejoice! I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." (Luke 2:10)

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Thank you for your donations!

Thank you for your support this season, and on Giving Tuesday! Our goal was to raise $5,000 this time of year, and we have already met that goal! 

If you would still like to support IPC, there are many ways you can help:

• Cash Donation - You can donate online, or mail a check to Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, 501 6th Street, Annapolis, MD 21403

• Collection Basket - Consider asking your pastor, rabbi, or spiritual leader if you can take up a collection for IPC to contribute to this mission. This not only raises awareness about the work we do, but it helps us with our annual operating budget. Any little bit helps!

• Smile.Amazon.com - If you shop on Amazon already, consider starting at Smile.Amazon next time instead. It's the same shopping choices, but you can designate IPC as your charity of choice -- and Amazon will donate to us 0.5% of every purchase you make! But, you must START at Smile.Amazon.com for your purchase to count. Simply click HERE to get started. 

• Volunteer Your Time - We need assistance with our website, database, phone calling to our congregations to follow up with them, and mentoring new congregations to get them started. You can help us from home, or you can come to our office in Annapolis and we will provide you a computer to work on. We also could use photographers/videographers, social media gurus, and help with Spanish translation of our materials. Click HERE to sign up to volunteer.  

• In-Kind Donations - We are in need of flip chart paper, colorful pocket folders, flip chart markers, and gift cards to Staples or VistaPrint where we do a lot of printing of handouts and flyers. Thank you!

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Ace Hardware Petition

Calling all Maryland faithful who want to speak up for voiceless bees! Please sign this letter to Maryland retailers. According to the Smart on Pesticides Coalition, Maryland suffered 61% bee losses in 2014-15 and 56% losses in 2015-16. Bee losses threaten our food supply, which will drive up food costs, impacting the poor first and foremost. Bee losses also reflect a web of life out of balance. What signs will we pay attention to if the silent bee death is not enough to catch our attention? This letter asks Ace Hardware and other Maryland nurseries to stop selling neonic-treated plants and seeds. Scientists say that when seeds and plants are treated, the neonics are expressed in the plants’ nectar, pollen and fruit for months and sometimes years. Yes, that beautiful mum you planted in October may have been labeled as bee-friendly, but may have been produced from a neonic-treated seed, contributing to the demise of our bee population. If labeling does not help consumers make better choices, then please -- we need to get this stuff off the shelves! Thank you to Lowes and Home Depot because they have pledged a timetable to remove these products. Other Maryland stores need to make this change, too.

Beekeepers and farmers will deliver the letter and signatures to Ace Hardware corporate offices and other Maryland retailers once they reach 5,000 signatures. Let's help them reach that goal soon!

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Sunday School or Vacation Bible School Program on Water - Prince George's County

A FREE training and curriculum for a Vacation Bible School (VBS) or SundaySchool program will be offered to churches in Prince George's County, through a grant provided by Chesapeake Bay Trust and the PG County Department of Environment! Our program offers, for free:

• water-themed curriculum for 5 separate activities with materials
• training for your lead teachers, including a boat ride on the Anacostia for an in-depth experience of the content you'll be teaching
• pre-printed banner to hang outside and advertise your program
• one-on-one support for your team to help you succeed in putting on the program for your youth
• participating congregations will receive a 25% discount off their Clean Water Fee since this satisfies the educational requirement 
• More information on this flyer
• Click HERE to register for the workshops

We only have 12 spots left. Already, Fort Washington Baptist Church, Walker Mill Baptist Church and Richie Baptist Church have signed up! Email [email protected] to hold your spot!