As the story goes, Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to tell a story in six words. Purportedly, his response was “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” The former SMITH magazine re-ignited the challenge asking readers to submit their own six-word memoirs. Subscribers did and they crossed the spectrum from the bittersweet (cursed with cancer; blessed with friends), poignant (I still make coffee for two), to the inspirational (business school – bah; pop music – hurrah!) This phenomenon took on a life of its own and replaced SMITH magazine with a project called the Six Word Memoir.

If you consider the well-known story of Jesus’ birth and the various people who watched heaven come to earth, each one of them might have a six-word memoir from their unique experience. As we journey through the season of Advent and Christmas, we will wrestle with a suggestion of what they might say and how we might see the story through their eyes and words. I invite you to join me as we consider these stories, what they say, and how we might also express our view of the Christmas story.