If you read “Bob, a DJ and a clown” on a guest list, are three people coming to the party, or only one? That depends on whether you are for or against the Oxford comma — perhaps the most hotly contested punctuation mark of all time. The “Oxford comma” is an optional comma before the word “and” at the end of a list. The following is an example of the use of an Oxford comma.

We sing songs, hymns, and choruses.

The question for those of us who write is whether to use the Oxford comma. Sometimes I use an Oxford comma and other times I ignore the convention depending on my mood. The comma does have the grammatical ability to add clarity to communication.

You may need that extra comma for clarification.

This is an apocryphal book dedication, but it shows what happens when the Oxford comma is omitted.

This book is dedicated to my parents, Amy Rand and God.

The omitted comma has given theological import to the sentence. Your eyes might fix it, and your brain knows that Amy Rand and God are not the parents of the author. From a grammatical point of view the sentence is correct, but the meaning is muddy or heretical depending on your perspective.

Today remember the comma.

Small acts of kindness, hospitality, and patience will make a positive impression on the guests God sends to our lives at Christmas. Perhaps after you show kindness you will have the opportunity to talk to someone about why Christmas has a special meaning to you. You might hear a God story coming from a stranger. Something small could open the way to a bigger event.

God is always trying to sneak that Oxford comma into the grammar of our souls. He sends little blessings and reminders of His love for us. He moves in small ways that allow our hearts to experience His grace. We want God to speak big and boldly. We want fireworks! We want certainty. The essence of faith is to believe where we can’t clearly see. Believe that in those small commas that drop into your soul God is working His plan in your life.

Finally, the comma makes you pause. Read the earlier comma examples aloud and hear your brain and voice pause for each comma. We need those pauses in our lives. We need time to just sit and be. I had a friend who sent me what became an annual Christmas tie. Ned lived into her mid-nineties. She loved her beloved pastor friend, such that I received a dozen Christmas ties from her.

The last line of her last Christmas note encouraged me to “linger in His presence long enough to let God’s blessings, happen.”

What a gracious and wise comma.