Alfred Lord Tennyson penned these words which Alana Levandoski put to music. As we prepare to welcome 2023, this is my prayer…
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Here is the link to Alana’s video: Ring Out, Wild Bells 💖
God is Spirit and the Source of all love. Our spiritual journey calls us to seek and find this living God of love in prayer, worship, spiritual reading, spiritual mentoring, compassionate service to the poor, and good friends. Let us claim the truth that we are loved and open our hearts to receive God’s overflowing love poured out for us. And living fully each day let us share that love in all our wonderful and difficult relationships, responsibilities, and passages.
The seeds of death are at work in us, but love is stronger than death. Your death and mine are our final passage, our exodus to the full realization of our identity as God’s beloved children and to full communion with the God of Love. Jesus walked the path ahead of us and invites us to choose the same path during our lifetime. He calls to us, “Follow me.” He assures us, “Do not be afraid.” This is our faith.
Verse of the day
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.
– 1 Peter 4:10
Voice of the day
Christians are not called to sit out — or God forbid advance — the end of the world. We’re called to be stewards unto nature and servants unto neighbors.
– Joey Thurmond, “Believe It or Not, the Book of Revelation Embodies Nonviolence”
Prayer of the day
To the one who makes all things new, teach us to be better stewards of all that you’ve created.
Verse of the day
But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
– Matthew 5:44
Voice of the day
I’m always inclined to believe that the best way of knowing God is to love a great deal.
– Vincent Van Gogh
Prayer of the day
May we realize that to know you and love are divinely connected O’ God.
“A moral movement draws power not from its ability to overwhelm but from its willingness to suffer. The Second Reconstruction brought large-scale nonviolent direct action to America through the Montgomery Bus Boycott. A Third Reconstruction depends upon escalating non-cooperation in order to demonstrate our capacity to sacrifice for a better future.”— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear
“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.”—Steve Maraboli
Our Father, another Christmas has moved within our ken and our minds linger over many moments that stand stark against the background of the year… Thus begins Howard Thurman’s reflection, “Against the Background of the Year”, in his book The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations (pp. 35-36). Thurman invites us to reflect on life as we approach the ending of this year and the beginning of a new year.
Last Christmas I had no idea that I would test positive for COVID on Boxing Day (December 26th). Last Christmas I had no idea that we would be adopted by our rescue kitty Stella. Last Christmas I had no idea that we would move from Carrollton, Georgia to Orange Beach, Alabama. Last Christmas I had no idea that I would be leading worship as the Interim/Transitional Minister at Swift Presbyterian Church. These are just a few of the moments that stand stark against the background of the year.
To be honest, I have been struggling to “find the Christmas spirit” as life has unfolded during this season of preparation. In the past it has always seemed to find me when candles were lit and the congregation sang “Silent Night” at the end of Christmas Eve worship. In every parish that I have served this has happened and even while serving in the military it managed to find me. Probably my most memorable Christmas Eve services was when I was deployed to Southwest Asia from August 2007 to January 2008. All of us were far from home and our families and loved ones. Yet that night as we heard the Christmas story, lit our candles, and sang “Silent Night” there was a sense of peace in the chapel. As Thurman put it in his poem, I experienced a moment of peace amid the noisy clang of many conflicts within and without… (Christmas Returns, p. 36)
As I look around the world and our nation today, I see division, battlelines being drawn, warfare, and words being thrown about like weapons of war. It would be easy to fall into despair and lose hope. It would be easy to become cynical and pessimistic.
Yet about the time that the darkness seems to be permanently descending I am reminded that, in the words of Howard Thurman, Christmas returns, as it always does, with its assurance that life is good. (p. 25) Even in the midst of the darkness, the light shines just as the star shone in the night sky on the night of our Savior’s birth. The light shines just as it did on the night when the angel chorus sang to the shepherds; “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14)
Yes, I am reminded that despite all that seems to be wrong with the world that the gift of Jesus’ birth brings hope and peace. As Thomas Merton said in “The Time of the End is the Time of No Room” in his book Raids on the Unspeakable, Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited… He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst. (p. 72, 73) He is mysteriously present… Christ is with us. And with that presence will come the assurance of His love, grace, peace, and mercy. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b)
At the Christmas Eve service we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper. As we break the bread and drink the cup, Christ will be mysteriously present with us. Just as he was present years ago in a chapel in Southwest Asia, he will be with us in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup tonight. Perhaps I need to revisit the words of Howard Thurman and Thomas Merton throughout the year and not just at Christmas. As Merton said, With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. (p. 73) May the peace of Christ be with us always and as Tiny Tim said in Charles Dickens book A Christmas Carol, God bless us everyone.
Verse of the day
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
– Psalm 27:6
Voice of the day
Joy needs no particular circumstances and no one’s permission to exist. … Joy helps us stay when we are surrounded by that which might drag us into despair.
– T. Denise Anderson, “The Joyful Risk of Christmas”
Prayer of the day
In this season where we have more questions than answers, may we claim a joy that surpasses understanding as an act of holy resistance.
Verse of the day
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth.
– Luke 1:26
Voice of the day
South Central Galilee. God comes to the southside. Not to gentrify. Not to church plant. But to plant the seed of righteous revolution. Salvation is from the Southside, not from those from the outside.
– Drew Jackson, “Nazareth”
Prayer of the day
You did not let closed doors stop your revolution God; we sing a hallelujah for a salvation that comes from the Southside.
It is the Fourth Week of Advent and we are in the final days of preparation here at the church for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and even New Years Day worship and bulletin preparations along with the January church newsletter. It is also a hectic time of the year at home as menus are finalized, groceries are bought, goodies are baked, and Christmas gifts are purchased. There is also the added challenge of Christmas tree decorating with a lively kitty who is experiencing her first Christmas with us. Stella seems to think that the tree is for climbing, the ornaments are her toys, and the tree skirt is her personal blanket and play area! Needless to say, a lot of the Christmas decorations we usually have out aren’t being put out and the fragile ornaments are not being put on the tree. Yes, Christmas will be different this year. But in another sense it will be the same for me. I am struggling to “get the Christmas spirit” before the Christmas Eve service and I’m fighting off exhaustion and depression. So I guess you could say that I need to pause and remember what this is all about.
I believe we need to be reminded what the Advent and Christmas seasons represent in the liturgical year and in our lives. Thomas Merton wrote the following in his book Seasons of Celebration: Meditations on the Cycle of Liturgical Feasts — The Advent of Christ in history is not essentially bound up with the development and progress of a Christian “civilization.” “Christendom” is, and has been a great thing, but it has never been an absolute and unqualified good or an end in itself. “Christendom” is not “Christianity.” It is not “the Kingdom” and it is not the Mystical Christ. The reality of Christian culture certainly flows from the presence of Christ in the world, but it is not identical with that presence. (p. 73)
In a day where people get upset over the phrase “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” and declare that there is a war on Christmas, we need to hear Merton’s words over and over again. In a time where there is a call for christian nationalism (both words are intentionally lower case) with its “marriage” of church and state, I find Merton’s words to be a good touchstone for me. Christendom is no more the same as Christianity than Christian culture is the same as Christ.
What is this season about? As I was working on this blog this afternoon at the office, I found myself looking at this icon that hangs above my desk. It is a Russian Icon of Mary: The Protectress of the Oppressed. The protectress of the oppressed. This is the season where we remember the birth of Jesus. This is the season where we are called to remember that he was the one who came to turn over the tables of oppression and challenge the religious authorities who were more interested in power and prestige than caring for all of God’s children, especially those whom society ignored.
Jesus turned the economy upside down with the poor being satisfied and the rich being sent away empty handed. Jesus continues to call us to build the kin-dom (kin instead of king) of God here on earth as it is in heaven. We are being called by Jesus to build a kin-dom of love, justice, mercy, and peace. This journey began over 2,000 years ago when a tiny baby was born and laid in a manger in Bethlehem.
Thomas Merton wrote the following reflection in a piece titled “The Time of the End is the Time of No Room” in his book Raids on the Unspeakable. Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst. (pages 72-73)
Perhaps, dear reader, we are being called to be a different sort of witness in this broken world. For me it means being a Christ-follower who doesn’t buy into the “christian” status quo. Perhaps it means making room in this world for those whom religion and society has said don’t belong. Perhaps this is the message of Advent and Christmas. It certainly gives me a lot to ponder as I walk through these final days of Advent and continue to prepare for Christmas.
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