The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A day of meetings, ministry, reflection, and service
A day of preparation for services
A time to support and encourage
A time to dream dreams and seek visions
A time to see the light in the midst of the darkness
A time to let the light guide us through the Valley of the Shadows
As we pray, reflect, and prepare
Lord in your mercy, hear this humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
As I continue to reflect and prepare for our Blue Christmas Service on December 21st, the longest night of the year; I think about the time that will be offered for reflection, prayer, and fellowship for those who may not feel especially festive or jolly. It is only a few days before Christmas Eve and I well remember our hearts as we lit candles a month after my Mom’s death last year. This year we will light candles for her and for Denise’s Mom who died this past March. There are so many candles to be lit personally and as the pastor of a congregation where there have been so many deaths.
Reflecting on Blue Christmas and Christmas Eve, I came across this quote from Howard Thurman’s book, Christmas Meditations.
There is a strange irony in the usual salutation, “Merry Christmas,” when most of the people on this planet are thrown back upon themselves for food which they do not possess, for resources that have long since been exhausted, and for vitality which has already run its course. Despite this fact, Christmas symbolizes hope even at a moment when Hope seems utterly fantastic. The raw material of the Christmas mood are a newborn baby, a family, friendly animals, and labor.
An endless process of births is the perpetual answer of life in the face of death. It says that life keeps coming on, keeps seeking to fulfill itself, keeps affirming the margin of hope in the presence of desolation, pestilence, and despair.
Even in the darkness of these days, my prayer is that we will find light and hope. That we might see the light that John talked about in the first chapter of his Gospel. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:5)
…As has been said time and time again, the soul of our nation is at stake. This is not an overly dramatic or a hollow statement, but a genuine call for us all to take seriously our faith. We must each continuingly decide if, when and how we will become involved in making sure that the national soul we save is one that extends such radical hospitality that there are doors so widely flung open that we make real the possibility that angels will be entertained without us even knowing…
pres-outlook.org/2018/12/loveknowsnoborders-the-privilege-people-and-power-of-nonviolent-protest/
…Have you ever been compelled to do something others might consider ridiculous? But you had to do it. And you had to do it not for your own resume or for your own pleasure or to draw attention to yourself, but because it’s the compassionate thing to do?
achurchforstarvingartists.blog/2018/12/17/what-does-our-faith-compel-us-to-do/
…As we head towards Christmas this week through the last days of Advent it is so reassuring to know that nothing will ever extinguish the light of God, either in our hearts and in our world…
godspacelight.com/2018/12/17/meditation-monday-light-emerges-out-of-darkness/
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A long Lord’s day indeed
Yet a day filled with worship and music
A wonderful Concert, Fellowship, and Dinner
As the days draw closer to Christmas
As we prepare for the arrival of family
As I look to medical appointments, meetings, and worship services
Remind us to pause in the midst of it all
Remind us to take time and simply be still
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Thank you, Shirley!
I’ve been talking to a lot of people who are struggling emotionally this Christmas. Some grieve the loss of a precious person in their life.
Others’ speak of our negative political landscape. Decisions made in Washington may run counter to our deepest values and beliefs. Dire predictions about our rapidly changing climate and Washington’s tepid response have damped the Christmas spirit.
There seems to be no end to wars and the tragic repercussions for our soldiers. A small number of people carry the burden for the rest of the nation.
Some of us are fearful of people who have gathered at our southern border, seeking refuge here. Others of us are fearful of the fearful.
Our divisions have separated parents from children, brothers and sisters from each other, and longtime friends have broken relationships over political views. The prophet Isaiah asks us to turn and listen. Isaiah, writing out of…
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Well said, Ronnie! Enjoy Waffle House for us 😊
Christmas traditions are hardly monolithic. The season is celebrated with as much colorful variety as the pretty paper and shiny ribbons encasing the gifts under the tree. And speaking of that tree, history suggests that Reformer Martin Luther decorated the first Christmas tree, a celebration of God sending light into the world. This is impossible to confirm, but Luther’s native Germany was indeed the first to popularize the tradition.
Some families go caroling, door to door with the songs of the season, a distinct tradition from Victorian England. Many children, tucked excitedly into bed on Christmas Eve, hear “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” a tradition that is relatively new and is distinctly American in origin.
The practice of leaving milk and cookies for Santa is of Norse origins. Yule logs came from the Celts, as did mistletoe. Poinsettias were first cultivated by the Aztecs in what is now Mexico. Saint…
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I cannot even begin to fully describe the hospitality shown by the CREDO (Latin for I believe) Retreat I attended that was put on by the Board of Pensions. This picture is from our opening worship on November 28th. The Episcopal Conference Center was also incredibly hospitable to the participants in this retreat.
The week I spent at CREDO was a much needed retreat for this Padre. I was also incredibly thankful that my sweet Denise was able to be with my Dad at the same time I was on the retreat. She and a number of folks from Dad’s church helped him move from the two-bedroom apartment where Mom had spent her last days to a one bedroom down the hall. That is a sort of hospitality you can’t put a price tag on.
The friendships I made during that week with fellow pastors who were at a similar stage in ministry (there was more of our careers behind us than before us… but we aren’t old, we are just well seasoned!) were invaluable. To spend the time up to and including the First Sunday in Advent was truly a blessing. Hospitality at its finest!
The greeting and welcome we received were not exactly what John the Baptist gave to the religious leaders of his day. That, my friends is a massive understatement! John greeted those who were coming forth for his baptism with fire and brimstone. John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Luke 3:7)
John wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy welcome sort of fellow. But he had a reason for being so abrupt. The state of affairs in the religious world of his day was not good. The religious elite were in bed with the Empire (sound familiar?) and the common folks were taking scraps from the table if they were lucky. That was the world John the Baptist and Jesus were born into. And they were far from being the religious power and elite of their day.
The brood of Vipers were the ones who were supposed to care for the people and lead them as the people of God. The religious leaders had failed miserably at their duties. Instead of being assured of the love of their Creator, they were pawns of the Empire.
Sadly the same story is told today… too many so-called christians (lower case is intentional as you well know if you have hung out here for some time) have sold their souls to the Empire and trampled over the very ones Jesus calls us to serve with all of our being.
John the Baptist echoed the teachings of his cousin Jesus in the reading from Luke. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” (Luke 3:11-14)
Dear reader, this is the radical Hospitality we are called to offer! In the words of Tony Campolo: Jesus never says to the poor: “come find the church,” but he says to those in the church: “go into the world and find the poor, hungry, homeless, imprisoned.”
This indeed is the message of Advent and Christmas. It is the message Jesus challenges us with 365 a year. For what we do or do not do in His name, we do or do not do to or for him. That is, indeed, the radical Hospitality we are called to offer. May the Spirit challenge and guide us to do so every day.
