A Day in the Life … Quiet
December 31, 2010
The quiet of the days after Christmas has been marvelously enhanced by the blanketing of snow. As I write, and more so as you read, there will remain only tattered shreds of that covering, beneath which the good earth has been fully at rest.
Snow can be a gift to a parched land. Even though many inches fell, unlike torrential rains, the accumulation rests quietly upon the ground, slowly melting, seeping into thirsty ground. I’m not against a good rain (ie, a “frog-washer”) when we need one, but the risks of erosion are considerable, and have carried many an acre to the sea, as can be readily seen in the growing Mississippi Delta.
Christina Rossetti’s poem immortalized in our hymn, “In The Bleak Midwinter” speaks of,
“snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago” (UMH 221)
Never mind that our winter season only began December 21! Rossetti rightly pairs snow’s quiet with the gathering angels thronging the air. The contrast is all the greater, from bleakness to glory, from quiet to GLORIA.
As snow upon deeply-drinking-dirt, the post-Christmas days can also be a gift to parched spirits. The pre-Christmas days have been about “filling,” with filled calendars, filled to-do lists, filled stockings, and through some grace, filled stomachs. The “emptying” begins as all that has happened “soaks in.” The high moments in worship are past. Guests go home. Festivity is put away, itself resting until another season. The Spirit that has fallen upon us, to paraphrase Rossetti,
“Spirit had fallen, Spirit on spirit, Spirit on spirit,
in the bleak midwinter, mere days ago.”
Do we now allow that Spirit, given in full measure, to “soak in,” or does it simply “run off,” eroding what has been so freely shared with us?
Although I never had him for a course, I regard Fred Craddock as one of my teachers. I have heard him lecture, I have watched his videos, I have read his books and articles. Lately in The Christian Century, he said, “Our generation is impatient. Advent lasts too long…Everybody is already having Christmas except the church.” I’m not sure we’re anymore patient with Christmas and it’s “season” (twelve days!) than with Advent! But as Advent prepares us, Christmas and the fullness of its days, allow and encourage it all to “soak in.”
For me, it’s cut short in the “putting away.” People are certainly free to put dried out trees on the curb on “the first day of Christmas,” for safety’s sake or any other. What if Christmas also gets “kicked to the curb,” as if it, too, were dried up? That is a key reason we came to the sanctuary today, the second Sunday after Christmas, and still found the tree and greenery and festivity all around. We’re not done yet! I love what our neighboring Holy Trinity Lutherans do: on Epiphany, January 6, they will have a major evening service, with a full compliment of Christmas carols, and a liturgy of the Light. Maybe I’ll see you there.
I’m not suggesting that we try to capture Christmas’ glow, or sentimentally practice the Christmas spirit all year ’round. Rather, I am suggesting that the gospel message of Incarnation, God With Us (Emmanuel) needs some time to soak in. That’s what today is about. That’s what discipleship is about, whether “in the bleak midwinter” or in any season our God is WITH US!
Pastor Steve
Day in the Life…Heaven's Christmas Tree
December 22, 2010
The days after Christmas joins those before in nostalgic memories. My sister had the nerve to be born December 16, and to make sure she had the “all clear” to celebrate, we didn’t get a Christmas tree until December 17. It never occurred to me that the selection by then had been somewhat “picked over.” What I did note was that the tree we took home was never big enough for my tastes–to which my Dad, blessed be he, would inevitably say, “Every Christmas tree is ten feet tall.” Even at my tender age, I caught the metaphor – and wasn’t buying it. I just figured he wasn’t about to spend the extra money for an extra foot of tree.
This week, a story circulated about a 40-foot Christmas tree in Abu Dhabi, valued at a cool $11 million. You can a get a real fine 40-foot tree Stateside for a whole lot less than that, so I was calculating just how rare a 40-foot fir must be in Abu Dhabi, and even with shipping, even with growing it on the ship’s deck, I couldn’t come near that kind of price tag.
It turns out the tree itself went for about $10,000. It was the decor that made the difference. Amid the silver and gold bows, shiny balls and white lights (ie, Any Mall 1.0) are necklaces, earrings and jewelry. I guess you start bedecking with diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones, you slip by the $11 million mark in a hurry. By the way, that mall (yes, a mall!) is in a seven star hotel where you can spend a week for $1 million.
A few days ago I suggested that the prophets of heaven have a lot to talk about, and that if they’re not even now seated around a fireplace, at least they have a Christmas tree–and a mighty fine one at that. My finely tuned theological sensibilities further suggest that even the Abu Dhabi tree would not be good enough for them. So here’s my last suggestion: their tree looks a whole lot more like Charlie Brown’s.
Anyone who doesn’t appreciate A Charlie Brown Christmas*…I don’t know how to finish that thought. Unthinkable! When the Peanuts Christmas Play almost drove him to despair, it fell to Charlie Brown to do what needed to be done–add a Christmas tree. He and Linus find themselves in a forest of fake trees, where the lone live tree is, well, not much to look at. It’s no surprise that Charlie Brown says, “This little one seems to need a home.” It’s also no surprise that his efforts were rewarded with the unkindest of laughter, even from should-be loyal Snoopy.
The words “poor” and “Charlie Brown” seem to come together pretty often. His plea for the real meaning of Christmas was answered by–Linus. Remember?
Sure, Charlie Brown. I can tell you what Christmas is about.
…And there were shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And the Angel of the Lord came upon them and said, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy. For unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” And there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God; peace on Earth, good will to men.”
That is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
Somehow, what others thought of his tree didn’t matter anymore, and Charlie Brown left happy. But the tree was no stronger, doubling over under the weight of one ball. Before his anguish could take root, the children decided it wasn’t such a bad tree after all, and, borrowing from Snoopy’s doghouse decor, they made of the tree a most beautiful sight. Their singing of O Little Town of Bethlehem made the scene complete. It may have been, and I say surely was, Charlie Brown’s finest hour. It’s all in there–despair, redemption, joy.
So, yes, that tree. That’s where the prophets gather, with Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, and Jesus. They know what it all means, even as we and Charlie Brown are still trying to figure it out. May all our trees be as his.
Pastor Steve
* Schulz, Charles M., A Charlie Brown Christmas, Little Simon, NY, 2002.
Day in the Life….What Can We Give Him?
December 17, 2010
Christina Rossettiâ’s poem places the scene of Christ’s birth in the cold winter of England. This artistic liberty strengthens her emphasis on the state of the world into which Jesus was born and the rude conditions that surrounded his birth. The winter mood is set through the use of short, descriptive words to suggest the cold, contrasted in the third stanza with the description of the hosts of heaven who gather to worship Christ. The last stanza summarizes our response to Christ’s coming in this statement of faith: “What can I give him, Poor as I am?…Yet what I can I give him: Give my heart.”*
Christmas carolers will recognize the lines from “In the Bleak Midwinter,” in our United Methodist Hymnal (221). Rossetti wrote in 1872, using the second part of the familiar nativity, Luke 2:8-14. The venerable Gustav Holst set the poem to music in 1906. Look it over–doesn’t the hymn’s text seem altogether current?
It is that line What can I give him? that has me thinking. At this point in the season, it seems we already have given our hearts in significant ways:
- In worship–with symbol, song, praise and prayer, we have gifted him
- In music–with choral singing, hand bell ringing and orchestra playing
- In drama–our young people led us more deeply into the story
- In fellowship–as we gather, we offer ourselves to each other in love
As we sing and think on the song, we sometimes find “heart giving” to be sufficient–until we recall Jesus saying, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Surely we can share our treasure, too–just as those wisest ones did! What can we give him? Funny you should ask…
- The Fairmont Christmas Offering–dedicated to the very greatest needs in our own beloved church, we support the “platform” that empowers all of our ministries
- Stop Hunger Now–our upstairs neighbor has been a leader in bringing food and relief to our brothers and sisters in devastated Haiti
- The Raleigh District Christmas Offering–divided among scholarships for Africa University, our Methodist Home for Children, ZOE (AIDS orphans ministry in Africa), and Brighter Future Children’s Rescue Center, Liberia
- Kids Cafe–through Avent Ferry UMC and other churches, children gain nourishment, tutoring, and language help (see notice in this bulletin)
So–left with Rossetti’s question, What can I give him?, we are left to answer the question for ourselves. May we do so with great prayer and great rejoicing!
Pastor Steve
* The Hymns of The United Methodist Hymnal, Diana Sanchez, editor; Abingdon, Nashville, 1989, p. 87.
Day in the Life…Gaudete!
December 10, 2010
Two years of high school Latin. That’s right. Under the tutelage of Mr. Janka himself, I learned “amo, amas, amat” and “semper ubi sub ubi.” Unfortunately, that’s about it! Who knew how useful it would have been as I soon began my studies of the various species of living things. I cam still remember how the pronunciations go, and can sort of plow my way through a few words that sound like English versions of them, but I do better with a side by side translation.
Who knew, either, that I would find myself singing in Latin, more than occasionally? Last Sunday’s Gloria was rich in examples (for a cool commentary on that text, see Margie’s devotion in the new Advent book, on “First Saturday”).
This Sunday is sometimes known as Gaudete, Latin for Rejoice! We light the “rose” candle, and the mood of Advent shifts markedly from the coming judgment to the coming joy. We have kept at arm’s length the most joy-filled music of the season–until now. What sets apart the third Sunday of Advent and has us rejoicing well before the “fact” of Christmas, or even Christmas Eve?
The most memorable explanation I’ve heard is that, having observed the early days of Advent, steeped in the stories of preparation, walking with Zecheriah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, we just can’t wait anymore, and the church erupts with joy. In a sense, it’s like that headlong flight down the stairs into the waiting arms of familiar Christmas mornings.
“Gaudete” (three syllables, the “e” as in “yet”) is the opening word of the traditional “mass” for the third Sunday in Advent. In the Spirit of reaching across age-old divisions between Catholics and Protestants, I offer that text here, side by side in Latin and English:
Gaudete, Gaudete! Rejoice, Rejoice!
Christus et natus Christ is born
Ex maria virgine, Of the virgin Mary,
Gaudete! Rejoice!
Tempus ad est gratiae, It is now the time of grace
Hoc quod optabamus; That we have desired;
Carmina laetitiae, Let us sing songs of joy,
Devote redamus. Let us give devotion.
Deus homo factus est, God was made man,
Natura mirante; And nature marvels;
Mundus renovatus est The world was renewed
A Christo regnante. By Christ who is King.
Ezechiellis porta The closed gate of Ezekiel
Clausa pertransitur; Has been passed through;
Unde lux est orta From where the light rises
Salus invenitur. Salvation is found.
Ergo nostra cantio, Therefore let our assembly now sing,
Psallat iam in lustro; Sing the Psalms to purify us;
Benedicat Domino: Let it praise the Lord:
Salus Regi nostro. Greetings to our King.
And so–on this day, this third Sunday of Advent, let us hold back no more, let the rejoicing begin. Rejoice!
Pastor Steve
To All the Saints in the Making–Lists
December 3, 2010
There are lots of things to which we might say, ‘Tis the season. One is the time honored practice of making lists. I remember looking forward to a mere two (2!) Christmas catalogs, Montgomery Ward and Sears & Roebuck. In each of them were some serious toy sections, volunteering the very kind of guidance I needed to make my Christmas “wish” list. How else was I going to know what I wanted unless I saw it first?? Many years would pass before I saw the flaw in that “ointment” pretty slick, they knew their craft, just how to warmly invite us to want more than need!
But I love lists, I love making lists and some of my favorite people are list makers. In the “season” of making lists, this very newsletter is filled with lists: Advent worship events, Advent missional opportunities, Advent gifts to the church (see the Trustee “wish” list), and more.
In the unending quest to look afresh at the Bible’s texts for this season, I am looking at several characters, that is, “listing” them. While Matthew and Luke both have genealogies of Jesus (now those are lists!), Luke’s listing of characters is the more thorough. Each character has her/his own “list”:
Zecheriah-Priest, order of Abijah, righteous, blameless before God.
Elizabeth-wife of Zecheriah, descendant of Aaron, also righteous and blameless before God
Zecheriah & Elizabeth-faithful and childless, both “getting on in years”
Zecheriah-duty in Temple, sees angel, is terrified, cannot receive word that he and Elizabeth will have a son, loses his voice
Elizabeth-meets Zecheriah back home, knows something’s up, he can’t tell her, she finds out exactly what when she becomes pregnant: she has been able to receive the unexpected promise of God.
My second list is of two more of God’s faithful:
Mary-a virgin of Nazareth, engaged (betrothed) to Joseph, of the house of David, meets angel Gabriel, is terrified, at first resists but then receives the word that she will bear a son, Jesus, The Son of the Most High
Joseph-a man of Nazareth, engaged (betrothed) to Mary, David is his ancestor, he learns of Mary’s pregnancy (Matthew) and determines to divorce her but quietly, is able to receive God’s word in a dream.
Mary & Joseph-travel to Bethlehem, his home town, where there is no room to stay but in a makeshift barn, Jesus is born there.
Mary-ponders the wonders in her heart, and treasures them.
Joseph-seems to be on standby, but God speaks again in dreams, and he saves his family from death.
Luke has more characters, maybe that’s one list: King Herod, Mary and Elizabeth together, and there had to be an inn keeper, right? And shepherds and a heavenly host–the stuff of story and song, and hallowed candle light and holy communion–which all go on the Fairmont List for Christmas Eve. I’ll see you there.
Pastor Steve
Day in the Life…The Fairmont Tree, 73
December 3, 2010
You have the advantage of me, in that today you worship in full view of our tree beautifully bedecked with “Chrismons” (Christ monograms). I glance over there, and see it peripherally, but you take in the full view in all its glory.
This is the week for me to meditate on trees. Hiking in the woods, as I am wont to do, trees are the dominant feature–obviously. Umstead State Park is a kind of laboratory for us “tree huggers” (proud to be one), and has much to tell us. Amidst the vast variety are emergent patterns. Here are a few.
Trees are resilient, and remarkably so. Trees that have suffered lightening strikes, fire, wind damage, and other trees falling on them just seem to soldier on. Trees totally uprooted and left for dead continue to grow–for years. Trees radically misshapen by the weight of another fallen tree grow in new directions, sometimes quite artistically. Some have a partial horizontal trunk instead of vertical, from which sprout vital branches pushing skyward. White Oaks that remember not only Fran but Hazel, jaggedly live on.
Some trees sport huge goiters, for lack of a better term. Something invasive has damaged or infected the tree, perhaps insect or fungus, and the tree has reacted by growing around it, as if taking in the stranger (you see where this is headed). There are trees at the edge of the streams and rivers that look bound and determined to fall in the drink any minute, yet season by season their roots, deep and strong, hold fast, and the tree lives on.
Most intriguing to me are the hollow trees: oak, sourwood, sweet gum. At the base of them, right at ground level, where there should be a trunk there is a cavernous opening–a perfect home for, I don’t know, maybe a bear?! But the trees still leaf out in summer and survive the winters. Now that’s resilience.
If I have this right, the key to their survival is in their roots and in their bark. Trees that have not survived injury appear to be beaver damaged–the bark around their whole circumferences gnawed away, breaking the pathway of nutrients and water from root to branch.
But even the trees that do die provide life to a myriad of the living. Woodpecker and insect holes abound, making homes for owls and squirrels, fungus and moss thrive, providing food sources and habitat for more life, all part of the order of things–for us, that is the Created order.
On this day, Fairmont’s seventy-third anniversary, I’m processing the church as “tree.” Surely the church has survived high winds from without, fires from within (including that actual one in the boiler room!), and has grown around them, through them, because of them. The church has done more than merely survive, it has prospered. Storms swirl around us, tragedy befalls us, and in the midst of that, opportunity for new life arises, over and over and over.
Psalm 1, the very first psalm in the ancient collection, begins this way:
Blessed are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked;
or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on God’s law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water
that yield their fruit in season,
And their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
So may the Fairmont Tree live on!
Pastor Steve