"Impatiently patient"

Impatiently patient:  I read this phrase yesterday in article totally unrelated to Advent or Christmas.  It seems, however, the perfect phrase for December.  For while prayers for patience seem to happen daily this time of year, in the end it goes something like this: "Lord give me patience, AND GIVE IT TO ME NOW!" (this was totally stolen from my church's Shine! Advent study by Patricia Farris).

A month is really not a long time.  And given the time-warped speed of today's society, it flies by.  We barely even have the time to BE impatient!

But, it's part of the process right?  When we know some thing is worth waiting for, the impatience becomes part of the process which makes makes the final arrival of what we have been waiting for all that much sweeter.  SO, I shall fully indulge in some impatience for the next 24 hours - then I will be ready to give way to the pure JOY when it comes time to hold the candle and sing Silent Night.

And then the real work begins.  For while Christmas Day may pass, the message of the season is only the beginning of the story.  We are called to be "impatiently patient dreamers of God's love on earth" - to look ahead for what wonders God has still in store for all of us and for the world" (Claudio Carvalhaes, APCE Advocate, Fall 2011).

Merry Christmas!

In search of an angel...

It was time.  After almost 20 years, the angel topper my husband had purchased at the CVS with his college roommate REALLY has seen better days.  So last year when we put away all the Christmas decorations, it didn't make it back into the box.  I figured then we HAD to replace it.

Who knew it would be so hard to find an angel topper?  But, here is it 6 days till Christmas and the top of our tree is still in need of a worthy replacement.  I considered a star - but we are angel people.  And even the stars were all pretty lame.  I found one angel that looked OK in the store...but it just isn't working for us.  

 The angel theme seems to be following me around this Advent.  It started with the lyrics of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and the image of angels "bending near the earth".  It has continued as I hunt for a new topper and hear the traditional readings and songs in worship.  Every year one character in the Christmas story seems to stand out (last year it was all about Mary for me) - this year it's angels.

So, what is it about angels that we love?  And, really, how did we ever progress to the images of pretty ladies flying with wings and wearing white sparkly garments?

I have been reading Adam Hamilton's Journey book this Advent - and he goes into a fair amount of detail about the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mary - and how really he was likely just a man.  No wings, no halo (I have no opinion on the validity of this - just relaying what I myself read in the book).  And, as I dug a bit further, I was reminded that most of the angels in the bible (especially the old testament) were merely messengers.  No wings, no halo. 

I found myself intrigued enough by this to try and research the history of angels, where the idea of wings came from, etc.  I have not found a really clear answer (yet).  What I did find was that there are a LOT of songs with the word angel.  Seems we humans really like the idea of angels, including angels right here on earth.  So, how we got to that point remains elusive, but in the meantime I will enjoy a lot of angel songs (here are two for your enjoyment) and continue my search for the perfect topper....

The Habit of Tradition

I have always loved the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” – and today I find myself humming one of the favorite tunes from that show – “Tradition”. 

It's a word you hear a lot of at this time of year.   We take comfort in doing things just for the simple reason that we have always done them.  It’s easy and predictable – even if it means more work, and even if after lots of years, it might not actually be all that enjoyable anymore!  But it’s tradition, right??  Or is it just habit?  And in the case of the standard holiday over-eating – maybe a bad habit?

Three years ago this December, Greg and I returned home after living 600 miles way from our children for 2 months.  Our Thanksgiving had been a frozen turkey TV dinner and a Skype chat with the kids.  Hardly a traditional holiday.   Arriving home in mid-December, we just didn’t have the time or the energy to do ALL the things we normally would do at the holidays.  Our children were 5 and 8 at the time.  To them, if you did something even once before, in their minds it became “tradition”.   I am sure they were disappointed a few times that year;  however,  when I think back on it,  I don’t remember what we missed.  I just remember what we DID get to do.

I’ve cut back this year.  I was overwhelmed at the beginning of the holiday season with all the “have-to” items that were in front of me.  All those years of accumulating “new” traditions as our family grew had turned into a burden- and I admit as much fault in perpetuating the problem as anyone else – maybe more.    SO, I am making fewer cookies, and we are trying out more new recipes than re-hashing old ones.  The garland never made it out of the box.  [Really – I think I actually hate garland.  Who knew?]  I am enjoying a lot of new music instead of relying on the same old play list. 

SO, I guess I am accumulating one more new tradition – to focus less on tradition.  So far it has been a blessing.  We are not passing on everything we love to do.   But, we are only doing it if we really want to.  I still made Chocolate Cherry cookies from my 3^rd grade Brownie troop bake off and I will insist on Christmas Eve singing Silent Night in the dark while holding a candle.  Not because it’s a habit, but because it’s tradition.

The Sounds of Babel

I have issues.  This is not new to those who know me well.  I am usually riled up about something.  Apparently this year, it’s Christmas.  But not in the way you may think.

It’s not that I am disinterested or Scroogy about the holidays.  As I write this I am listening to Handel’s Messiah.    Yesterday, I wandered the bookstore and was truly delighted when I found a few titles that I just KNEW were perfect for a few people.  But for some reason, this year I seem to be ever resistant to embracing the season JUST BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE WANTS ME TO.

Last week the priest at mass used the analogy of finding out one had 4 weeks to live to encourage the congregation to embrace Advent for what it truly means. I was appalled at the macabre analogy.  I know what he was trying to say, but couldn’t he find a more cheery way to encourage us?  This week my own church began an Advent study that focused on the “treasure of darkness”.  The tones of the 1^st chapter were more like Lent than the joyous season that is upon us.  Where was  my inspiration for the season??

I have found some in the attached song.  "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQjpDKKPDK4&feature=player_embedded

 I can take no credit for finding it – my pastor played it for our Advent study group. It’s the slowest version of this song that I have ever heard – and it makes it so that one can’t help but pay attention to the words that in all these years I have never learned.   Take a good listen.  I found it incredibly soothing – almost like a lullaby.  And ironic given that in this season we are encouraged to stay awake. 

I have found focus on the following lyrics: “And ever o’er its Babel sounds, the blessed angels sing”.  Many days, I feel we are truly back in the tower of Babel.  There is a veritable cacophony of noise in our face 24/7.  All the demands of the world telling me what I need to make the most of this wonderful season.  This year, I am going to try more than ever to ignore the chaos, and just listen for that sound of the angels singing over us…

Anything but Ordinary

I wrote the following reflection on Advent in late January of 2011.  I never thought I would need to read it in November of 2011.  But as I struggle to get ready for the holiday season, I re-read this to remind myself of how truly rewarding it can be when we focus of what truly matters during this special time of year.  May your own Advent season be one of many blessings.

__________________________________________

The liturgical season of Christmas has officially ended.  We now enter that time of year in the church called “ordinary time”.  I never understood this classification.  And especially after this Advent and Christmas season, it seems all wrong – for this year it was anything but ordinary.

I have always loved Christmas, and we have always done our best to follow the guidance of the church to embrace Advent and all that comes with it.  We light a wreath, read some extra devotionals, have multiple nativity scenes around the house, play carols all the time.  But 2010 had to that point been a year of great spiritual growth in my life, and I was wondering how I might make Advent a little different this year.  So, I tried a few new things.

Active Worship:  I have been involved in worship services before, but this year I had some new experiences.  I helped prepare the church physically for the Advent season, and was blessed to sing in a choir for the first time in over 10 years.  When you are involved in the worship service – whether seen or unseen, you can’t help but pay closer attention and get more out of it.  Participation, especially during Advent, has the ability to heighten all your senses.  It turns the ordinary worship experience into an extraordinary one.

Song: I had a bit of a music revival this year.  In addition to the singing in the choir cantata, I was able to attend 2 performances of Handel’s Messiah that allow the audience to sing along – one at the start of Advent and one just 2 days before Christmas.  One was in a quaint church with a couple hundred people; the other was at the Kennedy Center and involved over 2000 total strangers that I will never see again.  I’ve done this on and off before, but never two performances in one year.  What an incredibly wonderful way to start and end a joyous season.

Gifts:  One of the main things people stress about at the holidays is buying gifts.  I love when I get an idea for someone that seems just right – but hate to buy something uninspiring primarily out of obligation.  This was the year to make a change.  Many of the people I would normally buy gifts for have more than enough “stuff”, including my own immediate family.  This year we used most of the money we would have spent on gifts and instead bought cows, chickens, bunnies, geese and bees from one of our favorite causes (Heifer International) in honor of others.  My husband and I even challenged each other to a monetary limit on gifts for each other.   It was absolutely the most peaceful and rewarding gift-giving (and receiving!) season I have ever experienced. 

Fellowship:  All that time spent NOT shopping and wrapping resulted in God providing opportunities to connect with friends both old and new.  Time for building relationships took a higher priority.  I lunched with a special friend I had not hung out with in way too long.  I ran a race, not by myself as I usually do, but with a fellow church member and 3 other total strangers who were fast friends by the end.  We opened our home for a fairly last minute “perfectly imperfect” Christmas open house, proving further the way God works in unexpected ways. 

My pastor had made a reference in one of his Advent reflections about how much sweeter Christmas Eve is following an Advent truly spent in preparation.  It was never more true than this year.  And in re-reading this, I realize how inadequate these words are to convey the full experience I had this Advent season.  When the lights came on after singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve, I was more than tempted to break the rules and leave with out blowing out my candle.  It had been such a wonderful season I did not want to see it end.  But really, it was only the beginning.  My Advent experience proved to me that if we truly take the time to prepare our hearts and leave them open to how God wants to use them, the feelings of Christmas do not have to end. 

In ending this reflection, I have included the third verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. I have always had a special place in my heart for this song – I sang the fourth verse as a solo when I was in 6^th grade and to this day have that verse ingrained on my brain.  Maybe that’s why I never noticed the third verse as much.  I sang this song more times this year than I can remember, and every time this verse stood out even more.  By itself, the lyrics don’t seem specifically “Christmas” – which is really the point.  The Lamb of God is truly a wonderous gift that is available to us whenever we let Him in – and the results are anything but ordinary.

 

How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts, The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still, The dear Christ enters in.

The Man on the Corner

Disclaimer #1:  I do not consider myself a “nice” person.  I am not some big meany, but I am not usually the sympathetic ear that people approach to bare their souls (though I have my moments).  I don’t tolerate whining well from most people, including myself. Most times I feel people are in the situations they are in primarily because of their own decisions and actions.

And yet here I am somewhat haunted by a random homeless man on a street corner in Richmond.  I first encountered this man about a month ago.  I was leaving Richmond after a conference and was the first car stopped at a red light.  I saw him right away – with his cardboard sign declaring his homelessness and joblessness complete with long beard.  He wandered by my car while I stared straight ahead.

Disclaimer #2:  After years of living in Washington, DC, I admit to being fairly desensitized to homeless appeals for money.  Especially since we used to interview these folks for our college sociology classes and found out that many of them made quite a bit of money sitting on the streets of DC.  More than they would have earned at some jobs.

SO, what happened that day sitting at the red light?  After the man had already passed my car, I was, quite frankly, overcome by shame.  In my head I just kept thinking – This man is a child of God.  I don’t know how he got here, but how can I ignore him as he walks by?  Being the common sense girl that I am in a shady metro area, I rolled down my window and called over to him to come back.  I looked him square in the eye and said, “I can’t do anything for you long-term but pray.  And I will pray that you find a way to a better situation.”  Then I shoved a wad of bills in his hand and the light turned green.  I realized as I drove away that I never got his name.  But I have been praying for “the man on the corner” ever since.

I have no idea why I felt the urge to communicate with this man.  I am have no idea why he continues to be in my thoughts when most times I would never have remembered him.  But as we approach Thanksgiving and I am thinking of the many who are without basic shelter, I am thankful for that day on the corner in Richmond.  Even when we think we are good people, it is so easy to tune out the needs of our neighbors. 

I was back in Richmond last week.  And found myself at the same red light.  And, there he was.  It might have been the same sign – but he was on the opposite side of the intersection this time and the light changed to green a little faster.  Maybe next time I’ll get his name, but in the meantime I’ll continue to pray for “the man on the corner”.

Why is this a hard question?

So, yesterday a friend asked a question on her facebook status – not intending to start any kind of online debate – but to message her the answer to the following question:  Why are you a Christian, or why are you not a Christian?  

Hmm.  I waited till today to reply – my response was as follows “I can message you a longer response - in fact your question may lead me to a blog post of my own...but 2 short reasons (1) I have experienced the power of prayer among faithful Christians and it is amazing (2) God's grace is a free gift for us - and who am I to turn away a free gift - I need all the grace I can get :)”

What bugs me is (1) why it took me almost 24 hours to post a response and (2) why it was hard to condense it down into a short concise FB appropriate response.  I am not even sure what I wrote really covers it adequately.  One of her FB friends summed it up quite concisely :”because I believe”.  Hmm.

And here is why I think Christians these days tend to get a bad rap.  While so many of us are convicted in our faith behind closed doors, we stumble like babbling idiots when talking about it with others – many times even when it’s someone sitting in the pew next to us.   Maybe for those who are well-versed in theology, it is easier to give a reply.  But for the rest of us still trying to figure it all out, most times don’t we really just do a duck ‘n run?  We figure if we don’t have a polished answer in this highly educated Northern VA demographic, we better not answer at all?  And if we don’t answer, where does that leave us?  Not exactly proclaiming the good news of the Gospel….

Sigh.  SO, we do the best we can and at least hope for improvement!  But it is worth a few minutes to ponder – why ARE you (or are you not) a Christian?