From The Sheep Pen

Our Pastor Joe has been leading a church service in New Meadows every Sunday evening at 5:30. There has been a need for local people to be part of the church community and to hear God’s Word spoken here. Although Dan and I also go to Mountain Life service in McCall on Sunday mornings, we’ve enjoyed these Sunday night times. On first appearance, it is very casual. There is a pot luck dinner ahead of time and then Pastor Joe brings a message. So far there’s been no formal music, but hopefully that will come, even if it is singing some familiar songs together. Personally, I like the format which recalls the way the early Christians met.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Acts 2:46

It seems that church pot luck dinners are not a modern concept! People enjoy getting together for food and prayer.

Usually, Pastor Joe proposes a short topic for conversation at our tables which is a segue way to his message. If I were teaching writing, I’d call it a “story starter.” It is a great way to have people engage with one another, with those we know well and those we’re getting to know. The church as Christ’s Body begins through relationship which starts in the willingness to open hearts and minds and share thoughts. Real and honest conversation knits us together as members of the same Body, whether it is a church in McCall or a small one seeded 20 miles away.

Sunday’s story starter was to recall one time when we were accepted by someone else when we did not think we would be accepted. It was definitely a personal question inviting intimacy and vulnerability. Four of us at our table shared but it was my husband Dan whose simple story was the most touching. He shared that my mother’s acceptance of him when we first met almost 60 years ago really affected him. My European family was not open to outsiders, especially those who came from Chicago and were not full blooded Germans. But, my mother welcomed him whole heartedly into the family and embraced him as her son, not just her son-in-law. I used to jokingly say she liked him more than me. (That wasn’t true, but she definitely came to his defense whenever I had a complaint.)

Being welcomed into a family or church or community when you are a stranger is at the heart Jesus’ teaching . The first great commandment is to love God. Jesus says the second is like it.
The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).

We cannot practice one without the other. We cannot welcome one another without first loving God. My mother was a welcoming person because she understood what Jesus meant. So does our pastor and his family. His shepherding the flock in New Meadows shows Christian action demonstrating the Lord’s call.

Thank you Pastor Joe, Heidi and Samuel for your examples of walking in love, in the Spirit of God into our little community. We appreciate you very much!

…You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Mathew 5:44

There is yet another kerfuffle arising from the President’s remarks during last week’s National Prayer Breakfast. He referred to his recent impeachment acquittal (which raised prayerful eyebrows) and later expressed disagreement with one of the speakers, Arthur Brooks, who spoke about reconciliation and forgiving one’s enemies. He said, “Arthur, I don’t know if I agree with you “ and then continued. “I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say ‘I pray for you’ when they know that’s not so.”

Trump being Trump and people being ever ready to fisticuff , he’s immediately been vilified by the opposition and the media for using a non partisan event for personal revenge against his enemies. He’s also been taken to task by Christian pundits, writers and evangelicals such as Michael Brown and Cal Thomas for not practicing the Christian Gospel of Jesus.

Now, I am not a political writer nor do I wish to ever go in that direction. However, it seems to me that the President’s words as quoted have merit. Using faith to justify what is unjust is not biblical and in itself unrighteous. (Of course that leads into all kinds of quasi theological and secular arguments about what is justice anyway. I’ll leave that to the talking heads.) The promise to pray when there is no commitment to do so is deceptive and shallow. It leaves me cold. I’m with the President on that. And as a point of information, this yearly even has not been without political remarks, as in 2015 under Obama. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-speech-at-prayer-breakfast-called-offensive-to-christians/2015/02/05/6a15a240-ad50-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html. How quickly we forget and have selective memories.

Partisanship aside, the President’s choice of words and his attitude at a prayer event are questionable. Undoubtedly, he needs Holy Spirit for discernment and a lot more of Solomon’s gift of wisdom. But, is it not ironic that the very people who are throwing stones at the President for being hard nosed and unforgiving, who is a flawed person exactly like themselves, rush to judgment and condemn him? If the President has unforgiveness in his heart after the last three years, it is at least a human response. But, somehow, he does not deserve either compassion or forgiveness by the Pharisees. Who among us has not harbored grudges and resentment, even after Jesus came into our lives? I need only think to last week or maybe even last Sunday.

If the President’s responses about forgiveness are un Christian, then it is up to believers to get on our faces before the Lord and intercede. Finally, while we’re eating carpet threads, shall we not also ask God to expand our spiritual mandate to pray, and pray for the very people who cause bitterness in the President’s heart? This is also a part of Jesus’ Great Commission because we believe God can transform every sinner. Our prayer list on the floor may be a long one because it’s likely that those for whom we pray are also causing more than a tad of unforgiveness in ourselves. If not us, then who?

Just saying!

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46

I am on retreat this week at the beautiful Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood. It is a semi-annual retreat called “Come To the Quiet” wherein we come not only to a very quiet setting, but are invited to be silent ourselves. Several of my friends and family cannot fathom why I do this “You mean you don’t or can’t talk at all?” On the one hand they think it is weird, or I am. On the other hand there is a wistfulness in their expressed skepticism – as if thinking, “I wonder what it would be like to get away from Noise even for a day? Not sure about a full week, though.”

The first year I attended, it was hard to not only be quiet, but be still. There are no television, radio or football games blaring from the back room. When I came, I’d brought a car full of stuff to do: books to read, journals, legal pads of paper, old food bank files I never seemed to have time for and my five pound Bible. And my computer. I didn’t want to be bored . Bless my director’s heart. She advised me, quite strongly, to leave everything in the car and lock it up. She permitted the Bible. There are two well stocked libraries here for reading, a fully supplied craft room, quiet areas to sit and stare at the prairie sky, chapels to pray in and private bedrooms to ponder why I am here . In decent weather one can wander for hours on the monastery property enjoying the dense quiet of January snow or the wildflowers in June. The absence of outside noise allows one to pay closer attention to God’s beautiful creation and the quieting spirit He puts into our souls.

Over the years, I’ve learned to treasure the silence here. During the day, I write in my journal or on yellow legal paper. This time I have my computer, (Sister doesn’t check my car any more for contraband!) but resist all news and the rabbit trails they lead to. The weather is erratic and since I forgot my cleated walking shoes, I haven’t braved the ice or slush. I am learning not to always be on the move. It is really ok with God for me to stay put.

Silence isn’t merely the absence of outside sounds. I can still hear the soft background hum of heating systems, fans and building noises. A loose board in the hallway squeaks when someone steps on it. My neighbor sneezes, the microwave dings and toilets flush every now and then. Cars come and go. The deepest silence is at night when the sky is like ink. I walk back from chapel or the refectory huddled against the wind and look up at a sliver of a moon and one bright star hanging near it. I hear nothing at all except my breath exhaling. I am in solitude and yet, I am not alone. God is very near and God is very, very good.

Silence and solitude are two sides of the same coin. As Christians we’re told to go to our secret place and to pray in secret for God hears us there. But we also need actively seek for wells of solitude, to get far from the maddening crowd, and to treasure the silence our spirits are longing.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.Psalm 34:8

Ah, New Year Resolutions! On January first we resolve to eat more broccoli AND kale, take those 10,000 steps, uphill, no matter what the weather and only watch educational television. We resolve to go on a juice fast, train for that bike marathon and lose at least 10 pounds by spring. After Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year excesses, we say with some determination, “This time I’m going to stick to my guns.” Um, hmmm. Truthfully, at least for myself, by the end of the first or second week of January we’re back to sneaking cookies, digging into a perfectly cooked steak paired with sweet potato fries and binge watching the Cooking Channel. “Fix me “resolutions are doomed to failure and frustration. They are mindlessly made and then quickly broken. Why set myself up for the devil’s nagging accusations beforehand and his demoralization afterward?

I do want to start this year off well, but more than that I want it to end well. When 2020 ends I would like to reflect on the year having counted all the blessings God has showered on me and my loved ones. I want to write a very, very long gratitude list that stretches across all 12 months from January to December. At the top of that list, I surely want to list moments with God when He surprised, delighted, and blessed my life, the times of favor for health, family and abundance and the sweet mountain top encounters with Him alone. But, let me not forget to also list the inevitable times when God seems far off, when trials come, when He seems as silent as snowfall, when I do not understand His ways and am far too weary to fight the good fight. God is present in both the light and the darkness, exclusive of neither. This year I hope to be equally grateful for Him at sunrise and at midnight.

At the end of this year I won’t remember a single resolution I might have made. But hopefully, I’ll have received another year of life. God’s incredible, marvelous gift to this human stuns me and when I consider all the seconds, minutes and hours He offers in the next 365 days, how is Life not pure treasure from the Lord? When I was young, I never gave “life as gift” a second thought , but with age comes wisdom. Through the school of hard knocks and more so, God’s grace I now rejoice getting up in the morning with another 24 hours on this planet. Therefore, whether I write in my journals or share aloud, let each approaching day flutter in my heart like notes of praise to the living God so that at year’s end and in retrospect, there has built up a resounding anthem of thanksgiving. I’ll take a year’s end Hallelujah for God’s loving kindness in 2020. How about you?

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Mark 1:1

It’s the post holiday time. Many people take down the tree and all their decorations even before the Christmas trash bags are out the door. I can’t quite let go. In my family the Christmas tree stayed up until January 6th, the traditional Feast of the Epiphany and I must confess that I have gone even later. I love having the house decorated with my Christmas baubles. I love flickering colorful lights at night, a wide-winged poinsettia filling up the bay window corner and huge red bows hanging from the deck. It is winter eye candy set against the backdrop of the white snow outside. January is long, cold and often grey, so it’s ok, I tell myself, to leave the evergreen wreath on the door, the tree lights still lit and a few fanciful snowmen tucked here and there on book shelves. Nevertheless, very soon I’ll put my house back into good Teutonic order, albeit reluctantly. I am sure that my neighbor below will appreciate not seeing the blue BSU star lighting up our front porch at night any more. Might he be a Vandal? Go Broncos!

For the world, the so-called holiday spirit disappeared overnight as quickly as Santa and his sleigh zooming back to the North Pole at dawn. For those who do not understand or reject that Christmas is about Christ’s Incarnation, it is simply back to business as usual with a ho hum or a sigh of relief. January rolls around as if nothing miraculous or even noteworthy has happened. In the world view, squares on the December calendar mark a holiday which is more hectic, expensive and sentimental than say, Ground Hog Day. The secular Christmas celebrated by secular people has no lasting impact because Jesus is no longer the center of the story. I fear that the day when Jesus is completely excluded from His own Nativity draws chillingly closer.

Surely, Christians realize that the Nativity does not end at midnight on December 25 for we believe in an Incarnation, the enfleshing of God in man, His divine visitation and physical participation in the human race. What began in the Bethlehem stable does not end when the angelic host vanished or when the shepherds found the Babe prophesied to them. The story in Luke quickly moves forward.
Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Luke 2:1,18

The wonderful story of the Nativity is not meant to be over when the date is crossed off the calendar. Like Galilean shepherds who immediately made known all that they had seen, heard and witnessed, shall our fire be any less? Is not this dark, broken, hell bent world needing to hear the marvelous things we have been told and believe? We have been told in John’s words that
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 and again a few verses later…
…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jesus’ nativity story is unlike that of any other person who has ever been born – or who will ever be born. It is not over. It’s up to us to shout that to the world. If we don’t proclaim “ the Light has come,” then who will? Or has Christmas, the way we unfortunately celebrate it become one iota less holy, and not “the beginning of the Good News of Jesus Messiah, the Son of God?”

Read the rest of Luke’s second chapter. There are hidden scriptural treasures. (Hint: Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day which happens to coincide with … ?) Surprised me, too.

It’s been an exceptionally good holiday with my family, although it seems to have gone on for three weeks or so. We celebrated Christmas with all of the children and grandchildren, not at the same time. It is getting hard to get everyone together because of distance and schedules; it doesn’t get easier as the grand kids move up into their teen years. I am happy and grateful to have spent time with each of them and would not change a single thing. Sometimes celebrating differently changes perspectives and attitudes. The holidays are over now and I am ready to get back into a more normal, ordinary routine with just Dan and me.

Last Friday my daughter Lisa and assorted family members went to Gold Fork Hot Springs to soak in the pool for a few hours. When she returned, she was quite upset because she realized she’d left her Fitbit on the side of the pool. She tried to call the place but there was no phone service. She then tried to email but again was unsuccessful. Finally, she posted on Face Book on the off chance that there might be a response. Needless to say she was frustrated at not being able to communicate and mad at herself for being forgetful. Again. She tends to be that way, the proverbial absent minded professor. I offered for Dan and me to drive to the springs to see if it had been turned in. My husband was skeptical.

So after church today, we headed south toward the springs. My son-in-law had given Dan directions because we’ve never been there. The drive was very beautiful with fresh snow and sporadic sunshine breaking through the clouds. The road was also very curvy, narrow and long. It seemed to go on and on, one curve stretching into open areas and then more curves. I was very glad I wasn’t negotiating it by myself, especially since there was a fair amount of traffic with not much room to maneuver. The hot springs are popular!

As we drove I was having internal conversations with the Lord. I was pretty messed up from an earlier encounter with Holy Spirit at church, in a kind of fugue, if that is the right description. I asked God to locate the Fitbit for my daughter and then second guessed myself. Why would God bother with such a mundane item? And then I’d ask again. So it went back and forth in my mind while Dan kept the car on the road. Finally, I thought, “Lord, if the Fitbit is there, I will use this incident for a testimony, for the Gospel.”

Well, God always surprises me. And He doesn’t mind a challenge. When I spoke with the attendant at the spring’s yurt, he kind of grinned, opened a drawer and pulled out Lisa’s Fitbit. I was very happy, thanked the man profusely and said something about people still being honest. “Oh”, he replied, “people around here are pretty good like that.” When we got into cell phone range, I called Lisa to let her know and she was more than thrilled. Wow! That is awesome! Really? I can’t believe it. They had it, huh?”

Yes, dear child, it is God. He is the God of the personal and pays mind to details. He loves you and me so much that He delights in us and wants to surprise us much more than we can possibly imagine. He wants to bless us silly. He finds things that are lost and His great heart wants to bring us all home to Him. Today it is a Fitbit to make you pay attention. Tomorrow, Love will pull you into His arms. God is good and it is His goodness that shows up in people when we doubt. This I know and this I believe for you until you believe it for yourself. This is the Gospel, the good news of our Lord Jesus:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.…John 3:16

He will use anything and everything for that purpose, even a lost fitness band. That is my Gospel prayer.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. John Keats. Endymion

Every year on Christmas Eve when our children were growing up, I gave them a new Christmas book and would read it to them before they went to bed. Since we opened presents on the 24th, it was a gentle way to calm the kids down before sleep. Reading with the children on Christmas Eve was a special, cherished tradition. It is treasure in my memory. The collection grew over the years. We read the classics, such as Luke’s Nativity in the Bible, portions of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, “The Gift of the Magi”, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” and Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Fir Tree.” “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” became a favorite. There were picture books about the first Christmas and variations of Luke’s narrative. Of course we also had Santa, Frosty and Rudolph as well as Santa Mice, Elves and sundry other Christmas creatures.

I recently found a copy of Tasha Tudor’s Christmas stories, carols and legends. It is entitled “Take Joy” and was inscribed to our daughter Laura on her first Christmas. The illustrations are magnificent and the sentiments profound. I also unearthed a book with illustrations by Norman Rockwell. This one was for Lisa, our oldest, when she was eight years old. I don’t know why I still have their books – and some of the others – but I am glad I do. They remind me that the birth of Jesus touched the world with beauty and wonder.

Christ’s Incarnation has inspired artists, musicians, composers and writers for more than two thousand years in ways that are hard to describe. Who can listen to Handel’s Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah and not get goose bumps? Who shares James and Della’s plight in O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” and not be touched by their sacrificial love for one another? Who hasn’t laughed out loud during “A Christmas Story”? And who pauses before one of the many Nativity masterpieces, such as Rembrandt’s “Adoration of the Magi” and not been speechless. It is the powerful inspiration of the Holy Spirit which leads men to create “a (Christmas) thing of beauty which is a joy forever”

The birth of Jesus as told in Luke and Matthew has had creative power to transform mystery into magnificence. No other birth in all of the history can come close to Jesus’: not Buddha, nor Krishna , nor Mohammed nor any pharaoh, emperor or head of state. No other nativity narrative fills souls with “unspeakable joy” which expresses itself in music, art and literature. When Jesus was born, God’s plan to restore human hearts and minds to our original state was also implemented. We are seeded with creativity. We are destined to be masterpieces and to create masterpieces with our talents. We are meant for awe! We are meant to take joy because we are meant to worship in creative ways.

Without doubt the world’s culture is trying to destroy Christmas and to remove Jesus from the center.It wants a secular, materialistic and soul dead facsimile holiday based on feel good Hallmark movies and the gods of the marketplace. It does not want another Mozart or Caravaggio to emerge. It’s poised to destroy the next Tolstoy, C.S. Lewis or T.S. Eliot. Another John Newton writing another “Amazing Grace” is intolerable to the killjoys. Like Herod of old, they are jealous of any perceived rival. Those operating in the shadows with the devil hate Who Christmas celebrates and they despise those of us who have chosen Him. They want us to share their hopelessness and the misery of this fallen planet. How dare we aspire to awe and wonder, bowing before the King of Glory? How dare we allow the Holy Spirit inspire us to worship the new born King with a painting or soaring symphony? How dare we make life beautiful?

Jesus came to give us life and that life more abundantly, as my pastor loves to preach. He was with God in the beginning, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is within it. He who created snowflakes and the cosmos, who paints the night sky with constellations and who sings over us with love, also implanted songs and music and art into our being, especially at Christmas. I’ll take Jesus’ offer of a abundant, creative life and, hopefully, will write all the days left to me. Meanwhile, later this week I will give those precious books to my daughters!

It is the last few days before Christmas Day. Most of the preparation is done. The cookies are baked, the presents are wrapped – mostly – and the house is all sparkly with lights, flickering LED candles (since I don’t want to have hot candle wax dripping everywhere ), and a tree – a real Tannenbaum. Our family celebration will be very small this year, but we will be seeing our out of town kids and grandchildren after Christmas. I can’t wait. I am like a child myself waiting for Jesus’ birthday.

There is debate about the actual date of Christ’s birth. The Bible does not give specifics about the year, date or the time, but Christian tradition has always held to December 25th. In an interesting series on “The Stream”, contributor Al Perotta dissects the controversies around the date and gives internal Biblical and cultural evidence for Jesus being born on – December 25. https://stream.org/born-on-christmas-day-so-jesus-was-born-on-december-25th-after-all/

This then raises a question. Well, what about the time? When did Mary actually go into labor and deliver the Babe? One can assume that He being her first born and that it was a normal delivery, Jesus was born sometime during the night of the 24th-25th. The details of the Nativity told in Luke 2:1-20 fit into that time framework. What is very clear is this. On the 24-25th of December, between 6 and 1 B.C., “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Earthly chronos time was overtaken by God’s eternal time. Heaven and earth met in Bethlehem. Jesus was born. “In Him was life and that Life was the light of men.”

But what of the night before Christmas? What about the nights stretching backwards from the Nativity for thousands of years? What can we say about it?

It was a time of spiritual darkness. The Jews were still waiting for the promised Messiah to free them from oppression, death’s shadows. Centuries earlier, Isaiah prophesied the coming of Messiah:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2

When Zechariah obeyed the angel Gabriel’s command and named his son, John, he proclaimed salvation in a joyous song:
… because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”…Luke 1:78-79.

The same promise is given to the Gentiles by Simeon who recognizes the Infant Jesus.
…For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”…Luke 2:30-32.

It was a time of violence. The Roman Empire had forcefully conquered the world and established the Pax Romana within its conquests, but it came with an iron fist through exploitation, slavery and brutality. The constant Jewish rebellions and revolts against the Emperor ‘s rule were met swiftly, cruelly and fatally. Rome used public crucifixions adapted from the Persians as a way to instill even fear of and obedience to Roman authority. Peace was maintained at the expense of crushing human bodies and spirits. The perfect “Prince of Peace” had not yet arrived. The heavenly host of angels were still in heaven readying their songs of praise: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”

It was a time of sin. God could only be approached through strict adherence to the Law according to the Pharisees. The burdens of obeying the minutia of the law in daily religious life kept people under the thumb of the Pharisees, without hope here or in the hereafter. There was no escape from sin, death and the grave either under the Romans or under the religious leaders.

Such was the reality of the “Night Before Christmas” for the ancient world. Their ” night” was darker than we can know, without light as we know it. Before the events of Luke 2 occurred, it was endless nights without a Savior. Then on December 25, a child was born of the virgin Mary and the Gospel of salvation came to humble shepherds:
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!…Luke 2:10-11

For believers, there is no Night Before Christmas. The Sun of Righteousness has come with healing in His wings. Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago and His Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. With Israel, we sing, Rejoice, rejoice. To thee has come Emmanuel.

I really do like Clement Moore’s poem. I loved reading it to our children when they were little. It is a Christmas classic and I am no Grinch. But Jesus ended the world’s dark night forever. Hanging up stockings for an imaginary elf to bring us gifts is just a fleeting fancy compared to the joyful Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. Matthew 26:1

During this Christmas season, I am always struck with people’s generosity. Almost every night on the news, there are short segments about how to donate to local food banks, crisis centers and homeless shelters through private and public agencies like the Idaho Food Bank. Companies like Les Schwab and Albertson hold massive food drives for those who are food insecure, with thousands of well stocked food boxes prepared both at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Boise and McCall are not unique in these projects. We Americans have a great national spirit of generosity to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. Yet, I have to wonder why such acts of American generosity are not celebrated more in the media or why it is the average citizens who are donating time, energy and resources instead of celebrities? Instead of the constant grousing which is defeatist and counter productive to unity and tolerance, would it not be a welcome, healing change for us to rejoice that we are so blessed and that we can share freely of our abundance? But that is not the agenda of today’s cultural social justice warriors.

In my years at the food bank in McCall, I saw the needs of the poor every week. Valley and Adams Counties are difficult areas for people to earn a living wage, let alone live comfortably. Families live on the edge due to high cost of living, seasonal work fluctuations and affordable housing shortages. I saw many families dependent on the food bank to survive. Yes, there were some who abused the system. Yes, it wasn’t always right or equitable, but the danger came in judging whether someone really needed the help. We operated on the assumption that all who came were there for help. Many times it was more than food that was needed. Being accepted, loved and ministered to were the true alms given to the hungry and broken.

The giving of alms is a Biblical mandate and has been a Christian practice throughout the centuries. The poor and destitute are the conscience of our own righteousness with God. The prophet Isaiah’s words are especially relevant during this time.
And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. Isaiah 58:10

If we give alms to the poor, we will be lifted out of darkness. Personal depression, hopelessness and despair will also lift off of us. What an incredible promise! What a way to stand against the gloominess and negativity trying to suffocate and crush our spirits! Something happens within our souls when we give to another. Proverbs says that generosity is not just a kind act because
One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed. Proverbs 19:17

Jesus doesn’t mince words about how we’re to treat those less fortunate than ourselves, Reiterating Isaiah 58:7, the Lord says we are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned. To us who have been given much, much is therefore required. His commandment is not just for now,when we’re feeling in a generous Christmas mood. Generosity and alms giving should resonate in our hearts all year long. We are to emulate our Lord and Savior for who else in all the history of mankind has been more generous than Jesus?

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:14

It was the day after Thanksgiving. After our son and his family left to drive back home, I began to put the house back in order. I changed the beds, did laundry and took stock of what was left in the fridge. There were no leftovers this year because I’d packed most of yesterdays’ feast into take home boxes. Now, thinking about a nice hot turkey sandwich for dinner and finding a pretty picked over turkey carcass meant for soup instead, I’d wished I had planned more judiciously. Oh, well. At least the fridge didn’t need excavating every time I opened the door.

Truthfully, I was feeling let down. My family doesn’t get together very often and I missed the grandchildren even before they were out the door. It might be weeks – or even months- before we would visit again. I definitely wasn’t up to jumping from my Thanksgiving table right into the so called Christmas spirit or binge watch Hallmark Holiday Movies. Instead, I searched for Christmas music to cheer me up.

One of the pop-ups on You Tube linked to some German Weihnachtslieder, Christmas carols sung by angelic sounding choirs that I grew up with, (the carols, not the choirs)! I remember hearing almost the same music in my parents’ house during Advent, the four liturgical weeks of preparation for Christmas and especially on the 24th when we celebrated the birth of the Christ Child. I remember the joy, wonder and beauty of church decorated with greenery and fragrant candles when we attended Mass. The Christmas carols of my childhood reiterated the Scriptural story told in Luke and others and fed my soul. Jesus’ birth permeated the season of Advent and gave life to it.

It is different now. It doesn’t take much to recognize how drastically our culture and the world has misappropriated Christmas. After giving God thanks for our blessings on Thursday, we are immediately pushed into Black Friday, Cyber Tuesday, Giving Wednesday and who knows what else for the rest of the week. I will say it as it is: we jump from Thanksgiving gratitude into greed and guilt disguised as “giving”, a euphemism for spending more than we have or ought. The divine Nativity of Jesus, central to Christmas and Christian faith, is being supplanted by a secular “holiday spirit”. This spirit is not of God. It has nothing to do with John’s introduction of Jesus:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John1:14

The true Spirit of Christmas is God’s Holy Spirit enfleshed as Christ. There is no other, no matter how it is packaged in tinsel. Christmas celebrates the Person of Jesus, not a thing. Rudolph is a thing; Jingle Bells are things; Frosty is a thing. Santa is a thing of the imagination.

Christians, isn’t it time to take a stand for Christ’s birth and reclaim why we celebrate Him? In the remaining three weeks before Christmas, can we not do something, anything to change direction? If not us, then who will make a Christmas difference?

I don’t advocate becoming Scrooge or the Grinch or doing away with Santa, Frosty, and Charley Brown. I love White Christmas and A Christmas Carol. I am as nostalgic about Christmas as ever. Dan and I will have the usual pile of gifts under the tree for family and friends. We will want Face Time with the grandchildren as they show off their presents. However, in these remaining weeks, it behooves us to consider Advent again as the spiritual time of repenting, preparing and waiting for the birth of the One who saved us, for Messiah who came to dwell in the hearts of men. I suggest three practices:

Prepare your mind with the truth that “Jesus really is the reason for the season.” Read the Scriptures daily from Genesis to Revelation and find Christ fulfilled in all of it. (Genesis 3:15, 2. Samuel 7:1-12; Isaiah 9:2-17; Isaiah 11:1-5; Micah 5:2; Galatians 4:4; Luke 1; Luke 2:29; Luke 2:38; John 1:29; John 14:1-2; Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 22:12)

Fast to prepare your flesh. Advent was a traditional time of fasting and waiting before the celebration of Christmas. Instead of buying one more enticing gadget, just say NO. Fast from your favorite junk food craving. Fast from a useless time consuming habit which leaves you feeling empty. Fast from media both social and technological. Listen to the voice of Holy Spirit, not the news commentators.

Pray to prepare your soul spiritually for the coming of Christ, even as John the Baptist called for repentance and “to prepare the way.” Pray for Christ’s Spirit to convict and forgive. Pray for all the little ones who run to Santa and do not know their Savior. Pray for a lost and broken world. Pray for Jesus’ Light to shine into the darkness, even though the darkness cannot, refuses to comprehend.