Christmas Eve memories including "It's my Jesus, too"

Christmas Eve is my favorite day in our liturgical year. Nearly every Christmas Eve service has provided memories from which I derive peace and joy year after year. Here are two of my favorites.

The church in which I received baptism offered to our town a live nativity tableau on the front lawn on the evenings leading up to Christmas Eve. In snow and sleet, unseasonable warmth and chilling cold, junior and senior high youth donned costumes depicting Mary, Joseph, shepherds, magi, and an angel (on the roof of the wooden stable) and joined sheep and a donkey to provide a living nativity scene to passers-by. Some evenings the sidewalk filled and the street traffic slowed to a crawl to celebrate the season. Those involved in the tableau immediately before the start of our 11 p.m. Christmas Eve Communion service moved directly from the dark of the night into the candlelit sanctuary. The pipe organ sounded out a favorite carol, the aroma of wax from the candles exuded warmth, and everyone's face seemed bathed in wonder. I have always had more questions than answers, but on Christmas Eve all else gave way to hope, peace, and a profound sense of the holy. Christmas Eve draws the willing into its story from wherever we are.

Another favorite memory comes from another 11 p.m. Christmas Eve Communion service. In our congregation many parents did not allow young children to partake of the loaf and cup until they had completed what we call confirmation. That night an active family of four stood among those coming forward to receive the bread of heaven and cup of salvation. Mom took the elements first, followed by two tall sons. Then came dad, holding four year old Kate by the hand. After dad broke some bread from the loaf, Kate reached out her hand to do the same. Dad quietly whispered, "No, Kate. That's not for you." Kate replied in a crystal clear voice given only to children, "Why, daddy? It's my Jesus too!" Dad looked at me, his puzzled face seeking direction. I knelt with the plate and said, "Give the child the bread." As my hand brushed Kate's when I handed her the bread, I touched holiness. "It's my Jesus, too." We have many doctrinal differences and varied understandings of God, but grace and wonder draw us together when we choose to participate in a community of faith.

No one stumbles into a sanctuary by accident on Christmas Eve, especially for the final service. Some come to appease a family member and some come more in spite of than because of what they believe; but only some degree of intentionality brings us to Christmas Eve worship. As we gather this year, pause and ponder the wonder: bright eyes and clear voices of children; familiar and unfamiliar faces aglow in candlelight; memories of those not present but very much with us; the story even the occasional worshipper knows by heart; that stirring moment of stillness between the last note of "Silent Night" and the sounds of our departure into the world. Hope, peace, and the holy come looking for us. Thanks be to God.

Advent Blessings, Holiday Cheer, and Merry Christmas!

LP

It's Advent -- "Keep awake!"

During Advent we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus and look for signs of him breaking into our lives. A primary scriptural message of Advent is, "Keep awake" (Mark 13:35, 37). I have not always kept awake; but, by the grace of God, I have glimpsed Jesus' advent.

This year our children and youth have lighted our Advent candles during worship. One particular Sunday the children approached this with obvious joy. They took their places well before the service and watched closely for the sign that the time had come for their parts of the liturgy. When the time came they leapt to the lectern to read their lines and the light of the world shone brightly in the pleasure they found in that opportunity to lead worship.

As I returned to church one afternoon someone I did not know was carrying something into the building. I offered to help and discovered that she had taken an angel from our angel tree and was delivering the presents she had purchased. She does not belong to our congregation and does not participate in a faith community. She had noticed our Giving Tree and taken an ornament while attending an event held in our building. She said that purchasing the requested item had reminded her of the meaning of the season. I handed her our schedule of Advent and Christmas services and invited her to return. She said she was not interested in "organized religion" but I feel confident that Jesus winked in the sparkle in her eyes.

Another day I spoke with a person who once belonged to our congregation and whose children participated in many of our ministries. With downcast eyes she told me the stories of her departure from our congregation and two others. The tales she told were specific to her, but uncomfortably familiar. When she said that she believes in God but doesn't trust the church, the wounded healer surrounded us. We see each other often, so the door remains open for further conversation. She also received word about our upcoming services, especially ones where she could blend into the crowd easily. The one who comes calls her. I hope she discerns his voice and answers soon.

The next day I overheard a conversation between two people comparing busy schedules. One noted how hard he had worked to keep a particular evening open for Christmas caroling. When he said it would not be Christmas unless he went caroling, the one who comes appeared.

Too often we think God breaks into our lives only in dramatic, earth-shaking moments. More often the advent takes place quietly, tenderly. The one who comes speaks in unexpected places and treads on ground we do not deem holy. Perhaps that is why Mark's Jesus advises, "Keep awake." We never know where and when the coming one will find us. That, friends, is good news. Look around and keep awake!

  

Advent Blessings,

LP

Mary invites and advises us to take time to ponder...

Early in my ministry I wrote these words in my journal: "The most effective sentences for prayer have frequent commas: points of rest stationed amidst the flow of ideas. The most effective structures for prayer have many pauses: time to reflect, time to prepare, time to be prepared. The most effective times of prayer have sustained silence: a period of waiting, listening, being still. Our words gain even more significance when they emerge from the depth of quiet encounter."

Those words came to mind as I read and reflected on Luke's depiction of Mary. When Gabriel initially greets her and when the shepherds visit Bethlehem, Mary pauses and reflects (Luke 1:29; 2:19). Luke uses different verbs, but they have similar meaning. Luke depicts a great deal happening while Mary ponders. Angels do not visit daily even in scripture and the shepherds arrive shortly after a long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem and the birth of a first child. Mary could understandably have been caught up in the busyness around her; but like a good theologian Mary not only sees and hears but also ponders. I wonder what she could have written in her journal.

Most of us have full schedules in the next few weeks. Mary invites and advises us to take time to ponder. The synapses in our fascinating brains make connections constantly and process far more than we consciously know. Slowing down to ponder allows those synapses to probe deeper into our memories and farther into our experiences. That in turn allows the greater meanings within and beyond our activities to discover us. When greater meanings discover us, we more readily live what we most deeply believe.

Surely some late afternoon we can pause between appointments and responsibilities, pour a cup of eggnog, and reflect on what we enjoy most during this time of year. What memories and hopes do we attach to that activity or tradition? How has our experience of it changed? How long has it been since we truly savored it, instead of checking it off and moving to the next item on the list?

Our children and youth are lighting our Advent candles this year. As always, they approach Advent and Christmas in their own way. Watch them closely and take time to ponder how our services and traditions must look in their eyes. What do they have to teach us? Where do they most want to guide us?

In the Magnificat, Mary declares, "the Mighty One has done great things for me" (Luke 1:49). Advent and Christ focus on what God offers us. What has the Mighty One done for us? Have we pondered long enough for gratitude to seep to the depths of our being?

There are many other ways and things to ponder, but to ponder we must stop "doing" for a spell. Life's too short for us never to take time to allow greater meanings to discover us. Join Mary and ponder. God alone knows how a little pondering may transform our saying and sharing a Merry Christmas.

Advent Blessings,

LP

New realities...scripture and carols

In the past few weeks Nancy and I have enjoyed the blessing of spending time with our children. Even though I think we know them well, such times together provide opportunities for the pleasure of learning more about who they are and how they view the world. Some of the things they say and do affirm what we already understand about them, but other responses and statements offer glimpses into their core character and the persons they are becoming. It warms my soul to learn something new about them.

I have a similar relationship with scripture. For two decades I read all sixty-six books of the Bible annually. I have a reasonable knowledge of the content of scripture. Yet, daily Bible readings not only affirm previous awareness but also provide new insights. Sometimes that happens because I've changed. Our visit to Israel and experience in the desert gave new meaning to the word "wilderness" when it appears in scripture. The way the lushness of Galilee contrasts with the road from Jericho to Jerusalem shapes my reading of many biblical texts. I find it stimulating for a fresh word to greet me from passages I have known and read for years.

The same goes for Advent and Christmas. I know the stories of scripture and the words of the carols well. Each one evokes memories of the places where I have heard them and the people with whom I've shared them. Yet, the light that emerges from them does not come solely from the past. Last Sunday two children made requests as we sang carols at the start of the service. As we sang those songs, I saw them afresh in those young eyes. What a blessing to know that our children enjoy not only "Rudolph" and "Frosty" but also "Joy to the World" and "Go, Tell It on the Mountain." In addition, our focus on Mary has helped me to view Luke 1-2 from an entirely different perspective. My Advent and Christmas Eve messages may come from "the same old texts," but for me a new word has presented itself to be heard.

We all have our favorite parts of Advent and Christmas. As we enjoy revisiting special times from the past, I pray that we also will remain awake to new experiences and insights. On Christmas Eve we once again will sing "Silent Night" while lighting individual candles that fill the worship space and illuminate each face with a warm glow. We've done that before, but we've never done it this year with these particular people and at this unique point in our lives. As we remain awake to the movement of the Spirit, blessings flow to us not only from the past but also in the present. We may even glimpse a future we had not previously envisioned.

Even when we walk what appears to be the same path, new realities appear to those willing to remain awake and alert for them. God, life, goodness constantly breaks into our world anew. Even when we know enough to anticipate what will happen next, we do not know what blessing may find us. Therein lie hope, peace, joy, and love. Even so, Lord, come, and help me to remain awake.

Advent Blessings,

LP