Christmas in the Trenches

Well tonight is it, Christmas Eve. This Advent journey has been special this year because of this daily discipline. I hope that for those of you who followed along that you've found moments of insight and edification along the way. More than that, I hope that all of you have had your own Advent discipline and find yourself ready for the celebration at hand.

Christmas is a potent holiday. It has the power to make us all act like the people we always wanted to be, at least for one day (or perhaps a season). It helps us to believe in the greater truths that we hope would control the world, but sadly never seem to do. Christmas is the birthday of the Prince of Peace, and so we are particularly mindful of the powerful draw of the promise of peace on this holy day. So for my last Advent blog entry I want to lift up the power of peace.

On November 21 of this year, Alfred Anderson died in his sleep, he was 109 years old. At the time he was the oldest man in Scotland. He was also believed to be the last Scottish veteran of World War I and the last survivor of a most remarkable event that happened in 1914 on Christmas Eve. In a number of locations along the Western Front, Allied and German soldiers declared their own unofficial Christmas truce. At least one officer was later court martialed over the incident. It was when soldiers on both sides of the conflict realized that they were all celebrating the same holiday that they rejected the notion that they were so different, disobeyed orders, and met together in "no man's land." Yes, Christmas is that powerful!

Tonight I will share a song at the Christmas Pageant written by John McCutcheon called Christmas in the Trenches that memorializes that event. Here are the lyrics:


Christmas in the Trenches
words & music by John McCutcheon

Inspired by a back-stage conversation with an old woman in Birmingham, AL, this song tells a story that is not only true, but well-known throughout Europe. For some of the history behind the 1914 WWI Christmas Truce, click here.

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool,
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung,
Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me
Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.
"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright
As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore.

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.

©1984 John McCutcheon/Appalsongs (ASCAP)

I pray that you will know the gift of true peace this Christmas; peace that is not just the absence of conflict, but a peace that breaks down barriers and realizes that in the end we are all the same.

Blessings on you and the ones you love, and most especially those whom nobody loves this holy day!

The Gift-Giving Saint

While most of us know that the Santa Claus story is based on the life of Saint Nicholas, many of us have never had the pleasure of learning about the life of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. There is a wonderful web site, www.stnicholascenter.org where you can read more about this man. I visited the site to retrieve the details of the most famous story about Nicholas. Here it is:

One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver.

Following the Protestant Reformation, Protestant leaders worked hard to eradicate all semblance of the veneration of saints. Somehow, St. Nicholas escaped this fate (although merchandizing and marketing have been able to co-opt Santa Claus in our time). I like to believe that it was because this central "miracle" of his was one that any and all of us can and should emulate. The gifts he gave were gifts that mattered; gifts that made a differnce. I hope that you have put the same energy into your gift giving this Christmas. More than that, I hope that you continue after Christmas to look for chances to give gifts that make an important difference in the lives of others who have great needs.

Christmas Cards

I'm glad that I have friends who send Christmas cards. We have done it only sporadically. But as time passes I have found that there are some people from my past that I only average annual contact (unfortunately usually one-way) through a card this time of year. One sentence of news can be sufficient. One friend has stopped smoking, another says that things are going much smoother. Each brings a smile and adds to the joy of the season.

The picture ones certainly mark the passing of time. This year I've seen pictures of babies celebrating their first Christmas, as well as children looking much older than I remember them! One child in one of the pictures is Catherine. Not too many years ago we were praying that she would live to see another Christmas. Then she had a bone marrow transplant and is now completely healthy. If you attended my ordination service you heard her sing Won't You Let Me Be Your Servant? The gift of life came from her brother, Alex. That gift, her life and the love and prayers that sustained her and her family remind me of what the true gifts of Christmas are. I hope you take a moment to consider what those gifts are for you this year.

The Longest Night

It is good that Christmas is near, so I can stop making excuses for why the blog isn't updated. Actually, as reasons for missing a day go, today's is pretty good. I wasn't able to update the blog last night (or "today" according to the way I will make the date appear) because I spent the night at the church with the homeless families we are hosting this week.

Aside from the obvious Christmas message of making room at the inn for a homeless family, I realized that since the winter solstice took place in the afternoon, I was spending the longest night of the year at the church. The very reason that the church chose this time of year to celebrate the birth of the savior (no one really knows when he was born, though December is rather unlikely) was because of this event. At the time when there is more darkness than any other time of the year we most need the promise of light. People suffering sadness and depression often describe their experience as a long night. Long cold nights also tend to accentuate our losses, particularly if they are fresh.

So on this longest night, my thoughts and prayers are with those who find it hard to be festive in this season, particularly those who are facing a first Christmas without a loved one. May they know the peace of God and the embrace of friends.

Acknowledging Sacredness

In this season of connections I've found the book Gilead, and how it has moved clergy from John Thomas to me. In his letter that I quoted yesterday, he also points to a passage in the book where the narrator talks about baptism and describes it as "to touch another with the pure intention of blessing, " a blessing that does not "enhance sacredness, but acknowledges it." Among the blessings of my vocation is that I get called upon to do just that. When I enter a hospital room, I don't bring God with me, I point to the God who is already there. And when I preach, if I do the hard work of getting out of the way, God speaks through me despite all the clever and not-so-clever things I attempt.

Such was my experience this past Sunday. I felt that I stumbled a bit through the delivery of the sermon. I didn't particularly feel that it came off too well. Perhaps some of you will agree. But true to form, a more than usual number of people has postive comments. But what really touched me was the way one of the visitors with us this week expressed how she was moved during worship. Neither of us pretended that it had anything to do with me, it was her experience of the Holy Spirit during worship. It is such a joy and a privilege to be an instrument of this sort of blessing, not enhancing sacredness, but simply acknowledging it.

We may be waiting for the sacred to come and be born among us, but the truth is that it is already hear and we need to acknowlege it.

Woolworth Madonna

I just finished reading the Christmas letter from the Minister and President of the UCC, John Thomas. In it he quotes E. B. White in 1936:

Shopping in Woolworth’s in the turbulent days, we saw a little boy put his hand inquiringly on a ten-cent Christ child, part of a creche. “What is this?” he asked his mother, who had him by the hand. “C’mon, c’mon,” replied the harassed woman, “you don’t want that ” She dragged him grimly away, a Woolworth Madonna, her mind dark with gift-thoughts, following a star of her own devising.

I was back in the "belly of the beast" today (as witnessed by not one, but two church members!) finishing up some Christmas shopping. I didn't like the feeling of pressure, nor the temptation to buy everything that struck my fancy. It just isn't much fun and it has a way of leading to bad feelings when the gift is not appreciated, or you don't get the thing you most wanted.

I want to have fascination like that of the child E. B. White described. I want to see even the cheap imitation of the holy and reach for the bauble, needing to touch it and marvel at it. I want to be so captivated by Christ this Christmas that I can't see anything else. Unfortunately, it is too easy to see the child in the manger as just another piece of cheap kitsch, small, insignificant and taken for granted.

I am so very much looking forward to Saturday night at 7:00 when the children of the church remind us of the ancient story once again. The star of the show at yesterday's rehearsal was a stuffed rabbit. I've been told that there will be a more human-like doll for the actual pageant. No matter what is placed in that manger in church on Christmas Eve, that is where all the focus will be. In the dark sanctuary a light will break forth, and we will all behold the glory of God. I can't wait!

The Belly of the Beast

Today I went into the belly the beast...the mall! The craziness started with finding a parking place. Actually, my willingness to walk made that relatively easy. Then it was off the the very definition of holiday hustle and bustle. Fortunately for me, my assignment was to watch Angel, which meant spending the afternoon at the food court with a good book (Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, I'm only a couple dozen pages in, but I can already see why it won a Pulitzer prize).

I was aware of the fact that in the midst of the excessive chaos that defines Christmas in America that I was able to find peace and calm. In fact, I almost dozed off a couple of times while reading. The constant chatter of the shoppers became a murmur that practically lulled me into a sleepy state. Still, I would occasionally look around at the shoppers and wonder what they were thinking. Most appeared to be happy, or at least content. But I couldn't help but consider how much they were aware of the reason for the festivities. I had an urge to stop one or two of them and ask them about "the true meaning of Christmas." I would have liked nothing more than to find out from a stranger what Christmas really meant to them.

My guess is that nearly every shopper would have talked about the love of family and comfort of friends, even though they were each willing to subject themselves to the stress of spending money that they may or may not be able to afford because of an expectation of giving material gifts.

I didn't have the gumption to engage anyone in that conversation, so I am left with my conjecturing. But I have a hunch that I'm right when I conclude that everyone agrees that love is the greatest gift.

I Hate Housecleaning

I've met precious few people who enjoy cleaning house, so I suppose I'm not alone in disliking household chores. Today was spent cleaning the house in advance of company coming. Our houseguest is a friend of our son and a stranger to us. So that meant the we wanted to get things spruced up.

Of course, the idea behind my daily blogging was housecleaning in preparation of receiving a guest at Christmas (i.e. Christ) so today provided an object lesson. There have been a few days that the blogging has not come easily and I've grumbled a bit about my promise to do it. Well, just like the necessity of housecleaning, any discipline will be less than enjoyable at times, although still rewarding when completed.

So as I sit here in a (relatively) clean house, I'm aware of the satisfaction it brings. I'm also aware of the need for others, since I did only a tiny fraction of the work. I also realize that the cleaning was important because the person coming is a stranger, we don't usually worry too much about how clean the house is for those who live there (especially since they were the ones participating in the messing up!). So how much inner housecleaning is necessary for Christ's arrival? Where is he on the spectrum of stranger to family member? Perhaps you have a lot of inner work to do, but rest assured that when Christ comes in, he intends to stay...because you are family.

Mundane

Today was a mundane day, nothing exciting happened. Or at least that was my take on the day. I'm sure that with a bit more effort on my part I would have noticed something that would have knocked my socks off, but I didn't. And I didn't notice because I didn't look hard enough. That doesn't make it a bad day, just mundane, which literally means "earthy." Some days are best spent just connected to the earth, knowing your place.

Yesterday, I was walking up the driveway at the church on my way back to my office when I noticed a healthy white-tailed deer with a large rack standing at the end of the driveway on Warren Road! It stood there for a moment, looking in my direction, before running down North Main Street. That is just the sort of experience that we expect from God; breaking in to our mundane exsistences with a startling surprise. But guess what...I didn't see a buck today. Some days the lessons are simply mundane.

Putting Christ Back in Christmas

I find it fascinating that while some folks are up in arms about holiday greetings, holiday sales, and holiday trees instead of Christmas greetings, Christmas sales, and Christmas trees, that some of the mega-churches that some of them attend are choosing to close for Christmas! I think if you look up irony in the dictionary you will find that as the definition! So I got thinking about how to really put Christ back in Christmas. (Warning: the following contains a fair share of bitter sarcasm!)

I think that maybe it might be good to plant oneself outside a Wal-Mart and suggest to the shoppers going in that Jesus never said that buying lots of stuff to give to other people who already have lots of stuff was the proper way to celebrate his birthday. In fact, buying stuff that was made by workers in Third World countries being severly underpaid and working in conditions dangerous to them in factories that are dangerous to the environment might actually be the antithesis of what Jesus wants for his birthday. And maybe going inside to have a chat with the store manager about the low pay and lack of benefits for his employees might be squeezed into this day as well. References to Ebeneezer Scrooge and God's preferential option for the poor might be in order. Or maybe putting Christ back in Christmas means volunteering at a shelter or soup kitchen or hospital or prison on more than the holidays. It might even mean exercising your privilege and power as a citizen in a democracy and insisting that those for whom you vote take seriously the Christmas message and start really taking care of those who can't take care of themselves.

But then again, I might just be way off the mark and Christ might just be more concerned about saving the American economy than saving the souls of those addicted to wealth. Let me check with the scriptures and get back to you on that.

Pat's Owl

Pat Zepp joined me today in my annual winter trek through the “wilds” of Brimfield on a quest to count all the birds that can be found. The occasion was the Sturbridge Christmas Bird Count, a part of a 106-year tradition of documenting bird populations throughout North America sponsored by the National Audubon Society. While it is a count, not a competition, there is some pride taken in being able to provide the best possible data. Thus, Pat was subjected to the determination of Tom Clay and me starting our search for owls as soon as possible, i.e. midnight. This year we were so frustrated by the lack of cooperative owls (not to mention the single digit temperatures) that we actually took a ninety minute power nap back at Tom’s house at 2:30 AM. In the end, the sun rose on three very cold birders who had no owls to show for their efforts.

Not content to show up at the compilation (a reading of the list of species so each of the sectors can report their tallies) owl-less, Pat and I headed out to the location where I knew at least one Long-eared Owl has been roosting lately. When we got there, we soon heard a Great Horned Owl calling, just like we had expected…in the middle of the night each of the two times we had stopped there! Buoyed by this, we set off in the snow into the stand of pines. It was not easy going, but we were determined. Going on such little sleep in addition to having walked miles in the freezing cold all day made this an effort of sheer desperation.

And then it happened. I had taken a cell phone call from my wife, and while explaining to Gina that we were bushwhacking in desperation, the Great Horned Owl called again from very nearby, and from even closer a female Long-eared Owl responded with her distinctive slurred call. Pat’s eyes lit up as he pointed in her direction and said “THERE!” I had paused my conversation and clearly heard the owl call again. While I explained to Gina what we were hearing, Pat said with a big smile, “I got that owl, that’s my owl!” How right he was, he worked hard for that joy, and he had the privilege of being the first to receive it.

That is what Advent is all about. It is a long journey and can take a lot of effort to get to the point of finding Christ. There is every reason to take great joy in the glad tidings that Christ is born!

Slowing Down

I had a very hectic day today, one of those without enough time to get everything done. But the end of the day held the lesson. I visited Gail in the hospital in Worcester where she had surgery to fuse vertebrae in her neck today. The surgery went very well and she was enjoying macaroni and cheese when I arrived. We had an engaging and delightful conversation that included the observation that the month of suffering and worry that she had prior to surgery has been a blessing in disguise. She has had to slow down and take stock. When at first she didn't know what was going on she could imagine the worst. We both agreed tonight that it is good periodically to examine your life to see if you think it is going in the direction God intends. We also agreed that hurrying along life's path is a good way to miss the road signs God places there. It is also an easy way to miss a turn and end up on the wrong road altogether.

I like to think of life as a spiritual journey through woods where the path is marked by the blazes on the tree. It is not always easy to find your way, but all you need to know that you are where you ought to be is a single tree marked by the blaze. Then the only task that matters is finding the next tree. Life can really be that simple; we do only get it one day at time, so all we can do is nibble, gulping doesn't really help!

God Is Not Safe

I spent almost all day today outside. I saw the sunrise and the sunset over the trees of the Five Bridge Road area of town. Not surprisingly, the reason was because I was chasing birds, in particular, I wanted to find some owls, thus I required darkness. The problem with darkness and cold woodlands is that the combination can be more than a little unsettling. Even though I do this with some regularity, I must admit that I do get a little jumpy once in a while. Little noises startle me and strange, loud howling noises (rare, but not out of the question) can be cause for concern.

Moving as quickly as I could through a darkening stand of trees tonight reminded me of the 23rd Psalm, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me..." I calmed myself with the thought of God's presence. But then I remembered my favorite quote from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I was disappointed when I saw the movie that they left out the quote, since it occurs when the children are having dinner with the beavers. But then, at the end of the movie, Mr. Tumnus says effectively the same thing to Lucy, so at least it is almost there. The quote is uttered by the beavers in response the children's alarm when they learn that the long-awaited savior, Aslan, who is coming soon, is a lion! They ask, "Is he safe?" The beavers laugh and respond, "Of course he's not safe....but he's good!"

I have always loved that image for Christ, he's not safe at all. In fact, he was considered so dangerous to the status quo that the religious leaders convinced the political leaders to kill him. No, neither Jesus, nor God, is safe. But the danger of following this radical messiah is more than offset by his immeasurable goodness. That is a concept worthy of reflection for a minute or two during these long nights of waiting.

Playful Magus

In the telling of the Nativity story as we usually know it, there is always a continuity problem. The different Gospels told the story differently (Mark doesn't tell it all!). The Magi occur only in Matthew and they find Jesus in a house, not a stable. But that doesn't mean that the story doesn't still tell us a great truth. Among the points of the story of the coming of the Magi is that the non-Jewish world came to recognize and worship God's greatest gift to humanity. They did so by bringing precious gifts.

Yesterday at the living Nativity at Overlook Farm, one Magus (the singular of Magi) tried his best to amuse a distinctly fussy Jesus. Baby Jesus at the 5:00 performance was played by a 15 month-old who very much wanted to get down and move around. Personally, I like the image of a restless Baby Jesus--so much to do and so little time! But Pat Zepp, who was a Magus bearing gold did what any of us would do and tried to entertain the baby with his gift of gold. The baby, as all babies are, was precious; the gold, naturally, was precious; and Pat's playful attempt to quiet a fussy baby was precious. I smiled at the sight. I imagined how many Christmas Pageants since St. Francis' original living Nativity in 1213 have had similarly amusing scenes (Isaiah scattering the ducks at the same performance is another in that long line!) But more enjoyable still was the thought of the original Magi playing peek-a-boo and making funny faces at the infant in Mary's arms. The heart of the Christmas message is the sheer humanity of it. That is the nature and great extent of God's love for you and me.

Seeing a Great Light

There were so many interesting things that happened today that I will need a few days to post them all. I saw The Chronicles of Narnia tonight, I heard that the last survivor of the 1914 Christmas Truce died this year, and I attended the living nativity at Heifer Project's Overlook Farm today. It is the latter where I will go for today's post.

When I arrived, I was immediately approached by Ellen Zepp and asked to be an Old Testament prophet! Well, how could I turn down the role of a lifetime?!? Much to the relief or Mike Zepp (who had been dragooned into the role moments before) I said "yes, I would be Isaiah for a day."

It is no real stretch for me to read scripture, especially the words of a prophet. The prophets spent a good deal of time telling Israelites where they had gone wrong. I spend a good deal of my time reflecting on contemporary parallels. But Isaiah spoke to the Israelites when they were captive in Babylon, and he spoke of hope. Behold, God is doing a new thing...they would be going home! This prophecy was full of hope, "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For unto us is born a child, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called wonderful counsellor, everlasting father, the prince of peace."

What a happy job it is to declare this news, even if it is to the people who continue to walk in darkness. It is hard to believe that a wonderful counsellor who is the prince of peace is coming into this bleak and war torn world. Harder still is it to believe that this messiah has already come. Darkness is powerful, stealing sight from us. Let us not also let it steal hope!

Let It Snow

I don't ski, I don't own a snowmobile or snowshoes, I haven't gone sledding in years, but I love snow. I love the beauty of it. I actually like the fact that it forces me to get outside and get some exercise shovelling it. I also love the way that is slows down the world. A good snow storm becomes an incidental sabbath.

Today, I dug out and headed to the church to meet someone who needed help getting to Boston for medical treatment. Since I was out, I also took the time to visit someone who is receiving hospice care and will be moving to a nursing home next week. Earlier in the week I visited with someone who is facing her first Christmas after the death of her husband. While others complain about the hustle and bustle of the season, I see a season of things slowing down and getting to what matters. Something about the stillness of a landscape covered in snow reminds me of gift of presence. Christmas celebrates God choosing to be present with us in human form; and the greatest gift we can offer to another is our presence. The best part of the present of presence is the fact that giver receives as much as the recipient.

I hope that today's snow slowed you down enough to know the presence of God in your life. Maybe you were even blessed by being present with someone who simply valued you being there. If not tomorrow presents another chance to be present.

Things are Relative

This morning I heard on the radio that it was 9 below zero at Saranac Lake, New York. I also heard that it was 18 degrees in Worcester. So as cold as it was today, it could have been a lot colder. And just think about how much warmer 27 degrees feels when it is 50 in one place but 77 in another!

I donated platelets today. The process is called pheresis and involves a typical blood donation needle in one arm and an IV in the other. The larger needle never bothers me, but the IV can give me trouble since my veins tend to roll when they try to insert it. That happened again today, so they had to change arms and stick me a second time. Trust me, that is not fun. BUT, I felt that I had no room to complain because my little bit of pain resulted in two units of platelets that very well may mean that someone (or maybe more than one) will not die. That is not overstating the case, blood is truly the gift of life. Things are definitely relative, my pain was completely insignificant in comparison to the pain of the person who needs my platelets.

I remember the story a mother of a child I knew who needed platelets to live told me. She said that they sometimes would be en route to the hospital for a transfusion and get a call saying that they need not come in because there were no platelets. One time she need a transfusion Christmas week...and there were platelets available! Someone took time out of the hustle and bustle to give a gift that saved a life.

Donating today may not make me a hero, but it sure made me feel good. So good that I'm going to do it again before Christmas. I would love to also give the gift of a referral. Perhaps you would be willing to try pheresis, check it out here.

The Elusive Yet Holy Core

In looking up the reference to yesterday's post on the NPR site, I was drawn to a This I Believe essay by Penn Jillette (the vocal half of the Penn and Teller magic duo) entitled, There Is No God. While I obviously don't agree with his conclusion, I found little to argue with his essay. You can read it for yourself here. He points out a number of misuses and abuses of a belief in the divine. I was particularly saddened by the ring of familiarity in this statement:

I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, "How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do."

A really difficult, yet incredibly valuable, gift you can give yourself this Advent is to explore your belief in the exisitence of God. Is your belief similar to the one Penn Jillette describes? If so, perhaps you need to explore the less familiar and more frightening waters of belief in a living God, who is indeed still speaking, and thus might say something new that could shake up your former way of thinking. You see, I believe in a God that big. I disagree with Penn, looking for the divine is not asking more of the invisible, it is admitting that there is an invisible, and that invisible force is a compassionate being.

There are other wonderful essays linked on the page of that essay that you might also want to explore. I particularly liked the one by Kathy Dahlen describing how her faith was bolstered by her observing an autopsy. She describes how she discovered that there is more than the physical to this world. She describes it as "the elusive, yet holy core." Yes, that is what I expect to come to earth this, and every Christmas.

Forging a Bond with the Chain Gang

Listening to NPR's All Things Considered today (OK, truth be told, I'm posting this on Wednesday, but it still is Tuesday's thought) I heard a wonderful commentary that made me smile. When commentator Lauretta Hannon was growing up in Warner Robbins, Ga., she and her mother would kill time by riding around in the car. And when they saw chain gangs, they would buy cigarettes and throw the packs out the window to the men.

In the story, Ms. Hannon talks about riding in a car with no seat belts, stocked with orange juice and vodka and at the heart of the story is buying cigarettes for convicts--lots of reasons to view the story with negativity. But I realized right away that those were merely distractions from the heart of the story about learning a valuable life lesson. She described the joy of seeing the "radical happiness" she had caused; as a four-year old she was first becoming aware of her own power.

Christmas is a great time to learn that we have the power to cause radical happiness by simply giving small gifts that matter. Granted, cigarettes may not be the best gifts, but prisoners are certainly among the best recipients if we are looking to give a gift to the person whose birthday it is! (Matthew 25:31-46)

You can hear the story here.

Lo How a Skunk Cabbage E'er Blooming

I went for a walk today and saw a most peculiar sight: skunk cabbage pushing up through the snow and ice! It reminded me of this plants dogged determination to burst forth absolutely as soon as the conditions allow. Of course in this case the right conditions were a false start, there must have been enough cold weather followed by enough warmth to trick it into thinking it was early, early spring.

It is kind of like the way some of us rush Christmas, or any good thing for that matter. Much as we try to deny it, the cycles of this life are necessary, whether it is just the cold and snow of winter, or it is the dark times and valleys of despair in our lives. In those moments we learn about what we need by what we don't have. It puts life into perspective. Just like people putting their lives back together in the Gulf region, we need to take a look at what we have, not what we have lost.

So maybe seeing the skunk cabbage as foolish isn't really fair. It will simply die back and return when the real spring arrives. Perhaps if we could ascribe thoughts to it, it might think, "oh well, that was fun while it lasted, now back to sleep!"

If nothing else, persistent, insistent green shoving its way in to the bleak gray and cold of this day is a sign of hope. Isn't that what we are trying to do in preparing for Christmas?

Prince of Peace

We were reminded today how small the world has become as we lifted up the names of the four members of the Christian Peacemakers Team that have been taken hostage in Iraq. Not only has our church supported this ministry, but we have among us John Worrell and Linda Ammons who are active participants in CPT.

A CPT member is currently blogging about the situation and had a wonderful post about the experience when you visit at mosque. While I encourage you to read the entire post, I was struck by this portion of it:

We are told repeatedly that "Our Koran instructs us to work for peace like your Bible teaches you." Now the connection has been made. This is the point when I feel the weight and support of the entire Christian world as it stumbles and occasionally walks boldly to live out the gospel of the Prince of Peace.

How incredible to be aware of the universal importance of a particular act. Most of us will never know the particular experience that is described here, but I contend that there can (and should) be many moments in our lives when we can feel the weight and support of the entire Christian world. Each of us is a member of the body of Christ and so we must regularly have work to do in service of Christ. At the moment of performing that service, you have the opportunity to feel eternity in the present.

The hostage takers have set a deadline of the end of this week when they are threatening to kill the hostages. Praying for the safety of Harmeet Singh Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember, and Tom Fox, as well as for the transformation of the hearts of their captors is one way seek that moment of transcendence. Finally, if we are to be true to our allegiance to the Prince of Peace, we must remember all the suffering of all those who are caught up in this violence. We must remember all those in prison in Iraq and their families. We must pray for those who make the decisions that perpetuate warfare and for those who create the conditions. A real and lasting peace in our time would be the greatest gift of all this or any Christmas.

The Song of Simeon

Part of the extended Christmas story is the presentation of Jesus in the temple on the eigth day (for his circumcision). When Mary and Joseph arrive with the baby they are shocked by the reception they get from an old man who lives in the temple, Simeon. He says the words that we know as a familiar parting blessing,

"Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

These words are also commonly used in funeral services. I thought of them today as I participated in a memorial service for a fellow birder (more here). At the gathering following the memorial, I heard a story about Steve's final days in hospice that illustrated how one can live a life of hope like Simeon did...right up to the end.

Linda told me how she was unsure of what to say when she visited Steve in hospice, so she decided that she couldn't rehearse such a thing and just (wisely) showed up. She quickly learned that she had made the right decision as Steve took over the conversation, telling her how he had recently had a classic look at a white-eyed vireo, seeing all the field marks and obviously enjoying the rare treat. Here was a man who understood that his life list was not going to get any longer, but he knew enough to enjoy every last bird on his last year list.

If you knew that this were your last day on earth, how would you want to spend it? I pray that the answer is "doing exactly what I'm doing."

Santa or Easter Bunny?

Have you ever put on a pair of pants, reached in the pocket and found cash? This just happened to Gina the other day; apparently she laundered some money ;-) It was kind of like Christmas discovering twenty bucks that way. Except that as I thought about it I realized that it was more like Easter, since on Christmas you generally know where to look to find the present, but on Easter you have to search for the hidden eggs (granted, what is under the tree is more exciting than an egg most of the time, but work with me here).

At the risk of beating a long dead horse, Advent is all about searching and finding that the gift is other than what we expect. We can approach the task of preparation with dread, or we can search with the joyful expectation that at any moment we might find a great surprise. We may not know exactly what the gift will be that we find, but we know that we will like it and not only will it bring us joy, it will be just what we always wanted--even if we didn't know what it was that we wanted! The great gift of finding Christ in Christmas is that we find the answer to all our needs. That's a whole lot more than a twenty-dollar bill turning up in a pocket!

Elijah's Seat

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' defiant stand (well, "sit" actually) on a Montgomery bus, so buses all around the nation marked the day by leaving a seat empty in her honor, including buses in Springfield. This reminded me of the practice at the Seder meal during Passover of leaving a seat at the table for Elijah. The idea is that one never knows if this will be the year of Elijah's return.

In Jesus' day people were watching for Elijah's return and some thought that he had come back as John the Baptist. Elijah is the vangaurd, leading the way and calling for us to follow. Well, wasn't that what Rosa Parks did as well? What voices do we hear today crying in the wilderness, telling us to clear a path for the savior to come to us on?

We Are All the Same

Today is World AIDS Day. Too few people mark this day, perhaps because of the sad nature of this remembrance in the midst of the holiday season. But as we prepare for the light to burst forth in the darkness it is appropriate to take a look around at the suffering in the world.

There are 40 million people in the world infected with HIV. Just this year 3 million people have died of AIDS. In Swaziland, 38% of the population is infected with HIV. In South Africa, AIDS is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five.

Read that last paragraph again and try to comprehend the magnitude of this pandemic. More people have died of AIDS this year than died in the war in Iraq, the hurricanes in the Gulf, the earthquake in Kashmir and even the tsunami last year…combined!

That is great darkness in which to hope for light. But in a world where people living with HIV/AIDS are the obvious equivalent of the lepers of Biblical times, where do you think would be a good place to look for the birth of the promised messiah?

I heard again today about the book, We Are All the Same about a young South African boy, Nkosi Johnson, who died of AIDS. He knew that life is terminal, and that for him it would be short so he spent his time doing only that which was of most importance. His adoptive mother, Gail Johnson, is an AIDS activist who, among other things, has opened inns for mothers with AIDS. What a wise woman to make room at her inn that the Christ may be born!

Hole-y Peeping

Chickadees and titmice in particular are easily aggitated by the sound of a screech-owl. They are conditioned to flock together and work on driving out the predator. This group effort provides for their mutual protection. Birders know about this behavior and regularly seek to "call in" flocks of small song birds by imitating a Screech-owl (usually in hopes of finding something rarer than a chickadee or titmouse). I do this quite often.

So it was interesting to me to observe a flock of these little critters recently. The chickadees and titmice were already a bit worked up so I thought that there might be a live owl in the neighborhood. I thought this particularly because I saw some of them investigating a large hole in a tree--a perfect spot for a screech-owl to roost. So I tried imitating a screech-owl in hopes of enticing the invisible owl out of the hole. Sadly, that didn't happen. What did happen was that a number of chickadees and titmice completely ignored the source of the sound (i.e. me) and instead peered into the hole in the tree!

So I got wondering if this was at all common (I had seen this behavior at least once before). So I sent word to a local birding e-mail list. Well, I found that this was a rather common occurence. Most startling were the comments of a couple of people about how small birds would investigate holes even when screech-owls didn't occur in the area. Someone also alluded to a study where scientists tested whether the birds simply check out any hole by posting a box they knew to be empty of owls, and the birds still peered into it!

Apparently chickadees and titmice are "hardwired" to look into holes when they hear a screech-owl. Now this behavior may seem to us to be a bit of a waste of time, but if there were something as important as a potential owl in the neighborhood and you were a chickadee you would want to be sure. Well friends, there is reportedly something rather important coming to our neighborhood. That would be the child expected on December 25th! Maybe we should take a lesson from our feathered friends who can't help themselves from doing some hole-y peeping and be sure to do some holy peeping of our own!

The Hopes and Fears

In the carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, we sing the words "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." That poor little town of Bethlehem has known more than its fair share of fears and surely there are multitudes who throughout the years have added their prayers for peace for that ravaged area. I suppose there is an increase in hope this year and decrease in fear over last year, but who can say how these things balance?

I read an opinion piece in the UC News today that reminded me of this carol. Kathryn Timpany wrote about a most remarkable event that happened last December. I was overwhelmed to learn of it, having not heard about it at the time or any time since. She writes,

Last December, in Thailand, after a surge of violence in the country's Muslim south, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra decided to try something new and novel.

He ordered more than 50 warplanes and C-130 transports filled with soldiers to take to the air--at enormous cost--and drop 120 million folded-paper cranes upon the upturned faces of the hope-drained people who live there.

Can you imagine the fears of the people who saw those warplanes flying overhead? Then can you imagine the great gift of hope when instead of bombs falling they found themselves flooded in symbols of peace and hope? Traditionally origami cranes are folded by the hundreds as a method of praying for a miracle. What a great gift we would give this Christmas if where there is strife we would sow peace. Perhaps in honor of the birthday of the Prince of Peace you might want to fold your own origami crane, literally, but more importantly figuratively.

Romney Wordsworth

I've been reading The Gospel According to America by David Dark. Today I read with interest about a Twilight Zone episode featuring a character named Romney Wordsworth. Wordsworth, a librarian, is considered obsolete by the society he lives in and is condemned to death. He argues passionately that he has value simply by being a human being who contributes his own perspective and unique thoughts to society. This point is at the heart of Dark's book which decries the stark polarization of American society at the moment. Here is part of what I read today:

In the wide world of sports, brand namees, wrestiling, and presidential campaigns, we won't usually go broke selling a sense of belonging. But just becasue we can sell T-shirts and bumper stickers and win elections with a sense of outrage doesn't mean we have to give in to its tactics. When America's public discourse is reduced to two parties trying to outshout each other concerning how angry they are about other people's evil, the mantras inevitably work their way into out conversations with spouses, neighbors, brothers, and sisters. We need Romney Wordsworth who reminds us that we live our lives under the gaze of a just God who knows our innermost thoughts as if we were shouting them, who opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, and who notices our hateful words even after we've learned to surround ourselves with people who talk the same way. It will cost him his life, but Wordsorth will offer the demystifying, prophetic word. It's always costly.

God's opposition of the proud and giving grace to the humble reminds me of Mary's song, the Magnificat, when she learns she is pregnant with Jesus. So it is a wonderful Advent admonition to be humble. This is a great season to cease our shouting, to move beyond party lines and seek peace on earth by starting with the person who holds an opposing view sitting in the next booth at the coffee shop. Dark encourages the kind of dialogue that can take place in a coffee shop. The rules are simple: keep your voice down (people are trying to eat and drink in peace), remember that you will see these people again since they live in your community, and see the person not the stereotype. This sort of civil discourse is sadly absent in much of the media and certainly in politics. But as individuals we don't need to ape such bad behavior.

The Interruption of Everything

At the 8:30 service this morning, Barbara Desmond told me about a line in the new Terry McMillan novel, "The Interruption of Everything." One character warns another not to have God as her spare tire, but rather to have God as her steering wheel. Now that is a powerful metaphor for this Advent season when we consider the image of turning. How easy it is to simply take God for granted; to assume that in an emergency God will be present to help, just like a spare tire. In old VW Beetles (the original version) the clever engineers cut as many corners as possible, so they used the air pressure of the spare tire to power the windshield washer. Practical as this may be, it would at times lead to a soft tire when it was most needed. I'm afraid that taking God for granted is just like that: we tap into a little of the Holy Spirit's "air pressure" when we need it and go merrily on our way, thinking that we are in charge and have no needs that we can't handle. But then when we are lost and in need, we don't know where to turn and we don't have the resources we need.

Now if God is the steering wheel, then we are able to go where we need to go without a worry. I have to say that I don't like the idea of being in control of what God does, so the metaphor comes up a little short. But, God is certainly the power that turns the wheels in the right direction. Since we exercise free will, God is foolish enough to let us turn the wheels in the wrong direction too. But at least if God is our steering wheel, then we absolutely can go nowhere without God. That is certainly how it should be.

In this sometimes crazy season, where the "true meaning of Christmas" is threatened to be drowned out my advertizing and consumerism, give yourself the gift of constantly requiring God's presence to give you direction--it just might be the greatest gift you ever receive.

House Cleaning

Advent starts on Sunday, so what will you do differently starting

Sunday for the next four weeks until Christmas? Shopping and going

crazy are not acceptable answers! Advent is a time of preparation

for the birth of Christ. I used the metaphor of cleaning house in my

sermon this past week to describe what Advent is like. When a

special guest is coming to your house you usually work at making

things ready. You want everything to be extra clean and

organized. You might even attempt to finish a project or two that

have long gone undone. So how much more should you want to get your

house cleaned and ready for the coming of Christ?

Of course, Jesus is not coming in the flesh to your house...or at

least I'm not promising that! But every Advent is a time to prepare

ourselves to receive Christ anew in our hearts. So we have a

prescribed period of time to prepare our inner selves for the blessed

event. That time is marked by the four Sundays preceding Christmas

(not counting Christmas day, which is this year on a Sunday). That

means that you have a couple of days left to decide what discipline

you could adopt to do a month's worth of internal "house cleaning."

If you think this sounds a bit like Lent, then you are

correct. Historically, Advent was seen more as a time of fasting

than feasting, designed to prepare us for the great feast of

Christmas, just as Lent prepares us for the great feast of

Easter. But you Advent discipline doesn't need to be

painful. Perhaps we all should take stock of our lives and take some

time each day to change our ways, one item at a time. In fact, just

slowing down enough to take some time to reflect on your life in the

presence of God sounds like a pretty good choice for an Advent

discipline. A structure for a daily discipline could be setting a

specific time each day to pray for a set period of time. Daily

reading a scripture and/or a devotional is another traditional way of

marking Advent. Perhaps you might decide that starting that new

exercise program you planned on doing in the new year would be better

started now as a spiritual discipline during Advent.

United, uniting and unions

I've neglected the blog, but I'm going to attempt to get things moving again...

A couple of things have hit the news lately that connect here. I previously posted about the Service Employees International Union. Now they have joined a couple of other unions in leaving the AFL-CIO. I'm impressed that their goals are not limited by politcal "realities" but that they seem to be implying that they want to change the world!

In that previous post I also contended that as Christians we are members of one of the largest unions in the world. Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, recently held its national meeting, General Synod. At this meeting the delegates voted to support marriage rights for all, not least of whom being gay and lesbian couples. Needless to say, this has led to some heated debates and even to some ending their relationship with the denomination.

These two situations demonstrate the necessity of questioning whether the strength of unity is more important than principles for which we stand. In the United Church of Christ we strive to be united and uniting, but that never requires unanimity. When we gather in covenant communities, whether on the local level or any setting up to the full national setting, we never claim authority to speak for any group other than ourselves, while reserving the right to speak to the other settings of the church. It can be a fine line to walk at times, but it allows for principles and unity to stay in relationship...and certainly makes for some exciting times. In the end, who knows, maybe we will change the world!

Integrity of Creation

Sometimes it is hard to accept that there is integrity in absolutely all of creation. Some parts of creation are just a bit...um... nastier than others. Case in point is the Voodoo Lilly. Ellen Zepp is growing some and enjoys them enough to share them with others. That is where the story gets interesting.

First, here are some facts about this particular Voodoo Lilly, the Amorphophallus konjac:

• fly pollinated
• member of the arum family (relatives of the calla lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage, philodendron)
• comes from China and Vietnam
• blossom on a brown lumpy tuber
• blossom spikes grow visibly (inches) each day
• single leaf that grows after the blossom dies back is strikingly beautiful and looks like a small palm tree
• though arums are generally toxic, some are edible - Amorphophallus konjac a commercial source of glucomannan
• the blossom SMELLS!!!!!!!!
  

It is on that last point that the sharing becomes interesting. Here are some descriptive terms applied to the smell recently by some children:

• "Stinky!"
• "Nasty!"
• "Disgusting!"
• "Putrid!"
• "I want to puke!"
• "Smells like a long-dead zebra!"
• "Evil!"
  

The first six observatons are true enough (although one must wonder where the child had smelled a long-dead zebra!), but the last one raised Ellen's hackles, and rightfully so. Is there truly anything in all of creation that is evil? One of the more dangerous pieces of rhetoric these days is to refer to the terroists and those who won't join in "our" fight against them as evil. You would have to search long and hard to find a theologian who would tell you that the line between good and evil runs between nations, or even individuals. No the line that divides good from evil is a thin one that runs through every human heart!

So, the poor smelly Voodoo Lilly is anything but evil. In fact, at least one creature thinks it is pretty darned good. Check out this picture of a frog calling it home sweet home!

Is It Kosher?

John Robinson, pastor to the Pilgrims, told them before they left on the Mayflower, “God yet has more light and truth to break forth from his holy word.” When did we stop believing that? Even within the Bible we can see that process. Look at what portion of Old Testament Law is spent on describing what is clean and unclean. Yet in a single vision, Peter hears God telling him that “all things are now clean” and the course of Christianity changed from exclusively a sect of Judaism to including all who would come. Christians have ever since considered the kosher laws of the Hebrew Bible null and void, or at least optional.

One of the sad legacies of the clean/unclean debate is that some people were considered unclean, which led them to be rejected by civil society. In Jesus’ day these would have included lepers, prostitutes, and those left less than whole by disease and disability. Yet these were the very people who sought out Jesus…and more importantly those whom Jesus sought out.

Even sadder is that two millennia later, after more than sufficient time to reflect on the words and example of Jesus, as well as the teaching of the Apostles, we still don’t seem to get it. Somehow homeless, poor and addicted people are unclean, and thus not given equal treatment, with at least the implication that they are not as deserving as the rest of us who are clean. And even if we reserve the right to debate the place of homosexuals in the church, how can we as a society deny rights to homosexual couples that we grant to heterosexual couples? If Jesus were walking the streets of America today, who do you think would follow him…and whom would he seek to spend his time with? Think hard about your answer to that question because the next logical question is, “whom do you seek to spend your time with?”

One body, two ears

Some would call it coincidence, some synchronisity, but I prefer calling it the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday, April 10, we dedicated the handbells during worship. During the week prior I had started working on the message based on that week's scripture (and had the "weasley" encounter previously posted). Mid-week I finally realized that it was the week of the handbell dedication and quickly shifted gears. As I worked on the service I decided that a nice message for the children would be about the 1 Corinthians 12 passage about one body with many parts so I emailed our Christian Education Director, Carlos, to suggest it. He emailed me back that he was not going to be in church that Sunday, that he already talked to Cindy about covering Sunday School, and that he had failed to line up anyone for the children's message. No problem then, I could use the message and do it myself.

Meanwhile, Cindy planned on doing a craft involving coloring masks and talking about how God made us all different. When she got to church on Sunday morning she discovered that the kids had already done that craft so she had to scramble for another one. She decided to use some large cardboard jigsaw pieces she had and have the kids color them to look like themselves and they would then show how they all fit together!

Imagine her amazement when she heard my children's message?!?!

If we had been more organized and planned better we may have come up with the same thing, but then we would have missed out on tingling excitement of feeling the Holy Spirit at work in our midst. God is indeed still speaking!

A Truly International Union

Monday on Talk of the Nation on NPR there was a story about the future of unions. They had the president of the Service Employees International Union, Andy Stern, as a guest (in a previous life I helped to try to get this union to organize in a place I worked). He had some very interesting things to say. One thing that SEIU has done is to work for justice for janitors. The problem has been that even when employers wanted to pay their employees higher wages (better retention, harder workers, etc.) the market worked against them since contracts would always go to the lowest bidder. So SEIU took the novel approach of organizing the employers so that together they could increase wages and benefits across the board without cutting off their noses to spite their faces!

This got me thinking about the wonderful value of being one body with many parts. Andy Stern was talking about countering the problems of globalization by getting unions in different countries to work together just as the janitorial companies had. As Christians we are part of one of the largest "unions" on the planet. And we have a responsibility to all of our union brothers and sisters to work for their welfare. In fact, we are called to be "service employees" whose job it is to serve all others in order to make the world a better place.

There was another story on NPR this morning about students at Stanford teaching English to SEIU janitors at their school. What struck me was how much the students were able to see how they were benefitting from their giving. Not only is that how it should be; those who have experienced this sort of giving of themselves will tell you that this is just how it always is.

Close encounter of the weasley kind

So as proof that God is still speaking (at least to me) I offer this true story from last week.

I decided to take a journal and go for a walk in the woods looking for a place to sit and reflect on the upcoming week's scripture as part of my sermon preparation. I've always been more inclined to pray in motion, so that was my plan. Praying as I walked, the question I was seeking to have answered was "where to stop and sit?" I had a specific spot in mind over looking a stream but only hoped that there would be a log or rock to sit upon.

When I reached the spot that looked familiar I noticed a piece of orange plastic flagging hanging in a tree, directly over a large rock imbedded in the hillside. I think I actually said out loud "OK, I guess I won't be needing that engraved invitation then!" So, of course I sat down on the rock, and found that there was also a notch to rest my feet on! So I proceded to journal, thankful that God had led me to this wonderfully serene location.

As I reached the end of what I had to write I had a feeling that something was about to happen, more specifically, I had an expectation that something was about to appear. Normally I would think that this sort of "spidey sense" for me would mean that I picked up some hint of a bird. But this was different. As I gazed down at the stream some 100 yards or so below me I saw a squirrel scamper up a tree. It struck me that it had the looks of one avoiding a predator. I'm not sure if it was that impression or the the dark brown movement I saw next that led me to the conclusion that there was a fisher down there.

Sure enough, I raised my binoculars and focused on a nice, big, healthy fisher (Martes pennanti). I watched it as it loped along in my general direction. I watched as it started up the hill in my general direction. I watched as it continued up the hill in my general direction. I watched as I realized it was coming in my specific direction! I watched in the binoculars until it go so close that the binoculars were redundant. I watched as it walked along the trunk of a downed tree not more than eight feet away!

It was then that it stopped, turned its head to look at me, raised its nose in the air, gave a sniff...and decided that I probably wouldn't taste as good as porcupine (its preferred prey) and scampered quickly back down to the stream.

It was then that I offered up a one-word prayer, "cool!"

Filled to the brim in Brimfield

OK, so the town is Brimfield, not Brimfilled, but what a great image of God's extravagant love for us. Yes, Brimfield is a sleepy little rural community in west-central Massachusetts, but do you think that that means that God is too busy elsewhere to care about this place? Of course not! There is nothing in the world that cannot be done when the power and blessing of God is a part of it.

The point of this blog will be to find all those little ways that God is present in big ways every day. I pray that you will find a blessing here...and get filled to the brim and more.