Wednesday, December 23, 2020 – Thoughts before Christmas Eve/Christmas Day 

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” (Luke 2: 8, King James Version)

Abiding,
        Hunkered down,

            Living exposed in the fields,
                Out in the open, unsheltered,

Abiding,
        Dwelling in the darkness,
            Mindful of the roars of devouring lions,
                Vulnerable to the vagaries of wolf and bear.

Abiding,
        Keeping watch in the biting winds of misfortune and ever-present threats,
            Tending to our burdens of care and worry,
                Shepherding our tensions and anxieties.

These are strange fields in which to dwell, to camp,
        to pine for shelter,
        to call home for a season.

Truth be told, we confess that we can’t abide these circumstances.
Nevertheless, there seems little choice,
        So we abide and wait,
        And hope
        And long for some new morning
        When God’s Love renews itself in Light and Grace.

Abiding in our familiar fields and environs,
       Waiting,
       Hoping,
       Praying,
For even the faintest whisper of angels on the wing
And for the fresh winds of carolled song
       To clear the night air of fog and fears.

Eager to be anywhere but here,
We anticipate a signal, some word, some fresh opinion
That it is possible not to abide or dwell here any longer,
       But move forward,
       Seek Good News,
       Scurry toward Bethlehem.

The glorious shelter of stable and manger
surpasses the poverty of our fields.

 
In the strength of mother and child
In the wee small hands of a baby
In the mystery of birth and new life
Comes a new invitation:
      “Abide in me and I in you”

Abiding!

Dale

 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020 – Thoughts for Advent Four

“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.” (John 15: 9 – 10, The Message Bible)

                 Forgive me if I have shared this story before. I am at that stage in life… repeating  myself.

                After my first year at McMaster Divinity College, I found summer employment at the youth correctional institute in Cobourg, Ontario as a student chaplain. One of my tasks was to lead the mid-week chapel service.  My text was some modern version of the famous Love passage out of Corinthians. I thought I was being clever, I suppose, by using a fresh, hipper version of the familiar words with images that I had hoped the youth would more readily relate to. My short sermonette was based on those words. If anybody needed to hear the good news of God’s love it had to be these incarcerated children and youth.

                What I will always remember is the effect the text and my words had on one young boy, maybe 12 years old at the most. Not repentance. Not salvation. Not an outpouring of love. But anger, bitterness and frustration. I don’t remember his exact words but at the end of chapel time, he loudly and vehemently denounced the whole concept of “love” as being a great load of hooey and he was tired of hearing preachers talking about it in chapel times. He was a world-weary boy already at his age and his worldliness did not include the rich experience of love.

                It was a reminder that mere words, no matter how pious and even truthful they may be, are of little benefit if there are not actions which strongly back them up. “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:2. The New Living Translation)

                What this child wanted was to truly and deeply experience some form of  tangible, real and unconditional love. But he was far from home, far from those few he cared about who gave him what love he could find,  far from the warmth and comfort of being surrounded by something or someone which cared deeply for his welfare and well-being. Words were useless; didn’t even scratch the surface.

                Although they certainly scratched at his soul!

                Christmas is a season full of Love. One might say that Love is the very essence of Christmas whether one is religious, spiritual or secular in its celebration. That Love is  often expressed through “hearth and kin”,  the practice and experience of homecomings and gatherings and family. It is finding the place where we belong, where we find shelter from what is going on in the big world, a place which beckons, welcomes and includes us without judgment or unrealistic expectations.  A Loving Home is where we kick off our dusty shoes, pull up to the kitchen table and share laughter, joy and blessing over memories, food and drink.

                But this Love has got to be more than words – it must be expressed in our actions, behaviour, and practice. It must be evidenced in the way we treat one another, respect each other, care for one another and embrace not only the shared similarities of “family” life, but have compassionate understanding and inclusivity of our differences.

                “Make yourself at home in my Love,” Jesus tells his disciples.  We rightfully portray the Christmas Message about how Jesus came and made his home among us, the Word made flesh which dwelt among us. But like all family reunions, it works both ways. His Advent became the offer of a homecoming of our own, finding ourselves at the very centre of God’s Love, with God’s arms opened wide like a father greeting his prodigal children. Against all odds, we are intimately at home in God’s Love.

                Not just words. Actions – from manger to cross to empty grave.

 

Dale

 

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 m – Thoughts for Advent Three

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”  (Philippians 4: 4 -9, The Message Bible)

                I had the privilege of being a classmate of sorts with Sister Miriam Therese Winter at the McMaster Divinity College. She had come to the College from Philadelphia to work on her Masters of Religious Education. Back in the late sixties and in the seventies, Sister Miriam and three other nuns were very popular as the Medical Mission Sisters, a singing quartet. Miriam wrote the words and music - catchy, lively, thoughtful, contemporary and meaningful – a precursor of contemporary Christian music but with a lot more depth and nuance.

                One of my favourite songs from their repertoire is I saw raindrops. It speaks or sings to the experience of finding real joy even in the midst of pain and hurt. “I saw raindrops on my window, Joy is like the rain. Laughter runs across my pain, slips away and comes again.  Joy is like the rain.”

                As we prepare for Christmas by lighting the Advent Candle for Joy this coming Sunday, it isn’t hard to argue that all the joy has almost been sucked right out of this Christmas and the year 2020. Even as the promise of vaccines now appears to be more of a reality, we are, understandably, cautious and perhaps even a little skeptical or worse, cynical about the future, post-Christmas. It may be taking a lot to simply put a smile on our faces right now.

                But out text invites us to continue to rejoice at the promise of a coming Messiah, as we wait and anticipate the fresh, creative arrival of God’s Kingdom which puts all things right. We can celebrate with joy, thanksgiving, hope and confidence that the incarnational grip by which God has hold of the whole world is going to bear fruit and take charge of the world once and for all.

                That is very good news - “good news of a great joy” as the angel said to the shepherds - for all the people, for us!  It bears repeating: “Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” 

                In other words, don’t let sadness, worry, even grief invade your Christmas. Of course, there is sadness all around us, but this doesn’t mean that we allow unhappiness to take over our lives and push us into despair or darkness. We may  look for and find joy in many of the  little things which pop up in our lives.  But allow those sparks help  ignite a richer, deeper, more intense spirit of God’s Joy flowing through us.

                Joy is the gift of knowing of God’s loving presence and encouragement: “they shall name him Emmanuel which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23)

Do you hear that Christmas message – God is with us. And if God is with us, who can be against us or what chance do such things have to defeat us?

                “I saw raindrops on the river, Joy is like the rain. Bit by bit the river grows, ‘til all at once it overflows. Joy is like the rain.”

               

Dale

 Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - Thoughts for Advent Two

“…the angel reassured them, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.’” (Luke 2: 10 New Living Translation)

                 I have a disquieting, uneasy and uncomfortable feeling that this Christmas is going to be quite different than normal.

                Bethlehem is in the Red Zone and all businesses are closed. The Inn industry is in shambles; this is usually their busiest time of the year and are normally full. Not this year.  Consequently, Joseph and Mary will not be traveling to their family re-union in Bethlehem. The shepherds are to maintain their social distancing and to remain in their own region over the holidays. Fines will be levied for non-compliance. The heavenly host, if they make any appearance at all, must all wear masks and their numbers are reduced to only ten percent of their usual size. It would be preferable if they did not sing but gently whisper the Good News.  Due to travel restrictions, the Magi will not be leaving for Jerusalem or Bethlehem. These are the new decrees of Caesar Augustus!

                It may not be as bad as this, but most of us are facing very different Christmas celebrations this year because of Covid 19. Susan and I are facing the prospect of not seeing any of our children and grandchildren, outside of a video link. Yikes!

                I need some reassurance that no matter what, Christmas will happen.

                It comes to mind that as we light the advent candle for peace on Sunday, that the Biblical meaning of peace has many complex and evocative characteristics. It is more than being conflict free. It is well-being, wholeness, inner tranquility, freedom from worry and anxiety and inner conflicts, to name a few things which come quickly to mind.

                But I also want to affirm the traits that are about reassurance (with emphasis on the “assurance”) and comfort.  These qualities rise up against the spirit of our times. Both qualities are found in the angel’s words, “Do not be afraid.”

These same words show up three times in Luke’s Christmas Story, once to Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, and then to Mary, Jesus’ mother. They are spoken confidently and boldly in order to break through personal fears, disquiet, worries and confusion.

God is putting his arms around these participants in the unfolding Christmas Drama, assuring them it is going to be O.K., inviting them into God’s future plans and thereby encouraging them to find that deeper sense of reassurance and comfort, that however strange  it all may be, God is moving forward with his promise of Peace through his Love for us. God has not let us go, has not abandoned us, has not thrown us to the wolves.

To be reassured is to be given the strength when we fear that we do not have the legs for walking to Bethlehem on our own. Reassurance often needs to come from outside of ourselves. It is the gift of Faith, Hope  and Love that pushes us to move forward. Surprising ourselves, we can calmly, after all,  get through what is happening. It is the Voice, the Message, that there is Good News coming. This Good News is the reassurance of Peace because it is not Caesar Augustus in charge, it is God. I find great comfort in that!

So, yeah, this Christmas is going to be a challenge. But it isn’t going to stop the reality of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, being front and center in the mix of things. Don’t be afraid. Be strong and of good courage. Peace be unto you!

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NLT)

 Dale