It is December 23rd and I am getting ready to go to a Tae Kwon Do Christmas Party. NO that is not an oxymoron! The school I am a part of is a traditional TKD school, but it is run by followers of the way. Don't get me wrong, we are not the fundamentalists type of people who think we have to change everything into a "Christian" thing, but we are all learners of the Master, so we are having a Christmas Party. I am looking forward to it.
But on this day before the day before Christmas, I am working on my sermon for Christmas Eve and Day. I don't expect too many on Christmas Day, but tomorrow I have two services at two different churches and they should be packed. I have been thinking about my homily for a week or so now and still don't know where I am going, or more appropriately, where the Holy Spirit is leading me.
I want to start out with the words for you. That is what all the stores tell us. You need a new car and now is the time to buy. YOU could get those year end tax rebates and YOU could be driving home in a new Chevy. YOU could have this one of a kind Ginsu knife set for only 5 payments of $39.99. It cuts, it chops, it even does the dishes! What a bargain. YOU could be the next contestant on the Price is Right! I know that the Gospel lesson for Christmas Eve says that TO YOU is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, but somehow that sounds too Fundy for me. The Fundamentalists always turn the good news into a personal salvation event and I DO NOT want to sound like one of them. There are already too many of them out there and they have almost cornered the market on what people think about Christians. Furthermore, the good news is for the world. For God so loved the WORLD . . and the like.
But sometimes we forget just who God became flesh for. YES it is for the world. YES it is for the cosmos. YES it is for every living thing that God's love came down, but it is also personal. God's love is big enough for the entire world, and yet God still loves me. God became flesh for me. Little old me? That is truly amazing, and I stand in awe of it.
Even more than that, the for me savior continues to live through me. God's love came down and took on flesh so many years ago so that I could take on flesh for others who need to see God today. The old country song is true, I might be the only Bible someone else gets to read. So through me, the world can either see God or see evil. Today, I choose to let God work through me so the word can become flesh again. Merry Christmas!!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
I love Christmas
Well, it is Advent, and with this season, the liturgical Nazis come out. They tell me "you can't sing Christmas hymns during Advent!! It is not proper." HOGWASH! I would sing Joy to the World every Sunday if my parish would let me.
It is not that I am a rebel, well maybe it is, but I love this time of year. I love the sights of snow slowly falling on the ground, or for that matter a major snow storm blanketing the landscape. I love the sounds of bells ringing, of laughing children, of contentment being had, and good guitar music being played on my Ipod. I love the joy of expectation--the expectation of seeing grandma at her house on Christmas Eve, of celebrating the Holy Day with loved ones, and of coarse of opening presents. This time of year is awesome for me.
But, people tell me not to sing Christmas hymns during the worship service because it is Advent and we should sing Advent hymns. Now I understand the reason--We don't want to over do Christmas now do we? We don't want to people to start thinking it is Christmas in October like the stores do do we? We want to put the emphasis on the right thing in the church don't we? We need to sing Advent hymns, but have you ever tried to sing those Advent hymns? Some of them are the reason no one wants to come to church anymore! I love "O Come, O Come, Immanuel." That is one awesome Advent hymn, but some of the others . . .well let's just say NO!
But what would happen if we did celebrate Christmas every day of the year? What would the world be like if we lived out in our daily lives the Word incarnate in us every day? Would that be such a terrible thing? What if we sang Joy to the World every morning when we woke up? Would that change our out look on the day? What if we lived out "What Child Is This" as we drove to work every morning? I think the world needs a good dose of Christmas every day. I think the politicians need Christmas every day. I think the war mongers need a good dose of seeing the Word made Flesh in their enemies.
Christmas every day would be a world changing, heart breaking, love making event. I am all for it. Merry Christmas today, tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that, and . . .
It is not that I am a rebel, well maybe it is, but I love this time of year. I love the sights of snow slowly falling on the ground, or for that matter a major snow storm blanketing the landscape. I love the sounds of bells ringing, of laughing children, of contentment being had, and good guitar music being played on my Ipod. I love the joy of expectation--the expectation of seeing grandma at her house on Christmas Eve, of celebrating the Holy Day with loved ones, and of coarse of opening presents. This time of year is awesome for me.
But, people tell me not to sing Christmas hymns during the worship service because it is Advent and we should sing Advent hymns. Now I understand the reason--We don't want to over do Christmas now do we? We don't want to people to start thinking it is Christmas in October like the stores do do we? We want to put the emphasis on the right thing in the church don't we? We need to sing Advent hymns, but have you ever tried to sing those Advent hymns? Some of them are the reason no one wants to come to church anymore! I love "O Come, O Come, Immanuel." That is one awesome Advent hymn, but some of the others . . .well let's just say NO!
But what would happen if we did celebrate Christmas every day of the year? What would the world be like if we lived out in our daily lives the Word incarnate in us every day? Would that be such a terrible thing? What if we sang Joy to the World every morning when we woke up? Would that change our out look on the day? What if we lived out "What Child Is This" as we drove to work every morning? I think the world needs a good dose of Christmas every day. I think the politicians need Christmas every day. I think the war mongers need a good dose of seeing the Word made Flesh in their enemies.
Christmas every day would be a world changing, heart breaking, love making event. I am all for it. Merry Christmas today, tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that, and . . .
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