Remembrance of Advent with a Friend - Christmas Day

A Christmas Day 2003 blessing from Paul Berry:

Praise GOD!

Praise GOD
for the joy and delight of children
and grandchildren.

Praise GOD
for the calmness after the "storm"
of shrieks and wrapping being shredded.

Praise GOD
for laughter,
for 'thank-you's'
for words of wonder and surprise.

Praise GOD
for Bethlehem's birth,
for Calvary's suffering,
for Easter life.

May the love of God enfold you this Christmas tide.
May the power of the Lord strengthen you.
May the Joy of Christ's Spirit fill your hearts ...
May your Hope and anticipation be answered with Jesus' Peace
On this day of Holy Nativity and for evermore.

AMEN.

Remembrance of Advent with a Friend - Christmas Eve

This was shared by Paul Berry on Christmas Eve, 2003:

Christmas in the trenches - SojoMail 12.24.03
Christmas in the trenches
by Jim Wallis

"Silent Night," by Stanley Weintraub, is the story of Christmas Eve 1914 on the World War I battlefield in Flanders. As the German, British, and French troops facing each other were settling in for the night, a young German soldier began to sing "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht." Others joined in. When they had finished, the British and French responded with other Christmas carols.

Eventually, the men from both sides left their trenches and met in the middle. They shook hands, exchanged gifts, and shared pictures of their families. Informal soccer games began in what had been "no-man's-land." And a joint service was held to bury the dead of both sides.
The generals, of course, were not pleased with these events. Men who have come to know each other's names and seen each other's families are much less likely to want to kill each other. War seems to require a nameless, faceless "enemy."

So, following that magical night the men on both sides spent a few days simply firing aimlessly into the sky. Then the war was back in earnest and continued for three more bloody years. Yet the story of that Christmas Eve lingered - a night when the angels really did sing of peace on earth.

Folksinger John McCutcheon wrote a song about that night in Belgium, titled "Christmas in the Trenches," from the viewpoint of a young British solder. Several poignant verses are:

"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 prayer for the New Year is for a nation and world where people can come out of their trenches and together sing their hopes for peace. We here at Sojourners will carry on that mission, and we invite you to continue on the journey with us.

Blessings to you and your families.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the complete lyrics to John McCutcheon's song, see: http://www.folkmusic.com/record/r_water.htm#Christmas

A new book by German author Michael Jurgs draws from previously unseen letters and diaries to detail the Christmas truce of 1914. Read about it at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1082392,00.html

For more history of the 1914 Christmas truce, including many first-person accounts, visit: http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa122100a.htm?once=true&
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
SUBSCRIBE
If this SojoMail was forwarded to you, click here for your free subscription.

Rosie - the Morality Queen?

Once again Rosie O'Donnell is up to giving her "moral" opinion. And once again, I think she should be silenced. Apparently, ABC, Barbara Walters and her partner/producer share Rosie's opinion because they aren't moving to silence her. When will they wake up and get rid of this ignorant radical?

I urge you to e-mail ABC and Barbara Walters asking for her removal from the View! In the mean time, join me in boycotting the show.

Remembrance of Advent with a Friend - 5

From my friend, Paul Berry, a mid-week Advent reading from 2003:

Read Psalm 147:1-11

Who is coming, or going, for Christmas?
we wonder - who will be travelling here
will we, or what if we, be travelling there
'tis the time when families gather
joyful occasions for mostly all
reunion with those about whom we most care--

Yet, daring to be honest, for more than a few
these comings together - though open to joy
may also reopen wounds that stifle celebration
scars are made visible again the wound anticipation
split families and diverse loyalties break out
closets won't always hold our secrets or brokenness
and those about whom we care the most
some wild estrangement keeps us distant
ache of pain from unkind speaking
hearing words that linger in their bite
prevent us from being in a state of all-inclusive love
joy is elusive and we sometimes hide hurt with carols--

So this, too, may well be a part of Advent...
who, now, will be here or there for Christmas
will host the great gathering and the small one
who, then, will be intentional about open doors and arms
who, will cleanse the hearth of home from embers
that can re-ignite and singe the purpose of the gathering
who, today, will invite us by name and count on us
binding up our brokenness, opening life to all who are hungry
who's voice and touch bathes or lives with healing caresses
and makes known that we, too, are bidden to come to the gathering
where there are no barriers or conditional welcoming gestures--

Oh, Christmas! What a gathering it may become, for coming unto us is
God, in Jesus, the Christ! The Psalmist in these 11 verses tells us
that the one we are seeking in Advent is to be our honored guest, and
also is our host, this is the God that acts in history - and moves
profoundly in this time and space - that all may yet be well and that
this same God is doing great things across all of God's creation ---
for all of humanity. We are invited to give thanks and be open to the
Psalmist's God as we anew celebrate this Advent. We have the
privilege of this season to again await God's intention for us all!

Prayer:
Thank you for including all of us, Lord. May we respond to
your call, no matter
how scattered our roaming or how far from "home" we may
be. We would like to
become closer to you. We ask that you bind up all wounds,
that you enable each person to
find wholeness out of her or his brokenness, and to
become empowered to let go of any and
all things that separate us from your love, from the love
of others, and from the love that
we need to have for ourselves. Hear us as we await the
ADVENTure of your coming
in this season. With hope, we pray. Amen.

Remembrance of Advent with a Friend - 4

My friend Paul's sharing for the Third Sunday of Advent, 2003:

For your reflection and devotion in the third week of Advent.

Come

Come, God-with-us:
who braves our rejection and hurt,
to show your love and acceptance.

Come, God-for-us:
who whispers
in our ears
that we -
each of us -
are your Beloved children.

Come, God-under-us:
who cradles us in arms that never grow weary;
whose lap has room enough for all.

Come, God-over-us:
who watches
in the long silences of night,
that we might rest in your peace.

Come, God-beside-us:
who steadies us
when we falter,
who lifts us up
when we fall.

Come, God-behind-us:
who picks up all the faded dreams
we drop along the way, weaving them into hope.

O Come, Emmanuel,

Come!
----------------------------

Read Psalm 145

This song, in Hebrew, is an acrostic poem - each verse begins with a succeeding letter of the alphabet (i.e., verse 1: A; verse 2: B, etc.)

English translations will not duplicate the effect. Consider the challenge the writer faced! Within personal words of praise and worship, the writer/speaker relates what God has done in the world, God's love and compassion are lifted up, we are told again of God's action all around us.

Where are the glimpses of God in this world today? Can you spare some time today or tomorrow looking for signs that reveal to us that God's kingdom is, indeed, in many places around us?

Can you see God's care in the school teacher who spends extra time with your child or the child with special needs; is God's love demonstrated by that stranger who lets you pay, when in line at the checkout counter, for your purchases first?

What motivates the driver that lets you have the coveted parking space in a crowded lot?

God's justice is revealed in a child who asks to give a present to a struggling classmate; you become God's ears as a neighbor shares her state of deep loneliness with you. God's grace is known in the act of feeding the birds in a parched land or snow-covered scape.

To open our eyes to see what God is doing, will invite surprise and, like the psalmist, open us to praising God!

Prayer:
We would live in your "kingdom," Faithful God,
yet we are not sure where it is or what it looks like.
In our search and wait, re-focus our eyes
beyond the glitter and through the glamour of "Christmas"
so we can see the infant / youth / man Christ
who will show us Your way.
Amen.

Forgiveness and Judgement

This is a partial re-post from my thoughts and readings from September 16, 2006. Circumstances have lead me to believe that it might be useful, again. Please read the scripture below... even though we have accepted Christ as our Saviour we will still stand before God and have our deeds judged. This judgment will determine our rewards in Heaven. Take heart!

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil." Ecc 12:13, 14 (emphasis added)

Knowing that in the future we will stand before Jesus Christ and face a review of our lives should motivate us to live righteously and faithfully in the present. (Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, commentary, page 1951)

I have learned to forgive those who have done me wrong or whom I perceive as having done me wrong; and ask for forgiveness from those I have done wrong. The relief is awesome and rewarding and sacred.

When I come to my end time I want many to remember me with fondness, miss me and pray they could go with me. I want them to rejoice that they knew me and had time with me. I want them to remember our times together and laugh and say we had much fun!

These things are important to me! They should be important to you. One never knows when ones end will arrive! Judgment can be severe.

I'm not posting a mid-week advent reading from my friend Paul. He would agree with me that this message is more important at this time. I will post a Third Sunday of Advent reading from Paul sometime Saturday night.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

This knowledge was shared with me and I found it enlightening, I don't know if it's true or not, but interesting and a nice thought.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving,

Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,

Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of Belief in The Apostles' Creed.

So there is your Christmas story for today.

Some Simple Words of Wisdom

Wish I had thought up these Words of Wisdom!

• Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.

• You can't change the past but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.

• God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him.

• A hug is a great gift... one size fits all. It can be given for any occasion and it's easy to exchange.

• Laughter is God's sunshine.

• Take time to laugh for it is the music of the soul.

• If anyone speaks badly of you, live so that none will believe it.

• Do what you can, for who you can with what you have, and where you are.

Iraq Study Group

The political pundits are out pontificating.

The Iraq Study Group came out with their report this week. Immediately, the political machines came out with their criticisms; some even calling the report "stupid." For some, like the Washington Post, it wasn't enough to criticize the report they had to also make personal attacks on the front page on the Co-chairman, Baker and Hamilton.

As I see it, the one thing that they all are missing is THEIR solution to the Iraq war. With the exception of Senator McCain, from Arizona, none have come up with even a suggestion.

Clearly, the present course is not working and our President (I voted for him both times) is working pretty much with a closed mind. I am not convinced that waiting on the President's report from the Pentagon is a productive step.

The President and our Congressional representatives must get their act together and work together to come up with a solution other than the current course!

Remembrance of Advent with a Friend - 3

This was the message for the Second Sunday of Advent, 2003 from my dear friend Paul Berry.

A Centering Prayer--

Surprising God,

Your voice, at times, is almost muffled,

yet we have our ears tuned to hear a word,

a song, a murmur, and we await Your sound--

Open us to the melody that can come from an encounter with you,

whether by chance or plan

we long to be within Your sounds--

Penetrate the noise of that which distracts us...

in the abstractions that flow in our minds;

grant us a peek, a glimpse of Your glory again.

speak, in voice that we may not fail to hear!

We await with great intention--

we would dissolve our cynicism;

that we might revisit Your great surprise

that we might re-ignite, become and do love, for others, self, and You.

Amen!

*****************************************

Poem by Thom Shuman, pastor,

Greenhills Community Church, Presbyterian

Cincinnati, Ohio

if you came
with a fistful of anger,
who could endure?

but you come
with open hands,
eager to grasp our own in love.

if you came
with the fire of judgment,
who could endure?

but you come
with the light of grace,
to show us the way.

if you came
hardened against our sin,
who could endure?

but you come
holding us in your heart,
that we might have life.

if you came
bearing bad news,
we might be able to handle it . . .

but can we endure
the gift
of good news?

even so,
come, Lord Jesus,
come.

Amen.

Adventure with Grandma

A touching story from a friend in Huchinson, Kansas:

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.

It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.

That was a bundle in those days.

"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it.

I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten- dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs.Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes," I replied shyly. "It's .... for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me.

I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.

Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous.

Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Rememberance of Advent with a Friend - 2

This is from Paul Berry for Christmas, 2002.

God did not send into our tormented world
technical aid,
Gabriel with a group of experts.
God did not send food,
not discarded clothes of angels.
Even less did God extend long term loans.
Rather God came to us,
born in a stable,
starved in the desert,
naked on a cross,
and sharing with us God became our bread
and suffering with us God became our joy.

Someone
Said it was over,
when it ís only just begun.
So keep your lights ablaze as friends come around to call
but above all be aware that

Someone
has come to us in this winter light,
at the dark time of the year,
when comets blaze, and starlight falls,
and the remaining green trees speak of endless life,
and candy canes are shepherds' crooks,
while carols sing of "peace on earth,"
and the New Year comes when we may give and know
and nurture love,
as we grow in grace, and the glad heart sings
of the gifts of joy that his presence brings.

11:21 a.m.

The following is from a friend of mine. He didn't know who wrote it but it truly beautiful.

You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air.

The sound is high above you.

A trumpet?

A choir?

A choir of trumpets?

You don't know, but you want to know.

So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store.

The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. Players and parents are searching the clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never
before been seen.

As if the sky were a curtain, the drapes of the atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the earth. There are no shadows. None. From whence came the light begins to tumble a river of color spiking crystals of every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky.

North.

South.

East.

West.

Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy. The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship.

Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are silent, leaving only the triumphant triplet: Holy, holy, holy. Between each word is a pause. With each word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join in the chorus. You don't know why you say the words, but you know you must.

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet.

The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and there He is.

Jesus.

Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King.

He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud.

He opens his mouth, and you are surrounded by his declaration: I am the Alpha and the Omega.

The angels bow their heads. The elders remove their crowns. And before you is a Figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know:

Nothing else matters.

Forget stock markets and school reports. Sales meetings and football games.

Nothing is newsworthy..

All that mattered, matters no more....

for Christ has come.

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see!