The Yule Blog

A Christmas Story

2008-12-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the TV Moive 'A Christmas Story' (you know the movie about the little boy who wants a b.b. gun for Christmas). While the movie is funny on many levels, one of the funniest levels is the character of Ralphie's father, affectionately called 'The Old Man' throughout the film, and played brilliantly by Darrin McGavin. The Old Man is the quintessential 1950's Midwestern American father, not the scrubbed up, flawless, and plastic fathers from "Leave It To Beaver" or "Father Knows Best." No, The Old Man is real...painfully and hilariously real!

The Old Man goes through life with an expression that is a mixture of equal parts disbelief, detachment, confusion and bemusement at his home life. Even though he is not a heavy drinker, he always seems to have a low grade hangover. And yet, in spite of this odd admixture, The Old Man is an integral part of the family and an integrated human being. He lives a full life. For example, he experiences great joy through his children (when he gives Ralphie the b.b. gun). But, The Old Man is no push over (remember when Ralphie uses a profanity in his presence). The Old Man is playful too (remember him bargaining for a Christmas tree). The Old Man is capable of great tenderness (the concluding scene with his wife) as well. The Old Man demonstrates sympathy for Ralphie (when Ralphie has been forced by his mother to wear a pink rabbit suit on Christmas morning The Old Man tells him to take it off). The Old Man is a survivor; he is adaptable and resourceful (as when the Bumpus hound's eat the Christmas turkey and he takes the family out for Peking Duck). Certainly, The Old Man can be a bit rough around the edges (remember the battles with the furnace and the imfamous lamp). The Old Man is a round and complex character and that is what makes him real.

Why does this matter? There are two messages in all this. First, there are people in all of our lives like The Old Man. People who can seem difficult or abrupt on the surface, but are solid gold at the core. We would all do well to remember that the shepherds to whom the angels appeared were probably folks just like The Old Man...salt of the earth and more than a bit salty!

Second, we ought to look in the mirror and recognize that (just maybe) we aren't as polished and dignified as we think we are. There is more than a bit of The Old Man in each of us.

Peace!

Joy

2008-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

In the Lutheran Church, the four weeks preceding Christmas follow the themes of hope, peace (or faith in some versions), joy and love. Thus far, I have seen commments on the blog regarding what makes us hopeful. But what makes us joyful? I want to share a moment of my joy with you.

People send me a lot of emails with the letters FWD in the subjection line (no, I didn't misspell that). I rarely open these because I don't want to be subjected to the contents. Mostly, this is a good rule, if somewhat draconian. Occasionally, the rule misfires and I miss out on something good. That nearly happened to me today.

Today I received an FWD that I would normally have left unopened, but for no particular reason (as Forrest Gump would say), I opened this FWD and was pleasantly surprised. An old friend had forwarded me the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM. I clicked it and I encourage you to do the same.

What makes me joyful? MUSIC!

What makes YOU JOYFUL? How about some comments!

Hope

2008-12-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

One of the recent comments posted to the Yule Blog read, "but how often are we encouraged in our society to be hopeful?" How often indeed! The problem discouraging hopes multiplies because hope is infectious. When hope is discouraged, we become shyer about our sharing our hopes and there is less infectious hope going around. Eventually, if we cease sharing our hopes with one another at all, we reach despair. Despair is also contagious.

The vectors that transmit either hope or despair are our words and works. Speaking or living despair infects those who hear it and see it. Likewise, speaking or living hope infects those who hear it and see it. If the commenter is right that our culture actively discourages hopefulness, then we must be counter-cultural. We must become the ones speaking and living hope rather than despair. Christ is hope. We must become Christ to our despairing world.

I think sharing our hopes is a beginning. Take a minute a share a hope or two with this community of faith and support! I will kick us off...

I hope that in 2009 I will live the healthy life I have always dreamed of living. That is an honest hope from New Hope Pastor

Peace!

From Thanksgiving to Christmas

2008-12-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

The celebration of the Christmas season in our time commences with the celebration of Thanksgiving (except on Madison Avenue where it follows hard on the heels of Halloween). The historic Christian church (which knew nothing of Pilgrims, Indians, and turkeys) began the Christmas season on the first Sunday of Advent (four Sunday's before Christmas proper). Nonetheless, I believe our modern holiday of Thanksgiving is a very good place to start the Christmas festivities because a thankful heart is essential to Christmas. In the Bible, thankfulness and Christmas are closely connected. For example, Luke 2:36 - 38 recounts the story of Anna who had spent her whole life waiting to see Jesus. When Anna at last sees the baby Jesus, the Bible says that Anna "...gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all...." Anna celebrated Christmas with a glad and thankful heart.

Anna was glad and thankful...what about us? We are still eating our Thanksgiving dinners reincarnated into turkey soup, turkey tetrazini, and turkey sandwiches, is this slow trytophan-drip reviving us or do we feel our thankfulness slipping away? If our thankfulness is drooping, I believe it is in part due to the inappropriate weight our culture places on the giving and receiving of Christmas presents. When we become so obsessed by the presents under the tree, we often become oblivious to the Child asleep in the manger who is the heart and soul of Christmas. If we lose the heart and soul of Christmas, no amount of presents will bring us Christmas cheer and our thankfulness will be lost too.

What then shall we do? Listen to Sheryl Crow. I know...but bear with me. One of the best suggestions for being more thankful comes from Sheryl Crow's excellent and upbeat song, "Soak Up the Sun." The lyrics condense one secret of being more thankful:

It's not having what you,
It's wanting what you've got.

This is a wonderful spiritual flu-shot against the 'gift-giving-and-receiving super-flu-germ' that tries to infect us and wear down our thankfulness and Christmas joy. Sheryl Crow has it just right: instead of focusing on getting the presents you want, focus on wanting the presents you already have. Every good and perfect gift is from God (James 1:17). Look around you every day at every good gift you have. As a trivial example, I have perfectly fine tube-television set. Many of my friends and neighbors are replacing their perfectly fine tube-sets with flat-panel, high-def models. I admit it...I have thought about buying one too (perhaps even coveted one...God forgive me). But as I write this, I find myself very thankful for the TV I have. I think I will keep it! I realize this is a trivial example. There are much greater gifts I have been given for which I can be thankful. I have a home. I have a job. I have two healthy sons. I have people who love me whom I love in return. As I write this, I find myself not only very thankful...but very much in the Christmas Spirit.

The secret to thankfulness is not to have what you want, but to want what you have.

Peace!

Welcome to the Yule Blog

2008-11-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Yule Blog (I know, bad pun, but I couldn't help myself).

Where's the joy? Where's the Merry Christmas? Is it Christmas or crisis? Every year we promise ourselves to not let the Christmas season turn into a crisis and here it is two days before thanksgiving and it's already resembling one! One hour spent shopping in the local Stuff-Mart and I'm longing for February 2009 (February...a month no one longs for! Not for nothing it's the shortest month of the year).

What's a well-meaning, well-intentioned Christian to do?

My hope is that by our...

Reading and commenting on the posts, questions, and replies in this Yule Blog and thereby
Becoming a virtual Christmas community committed to one another and to the joy of the season,

We might help each other toward a saner more spiritual Christmas. That being said, here is the first very brief post for your comments and contributions!

In the Bible, there is a connection between thankfulness and joy. For example,

"My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him" (Ps 28:7, NIV).
"Shouts of joy and thanksgiving..." (Ps 42:4, NIV)
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? (1 Th 3:9, NIV).

What are you thankful for?

(please post a few for all to read and rejoice together)

For example: I am thankful for getting to lead preschoolers in song!