Gabriel's Message

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
“All hail,” said he, “thou lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

“For know a blessed Mother thou shalt be,
all generations laud and honor thee,
thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head
“To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said.
“My soul shall laud and magnify his holy Name.”
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ was born
in Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
“Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

Christmas Eve

Life holds no sweeter thing than this:

To teach a little child the tale most loved on earth;

And watch the wonder deepen in his eyes; 

The while you tell of the Christ Child's birth;

The while you tell of shepherds and a song,

Of gentle drowsy beasts and fragrant hay;

On which that starlit night in Bethlehem,

God's tiny Son and His young mother lay....

                                          Adelaide Love

Midwinter...

Time for another Christmas Hymn...by Sissel!

O Come, O Come...

Enya has such a hauntingly beautiful voice...and is singing one of my all time favorite Christmas hymns...



"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" by Enya
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Little Drummer Boy...

One of my favorites...A Capella...definitely worth a watch, and a listen!

Naughty or Nice?

Rethink Christmas

Worst Nativity Sets, ever...

Chicken Nativity

Troll Nativity

Oh my, words just cannot begin...so glad the Deacon's Bench wrote all the commentary!
You can see more of them here, if you dare!

Happy Holidays!

This is the time of year we begin to hear Christians whine and moan about the secularization of Christmas. And while I know it can be frustrating to see a season that is so important to us reduced to Frosty and Santa and tinsel, is it really worth getting all upset about it? 

Will the fact that "we" put up signs saying "Keep Christ in Christmas" turn one unbeliever to Christ? Even though it may sometimes seem that society is depriving this holy day of all it's meaning, what do you think Christ's response would be? Would He want us shouting down those who have added other traditions?

After all, other faiths have holy days that fall within this time frame too. Is the holiday exclusively ours? If we say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas", are we not simply acknowledging that there are others in our world living out their faith?

If someone writes "Merry X-mas!" do you truly think it's wrong? Our Bible was translated from Greek, wasn't it? The Greek letter "Chi" was often used in ancient times as an abbreviation for Christ..."Chi" is written as an  Χχ...X-mas takes on a different meaning when you know that, doesn't it?

Many non-believers feel led to "give" to charity during this time of year. Isn't that the Spirit working within them? And if their generosity makes them feel better during the Christmas Season, might they start carrying it on throughout the year? Couldn't it possibly lead them to seek Christ? 

Isn't modeling Christ-like behavior the best way for us to keep Christ in Christmas? 

If you are disturbed by all the parties, and decorations and the way too many gifts you feel you need to purchase, isn't there a better way to assuage this uneasiness? Instead of spending time decorating every square inch of your home, what if you worked at a local soup kitchen? Instead of spending hours at the local mall (with all those secular expressions posted around), what if you volunteered to work with the sick and elderly at a nursing home? Instead of grumbling while you purchase a scarf for your Great Aunt Tessie, why not find a way to practice compassion and purchase gifts for the children of a needy family?

Rather than spending this season fretting about the way society celebrates it, why not spend that time serving more, worshipping more, being with family more? If we let this mountain shrink back down to the mole hill it really is, we may just find our celebration of this most holy time becomes just that...more holy.

I'll be home...

When my daughter was young she wrote a letter to Santa (published in the local paper) asking that her uncle come home for Christmas from Germany where he was serving in the USAF. We had worked hard to prepare her for the fact that he was not going to be there that year. She was undaunted and repeatedly told us he would be there. Unknown to us, 2 hours before liftoff an officer approached her Uncle with a ticket and a leave pass. Needless to say, when he showed at our Christmas Eve celebrations (he arrived only a couple of hours before we gathered), she was the only one who wasn't surprised. She knew he would be here...

A much more recent story...hankies at the ready!

Christmas in Antarctica...

South Pole, Antarctica (CNN) – Modern men and women often live under the illusion that they are in control of their lives. Science and technology have brought us far beyond the superstitions of ancient civilizations. Confident in our abilities and achievements, we feel secure. Outside of the occasional environmental or personal tragedy, we feel self-sufficient and safe.
Antarctica blasts this illusion of control. As one of the managers at the South Pole told me, “Antarctica is boss.” Anyone who loses respect for this savage continent is in danger of paying the ultimate price. As local lore has it, “Antarctica is constantly trying to kill you.”...

It felt like an easy trip to the pole this time, but the next day the winds began to howl and everything turned white. All air traffic ceased. I spoke to the weather people. Things didn’t look good. I was locked in at the pole, and there was absolutely nothing I or anyone else could do about it. A common feeling on the continent swept over me – I was helpless....

Antarctica puts you in your place. We are not in control here. Planning is difficult, and people are constantly adjusting. But on a larger scale, it reminds me that in general we have little control over much of our lives. Antarctica can remind you of that. Try as we might, we have little control over most of the events that impact so heavily upon our lives. This seeming arbitrariness can be frightening.

Some believe that their lives and very existence are a matter of random chance or simply the result of cosmic and biological processes. Behind such processes, they do not see any hand guiding it all. Much of the astounding science that occurs on Antarctica is immersed with understanding the origins and health of our planet. But it cannot answer fundamental human questions, “Why am I here?” “Is there a plan for my life?”
On this icy, frozen continent, we are humbled. It reminds us of our frail humanity. When I entered the South Pole station and I took off my thick goose-down parka, my clerical collar and lettering on my shirt saying “chaplain” were clearly visible. I walked down the corridor of the South Pole station, and there were more than a few faces that smiled and welcomed me. They said they’re glad I’m here.

This morning, as the flights out were canceled again, I walked into the manager’s office. We looked at the weather and she said, “Looks like you might be here for Christmas.” She told me that they have never before had a chaplain here on Christmas Day. She said, “We would be fortunate and grateful.” This morning, several people smiled broadly when they heard I might be at the pole with them for Christmas.

One could see this storm as a random event and my being weathered in at the South Pole simply as an act of nature. But it may be that, for the first time, a chaplain will be here on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of the Son of God. I cannot plan it; I can only accept whatever comes. Each day, we will look out and see what has been planned for us.

Isn’t this the case for each of our lives?

Read the rest of the story:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/23/my-faith-an-unexpected-christmas-at-south-pole/

The Mystery

The mystery of Christmas speaks to every human heart. To those who have no religious faith, it reveals God’s closeness, His intimacy. To those who have drifted away from their faith, Christmas is a vivid reminder of simple truths and better times. To those who practice their faith in a routine or half-hearted way, Christmas can help reawaken the flame of life in Christ. And even for those who are fervent in their practice of the faith, Christmas is a chance to deepen and solidify a childlike humility and a Christlike generosity.

Christmas helps each of us realize in new and life-changing ways the paradox of God’s presence. Although He seems absent, He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Although He is all-powerful and steeped in majesty, His coming is utterly simple, an act of supreme humility. As we pray in the Liturgy of the Hours, “A little child is born for us today; little and yet called the mighty God.”

The feast of Christmas, as we have come to know it, was strongly influenced by the devotion of St. Francis of Assisi. “The special warmth we feel at Christmas,” Pope Benedict writes, “did not develop until the Middle Ages. It was Francis of Assisi who helped bring this novelty about through his deep love for the man Jesus, for the God with us.” Quoting an early biographer of St. Francis, the pope says St. Francis “celebrated Christmas more than any other feast with an indescribable joy.” The saint’s biographer goes on to say that St. Francis “embraced with great affection and devotion the images that represented the child Jesus and stammered words of sympathy as children do words of affection. The name of Jesus was sweet as honey on his lips.”

St. Francis longed for the nearness of God. He wanted to experience the joy of Christmas directly. As Pope Benedict tells us, “He wanted to experience up close the birth of the child Jesus and to tell all his friends.”

by: Archbishop Robert Carlson

Good news of great joy!

Joy is the banner that flies over the castle when the King is in residence.  anonymous

“Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

Have you ever noticed the word "you" in these passages before? It doesn't say Christ was born to them...it says a Savior has been born to YOU. In order for a child to be born to you, the child must belong to you. In the case of Christ, the only way that the child belongs to you is if you belong to him.

It is not insignificant that this message was given to shepherds. They were considered in the lower classes of society. They were dirty, they handled sheep, they smelled, and supposedly couldn't be trusted. And yet, the angels tell the shepherds...next to Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth, they are the first to know. It is thought to bear out what Mary says in the Magnificat, "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and He hath exalted the humble". If you consider the Jewish shepherds and the gentile Magi, this may well have been the first declaration of God's intent to spread His message to all the world.


He has been born so that we may live in relationship with Him along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is our intercessor, He is our shield, He is the Light of the World...belong to Him and He will belong to you!

Christmas Eve 1914

The meeting of enemies as friends in no-man's land was experienced by hundreds, if not thousands, of men on the Western Front during Christmas 1914.  Today, 90 years after it occurred, the event is seen as a shining episode of sanity from among the bloody chapters of World War One - a spontaneous effort by the lower ranks to create a peace that could have blossomed were it not for the interference of generals and politicians.

Imagine you are standing knee deep in the slime of a perpetually waterlogged trench.  It is the evening of 24 December 1914 and you are on the dreaded Western Front (which started at the North Sea and stretched to the Swiss border with France).  

You wade across to the firing step and take over the watch.  You exchange pleasantries with your colleague as he shuffles off, bleary eyed toward his dug out. 

You listen for a few moments and your confusion gives way to surprise as men from both sides start singing carols and songs.  Next you hear requests not to fire your weapon...could it be a truce?  Why yes, it is! Along many parts of the line the Truce was spurred on with the arrival in the German trenches of miniature Christmas trees - Tannenbaum.  The sight these small pines, decorated with candles and strung along the German parapets, captures everyone's imagination, and soon the unthinkable happens: you start to see the shadowy shapes of soldiers gathering together in no-man's land (between the trenches) laughing, joking and sharing gifts. 

Many have exchanged buttons and cigarettes, the lit ends of which burn brightly in the inky darkness.  Plucking up your courage, you haul yourself up and out of the trench and walk towards the foe...

On Christmas Day the truce was initiated through sadder means.  Both sides saw the lull as a chance to get into no-man's land and seek out the bodies of their comrades and give them a decent burial.  Once this was done the opponents would inevitably begin talking to one another.

The 6th Gordon Highlanders, for example, organised a burial truce with the enemy.  After the gruesome task of laying friends to rest was complete, the fraternisation began. With the Truce in full swing up and down the line there were a number of recorded games of soccer, although these were really just 'kick-abouts' rather than a structured match. Sadly,

it was not long before the fighting began again.

Today, many see the Truce as nothing more than a temporary lull induced by the season of goodwill, but willingly exploited by both sides to better their defenses and eye out one anothers positions.  Still others believe the Truce was an effort by normal men to bring about an end to the slaughter.

In the public mind the facts have become irrevocably romanticized and perhaps this is the most important legacy of the Christmas Truce today.  In our age of uncertainty, it comforting to believe, regardless of the real reasoning and motives, that soldiers and officers told to hate, loathe and kill, could still lower their guns and extend the hand of goodwill, peace, love and Christmas cheer.

St. Nicholas

Did you know he was real? Did you know that today is his feast day?

Saint Nicholas was born in 260AD in Patara, a coastal town in what is now Turkey. The poor knew him throughout the land for his generosity, his love for children and being associated with ships, the sea and sailors. He was eventually consecrated Bishop of Myra, just miles from his hometown.

 

Our western tradition of Santa Claus and Father Christmas originates with the beloved saint. Many Christian churches and many countries observe December 6th, his feast day, with great celebrations, processions, services and gift giving.

 

Many legends surround his life. During the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured for his beliefs but he never forsook his faith. The new Emperor Constantine eventually released him. Tradition has it that Bishop Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 with many other bishops, a meeting that produced what we today call "The Nicene Creed".

The name St Nicholas lives in the hearts of people all over the world, young and old alike. His faith and his actions make remembering him important even in our day. He is our Santa Claus and Father Christmas, and we must remind people today of this fact. To this very day St Nicholas (Sinterklaas) arrives in Holland each November, dressed in a Christian Bishop's vestments, and rides through the streets to the enjoyment of thousands of onlookers, to begin his investigation into the behaviour of the children.

  

St Nicholas Day falls in the season of Advent and with the tradition of his bearing gifts, he became associated with Christmas as well.

12 Days of Christmas

It seems the cost of celebrating this traditional song has now passed the $100,000.00 mark!

If you've ever thought about actually purchasing all the items (though we assume you'd need to rent the lords a-leaping, maids a-milking, and all the ladies dancing to the drumming drummers and piping pipers) listed in the holiday classic "The 12 Days of Christmas," you had better have a pile of cash at the ready.

Read more here...

A thought...

There is a new movement afoot...Redefining Christmas....perhaps it is something you've been hearing in your heart but didn't know how to go about it...maybe it's just an idea at this point...

As in many of the "Flash Mobs" that spring up this time of year (people breaking out into the Hallelujah Chorus in random public places)...check this video...



It's up to you to decide...

Digital Nativity

The way the story is delivered may change, but the story itself remains the same...

Christmas Cards

How do you choose your Christmas cards? Do you stand in the card aisle and take time to see which one "fits" you? Do you grab the first box you see? Do you pick a card and then have your names printed inside? Do you take time to sign each one and perhaps put in a note as well? Do you make your own cards?

Seems the Pope picks his own cards and decides what they will say...


I'm sure I'm not on the Pope's mailing list but that's okay, he's not on mine either.

I'm fascinated...

What can I say? I am fascinated with the way they make the lights flash in time with the music. Some would say it doesn't take much to entertain me...but then again, this cannot be easy. Dancing Christmas lights along with one of my most favorite songs ever...it's bound to be a hit!