Song for Sunday (Belated) Mary's Lullaby

 I tried to post yesterday, but had trouble with my computer.

This is the advent week dedicated to peace. What could be more peaceful than a lullaby?

What holiday song song speaks "peace" to you? 

This Year's Creche

Every year, I write a post about the creche Jordan puts together for our home. Since he was four years old, Jordan has set up the manger scene for us. We've had some interesting ones.

Jordan's Strange Creche
A Broken World ... Seeking Peace
Jordan's Creche for this Year 
Creche 2014 Edition
Jordan's Creche: 2015 Edition 

This year has another unusual narrative.

Mary and Joseph are in a small camp on one side of the room. They have lost the baby Jesus and are discussing how best to look for him.

Meanwhile, the manger is on the roof of the stable on the other side of the other side of the room. The donkey and the angels know where Jesus will be Christmas morning and are set to look after him, until his parents find him.









My son is definitely imaginative. This isn't the biblical Christmas narrative.


Then again, maybe what we should be doing this season is looking for the baby. Looking for Jesus.

A Very Merry Christmas 

to You and Yours!!

Song for Sunday: Mary Did You Know?

A link for enjoyment on this Advent Sunday of Joy. 

Blessings!!

Song for Sunday (belated) Arise, Shine (Darkness Like a Shroud)

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."

                                                                ~Isaiah 60:1 

I have always loved Isaiah 60:1. I titled a sunrise photograph after it once. It's an encouraging verse. 

Graham Kendrick, contemporary Christian music writer and performer, wrote a song based on this verse. We sang it Sunday, the ninth day of Christmas, at our New Year's prayer meeting and the words struck me. Perhaps it's because I love that verse. Perhaps it's because sometimes it feels like the world really is shrouded in darkness with terrorist attacks, the takeover of government buildings, earthquakes in places where I know people, and a multiplicity of funerals. This song reminds us of hope and the light of Christ, which came at Christmas. 

So, I offer it for this week's Song for Sunday. Here's a link:

What songs bring you hope in times of darkness?

 

Our Christmas Tree

This year, we won our Christmas tree!

A local lot had a contest. They hid two coupons around town and then posted two semi-cryptic photos of the locations. J and I looked right away and recognized the locations. We were about a quarter mile from one, so Jordan ran for it while I followed in the car. By the time I got there, he'd found the coupon and was being greeted by an elf.

That weekend, we picked out a tree from the lot and it was delivered and set up by the friendly elf!

So much fun! And we were very thankful for a free Christmas tree, too.

                                                

 

Merry Christmas!!!

Jordan's Creche: 2015 Edition

Each year since he was about four, it has been our tradition to allow my son to arrange our Creche to his liking on the first Sunday in advent. Actually, we were late this year. We forgot, which was weird. But he did it on Tuesday of the first week.

I really don't know what to say about the creche this year. It is certainly different. The manger bed is outside the stable, on the left, empty and awaiting the baby.  Joseph is next to the stable on the right and Mary is in the right front corner. Everything else is wherever in no order. It is not as chaotic a jumble as he once did; the one described in Jordan's Strange Creche and  A Broken World ... Seeking Peace but it's certainly not as ordinary as Jordan's Creche for this Year.

It's simply unusual.

Well, very unusual.

But it's fun and shows the uniqueness of my teenage son. I am keenly aware that the time for this tradition is running out. It may be that Jordan is only home for the beginning of advent two more times. Then, we'll need to look for new traditions.

It's bittersweet. It's something to savor.

What are your holiday traditions? 

Jordan's Strange Creche
A Broken World ... Seeking Peace
Jordan's Creche for this Year 
Creche 2014 Edition

Song for Sunday: A Way in a Manger

At church tonight we sang about the Cross. 

Yes, it's Christmas. Usually, more a time to be singing about the manger and Bethlehem. About Jesus as a baby. But, you know, he didn't stay a baby. He isn't a baby now. 

We commemmorate the incarnation every year because it's important. It's God with us. As we reflect on the birth of Jesus though, we need to remember we really are celebrating the anniversary (probably on the wrong date) of that birth. In human terms, Jesus is over 2000 years old; in spiritual terms, he's eternal. 

He came to earth to live with us, to be with us, to experience mortal life and it's temptations and afflictions. He came to die for our sins, to allow for our forgiveness. 

We need to remember that in the midst of cute pageants and carols. 

We also need to remember he loves us and that is why "He made a way in a manger to make a way to the cross."

Enjoy this link to a beautiful reminder of this truth. 

Words and music by Lee Black and Steve Merkel. Performed by Candi Pearson Shelton. 

What Christmas song touches your heart?

I was introduced to this song when it was song by a young woman at the Christian Youth Conference. She sang it at the talent show. On her first attempt she was overwhelmed by stagefright. People surrounded her with support and a little while later she tried again. At the end the teen audience rose to their feet and cheered not only her beautiful singing voice but also her courage to try again. This song is special to me both because of this story and because of it's intrinsic meaning.

Song for Sunday: The Star Carol

For the tenth day of Christmas, another song focusing on The Baby that is new to me. Our choir sung it this morning, and it was beautiful.

May the Babe of Bethlehem find room in our hearts.

Merry Christmas!!

Song for Sunday: See this Tiny Baby

It's the third day of Christmas and also a Sunday. The Sunday after Christmas is a low-attendance Sunday at many churches. It's too bad, because it is a great time to be at church. The exuberant joy of Christmas Sunday and the solemn joy of Christmas Eve have given way to a relaxed joy and people are friendly and welcoming.  Advent is over, Christmas has come. There is still the wonder of Christmas carols and the special decorations aren't down yet. It's fun to be there. Try it next year.


I love babies. Everyone who knows me, knows that. So I enjoyed the choir anthem last week, a new one for me. This one about Jesus, in his mother's arms. The King of the Universe, helpless and cared for by a teenage girl and her carpenter husband.

It's a beautiful song, inviting us to look at the baby. And who doesn't like to look at a baby?


Enjoy the song!

Merry Christmas!

Sing for Sunday: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Do You Hear What I Hear?  A Christmas classic with both haunting and bright elements. The bell choir at our church played it this morning. It goes like this on the handbells:

(Handbell Choir of Grace Bible Church)

The words that catch me today are those of the last verse: "Pray for peace people everywhere!"

Let's do that!

(Third Day singing "Do You Hear What I Hear?")

Merry Christmas 

And may the blessings of our Savior be yours!

Creche: 2014 Edition

It's Advent and I have just passed the fourth anniversary of this blog. I am in something of a re-start mode just now as I had an unplanned hiatus for a few months.

The very first blog post I wrote was about our Advent tradition of Jordan setting up the creche on his own. I have written about the tradition two other times as well.

Jordan's Strange Creche
A Broken World ... Seeking Peace
Jordan's Creche for this Year

 

This year Jordan said he was going for
something bizarre. I told him unusual
 was fine, chaotic was not. This is what he
came up with. Notice you are looking at the
back of the stable.













On either side, animals are grazing or resting.














The full effect is different, but peaceful. I like it. It reminds us that we don't know what that first Christmas really looked like.

 

A blessed advent to you and yours! May the hope of Christ be realized in your home.

What's your favorite holiday tradition?



Photos (and Creche set-up) by J. Parry

Song for Sunday: Happy Birthday, Jesus

I've mentioned my musical tastes are pretty varied. Today's selection comes from the world of country music, specifically the band Alabama. It reminds us of what we are celebrating in this Christmas season.

Happy Birthday, Jesus

Happy birthday, Jesus,
It's that time of year
All the lights on the trees
Say Christmas time is near
Another year's behind us,
You helped us make it through
So, happy birthday, Jesus,
This song is just for you

We all get so hung up
On material things
At times it seems like we forget
What Christmas really means
It should be thanks we're givin',
That's why I wrote this tune
Happy brithday, Jesus,
This song is just for you

There's a gift for everyone
But you underneath the tree
No, it's not much, but I hope you like
This song to you from me

Happy birthday Jesus,
That's why I wrote this tune
So, happy birthday, Jesus,
My song is just for you...

        ~J.P. Pennington & Todd Gentry

What's your favorite Christmas tune?

Rushing the Season

I was at  a local grocery store on Christmas Eve. It wasn't too bad, actually. Not overcrowded or understocked or anything. I did notice, though, that there were employees taking down the Christmas decorations. On Christmas eve.

I realize that the store was not going to be open the next day, Christmas Day, which is a good thing in my book. But really, taking down the decorations? It's trite to complain about rushing the season these days. How many times do you here: "Christmas stuff in the stores? It's not even Hallowe'en!"
But what about rushing the season on the other end -- rushing through the season?

We seem to plan, prepare, purchase. We decorate, bake, wrap. We do all that for weeks, sometimes months. And then it's over in a few hours. The kids open the gifts from Santa, we have dinner with the family and we are done. Seems, too little for so much work.

It wasn't always this way. It's been a few decades since the anticipation got lengthened. It's been longer than that since we forgot that Christmas is really an extended celebration.

In our house, we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. From December 26 to January 6 we do a family activity every day. They vary -- a long game like Risk, an evening of traditional Christmas specials, a hike, a visit to the ice cream parlor.

Most years we also read a verse from Matthew 2: 1-12 each day. This year we'll just be reading the whole pericope on Epiphany.

OK, we like being countercultural. And w e enjoy our longer celebration. We invite you to join us. To leave the decorations up until "Little Christmas," to keep playing the carols,  to make each of these days a mini-celebration. It's fun and it reminds us of how important the incarnation is. Important enough for several days of festivities.

So Merry Christmas... today!



What are your Christmas traditions?

Song for Sunday: Silver & Gold

I was recently the guest of people who had almost nothing. Typically, they eat meat once per week , giving that up when their is a need to use funds to minister in Christ's name to  those around them. However, they fed my companions and I meat twice a day. They went out of their way to pay for cabs, tourist attractions and restauruant meals. They bought us oranges to have as we listened to speakers. They were generous.

I also chatted with a missionary friend who is thrilled that she and her boss are breaking their organization out of "scarcity thinking" to a new reliance on God's abundance.

Oh, yeah, and I like Rudolph....




So here's today's "Song for Sunday": Silver & Gold as sung by Burl Ives in the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer."

Merry 4th Day of Christmas!!

Christmas tree in Burma. Plenty of silver and gold. 

Secular vs. Religious

Here in the U.S., it seems to me that many people divide the various aspects of Christmas into "secular" and "religious" categories. Christmas trees, Santa, Frosty the Snowman and dinner with the family are secular. Everyone can participate, you don't have to be a church goer or acknowledge Jesus to enjoy them, etc. I know people who celebrate the secular aspects of Christmas and ignore the rest.

Nativity scenes, carol services and midnight mass are religious, mostly only for those who are Christians.

Oh, there's overlap. Some towns still have nativity scenes on the common, some churches have visits from Santa. But, still. the differentiation exists.

In Burma, it seemed different. Everything associated with Christmas, was distinctly Christian. Christian churches and homes did things related to Christmas, other places didn't. Our Buddhist guest house had no Christmas references at all -- why would they? Nor did shops, public centers, etc. Christians have never been in the majority in Burma. Nor have secularists. 89% of the people are Buddhists.

Restaurants and hotels that specifically catered to westerners did have Christmas displays. Why? Well, because westerners are Christians, so the thinking goes. Because of those displays, our host was concerned about the burgeoning commercialization of Christmas that seems to be accompanying the influx of foreign visitors. We've had that problem for a while and it's a topic for another time.

Because everything related to Christmas is, by definition, Christian in Burma, kids sing "I'm a Happy Christmas Tree, hohoho, hehehe" in the church service. It's an expression of faith, because non-Christians don't celebrate Christmas.

I wonder if maybe we, as a church, should remember this. Perhaps, among ourselves, we should reclaim the understanding that Christmas simply is Christian and whatever our traditions are they stem from Christ's birth. Dinner with the family is a celebration of our Lord. So are sharing presents, Christmas cards and pictures with the Jolly Old Elf. When we truly frame it that way, we can freely enjoy all the facets of the holiday while keeping Christ at the center.

Just something I have been mulling over........

 

Song for Sunday: There's a Song in the Air!

"There's a tumult of joy o'er the wonderful birth

for the virgin's sweet boy is the Lord of the earth."

This past week I had a dream. The details are fuzzy butI dreamed I was going to visit a "Temple" and at first I thought it was a Jewish temple and I was going to worship there as a guest. I went in and found a service in process. The building was shaped like a cross and I was in an arm of it and couldn't see the officiant. Eventually, I came to realize that I was in a liturgical Christian service, focused on the Christmas story. The building faced East which for some reason was important. 

At the end of the service there was talk of joy. I came to the realization that Christmas is about joy, the joy of birth. I also was reminded that joy is a choice, a matter of attitude. We can relax and allow it to be part of us. 

And so, this song about the joy of birth -- The Birth-- becomes today's Song for Sunday.

   There's a Song in the Air

        There's a song in the air! 
 There's a star in the sky! 
 There's a mother's deep prayer 
 and a baby's low cry! 
 And the star rains its fire 
 while the beautiful sing, 
 for the manger of Bethlehem 
 cradles a King! 

 There's a tumult of joy 
 o'er the wonderful birth, 
 for the virgin's sweet boy 
 is the Lord of the earth. 
 Ay! the star rains its fire 
 while the beautiful sing, 
 for the manger of Bethlehem 
 cradles a King! 

 In the light of that star 
 lie the ages impearled; 
 and that song from afar 
 has swept over the world. 
 Every hearth is aflame, 
 and the beautiful sing 
 in the homes of the nations 
 that Jesus is King! 

 We rejoice in the light, 
 and we echo the song 
 that comes down through the night 
 from the heavenly throng. 
 Ay! we shout to the lovely 
 evangel they bring, 
 and we greet in his cradle 
 our Savior and King! 

                                     ~Josiah G. Holland

                                    (In the Public Domain)

What Christmas songs bring you joy?

How do you bring joy into your experience of Christmas?

Song for Sunday: For Unto Us A Child Is Born

I heard a song based on Isaiah 9:6 at Brayton Memorial Church, a Pwo Kayin church in Yangon. It wasn't the Handel version, it was quieter, more lyrical and the words were slightly different. (It was sung in English, so I understood the words.) It was beautiful. The line "He's the friend of the rich, the poor, the sinners"stuck with me.

This isn't the songI heard at church I couldn't find that one But I like this one, too. It was wtitten by Sam Chaplin for a nativity play. The focus is on Jesus as the Prince of Peace. The pastor preached on that this morning -- a second pastor summarized the sermon in English at the end of it, so I know. Peace on both international and interpersonal levels is so needed, so often lacking. May God bring change.

Anyway, I hope this adds to your Christmas.

God bless!

Song for Sunday: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Today's song for Sunday originated as a poem written during the darkest days of the Civil War. They resonate today, as we are at war and final peace seems distant.  The hope of the last stanza remains a constant.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

             Henry W. Longfellow

What song is on your heart this fifth day of Christmas?

Me, Fire and the Christmas Pudding.

My husband is English and one of their customs is for the mother of the family to bring a flaming Christmas pudding to the dinner table for the holiday dessert.

Basically, she pours brandy over the pudding ( a fruitcake-like thing), sets it on fire, and carries it from the kitchen to the dining room.

I have never done this, but I would like to add it to our celebration this year, to give an extra taste of the family's English heritage. Sounds ok, right?

The thing is, I am afraid of fire. I don't even light matches.

Well, over the past few years I have been working on this at CYC. A friend of mine has been helping me to overcome this fear. This past conference,  with his help and encouragement, I put a log on a big fire and helped light another one.

So, maybe I can do this.

My husband wouldn't have a problem with lighting and carrying the pudding, but I want it to be a surprise for him. My son loves fire, so he'd probably do it, but I think that might make me more  nervous than carrying it myself.

So .... deep breath. I am going to try it!

Are you trying anything new this year?

Have a Very Merry Christmas!!

Song for Sunday: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" has always been my favorite Christmas carol, but this one is pretty high on the list, too. As a child I always thought we never sang it enough. I was always intrigued by the lines about the prophets and the ever-circling years.

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”

The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

     ~Edmund Hamilton Sears

What's your favorite Carol or Christmas song?