Luke 2

Merry (almost) Christmas!

Tonight if we can get to church (yes this is in question) I have the honor of reading Luke 2:4-20.  I'm excited about it and will be disappointed if I miss it.

When I worked at church, Christmas Eve was a mixed blessing.  It was wonderful to spend hours celebrating Christ's birth, to greet friends with a Merry Christmas and to sing and sing and sing.  I did truly feel like I got to worship on that evening.  On the other hand, it represented significant time away from family at a significant time of year (I never served a church that had fewer than three services).  It meant I was tired on Christmas day.

This year there's only one service.  I'm not in charge.  I haven't had to work.  I simply need to show up and read.  But the reading is significant, it is the Christmas story.  Sure we all know it, even those who don't go to church know the gist of it.  Linus recites this passage in the Charlie Brown Christmas special.  But if it has been awhile since you paid attention to the words, take a moment, slow down and read.  And then, do what Mary did treasure these things and ponder them in your heart.

One more thing - tonight when you see your pastor - say thank you, let them know you appreciate this gift they are sharing with you this evening.

Merry Christmas everyone!

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day, also known as Solemnity of All Saints or Hallowmas.  It is a holy day on the Roman Catholic Church calendar but many Protestants observe this holy day too.  On this day we remember the saints who have gone on before us, particularly those who have died within the past year.  We give thanks for their witness for the ways in which their lives glorified God, for their faith lived out in our midst.

Who are you thankful for this day?  Whose faith has had an impact on yours?  And if you aren't sure about God and Christianity - I'll simply ask, who do you miss?  Whose love made a difference in your life?

Now to get a bit less reverent -
In searching for a link for All Saints, I came across an interesting little nugget.  I knew that in the RC (Roman Catholic) calendar that All Saints was a day of Holy Obligation (meaning church attendance on this day is considered a must).  I did not know that if you live in the United States it is not a holy obligation if All Saints falls on a Saturday or Monday (you're off the hook this year).  Also if you live in Hawaii it isn't a holy obligation no matter what day it falls on.  Are Mondays, Saturdays and Hawaii somehow special?  How does living in the US versus living in Europe or South American make a religious observance optional when for others it is obligatory?


In Europe the kids get a week off of school for what is called the All Saints vacation.  I'm guessing the Catholics will be observing mass today (it is a day of holy obligation here).  I'm also guessing that most people will ignore this holy day completely.

Honestly I struggle with this.  Here in Europe there a many churches that sit empty or exist mainly as tourist attractions while society as a whole marks the dates on the Christian calendar - All Saints, Christmas, Easter, Lent (the kids get what is called a Pre-Lenten break).  From my point of view these are all mostly empty observances.  I think I'd prefer that the church calendar be ignored all together rather than be used as a calendar for school breaks.

Announcements

I hate announcements in church.  The whole point of going to church on Sunday is to worship God.  There is little to nothing in the church news feed (aka announcements) that is worshipful.  No one has had their heart warmed or their affections stirred for Jesus because of announcements.  (If you have, please tell me I am wrong).

To varying degrees churches do make an attempt to tame this beast.  This ranges from letting them run amok - a free for all, anyone talks for any length of time to a tightly tamed only one person talks and makes no more than three.

Given how much I hate them, I find it amusing (and imagine that you will too) that I am now the designated announcement person at the SHAPE chapel.  It is Alan Marshall's fault.  He coached me into how to make announcements with enthusiasm and in an expedient manner.  He also taught me to never ask for volunteers in desperation or for warm bodies and to get it all done in three minutes or less.

This training all came in handy when there was a shortage of chaplain leadership two weeks in a row.  The first week, I was asked to announce a huge multi month ministry, the following week, they handed me the welcome, announcements, offering and prayer with ten minutes notice.

I guess all the coaching stuck.  I now get to serve God by making announcements....

Potluck

Today we attended our first church potluck here at SHAPE.  They have one monthly, but this is one that finally fit our schedule.

While church potlucks all have their own individual flair, I do have to say that this one fit the general potluck mode.  There was plenty of food.  Desserts were in abundance followed closely by casseroles.  There were a couple of those quirky dishes that people weren't so sure about - in this case, grapes in some white dressing and a rice stir fry with olives.  All the food on my plate was very good if not good for me.

Usually the SHAPE Protestant Chapel has themes for their monthly potlucks and the hospitality ladies match the decor with place mats, printed napkins and center pieces.  This month's theme was "Totally Random."  The bonus of this theme is that all those odds and end place mats, napkins and centerpieces could be used.  Tables had floral place mats, Christmas napkins, fall leaves and Italian flags.  The effect was colorful if not coordinated.

Three of us ate well.  Limited by his allergies, Allen stuck to the apple crisp he knew I made.  Now he is supplementing it with a lunch at home.  Next time we'll have to pack more lunch for him.