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Christmas prayer

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God of star and stable, we wonder at your creation, the vastness of the universe, our small place in history and time, and yet your concern for every creature and every corner. As we look up and see the heavenly host and hear their chorus of good news of great joy for all people, we join with the angels singing praises at the birth of the Messiah. Make us as eager as the shepherds to leave our familiar fields to go and see the One who has come to save the world. May we not only bow down and worship, but get up and go tell. Emmanuel, God with us, transform us into a royal priesthood, ready to show others that God is with and for them, too. We rejoice, give thanks and marvel at the gift of Jesus Christ, the One who has come to redeem the world. We ponder in our hearts all that he is and who we are in light of his incarnation. We prepare to follow where he leads, from star to stable, cross to grave, empty tomb to Galilee and the ends of the earth. Amen.   … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Christmas

#realfamilychristmas

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Sappy sentiments about “home” pervade this season no less than cheesy Christmas music and relentless advertisements telling us to buy things. The classic “Home for Christmas” competes for airtime with Justin Bieber’s “Home This Christmas.” Don’t forget the movies from “Home Alone” to the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” where being embraced by family and friends, chestnuts roasting on the open fire, trees laden with gifts, everyone reunited, happy and, well, home, marks the Norman Rockwell image of Christmas. But I ask you, is this what your home is like? Moments of such greeting card bliss and annual holiday letter verbiage exist, but only in fleeting glimpses. That selfie is taken just before the smoke alarm goes off and the turkey gets hurriedly pulled from the flames. The social media post crops out the loved one who’s had too much punch and subsequently not enough filter. Rarely do we hear about the strained dinner conversation about politics, or the new girlfriend no one likes, … [Read more...]

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No room in the what?

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I confess: Learning that the New Testament never uses the word stable or barn to describe where Jesus was born was borderline scandalous to me.  Well, then where was he born? Especially if there was “no room in the inn.”  And does it make any difference?  The late New Testament scholar, Ken Bailey, helped deepen my understanding. Remember Joseph was going to Bethlehem, which would be like me going to Napa, California – where I was born and raised, and where much of my family still lives.  That means I’d have plenty of places to stay.  This is what family does – especially in the Middle East: They offer hospitality. And if for some reason Joseph’s people couldn’t accommodate them, then Mary’s certainly would.  (Her people were in Bethlehem of Judea. She had already stayed with Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, several months before.) In other words, it doesn’t matter if there was “no room in the inn.” Joseph and Mary would never stay in Motel 6. Custom would demand they … [Read more...]

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God’s best for us

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I have found the Christmas Eve sermon the hardest one to prepare. The biblical story has little to do with where listeners and our larger culture are in late December. I remember one year when I worked extra hard to prepare a message that took the Luke account seriously and took my people seriously. I knew they were struggling. Whatever its status as an actual historical event, the infancy narrative in Luke touches on critical themes: a messianic moment, affecting all of humanity, happening among the lowly, shepherds as witnesses, at the center a young couple of nobodies whose gift wasn’t wealth or status, but a willingness to say “yes.” It was a redoing of Creation itself. That’s how much God loves us: willing to try again after ages upon ages of human sinfulness. I stepped into the pulpit to share this message of hope and immediately saw reality. Extended families were pausing at church between this party and that party. Parents were focused on shushing children. Most people … [Read more...]

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Seasonal hymns by J. Barrie Shepherd

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Beloved Presbyterian poet J. Barrie Shepherd has crafted hymns for Advent, Christmas and welcoming in the new year set to familiar Christmas tunes and other well-loved hymns. Your hymn purchase includes downloads of  a PDF of the lyrics scored with the music for a half-page regular sheet of paper, a second PDF of the lyrics scored with music for a half-page of legal-sized paper (large print) and a document with lyrics only. You have permission to print as many copies as needed for your use. Good Joseph Was a Gentle Man (preview of full hymn text) Good Joseph was a gentle man he loved his bride-to-be, Rejoiced in every blessed hour spent in her company. So when the neighbors told him that his Mary was with child, he heeded what the Angel said and they were reconciled. ST. LOUIS (“O Little Town of Bethlehem”) Click here to purchase "Good Joseph Was a Gentle Man" for $10. Gathered in That Humble Place (preview of full hymn text) Gathered in that humble … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Advent • Christmas

How can we keep from singing … together?

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  No one sings together anymore. Or so lamented Mary Schmich in a glum Chicago Tribune newspaper column 18 years ago. Group singing used to be commonplace, she recalled ­– grade school children having fun, college students hanging out in a dorm room, families gathered around a piano. Especially at Christmastime – belting out carols with others cultivated a special sense of community. “Singing together is a kind of social glue,” she wrote. But now, singing with others is a rarity. Well… aside from in churches, Schmich admitted. In our churches, I’m aware of hearing frequent praise of choirs and special concerts, but I wonder if we’re taking joy in the fact that each week, we are doing something ordinary but special: We sing together. We sing at Sunday worship. We sing at funerals and weddings. We sing in Sunday school classes and at General Assembly. Together, we sing. A few weeks ago, I was the guest preacher at a church I’d not been to before. Being a guest, I … [Read more...]

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