Dateline: New Year's Eve

As I write this posting, the rapidly rising tide of darkness floods into the area I see outside my
windows. Christmas lights on houses still radiate energy and color that even the week after
Christmas cannot dispel. The world seems hushed and calm; it must be true that people are
getting ready to celebrate the coming of the New Year. I look forward to the year 2012 be-
cause it is the year I return to Scotland to be pastor of St. Fergus Parish Church. But I really
can't get excited about the New Year's celebrations that will commence in just a few hours.
By then I hope to be asleep in bed. At 4:20 am I will be setting up for early morning prayer
at 5 am.

I'm still savoring Christmas and all that it means. I can't get enough of Christmas. But this
year, the Christmas season has a companion. Hanukkah (some people spell it as Chanukah)
is an eight day Jewish festival. Because of the differences between the Jewish calendar and
the one commonly used in this era, Hanukkah, based on the former calendar, does not always
occur during Christmas time. This year it was observed from December 20th to the 28th. The
festival commemorates the time when, nearly 150 years before Christ's birth, the Maccabees
(a small band of faithful Jews) defeated the Greeks and their army (at that time, one of the might-
iest armies of the world), stymied Greek influence among the Jewish people, and reclaimed the
Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by cleansing it and rededicating it to God.

Hanukkah especially commemorates the miracle of the oil that took place when the Temple
was being rededicated. The Maccabees found only enough pure olive oil for the Temple can-
delabrum to last for one day. It truly was a miracle that the scant supply of oil lasted for eight
days until more consecrated oil could be found. Hanukkah has come to be known as a festi-
val of light because it celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and purity over adulterat-
ion. Purity and dedication of God's faithful people shed light into the darkness of the world.
That small band of Jewish people refused to compromise. They remained faithful to God and
committed themselves to being God's light in a dark and ungodly world.  

The story of Hanukkah is a great story, a Jewish story that Christians should be more aware
of. Although God plays a part in the miracle of the oil, the story is mainly about the actions of
a small group of courageous and faithful Jewish warriors over 2100 years ago. But my atten-
tion is focused on Christmas because it is about what God has done on our behalf in order to
save us from sin and death. God's Son, the second person of the Triune God, was made hu-
man and dwelt among us. Jesus is the true light who came into this world to give us life (John
1:9). He is the Word made flesh and born of Mary in Bethlehem. Behind the manger is the
cross upon which he was later crucified. Christ died at Calvary for our sins in accordance with
the Scriptures. Jesus was buried and raised on the third day, also in accordance with the Scrip-
tures. More than 500 people witnessed their Risen Lord and Savior (I Corinthians 15:1-8).

I like the story of Hanukkah, but it doesn't compare to the Christmas Story because the latter is
Jesus Christ's Story. Jesus' birth in a manger prepares us and sets us up for the Mystery of Faith
when we proclaim that Christ has died, Christ is Risen, and Christ will come again. I can never
get enough of the Gospel Story.

A blessed New Year to you and yours,

A Christmas Time to Savor and Remember

It is the day after Christmas, and I am laying back to enjoy the past week, the week leading
up to and including Christmas. The week was Jesus-focused and people-rich, and I feel satis-
fied and  content. I really couldn't ask for anything more. The week began with a wedding last
Saturday, December 17, in Astoria, Oregon. I caught a ride with dear friends to see the beauti-
ful daughter of a best friend of both of us marry her best friend and the love of her life (don't
worry, that's one guy, not two). After the wedding ceremony, the proud father of the bride
wowed the guests with a bold and energetic dance routine with his darling daughter. Great fun
was had by all!

Then I was able to lay low until Thursday when things started happening again. A small group
I've had the pleasure of being part of since I returned to Longview prepared a dinner for guests
at a shelter in town. About 13 of us prepared pancakes and sausages for about 110 people. We
were challenged by a stove that did not provide a consistent surface for cooking over 200 pan-
cakes and broiling enough sausages. But perseverance and ingenuity prevailed and we were
successful! I found out I haven't lost my talent for knowing when to flip good-looking pancakes.
Later that night I met with a guy with whom I've been meeting with every Thursday since April
to discuss the basics of the Christian life. It is the first Christmas in his lifetime that he recognizes
that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Since mid-March I have been attending morning prayer between 5 and 7 am at a Christian com-
munity center in town. I try to attend five or six days a week because it provides me with the
spiritual foundation for my time here. It has meant a lot to me, especially during the Christmas
season. So, that was where I was Thursday morning. That night some close friends took me to
a Mexican restaurant that we enjoy. Great food and great friends! A family friend with whom I
had lost contact saw me come into the restaurant and came and talked to me. I was saddened to
hear that her husband had passed away just the month before. But now I know where she lives
so that I can visit her. Later I was able to finish up and send off two emails to the church I'll be
pastoring in Scotland. The first was a short message to be read to the congregation at the Christ-
mas Eve service, and the other was to be read to them at the Sunday Christmas service. Next
Christmas I will actually be with them in person!

I woke up early on Christmas Eve to go to Morning Prayer, but felt sick as a dog. I had felt
something bad coming on the day before, but thought I could carry on. I thought about sleep-
ing in, but pulled on my clothes and went to Morning Prayer. I really struggled through Morn-
ing Prayer and crashed as soon as I got home. I slept for nearly four hours and came close to
canceling all that I had planned for later that day. When I first arrived at a Christmas Eve get-
together of a family that is very dear to me, I felt lousy and completely out of it. But the time
together eating, talking, and exchanging gifts really put some life back into me. I had such a
great time. I went back to my place and napped another two hours or so. I felt much better
when I went to my church's Christmas Eve candlelight service. I was a narrator for a dramatic
reading of the Christmas Story. I felt renewed and energized by again hearing the Christmas
Story.

I had been invited to two family gatherings after the service. Earlier in the day, I had thought
on passing up the opportunities because I was feeling sick and tired. But I felt good after the
service. I couldn't decide which one to go to, so I chose to go to both. And so I did. I enjoyed
talking with friends and munching on Christmas goodies. It made for a late night, but a very
enjoyable one at that. Despite the late night, somehow I was up for Christmas Day Morning
Prayer at 5 am. There was barely a handful of us there. After enjoying a quick nap, I was off
to a short Christmas service at church. Then in the afternoon I was invited to a Christmas Din-
ner at the home of dear friends and their extended family. It was such a delicious ham dinner
with a lot of great things to eat. I got to meet new people and talk with people I knew from be-
fore. But five-year old twin girls and their 10-month old sister were the center of attention. It
was just a great time on Christmas Day.

The last three Christmases in Scotland, and indeed, the last three years there, were very diffi-
cult for me. For the past several years I have felt squashed and battered, and the twelve-month
visa refusal only contributed to that state of affairs in my life. But the Lord has richly blessed
me by leading me here for this period of time.  I have enjoyed being with dear friends again
and being back at the church I grew up in. It has been good to be home for Christmas. I will
always treasure this time.

Continued Christmas blessings to you and yours,

George

Last Sunday morning, Keri (the seminarian intern at our church) and I led the congregation
through a Chrismon's service. We read Advent Scripture passages, led the congregation in
singing Advent hymns, and gave the congregation instructions on decorating the Christmas
tree with ornaments symbolizing Jesus Christ. I gave a message on the meaning of Christ's
coming that probably went longer than it should have. My general tendency is to preach long
sermons, especially during special times of the Church year. The season of Advent leading
up to Christmas is always a special time for me. It is festive, joyous, and expectant. So I may
have spoken longer than I usually do.

After the service I walked down the hall to the fellowship hall for coffee hour. The lineup for
the refreshment table was long, so I surveyed the room. I noticed one guy all alone at one end
of a table and two people sitting at the other end. He was eagerly working on a plate heaped
full of goodies. There were only a few people sitting down at tables, so he must have been one
of the first ones to get down to the hall for cookies, cheese, crackers, and sweets. He certainly
was not shy or bashful, and quickly made himself at home. As he ate from his plate he had a
big grin on his ace. It was that big grin, almost a silly grin, that I noticed as I surveyed the con-
gregation as I gave my message. He had been sitting towards the back of the left hand side of
the sanctuary. There wan't anybody around him. But he always had that big, silly grin on his
face. Now here he was at coffee hour, chomping away on his snacks, with that big grin on his
face.

I left the refreshment line and went and sat with him. I introduced myself and he told me that
his name was George. He looked to be in his forties, but I was not sure. Besides the ever-pres-
ent grin, there was a sparkle in his eyes. Then he took a big bite of a cookie and chewed quick-
ly as if he was in a hurry to say something. I got the impression he wanted to share something
big with me. So I waited. When he was good and ready he told me that in 1997 he had had
brain surgery so that he was not so violent. Then in a lighthearted way, he spent several min-
utes listing all his medical conditions, surgeries, broken bones, and treatments that he had ex-
perienced since 1986. George expressed a deep sense of accomplishment for everything that
he had undergone. He seemed happy and content in his own little world. When we got up from
the table I noticed that everyone had left except for the those cleaning up. George had been giv-
en a bag full of goodies to take home with him. He seemed to be a happy camper.

It says a lot about our congregation that George felt comfortable enough to stay through the
service and come to fellowship time. He picked up on God's hospitality that characterizes our
congregation. I think that many congregations struggle with how to work that out in their life
and mission. I have always struggled with how a congregation can be hospitable to people
who inhabit the margins of society. I often feel helpless, not knowing how to relate to people
who live out on the street and are homeless. I wondered whether the Holy Spirit had spoken to
George through my message or the hymns, prayers, and activities of the service. I blessed him
as we parted and he quickly disappeared from sight. I wondered if I would see him next Sun-
day or ever again.

Blessings to you and yours,