CHRISTMAS 2023

 

  Christmas 2023

This is the day a Savior was born.

This is the day God came to earth.

This is the day that the churches in Bethlehem

Silenced the bells that ring out Jesus' birth.

For darkness covers Jerusalem,

The memory of horror as fresh as the blood

That seeps from the rubble in Gaza.

"Where is the justice when vengeance is all?"

Says the newborn awake in the hay.

"Did my Father not say that vengeance is His?"

Says the newborn awake in the hay. 

"Who will help me bring peace to this earth?  

If I will sacrifice all, will that be enough?" 

Says the newborn awake in the hay. 

Today the angels are raising their voices as they try to be heard on high.

Try to be heard above wailing and bombing and the noisy demise of hunter and prey. 

Eyes open, breath still as souls leave the bodies not ready to die.

This is not new we are sorry to say--

Lives lost on the battlefield, refugees pawns 

In a game of hunger and thirst that they didn't start, 

Well, I believe in original sin, don't you? 

The sin that the baby awake in the hay,

On a Friday that isn't that far away

Gives His life to atone for, rampant today. 

Today is the day that we say Merry Christmas and hold onto the ones that we love.

We say, "I forgive you.  Do you forgive me?"

We say, "Let's start over.  Let's work harder.  

Let's do more, be more, give more. 

Let's pray without ceasing for peace on this earth, in my heart and yours. 

Everywhere we go let us listen for the angels no matter how tired their voices, how tired our own.

Maybe not Merry, maybe not Bright, but Christmas is here.

Let us Rejoice.

Nina Naomi, Christmas Day 2023

THIS WAS ANOTHER DIFFICULT WEEK

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

These words were read in my church for the Third Sunday in Advent.  Sitting in the pew, I wondered how we could possibly give thanks for the past week, for any of the recent weeks really.  

This was the week the Israeli soldiers killed three men held hostage by Hamas; they came out shirtless, defenseless, waving a white flag.  The soldiers--trigger happy and disregarding the rules of war--shot them dead.  Unbelievable anguish is an Israeli response.  Questioning the devaluing of unarmed civilian life is an additional world response.  

This was the week that we learned further details of the bestiality of Hamas' rape of Jewish women.  This was the week that the deaths of Gazans reached 20,000, 70% of whom are women and children. This was the week that President Zelenskyy of Ukraine went home empty-handed after meeting with Congress seeking aid to repel Russian aggressors. This was the week . . . well, I could go on and so could you.  

And this doesn't touch our personal griefs and challenges.  Worries about children, parents, jobs, health.  Some of us are up against the wall and overwhelmed. Some of us are in hospice. For some, bad news follows bad news.  Rejoice always. Really? 

But looking closer, yes, I can pray without ceasing.  These are the times we do pray without ceasing.  The more need, the more prayer.  The more grief, the more prayer.  The more helplessness, the more prayer.  

And looking again more closely, we are told to give thanks in all circumstances.  Not for the evil in the world, no, never for that.  But in the face of evil, we are thankful that we are not alone.  That the Lord is with us. That His is the power and the glory.  That God will always help, save, comfort and defend us. 

God's plan is not for us to suffer, to die untimely, to be taken hostage.  We give thanks in spite of evil.  

What comes to mind is the hymn "When peace like a river."  Horatio Spafford wrote it in 1873 after his four daughters drowned crossing the Atlantic.  The first stanza ends, "Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to know / It is well, it is well, with my soul."  If the will of God in Christ Jesus for us is to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances," this path is not so unrealistic as it first seems.  If we follow it, with God's help, I believe that with the hymnist we will say, "It is well, it is well, with my soul."    Thanks be to God.  AMEN 

 

FINDING GRACE AT ANY AGE--HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

bella GRACE

A place of inspiration:  bella GRACE magazine has an article this issue where readers tell what they like about their age.  Uplifting and insightful, something good for all of us.  What could be a better holiday present than to find contentment in our own skin, to cherish our age and see its benefits?  I hope you like this sampling.

Franz Kafka

• Almost every reader looks at age as a blessing, a gift denied to many.  One says, "I truly believe with each year I learn more about myself and love myself even more than the last."
• The fear-of-missing-out has shifted.  We don't fear missing out on late-night adventures.  We want to catch each moment that unfolds during the day: "The tomatoes on the vine in the sunlight; that feeling just before the sun sets.  It's a different type of noticing than when [we were] younger."
• About to be 25, one reader says that it's a great time to make mistakes, to mess up and learn from it.
• We care more about the quality of friendships.  We love deeper and with more maturity. 
• A 29-year-old used to try to like what her friends did.  Now she takes pride in being "the girl who likes gardening, slow living, and being surrounded by nature."
• On the cusp of 70, a woman begins to study cloud formations, moon phases, and the night sky; to identify birds; to notice the changing light of the seasons.  She says, "It's never too late to find your place in this magical world." 
• One reader sheds her multitasking lifestyle. 
• Another writes, "Most of my wants are gone.  I no longer walk into a store and desire more stuff." 
• We treat our bodies with more respect.  
• As the decades add up, we don't see them as ominous, as the dark clouds of old age.  We see them as opportunities to lean into our passions.  We are not afraid of the future, however long or brief. 
• Most find that with age comes reflection and insight.  We understand ourselves and our choices better.  We don't take blessings for granted.  
• One woman says, "I am pro-age. . . . Growing older is a privilege I intend to enjoy." 
• Over and over:  "What's not to like about being 38?"  "about being 55?"  "about being 73?"  We feel content with our age and serene.  
• A few say, "I feel blessed to get older each year.  My parents never got to be this age."  
• Someone with depression and anxiety says, "I am pushing myself to do better without hurting myself."  She is 24 and strong.  
• Someone over 80 says, "I'm ready to go but not homesick for heaven." 
• Someone who wanted to be like her grandmother, now is. 
• Everyone who is standing on the far side of cancer finds wonder each morning, every day a gift to unwrap, gentleness and kindness toward self and others.  One says, "Cancer taught me courage."  
• Another, "Now my alone time is my favorite time." 
• Or "My Baba lived with contentment, peace and deep faith.  Now I am Baba."
• Or "The world is your oyster during that little window between raising one generation and awaiting the next."  
• Many like the freedom of having more money that age brings, when it does.  
• Giving oneself permission to slow down is a theme.  So is making or leaving the world a better place.  
• "I'm very happy at 70."  "I'm a fabulous 50."  "I love being 61."  " I feel like my awkward stage is behind me."  "I'm in my 30s right now and feel and act braver than ever before."  "I turned 70 and my life has never been richer."  "At 45 I feel like I am just getting started." 
• "Age gives me the opportunity to pursue life."  "I'm embracing every life lesson."  

Each of these resonates with me.  Each is its own Christmas gift, to feel whole or fabulous or happy or content or brave.  Each of these persons sees who they are and is thankful.  May you and I be thankful too.  In peace, Nina Naomi

Duke Chapel

•  

THE NIGHT IS MORE ALIVE

"I often think that the night is more alive

And more richly colored than the day."

--Vincent Van Gogh

Right now, we have more night than day and I love it.  Maybe you do too.  Even the darker mornings are good.  I plug in the fairy lights near the entry way and up the stairs, then the tree, then my tea kettle, then the dog wants tending and the sun is still lying low between the trees.  Maybe I even light the fire that I laid the day before, and a cinnamon candle, or pine or vanilla.  I'm in a wool cardigan over favorite pajamas. 

Maybe your December morning is more hectic than mine with a workday ahead, children tumbling around or an excitable pet rather than a peacefully graying Maltipoo.  When I worked full time, my paralegal and I might leave for a day of travel in the dark.  We'd finish our work in a strange city and come outside to lights, busy sidewalks and, at this time of year, Christmas shoppers and window decorations.  The early evening was welcoming no matter where we were.  I hope you feel like this.  For many of us long nights, colder weather and Christmas go hand-in-hand.  We can tell just by looking around our neighborhoods, how creative people become with holiday lights, wreaths and sleighbells. 

My own mantle is as nice as I can make it, with greens foraged from the yard. The stars are crystalline when Mr. Wiggles goes out for his last break, the moon brighter, the sounds sharper.  Even the train trundling beyond the woods seems nearer.  With the house lights out that late, our eyes accustom to the dark and even the shadows look inviting.  I've added one of my mother's handmade quilts to our bed.  We've begun leaving our socks on under the covers for that extra warmth.  

There's a lot going on in the world that isn't good, a lot to shake our confidence in our fellow humans, a lot of needs for our energy and time.  But day-to-day, minute-to-minute, here in this very same world, we also prepare for Christmas by accepting the little gifts of red berries on holly trees, blue cedar cones, translucent mistletoe clusters and the winter sky.  We bake and ice and simmer and roast.  We plan and wrap and accept and issue invitations.  

It's a wonderful time of year.

Thank you, Lord, for another December when we celebrate your birth.  Give us hearts of compassion, strength of spirit, resilience and understanding.  Provide respite from politics in our country and war in others.  Help those who struggle for their very lives and those who grieve for lives now over.  Be with us in sorrow and joy and lift us with your blessings, whether they be sparse or abounding.  In Jesus' name we pray.  AMEN