Christmas - the season for whom?

Hi All,
I have spent the day wrapping Christmas presents for grandchildren, grand nieces and nephews with my wife. After spending all day yesterday feeding approximately 140 people and 150 meals, it was a slower day though my body doesn't like I slowed down. I have of course been pondering things as a I do when I have down time and some of those things bring me joy and others sorrow. It is black Friday in the western world, the day when stores hope to make enough money to carry them through the first part of the new year. Little do they realize that they have a day when the Christian world moves from Thanksgiving into Advent, the season of hope, peace, love and joy as we focus on Christmas, the season of celebrating the gift of God that brings us promise and freedom.

This last Wednesday Pastor Bob Boyce and I shared the pulpit as we do each Thanksgiving Eve and Easter sunrise morning. Bob is a Baptist. He and I were having a conversation that makes both of us crazy. It is all the good people of God who question how a Baptist and Methodist can share a pulpit and get along. We're great friends. Do we really think that we are so different that we cannot share the joy of the season of hope and love? Some don't and I find that depressing. What do they think is going to happen at the receiving of the promise as we stand together, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist or Methodist? Do they somehow believe that there will be different lines? I think so sometimes. Shame! We miss out on so many opportunities to share ministry, mission and witness.

Let's talk about Christmas for a moment. Did you know that "X" is the Greek symbol for Christ? Did you know that Advent is a season of preparation following John the Baptizer preparing the way for the Lord? Do we really get so hung up on what we can and cannot do during the season? I once did. But now I realize that the sooner the Christmas commercial season begins, the sooner I get to start witnessing to people who honestly will not listen during the rest of the year. I get to share in christian behavior as we share meals, share laughter, share a little of the bounty that God has given us and share love. Like no other time of the year in fact. So if the powers that be want to take "Christ" and replace it with "X", the jokes on them. If they want us not to have nativity scenes, their legal maneuvering just brings more light to the facts surrounding the nativity and the birth of Christ and we get to witness that much more. If they want to focus on money, we focus on challenges like Angel Tree Ministries, Jesus is not your Birthday, and feeding and helping the poor, the lost and the marginalized. HMMMM! Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing all year long anyway. Now even those who want to push us into oblivion are acting like us. Maybe God is working in the world after all. So as Christians, smile, share a song or too, get over the ritualism that separates us and allow the season to open folks to relationships that they are not open to any other time of the year.

Just random thoughts, but then, that's what the label says.

What is church?

This week the members of Grace got to experience church. We too often think of church as that thing we do on Sunday mornings when we come to worship. So many of us even come to that experience not prepared to meet God but come hoping that they can feel better about themselves at the end of the time spent there. I hear so many people say, I feel so much better after attending Sunday worship. And I must admit, I am always glad to hear people say that. But that is not what worship is about nor is that church.
So Thursday we attended the Parksley Trunk or Treat and agreed to do concessions. But we had a great twist as a surprise. We gave it all away. We passed out 204 Hot Dogs, 224 Hamburgers, donated another 20 Hamburgers to the Fire Company who loaned us their grill, three boxes of chips and I am not sure we know how much water and soft drinks we gave away. But to see the look of shock on peoples faces and the thanks from so many haggard parents that we would actually do it made it worth it. You see church is about people. Church is about giving of ourselves that people might see the face of God in action. Church is surprising people with "God loves you - its free" and seeing the realization that God is real and actually does the unthinkable. So this week, the members of Grace who worked that concession from 4 to 8 PM, who struggled to stay ahead of the crowd and failed so many times, got to see church. You know it was also funny as we reflect on how patient the crowd became when the word spread that it was all free. It makes you appreciate the story of the fish and loaves on the mountainside. Who knows, it may start something new and incredible among the people of Grace.