Saturday, December 15, Week of Advent Two

Collect:
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Readings:
AM Psalm 31; Isa. 7:10-25
PM Psalm 35; 2 Thess. 2:13-3:5; Luke 22:14-30

From Day by Day:

Luke 22:31--38. Jesus said, I tell you Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.

Why, here in the middle of our preparation for Christmas, would we find the last supper and Jesus' words to Peter? Perhaps to remind us how human Jesus' disciples were and how much like us they were.
Maybe in the middle of our preparation, we are supposed to take some time for ourselves. Each of us needs to find ways to refresh our body, mind, and spirit. I look for as many ways as possible: daily prayer, silence, personal retreats, and body care (good nutrition, exercise, and rest). I even take a week's vacation to attend conferences to renew my mind and spirit. Jesus knew the importance of seclusion from others for prayer. Personal care is a way for us to enhance our relationship with Jesus.
If we want to acknowledge our relationship with Jesus and not deny his presence in our lives and Christmas celebration, we have to prepare ourselves. You can't share the joys of the holiday season if you haven't balanced preparation with self care. It's okay; you have Jesus' example and permission.



Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Kumi - (Uganda) The Rt Revd Thomas Edison Irigei

Advent calendar: Ways to help others:
1. Set an example of "non-conforming freely" by using string or fabric shopping bags, a hand lawn mower, etc. Be a living witness. Show our own lifestyle changes. Share a subscription to a social justice magazine. (If anyone would like to share a subscription to Sojourners or YES! A Magazine of Positive Futures with Gloriamarie, please let her know!!)


Advent Calendar: Open Wide the Doors To Christ by Elizabeth Bookser Barkley
FRIDAY (Is 48:17-19; Mt 11:16-19) Be slow to judge others. "To be great is to be misunderstood," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. Even the Messiah had a hard time pleasing everyone. When John the Baptist didn’t eat or drink, his critics called him mad. But then, Jesus didn’t measure up either, since he ate and drank enough to be labeled by his enemies as "a glutton and a drunkard." The Kingdom of God has plenty of room for diversity. If Jesus withheld judgment, so must we.



First Canon of Canticle Four, Nativity Matins

Rod of the root of Jesse, and flower that blossomed from his stem, O Christ, Thou hast sprung from the Virgin. From the Mountain overshadowed by the forest Thou hast come, made flesh from her that knew not welock, O God who art not formed from matter. Glory to Thy power, O Lord.

O Christ, whom Jacob foretold in the days of old, calling Thee the Expectation of the nations, Thou hast shone forth from the tribe of Judah, and Thou hast come to plunder the strength of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria, turning their error into faith, O beautiful God. Glory to Thy power, O Lord.

O Master who hast risen as a Star out of Jacob, Thou hast filled with joy the watchers of the stars, who interpreted wisely the words of Balaam, the soothsayer of old. As the first fruits of the Gentiles were they led unto Thee, and Thou has openly received them, as they brought Thee acceptable gifts. Glory to Thy power, O Lord.

As dew upon the fleece hast Thou descended into the womb of the Virgin, O Christ, and as drops of rain that fall upon the earth. Ethiopia and Tarshish and the isles of Arabia, the kings of Saba, of the Medes and all the earth, fell down before Thee, O Saviour. Glory to Thy power, O Lord.




CHRISTMAS CHEER

Every year around this time, I have a familiar experience. I'm out shopping, and I'll go through the checkout line, and pay for my stuff. When the cashier hands me back the change, they'll say "Happy holidays," or perhaps even "Merry Christmas."

I realize that this comment is not always motivated by the cashier's genuine interest in whether or not I enjoy my holiday. I'm aware that they may be saying this because they've been told to. I can envision the memo from K mart corporate headquarters directing cashiers when to switch from "Have a nice day" to "Happy Holidays," on the assumption that this will somehow help cement a lasting bond between the store and the customer that won't evaporate when a Wal-Mart opens across the street.

I'm aware of all that, and suspicious of the whole business. But at least once every year, I have a cashier who looks me in the eye and says "Merry Christmas," and really means it. And it changes my whole day.

There really is something genuine to this whole idea of Christmas cheer. As Dec. 25th draws near, people warm up just a bit. If you're out and around on Christmas Eve, you'll notice that people are friendlier than on any other day of the year.

Folks warm up when they are mindful of the Christ child's birth, and make an extra effort to practice the virtues the angels sing of - "peace on earth, goodwill towards men."

But consider this - why do we notice this at Christmas? Why does this surge in warmheartedness stand out? I think it's because, despite our best intentions, good will towards men can easily become a seasonal event rather than a standing policy.

When Christ entered our world, he didn't come to brighten our Decembers, but to transform our lives. It can be hard work to practice good will towards one another. But John the Baptist's message was that as we prepare for Christ to come into our lives, we can change our ways.

The Gospel accounts of Jesus' ministry provide the blueprint for loving our neighbor in a busy and complicated neighborhood. Christ made a point of seeking out the broken and disenfranchised people of his day - the lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors - and he saw the value in each one of them. And in so doing, He helped them recognize the value in themselves.

This Christmas season, let us recognize that just as faith is a decision, good will towards people is a series of decisions that work themselves out not in temporary holiday cheer, but in the details of everyday life.

These meditations were prepared by Rich Miller of Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rich is a lay speaker who attends the The Hopewell United Methodist Church in Hopewell Borough, N.J.


"Managing Life"

"It comes like a gentle dew" (Isaiah 45:8). Isn't that what so many
of your Christmas cards are going to say and what the readings from
the Old Testament say during Advent? Grace comes when you stop being
preoccupied and stop thinking that by your own meddling, managing and
manufacturing you can create it. We're trained to be managers, to
organize life, to make things happen. That's what's built our
culture, and it's not all bad. But if you transfer that to the
spiritual life, it's pure heresy. It doesn't work. You can't manage
and maneuver and manipulate spiritual energy. It's a matter of
letting go. It's a matter of getting the self out of the way, and
becoming smaller, as John the Baptist said. It's matter of the great
kenosis, as Paul talks about in Philippians 2:6-11, the emptying of
the self so that there's room for another. It's very hard for us not
to fix and manage life and to wait upon it, "like a gentle dew." Are
we to be passive? No; very much the opposite. When Buddha asked a
question similar to the one Jesus asked, "Who do people say that I
am?" his disciples all gave reasons – "Oh, you're this, you're that."
The Buddha replied, "I am awake." To be awake is to be vigilant and
active. Many of the Advent readings call us to the single, most
difficult thing: to be awake.

from Preparing for Christmas With Richard Rohr





CUPCAKE-NESS

Rosie was driving her Jeep down the our driveway as I was driving up. She flipped it into reverse and glided smoothly back up toward the garage.

You're a good driver,Rose, I said as I got out of my car.

Mamo, can we make cupcakes? A young woman now, Rosie still specializes in the last-minute invitation.

Well, I have a meeting right now, but we can when I finish. About four o'clock. Or we could do it tomorrow. I'm here all day.

I could go and buy what we need. You know, like, cupcake-ness. Rosie knows I'm a sucker for imaginative grammar. I fished around in my purse for a twenty and gave it to her. For some cupcake-ness.

I have loved their words ever since they began to talk. I didn't own a tape recorder when my own were little, but I wrote down all their interesting constructions. I want to go to not Dot's, Rosie's mother used to say when she was tiny and it was time to go to the babysitter -- an interesting placement of the negative, but perfectly clear. Bodder me!!! her little sister would say sternly, glaring at whoever was getting in her space. My granddaughters had a little trouble keeping alliterative words apart: "Aunt Anna" became "Anta," and "SesameStreet" was "Sesameet." They sang along with the radio: a song whose lyric included the phrase "when the living was young" made a lot more sense to them as "lemon and gum," and they sang it over and over. My grandmother name, which was Rosie's to bestow -- the first grandchild gets to name the grandmother -- was "Mamo." Nineteen years later, I am still "Mamo" to the little girls, who are no longer little girls, and to their friends -- and, often, even to their mother.

We all have these lists in our memories. A grandmother wrote me yesterday: "The Lord be with you," says her priest, and her grandson knows just how to respond: "And I'll sit with you."

Sounds like a good arrangement. The Lord be with you. And I'll sit with you. We will understand each other, you and I, because we will talk to each other, and we will understand each other in a way much more important than getting every detail 100% right and proper. I will treasure you, every bit of you, even your little quirks-- especially your little quirks. And you will remember mine. And we will remember each other long after we are parted.


Copyright © 2006 Barbara Crafton - http://www.geraniumfarm.org