"We Three Kings of Orient are bearing gifts we traverse afar..." Though this is a Christmas carol, we will be singing it on Sunday, January 2. The magi, or wise men, as they are sometimes called, followed a bright light which led them to the child Jesus.
At Grace Church we celebrate God's gift of Jesus, the Light of the World, not only on Christmas or for the 12 days afterward, but all year round. As we sail into a new year, we pray that the Light will shine upon you and lead you to joy and peace.
Looking for a place to bask in the Light? Find your place at Grace!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Christmas Traditions
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Today after worship we celebrated an "Old Fashioned Christmas" with traditional activities like caroling and decorating cookies. Most people have traditions at Christmas, perhaps a special meal or a favorite activity. Traditions give structure and predictability to our lives. They can even give meaning if they draw us back to core relationships and values.
Psalm 80 is a prayer of people desperate for the hand of God in their lives. It has a verse that repeats over and over:
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Repetition in the words of the psalm give moments of pause that let us absorb the message of a people crying out to their God.
Our very best traditions bring us back time and again to the place where we can feel God's face shining upon us. We come back to a place where we love and are loved, back to a place where we give generously and receive graciously.
The most important tradition of Christmas time is not a food or an activity, it is that once-a-year moment when we open ourselves to the gift of the Christ child in a manger. It is the time when this heartfelt prayer is answered:
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Today after worship we celebrated an "Old Fashioned Christmas" with traditional activities like caroling and decorating cookies. Most people have traditions at Christmas, perhaps a special meal or a favorite activity. Traditions give structure and predictability to our lives. They can even give meaning if they draw us back to core relationships and values.
Psalm 80 is a prayer of people desperate for the hand of God in their lives. It has a verse that repeats over and over:
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Repetition in the words of the psalm give moments of pause that let us absorb the message of a people crying out to their God.
Our very best traditions bring us back time and again to the place where we can feel God's face shining upon us. We come back to a place where we love and are loved, back to a place where we give generously and receive graciously.
The most important tradition of Christmas time is not a food or an activity, it is that once-a-year moment when we open ourselves to the gift of the Christ child in a manger. It is the time when this heartfelt prayer is answered:
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Now is the season of Christmas carols. One of my favorites is Do You Hear What I Hear? (listen). The lyrics and theme of the carol carry a message of waiting, listening and searching.
Advent (the four weeks before Christmas) is a time of preparation and anticipation. In the super-saturation of commercial Christmas messages it is refreshing to be quiet. take time and dwell for a moment in silence and waiting.
We have lit two Advent candles so far. They were the candles of Hope and Love. This Sunday we will light the third candle, the one traditionally associated with Joy. Amidst the serious spiritual preparation of Advent we need to keep joy in our hearts.
Keep heart and hope in this Advent season. Search the skies for the star that glows brightest of all. Listen intently for the voice that brings the perfect message. Remember, we are all anticipating the promise of the last verse of the carol.
Listen to what I say!
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| courtesy of flickr/tycha |
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song, high above the trees.
With a voice as big as the sea.
We have lit two Advent candles so far. They were the candles of Hope and Love. This Sunday we will light the third candle, the one traditionally associated with Joy. Amidst the serious spiritual preparation of Advent we need to keep joy in our hearts.
Keep heart and hope in this Advent season. Search the skies for the star that glows brightest of all. Listen intently for the voice that brings the perfect message. Remember, we are all anticipating the promise of the last verse of the carol.
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night.
He will bring us goodness and light.
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