The Best Article About Christmas Stress -- Ever! (Well, not really, but I couldn’t resist.)

Do you feel that Christmas is a disruption in your life?  Are you overwhelmed by trying to provide the best Christmas possible?  How do you feel when you read an article or hear a discussion on a talk show telling you that you shouldn’t try to create the “perfect” Christmas?  And don’t forget all those movies about a burned out parent (usually Mom) who has a revelation and cries and berates herself for not seeing the meaning of Christmas.  Do you feel guilty because you would have been satisfied with just “real nice”?  Or are you shooting for perfect and feeling guilty not only for not making it but for even trying?

No matter where you turn, someone is saying something about the stress of Christmas.  I stopped reading articles about how to avoid stress, since reading them and trying to put them into action just took up time and led to more stress.

Maybe we just ought to accept that fact that we are going to strive for “the best Christmas ever,” no matter what we read or see on television and hear in church.

But I have a thought.

Christmas disrupts our lives, just as it has disrupted the world.  Mary and Joseph had their lives disrupted; so did the shepherds and wise men.  When we decide to follow Jesus, our lives are going to be changed and change is disruption.  It is a miraculous disruption.

But wouldn’t it be nice to find a little peace?

Maybe on the 26^th or the Saturday after Christmas, we can enjoy the leftovers, watch the DVD’s we got, and really read the Christmas cards and newsletters.  I’m going to keep the 26^th in mind tonight as I wrap presents and worry about whether everyone will like them.

Something Else to be Thankful For (Or I’m Just Saying.)

Besides Martha, another person we are supposed to see as a bad example is that Pharisee in Luke18:9-14, who was praying at the temple a short distance from a tax collector.  He thanked God that he was “not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.”  He gave ten percent of his income and fasted twice a week.  And this was true.  The point of the story is not that the Pharisee was lying.  

The tax collector stood at the side, hung his head and beat his breast, saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  The tax collector, because of his humility, “went home justified before God.”  When I heard this in Sunday School, I got the idea that the tax collector was a better person, even though he had probably been cheating those he collected from.  He was Good and the Pharisee was Bad.  I certainly did not want to grow up to be like the Pharisee.

This story is a good reminder that we must not get too full of ourselves and no matter what we do, we are all sinners.  The Pharisee should have acknowledged this.  But what is wrong with being grateful that you have had opportunities and been given gifts, both spiritual and material, that others haven’t?

I know that I am a sinner and in the eyes of God am no less of one than a drug dealer.  But I am still thankful that I am not a drug dealer.  I have been very blessed to come to know Jesus.  I’m glad my sinfulness does not involve standing on a drug corner in all weathers, worrying about being arrested or killed, and maybe realizing that I am destroying lives. 

So sue me.

But God, be merciful to me, a sinner!

Hide the candy canes! It’s the Advent Police!

When I was growing up, the Presbyterian Church did Advent well; I don’t remember them mentioning it.  We started singing carols about three weeks before Christmas (or, as the Episcopalians say, “Advent 2”), the decorations were up in the church the Sunday before Christmas in time for the Christmas pageant.  (I never got to be Mary, but one year, when they were trying to add relevance, I was the Teacher.  I got to wear my first pair of nylons and carried two of my mother’s old college books.  Along with the Doctor, Nurse, Family, etc., I walked up to the (live) Nativity scene and bowed.  There was a party afterwards with those three-flavored ice cream squares.)  On Christmas Eve, we had a beautiful candlelight service.

When I was church shopping years ago, I went to an Episcopal church on the Sunday before Christmas.  The only vaguely Christmassy part of the service was “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel.”  I didn’t go back for years.

The Episcopal Church sees Advent as a time of preparation, much like Lent.  No carols or decorations until Christmas Eve.  We can’t even say “Alleluia,” although some people forget, and everyone smiles.  We have our little rebellions, like wearing red or green and fussing at coffee hour.  (I wonder if priests discuss how their flocks are behaving.  My attitude would be, “Let them get it out of their systems, the little rascals.”)

I have to admit I have gotten used to Episcopalian Advent.  I still don’t know if I like it.  Maybe we need to have a place to escape from the worldly part of Christmas, at least for an hour a week.  Waiting is a spiritual experience.  Anyway, I’ve resigned myself that things aren’t going to change. 

I’ll wait in church, but not at home or even in the Parish Hall. 

There’s still half an hour until Advent starts.  One last “Alleluia.”

 

Happy Thanksgiving, a few days early!

Well, tear up my nametag and call me a heretic. Things I Wonder About

Fortunately, I am not a pastor or a theologian, so I can offer any crazy idea that pops into my head and not get in trouble.  In fact, I can even get ordained through the internet and start my own church. But it’s easier just to blog.  So here are some random thoughts. 

Gambling: The newest fundraising trend around here is Coach Bag Bingo.  For about thirty-five dollars you get the chance to win an expensive handbag and a night out.  It would be a great fundraiser for the church.  However, the Bishop doesn’t approve of gambling.  I believe this is because gambling is leaving things to chance, and for a Christian chance does not exist, since God controls everything.  (Crazy theological idea: if God has control of everyone’s life, then it may be your destiny to hit the lottery or win a Coach bag.)

Reincarnation:  I really like the idea of reincarnation.  Maybe in my next life I can use some of the things I learned (usually the hard way) in this one.  (Crazy theological idea:  Could the “many mansions” of John 14 be our different incarnations?)

Jesus and Martha:  I remember in Sunday School, Martha was offered as a bad example.  She was too concerned with getting dinner ready for a houseful of people and should have been listening to Jesus.  To call someone a Martha was not a compliment.  As I got older and had my own house and had to feed everyone, though, I sympathized with Martha. And when she asks her sister Mary to help her, not only does she not get any assistance, but Jesus tells her that she needs to get her priorities straight.  (Luke 10:38-42)  Maybe he should have offered to help.  How about a miracle here? How hard would that be for someone who could raise the dead?  Maybe Martha should have said, “Fine,” plopped herself down at his feet and let the gang see what happens when everyone sits around talking, even if they are listening to Jesus.

In John 11, Jesus gets on Martha’s case again.  When Martha points out that her brother Lazarus has been dead for four days, and smells, Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

“Sorry.  I guess I missed that when I was in the kitchen.”

(Crazy movie buff idea:  Jesus and Martha remind me of those old Spencer Tracey/Katharine Hepburn movies, where they fight all the time but are really attracted to each other.  But Jesus died before anything came of it.  Or did he?  Yes, he probably did.  Some things are too crazy even for me.  And he was too busy after the Resurrection anyway.)

 

Atheist Churches: An Oxymoron or the Social Oranization of the Future?

Atheists are starting their own churches!  They are singing songs, listening to inspiring talks, volunteering to help others, meeting people, and, it seems, having a good time.  The “Sunday Assembly” movement, started in England by two comedians, Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, has come to the United States, with Assemblies being held in Los Angeles, San Diego, Nashville, New York, and other cities.

Well, I’m glad they’re doing worthwhile things, but I wonder why they feel they have to have a church to do them.

What needs are these churches filling?

The members may say they want to be with likeminded individuals in their struggle to evolve into the best people they can be.  But why do they need an organized group to do that?

Is there some inner need in everyone to be part of a group?  One of the great things about being a Christian is the opportunity to be part of a Christian community.  And though Episcopal services may seem subdued, there is great joy.  And if liturgy isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other great churches to choose from.

It seems that atheists feel left out.  Christians wear crosses, Jews wear stars of David, atheists wear necklaces with charms that say “Godfree.”  Christians put “Jesus fish” on their cars; atheists have a cute animal that looks a bit like a hedgehog that says “evolve.” 

I wonder when it’s going to occur to them that they are doing these things in the name of refusing and denial.  What are they going do when their relationship with the person they met at Sunday Assembly breaks up?  What are they going to do when the problems that come with anything that is organized crop up?  At least organized religion has faith to fall back on when the boiler breaks down or the organist and choir director are feuding. 

The people flocking to Sunday Assemblies have discovered that they need community.  Perhaps as they develop their services, they will discover their need for ritual.  Perhaps in their discussions, they will start to wonder if there isn’t something beyond this world and humans and start to think, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were?”

Maybe this makes me a candidate for Annoying Believer of the Week or Person Who Gives Christians a Bad Name.  To any atheists reading this:  I’m just offering some ideas.  Enjoy them.  

A Pre-Christmas Thought

From The Liberal Page