Peace on Earth and in the Family.

I spent most my years in ministry serving local churches.  I was a director of Christian education, and the holidays were always a hectic time. There was a Sunday school Christmas service to plan, and parties for various groups. I also usually organized the night of Christmas caroling.  During many of those years I also sang in the church choir, and the holiday season always involved extra practices. We always lived some distance from our extended families.  That required traveling, usually on the day after Christmas, in order to see family.  I always saved a weeks vacation for the time between Christmas and New Years.  One year the pastor I was in team ministry with confided to me that he was jealous that I could take the week off.  He went on to tell me that Christmas and the days following were some of his most stressful days.  I guess my puzzled look called for an explanation.  "My counseling load goes up during the holidays.  Families members who do not get along the rest of the year are suddenly forced to spend time together," he explained.  Over time I experienced the realities of family conflicts during the holidays.  I got involved in my share of holiday counseling.  The unfortunate reality is a family holiday party can often be very different than the "Peace on earth" the angels proclaimed.

A report I read  last week caused me to think about family time and people's expectation for Christmas.  The article was published by The Barna Group and included the results of a recently conducted survey.  The intent was to determine people's expectation for this holiday season and to determine how they intended to celebrate this year.   91% of those polled said they plan to celebrate Christmas and 70% said they did so for religious reasons.  When it came to how they intended to celebrate the holiday the number one response (72%) was spending time with family.  The desire to be with the ones we love also seems to know no generational limits. From millennials to senior citizens, we look forward to celebrating Christmas.

Yes, some young people value family time and even desire to maintain tradition.  I recall the conversation I had with one female student during the week prior to Christmas break.  She was frustrated with her parents.  The reason: they had planned a skiing vacation that meant they would be in Colorado, and not at home Christmas Day.  She wanted to be in church Christmas Eve, rather than sitting by the fireplace in s ski lodge.  She wanted to around the tree on Christmas morning opening gifts, and not skiing down the slopes.  She was especially upset because she was a senior and knew the future years would bring lots of changes.

I would encourage you to cherish the family time this Christmas. I would also hope you will keep those family traditions.   It can be a stressful time, especially if it means welcoming home children or other relatives who might have made poor choices.   It can be a challenge to be hospitable with those who seem to have gone out of their way to alienate us the rest of the year.  Even if our values clash the rest of the year, we need to set those aside.  Let the peace of the Christ Child dwell in your heart and in your home.  Maybe the best way to get across the message of the Christ Child is practice unconditional love, especially during the holiday seasons.

Repeat the Sounding Joy

I still have a memory of the first time I sensed there really was a Christmas spirit.  I must have been in the fifth or sixth grade.  The example of holiday joy and bliss was someone who to that point I had an only had an adversarial relationship with.  He was the pharmacist who also owned the local drug store.  At that time we lived on Woodhall Street on the east side of Detroit.  The Woodhall Drug Store stood in the corner of East Warren and our street. The store only had two employees most of the time, the pharmacist and a grandmotherly type woman who ran the cash register up front.  When I walked into the store I always hoped she was on duty, because the owner seemed to have a sour disposition toward children.  The store had a candy counter, but that was not the real draw for me. They stocked Topps Trading Cards and I was serious customer; baseball cards and football cards, depending on the season.  When the regular clerk was at the register, it was service with a smile. When she was absent and the owner filled it, the experience was far less pleasant.  My small transactions, baseball cards were a nickel a pack in those day, seemed to be viewed as an interruption.  That was especially the case if he had to come out from his cage at the back of the store to meet my meager demands.

It was a couple of days before Christmas and the decorations had been hung about the store.  When I entered the store I immediately noted an empty counter at the front of the store.  I was not looking forward to dealing with "Mr Surly."  The bell over the door had announced my arrival, so he was already making his slow trek my way.  The expression on his face was dower and I sensed he saw my presence as an interruption.  I don't recall the item, but as he handed me my purchase I felt compelled to share some Christmas cheer.  "Merry Christmas," I proclaimed.  Much to my surprise for the first time in memory I saw the man smile.  "Merry Christmas to you too," he countered.   Lesson learned.

If there is to be a Christmas spirit, it must begin with us.  If you believe that the babe born in a manger is the Messiah; you have the Christmas Spirit.  If you believe that babe came to be your Savior from sin, death and the devil; you have the Christmas Spirit.  If you recognize that the story doesn't end at the manger, or the cross, but at an open tomb; you have the Christmas Spirit.  I would encourage you to put aside the hustle and bustle that often comes with the season and focus on the real reason for the season.  Smile more. Share some cheer and if you are going to be generous with anything, make it Christmas joy.

Larry, Moe, Curly and Christmas

What is a Christmas tradition that your family has?  I was asked that question again last week.  We had gathered as a church family for dinner, as we do twice a month.  We are a small enough flock that we can meet in a home.  After dinner our host always has a question that we spend time responding to.  This time it was on family traditions.  Our son, Mark, who is also our pastor, had the opportunity to respond ahead of me.  His answer was predictable because it is the one our kids all like to laugh about.  It is simple, yet meaningful, tradition involving the magi in our manger scene.

It actually isn't my tradition; I learned it from one of my mentors.  I worked with Pastor Bill Huener during my years serving as a DCE at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Downers Grove, Illinois. Bill lived his life by the liturgical church year and celebrated every festival.  He also had traditions that accompanied each one.  Part of his Christmas celebration involved the three magi and the nativity scene.  The magi, our kids called them Larry, Moe and Curly, do not arrive at the creche until January 6, Epiphany.  Each year they begin their journey somewhere in the house east of where the manger scene is located.  Each day they move closer to the manger until they actually arrive on Epiphany. That is our way of celebrating the twelve days of Christmas.  It is also a reminder that the orthodox branch of the Christian Church celebrates Our Lord's birth on January 6th.  Out of respect for his orthodox neighbors, Bill always left all of his decorations up until the day after Epiphany.  I still do the same, even though to my knowledge my neighbors celebrate Christmas in December 25.

What traditions do you celebrate as a family?  Some involve food like scotcharoos or wassail, favorites at our house.  Others might involve a favorite song that is sung around the piano, or decorations that have special meaning.   While you are observing those traditions this year take time to share with your family the story behind the traditions.  Along the way remind them of the reason behind the seasons.  Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas, is a time of preparation when we reflect on the promise of the Savior and why he had to come into the world; namely our sinful nature. There really are twelve days in the Christmas season and it ends with Epiphany.  The Epiphany season runs from January 6 to Ash Wednesday.  During that time we contemplate the fact that the magi and others who met the Christ Child had a passion to share the Good News of his birth.