A Traditional Holiday

 

As we approach this holiday season, I recall a conversation that I had with a mom over forty years ago.  Marge was one of my Sunday school teachers, and her husband Bob was chairman of the Board of Trustees.  They rarely missed a Sunday.  Marge and Bob had one daughter.  She was a college graduate student who I barely knew.  She had gone off to college before I had joined the staff at the church.  Her reputation was as a popular, over-achieving student, who was rarely seen around church during her high school years.  Other than Easter and Christmas Eve, I do not recall having seen her.

On this day Marge stopped by my office in tears.  She wanted my counsel on an issue.  It seems that she and Bob had planned a Christmas vacation in the Colorado mountains.  They had included their daughter in the plans, figuring she would be excited over the opportunity to spend some time on the ski slopes with them.  She was shocked when her daughter vehemently objected.  She wanted a traditional Christmas at home.  Marge was especially surprised when her daughter stated she would most miss being in church on Christmas Eve. 

I honestly do not remember how Marge and Bob’s dilemma was resolved, but that is not important.  What is significant is that we keep in mind how important celebrating the holidays with a traditional celebration is to young people.  They might go their own way much of the year, but come Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve they want to celebrate at home with family.  That is why year after year, churches are packed on Christmas Eve.

The traditional family celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas are in jeopardy this year as we are warned to avoid both travel and large gatherings.  Some colleges and Universities are actually telling students if you leave campus for Thanksgiving, don’t come back until 2021.  Others schools are testing students before they leave campus, with a promise to do the same once they return.

It is a challenging time for churches and those who minister to college students and their families.  How do you connect in a meaningful way?   How can you be a messenger of grace and hope when face to face contact is impossible?  Somehow, I think Christmas cards and care packages are going to be more meaningful this Holiday Season.  Those young people who treasure a traditional Christmas are going to need a little extra love this year.

 

 

Reflections on the 2020 Election

 

This past Saturday I, along with many other Americans, watched as thousands of people flocked into the streets to celebrate the election of Joe Biden as the 46^th President of the United States.  I was not surprised to see so many young people in the crowds.  The festivities took on the same passion as commemorating a World Series Championship or Super Bowl victory.  I suspect that many of them were even first-time voters.  Sure, there were a few gray heads in the crowd but for the most part, it was the under forty voters who turned the tide in this election.  At the same time there were those protesting the legality of the election, alleging the Presidency was stolen from Donald Trump.  While most of those in that camp were over forty, I am sure you could find some young faces.

I could have predicted the outcome of the election.  I quite frankly surprised that the results were not different four years ago.  The Democrats lost that election because they chose Hillary Clinton and not Bernie Sanders as a candidate.  Bernie was the choice of Millennials and those Gen Z’s old enough to vote.  When he was out of the picture, they boycotted the process.  I felt eight years ago that it was the last time that Baby Boomers would have their way in a national election.  I was only four years off.

It is tough being on the losing end.  It is also difficult seeing so much change and having it out of your control.  There is no denying that values have shifted.  A few years ago, Pew Research reported that over half of Millennials (54%) felt things had changed for the worse, that compared with 77% of Baby Boomers and 70% of Gen X’ers. 

It is tough to except change, especially when we view the modification as a borderline-revolution.  How do we live in a world where same-sex marriage is a reality, women can choose to put an end to the life within them and even the impact of the Christian Church is on a rapid decline[T1] [T2] .

I think the key to survival is to realize that for us as Christians, nothing has changed.  We feel like we are living in Babylon but God is still on the throne, and Jesus still reigns victorious.  As the people of God, we are called to do the same things we have always done.  We must be Jesus in the world.  That requires loving people for who they are, not who we want them to be.  It means being people of hope and grace.  Only when we embrace the change and view it is a new opportunity to share Jesus will the church survive. 

 

 

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