On the Way to Wonder

“On the fourth day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me, four calling birds,

three French hens, two turtle doves AND a partridge in a pear tree.”

Four calling birds in this Christmas memory song, originally were four quacking ducks.  We can imagine these birds in our barnyard of animals to be the four Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament.  Four men wrote letters sharing their understanding of the life of Christ.  The Sunday morning Gospel text usually comes from one of these four books that share about “true love” giving “the partridge,” Jesus to us at Christmas.

         Four witnesses at the scene of an accident will tell four versions of the incident.  They may agree on most everything but they may also differ on some points. What color was the car?  How many people?  Detective stories have a lot of fun collecting the reports at the scene of the incident and eyes roll.  The four Gospels  are by four different men, from four different backgrounds, writing to four different audiences, but collected and put together to “call” to us to read.

         So how do we want to learn about God in 2021?  Certainly nature tells us some of the truth about God and walks in nature are refreshing and can be inspiring.  Stirring movies about the life of Christ give a visual interpretation of what life might have been like during those years of incarnation.  Sermons challenge us to think deeper about the events, the teachings, the miracles of Christ’s life and apply the lessons to our own lives.  Listening to touching testimonies of how God acted “this week” in the life of a fellow believer stirs our faith.  Prayer and meditation to listen for that “still small voice” even as Elijah did on the mountain has been a favorite discipline for mystics.  True Love gives and True Love calls to us to be see beyond our own perspective and interpretation of life and to realize God walks with us, to save us.

         Today is December 31^st and for many that signals a reflection over the dynamics of 2020.  My husband used to talk about his 20-20 vision.  That referred not to his glasses but to our prayer that the two children we adopted in 1996 would be mature and “lauched” by 2020.  Would we even live to see that day or that dream come true?  Tomorrow we enter 2021.  Wow.  This year has challenged us in ways we never even dreamt of last New Year’s Eve.  It is also true, this year has brought blessings we never thought of and new patterns of behavior.  Perhaps as we reflect, we might want to commit to reading one of the four calling birds, one of the Gospels, this year.  The church will be preaching from Mark but all the Gospels call to us and remind us that Jesus, the partridge, was God incarnate, who healed, who taught, who entered our highs and lows, who walked through death and goes with us into 2021.  That is a call worth listening to.  Blessings as you reflect and ponder the future!

“On the third day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me, three French hens

two turtle doves AND a partridge in a pear tree.”

Wikipedia says that French hens are the breed of chicken known as Faverolles that was developed about the 1800s.  They are known for being a “utility fowl,” good for meat and egg.  We raised chickens in Kenya for eggs, for meat, and they were good criers if a snake came around.  A six-foot cobra slithered into our coop one night and the noise woke the whole village!  I often tried to order a batch of day-old chicks for when the children were home from boarding school.  The hawks kept track of our house!

         So why “three French hens” in this song?  1 Corinthians 13, called the “Love Chapter” is a must-memorize assignment for children.  It defines love.  Songs are written with its words.  The chapter ends with this insight:  prophecy ceases and knowledge is limited for we only understand “in part” because we are imperfect.

          When I was a child I reasoned like a child, when I became a man, I    put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in     a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part, then I     shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three       remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor.          13:11-13.

Faith, hope and love are thought to be the three French hens, the three gifts from “true love” that spring from our hearts.  These three gifts are character qualities we want to be known for having, not wealth and knowledge that are seasonal.  The event of Christmas transforms our lives even as Scrooge is transformed.  As we think about these three gifts, perhaps it would be good to take a moment to reflect as we enter 2021.  Perhaps write in our journal…

• What is the foundation of my faith for 2021 – government, medicine, family, wealth, or God?
• What are three hopes for the New Year?
• Where do I need to pray for “true love”?

“These three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  It is not coincidental that “true love” is the giver in this song as our qualities are poor reflections.  Our prayer is that they will grow to be more like true love’s faith, hope and love for us as we walk with God into 2021.  Blessings.

December 25 to January 6 is known as “the twelve days of Christmas” and celebrates the time between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the Magi.  Neither date is a fixed historical fact but through the years these events have settled into tradition.  The arrival of the wisemen is called Epiphany, a new insight, and the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christmas story.  The Christmas story is not just a fixed holiday when we celebrate a historical memory, like President’s day, but is the beginning of an unfolding reality that has not only shaped history but has shaped our personal lives.  There are many that also credit this song as a teaching tool for Christians when Christians were persecuted in the 17-18 century.  I have read that in 1558 Catholics developed the song to teach the basic truths of Christianity.  In any case, today is December 28 and we are going to focus on this song till Epiphany, January 6^th.

         “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in          a pear tree.”

         “True love” is the giver, not someone seeking to impress us.  For most of us we have had experience with false love, the broken promises, the nights by the phone or mailbox – waiting for a reality that never came.  The promises were empty.  Songs are sung about true love.  God’s love is true love because he does not break his promises or his commitment to us.  I love to use the example when visiting of a hand shake – in the mysterious handshake between the divine and us, the divine holds on to me when I am weak, when I don’t remember who I am, when the sky is so dark I cannot see, when I am overwhelmed with doubt, when…  God’s love is true love even though we do not see his kingdom totally materialized now.

         True Love “gave to me.”  Love gives and does not grab.  Love is patient and will wait till I open the gift.  Love gave unexpectedly, in an unlikely way, to unassuming people – kind of like your life and mine.

         True love gave a “partridge.”  A partridge is a bird that will sacrifice its life to save its children.  It is not a bird we talk about much except at Christmas but we do tell the story of the hen who, seeing the brush fire sweeping across her home, gathered her chicks under her wings and hunkered down.  The farmer discovered the charred body of the hen and lifted the wings and out came the baby peepers.  We are those little chicks that true love protects.  When the trials of life threaten to destroy us, we need only scurry under the wings of true love and wait.  True love, which gave Jesus at Christmas, protects.

         The partridge is sitting in a pear tree.  The pear tree is not a common image to me.  I was surprised to read, “pear trees are considered images of prosperity, good health and future happiness.”  The pear itself was compared to the female body, seeds deep inside, bearing the Christ child for humanity.  Hummm???  It is true that Christ came of Mary.  It is true that within each of us are seeds of creativity, of love, of talent – a gift to be developed and lived out for others.  These seeds grow and produce life.

         Today let us hold in our hearts that image of a partridge – Jesus – born of woman – the pear – and given by true love – God – to us to bless and lead us into our unfolding journey with him.  Blessings as you hum!

THE DAY AFTER Christmas, after the high, after a tragic accident, after a memorable event of any kind, what happens?  I have found that the “day after” (which has now become connected with ideas of counter-balancing the effects of the day before for fear of an unwanted pregnancy), like the valley after the mountain top experience, often signals an emotional slump after an emotional high.  Christmas Day is over but many want to play those tunes just one more time.  Presents have been opened and there is no more element of surprise in the air.  Trash needs to be dealt with.  Just jumping into the next season after Advent seems a bit of a rush.

         I opened my book Amazing Grace, 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions and found the hymn for today is “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”

Refrain:  Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and ev’rywhere—go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!

1. While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold throughout the heavens there shone a holy light.
2. The shepherds feared and trembled when lo! Above the earth rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth.
3. Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.

Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and ev’rywhere—go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!

         Negro spirituals have inspired and comforted us since the 18^th and 19^th century when they originated in the camp meetings in the South.  John W. Work and his brother Frederick J. Work promoted this song in the first published book Folk Songs of the American Negro in 1907 and it has become a beloved part of our sacred music and Christmas tradition.  The Christmas story is a story that needs to be told, not just experienced as a moment of delight and then dealt with like the trash of Christmas.  It is but a glimpse into a story that will unfold through out the liturgical year, amazing us, blessing us and guiding us.  It’s O.K. to sit back, now that all the excitement has settled and savor the meaning –then, now, and for our future.  God incarnated as a small, innocent, helpless baby to reveal itself, journey with us showing how God responds to life’s challenges, and ultimately walking through death to eternal life thus giving us hope to replace fear.

         The hymn embraces Isaiah 40:9,

          “You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain.  You         who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout,        lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ’Here is your      God!’” 

May the blessings continue for you on the “day after” Christmas!

LOVE.  Advent 4. “Leo ni leo!”  “Today is the day,” as we would say in Swahili.  The youngest child asks the father during the Passover meal, “Father, why is today special?”  For four weeks we have been waiting for not for Passover but for Christmas, preparing our hearts, preparing our homes, preparing our families and now we come to today.  Why is today THAT special?  Worship, gifts, food and fellowship partially answer but we turn to the gospel of John, chapter 1, for another perspective.

         John opens in verse 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.”  Our reality started with the Word speaking creation into being.  But we were not there.  Hence all the theories of creation, even the TV show, The Big Bang Theory.  Science can give us theories but science cannot prove, only postulate.  John continues and reminds us in verse 17 of chapter 1, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  From the Ten Commandments and Hammurabi through out history, all cultures have codes of behavior to regulate our lives together and to give us a moral compass.  But, it seems to me, we cannot even agree on the right way to treat our fellow person.  Political elections prove that.  So why is today special?

         I find the answer in the word “INCARNATION.”  Verse 18, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”  Incarnation is taking that which cannot be known but is perhaps experienced and giving it a form that our eyes can understand.  A cloud with a face blowing gives us a picture of wind.  A flag is an emblem signifying concepts of a country – the stars stand for the states.  If asked to draw a picture to symbolize God, we are hard pressed, because God is so far beyond us.  Incarnation, the babe in Bethlehem, is how Christians understand God chose to introduce himself to us.  The baby makes known to us the unknowable.

         Christmas testifies to us today that the sunrise outside my window is God consistently, regularly remembering his creation and reaching out to us — even as a small baby raises its arms to reach for a parent.  Relationship with God grows even as that little child wraps his fingers around our heart and we learn to love and understand each other.  Babies change reality as shepherds, wisemen, and soldiers change their plans and come to the stable.  The babe of Bethlehem, Jesus, the Messiah, Immanuel changes our realities as we embrace him.  Today is special.  It is the incarnation, the making known in real form and stories, the God who created, who sustains, who relates, and who journeys with us.  The gifts, the food, the fellowship are our ways of expressing, of incarnating our love for the other. God is real and comes to YOU today!  Blessings.

LOVE.  Advent 4. Tomorrow is Christmas and today we read Luke’s version, the most well known version, of Christ’s birth.  Let’s look for love in that story.  Luke starts with social markers to verify the story historically.           —Caesar Augustus has issued his first decree for a universal census and everyone must go to his or her family seat to register.  No love or concern in those governmental decrees. My heart doubts that government decrees about masking, voting recounts, or vaccinations truly involve any concern for me, even if I do get a stimulus check. 

—Joseph and his pregnant “pledged” wife travel together to Bethlehem, the home of David.  Hard tasks draw us together but to call this “love” would not meet Hollywood standards. 

—Mary bears the baby in a stable.  I’m still not feeling the love in the story. 

So ends the first nine verses of chapter 2 of Luke.  I would need a lot of poetic license to create a love story!

         Chapter 2 verses 8 to 20, though, burst forth in great detail and conversation and action.  This part of the Christmas story seems to have caught Luke’s literary attention and has been recorded for history.  A choir of angels visits a group of shepherds — the unnoticed, unimportant, not worth mentioning. A single angel visited Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph.  A choir signed up or was sent to carry this message!  And what was the message they carried?  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom is favor rests.”  (Today we would say “on people” to be inclusive but the meaning is still clear.)  A huge emotional response, love, is generated to God by this birth and God in return loves, favors people.  That sounds like a love relationship to me!  Not a census, not a long journey pregnant, and not a stable.  This birth is the start of an unfolding love story between God and his creation – including angels, stars, shepherds, wiremen, Joseph, Mary, the animals and all who believe! 

         Like those shepherds who were caught between the harsh realities of their lives and the angel choir, we are caught between the harsh realities of our news about our world and the message of the choir.  God favors,” God loves us and is acting even though it may not be obvious.  Many will prepare to go to Christmas Eve services tonight.  We will enjoy the music.  We will smile at the little children doing their parts.  Or maybe we will turn on the radio or stream or tune in by zoom to our favored congregation.  We will form a “socially distanced” choir but that does not diminish our praise or God’s favor on us. Our gifts will be opened and appreciated to some degree and most will find some way to socialize.  But the real “love story” here is between God and his creation – YOU!  May you rest in that truth tonight because that is true truth.  You are favored!

LOVE.  Advent 4.  Mark opens his gospel introducing John the Baptist, a bit of a wild looking prophet emerging from the wilderness and calling to the people to prepare for “one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie,” who is coming.  Prepare by repenting, changing.  We might say, “Get your act together!”  There is no love in this message.  If we stop there, those of us who are a bit honest with ourselves about those dark habits that seem to keep us from the “good life” if only we could repent and turn ourselves around, might walk away.  Some of us look at today as it approaches and foresee a trip to the hospital, or choosing between food and Christmas presents for our kids, or even another less than gratifying zoom meeting.  I hear the little voice whispering in my ear, “Where’s God and that love of Advent?”  We are tempted to turn our back and walk away from the mystery of faith.  A better tomorrow must involve people repenting, changing, “a major course correction.”

         BUT (and there always seems to be a “but”), Mark continues his gospel in 1:9 with “at that time,” in the midst of the call for repentance, Jesus visits John the Baptist at the river Jordon and is baptized.  As he comes up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and a voice speaks from heaven.  “You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”  “Whom I love” are such powerful words.  Let’s think about it!  Jesus has done nothing miraculous or helpful.  He has not entered ministry, earned any degree, solved any problems.  He has done nothing of note.  He comes from small town Israel, from an ordinary family, and from a questionable birth.  It sounds a bit like most of us.  We are just normal and unspectacular.  A voice breaks into his experience and pronounces, “whom I love.”  No “high five, good job, son.”  No graduation certificate.  No promotion raise.  Before any deeds to dazzle our eyes, God says, ”whom I love.”

         Mark’s Advent story opens with love, Advent 4’s theme.  As a person, so desiring love, it is easy to hear the prolog of “repent” and so hard to hear the affirmation of “love.”  I realize my love is conditional and focused on today or the past track record.  Also, I am conditioned to believe love is conditional on my beauty, on my performance, on my talents, on MY whatever – on me being and controlling my life well.  The Advent journey calls us to “wait” for a God who brings love to us because “God is love. (1John 4:16)” “We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)”

         The pressure is on right now.  Christmas is two days away.  Presents still need to be bought, food prepared, and zoom gatherings planned.  That is not to mention questions of vaccinations or political transitions and, of course, weather.  It is easy to fret or despair.  Advent 4 focuses on love, the love that comes in the Christmas story not because of who we are but because of who God is.  May we remember as we face the challenges of today that God loves us and walks with us into the future.  Blessings.

LOVE.  Advent 4. The Matthew report of Advent, of Advent through the eyes of Joseph, includes the story of the “Magi,” the Wisemen.  Three, a number we only use because of the three gifts, probably men, come from the “East,” someplace east of Bethlehem or Judah anyway, to see “the one who has been born king of the Jews.”  Matthew’s report not only shows that Joseph was chosen to father Jesus but it also includes us Gentiles, us non-Jews, as significant recipients of the blessing.  How many songs and tales have arisen from this scene!

         The journey is worth reaching the destination.  If it was a camel ride across a hot, sandy desert, for however long, the journey was not easy.  As we journey in Advent and through life, the journey is not easy.  In Kenya, often the worship leader would start, “Many longed to see today but have not, so let us rejoice,” rejoice in the midst of the challenges of life.  Death never arrives at the right time and those of us who journey with the person feel the love that has been felt on the journey.  Journeys draw us together in community and we value love.  Whom are we journeying with today who has extended love to you?

         The journey in found in the context of misunderstanding.  The Magi pass through Jerusalem and are interrogated by Herod who calls the priests that reveal that a savior will be born in Bethlehem.  None of those characters care enough to go to Bethlehem to check out the Magi’s story. Love calls on our hearts to insert ourselves in the story, in the journey, to invest our lives in what is unfolding and in process.  Love involves itself in the mystery of faith.  Are we passive bystanders like Herod and the priests or are we active seekers living out our love in the journey?

         Yes, love gives and does not take or grab or possess as we talked about yesterday.  The Magi brought gifts of love.  There was no entrance fee at the stable.  One explanation has the “gold” acknowledging the baby’s kingship, the “frankincense” acknowledging his priestly role, and the “myrrh” acknowledging his sacrifice.  The gifts were not requested but given from love and unknowingly helped in the escape to Egypt and Jesus’ life as a refugee.  I love the Christmas song and the song Little Drummer Boy.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRDLsEJYTBU . 

         The Advent story is coming to a climax this week in the birth of a baby we love without seeing, not truly understanding the cost of that love to us or where that relationship will lead us and for many pondering what we bring to God.  What a comfort to know God loves all, even the “foreigner”, and there is no entrance fee to worship him.  We bring him our heart and that is good enough.  Praise his name!  Blessings.