On the Way to Wonder

Week 3 of Advent focuses on joy.  We are looking at “It’s a Wonderful Life” along side the story of Joseph of Mary as told in Matthew’s version of the Christmas story.  George Bailey learns $8,000 has been misplaced at his company and comes home distraught.  At home he meets more irritations as youngest daughter, Zuzu, is upstairs in bed with a fever.  George goes upstairs to check.  Zuzu is hugging a flower from school and wants to get up and give it a drink.  As George tucks Zuzu back in a few petals fall off and Zuzu asks him to paste it back together.  He turns, tucks the petals in his pocket, puts the flower in a glass of water and encourages Zuzu that if she rests and dreams about her flower, it will become a garden of flowers.   Zuzu replies, “It will?!”  George gives Mary a vision so that doing what she does not want to do, is appealing.

         Biblical Joseph takes Mary into his home as his wife.  Now it is not written in scripture the conversations between Joseph and Mary but I’m sure he must have encouraged her saying something like, “We can do this!”  And ala the movie “Nativity,” when the decree comes for the census, Mary refuses to be left behind and must have affirmed, “I’m going with you.” “We can do this!” 

         Helping another have a vision of the possible in their life is a great gift and brings joy.  It is so easy to be critical and think of all the reasons something is not possible.  Seeing the potential and the possible, giving another a vision of their better self brings joy.  May we be people who can see that a dream of a beloved flower can be the seed for a whole garden!  Blessings.

This is the third week of Advent and our theme is joy.  We are challenged to ponder how we find joy when the circumstances of life are condemning us.  The story of Christmas generates joy but it’s not quite clear how.

         George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” has learned that $8,000 has been misplaced by his forgetful Uncle.  George panics, checks everywhere in his office and gives his Uncle a good shake.  He goes home distraught.  At home he meets more problems.  One daughter is practicing the piano and the noise irritates him.  His youngest son comes up seeking attention as Mary and oldest son trim the tree.  George grabs Tommy and hugs him, seeming to be on the verge of tears.  Mary quietly observes.  Tommy innocently sprinkles tinsel on George’s head, in a manner we might think of as blessing.  Tommy says nothings but receives his father’s tight hug.  Just being there, just being a presence is what George reaches for in his distress.

         Biblical Joseph of the Christmas story struggles with how to deal with Mary when he discovers she is pregnant.  He decides to quietly divorce her but then the angel comes.  Joseph will not change the public scrutiny Mary will endure nor his loss of respect if he stands by Mary.  As he learns the child is from God, Joseph steps into the role of presence.  He will walk with Mary through the unfolding events.  He will not abandon her.

         Sometimes words are inadequate when we go through a crisis with a friend.  As I visit the memory ward daily, people declining with dementia are often beyond being able to respond verbally or necessarily cognitively.  I watch loved ones just be present, stroking heads, holding hands, pulling up blankets.  Like Tommy, they cannot change the course of the unfolding events but they can be moral support offering love, even if seemingly unnoticed.  People go through all sorts of trials that they must walk through but being a faithful presence that testifies to their value and that they are not invisible, is important.  Offering a hug or a smile or a cup of coffee or a listening ear can be a great blessing.  Mary observes George’s distress and we learn she alerts people of his distress.  Joseph stays with Mary.

         May we be friends who are faithful when our friends go through tough times when words are inadequate.  May we not forget that God is always present, even when we can’t feel him.  May we bless them with whatever kind of tinsel we happen to have at hand.  Not being abandoned brings hope, peace, and joy!

The theme of the second week of Advent is PEACE.  We looked at George Bailey struggling with different events in his life that challenged his peace and how he resolved them.  We laid those next to the journey of Biblical Joseph, husband of pregnant Mary, and the tensions he lived with in the midst of the political challenges of his time.  I was surprised that this song was actually written in 1955 by Jill Jackson who was said to have been suicidal.  She tried to commit suicide in 1944 but was unsuccessful.  She had a “moment of truth” where she realized, “I knew for the first time unconditional love – which God is.  You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you are in that moment.  I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me, which is very difficult to explain.  I had an eternal moment of truth, in which I knew I was loved, and I knew I was here for a purpose.”  She later wrote the song with her husband and the song has been embraced around the world as voicing the longing in hearts for peace.  Peace, though, is more than the cessation of conflict and wars among nations.  It is the cessation of conflict with God and self.

     The articles I read did not associate this song with a religious tradition as it appeals to people of all religions. But as a Christian, at this time of the year, I always reflect on the peace I have found as I have grown in my faith journey through relationship with God through Christ, nurtured by Scripture, fellowship, music, prayer, nature, authors  and friends.  May you be blessed with growing peace on your journey and Lord, have mercy on the many innocent victims caught in our world conflicts.

        “Clarence:  Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine.

        George:  That’s a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport.

        Clarence:  Every man on that transport, died! Harry wasn’t there to save them, because you weren’t there to save Harry. You see, George, you’ve really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?”

George Bailey is given the gift by angel second class, Clarence Oddbody of seeing what life would have been like had he never been born.  Even in the depths of depression in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and considering suicide, George battles with the good that did result because of his life versus the despair the future is threatening.

Biblical Joseph in the Christmas story must have struggled as he hears that a census has been declared while Mary is greatly pregnant.  Then there is no “inn” as she is about to deliver.  He might have thought, “The hits just keep coming.”  Some days are like that.  

George fights the lie with the truth that his brother’s life was meaningful because of him.  Truth helps us fight despair and puts the present in perspective so we find peace.  Focusing on a God who is able to defeat the Romans, provide housing, help us be victorious in battle, and face what ever giant is threatening us helps us hang in there.  Sometimes we forget though and that is where the body of Christ is important to remind us that we are forgiven, that we are valuable, and that God is working for our good.

Maybe you are feeling down now and need to review the events that is discouraging you and put them in perspective. Identify the good that is in them.  Or perhaps you are the friend that needs to affirm someone today who is discouraged.  The encourager and the one being encouraged are both important to God and to others.  Blessings as you seek to keep the positive in sight.

George Bailey and Mary in “It’s a Wonderful Life” have their first baby, a boy, Pete.  George watches as all his hometown friends travel the world complements of WW2.  George’s dream of seeing the world still cannot be accomplished even compliments of the military.  George is deaf in one ear from saving his brother as young kids when Harry slid into a hole in the ice.  The movie does not show George lamenting his plight but throwing all his strength into helping with war efforts at home, supporting his friends.  His brother becomes a pilot war hero and the other men in his life are part of historical landmarks.  George brags about Harry and friends! 

         Joseph in the Bible story is not the chosen carrier of baby Jesus but takes a background role.  He does not become the head of the Church like Peter nor hollowed like Mary.  Joseph invests in the possible, though possibly not the most glamorous.  He protects Mary and takes her to Bethlehem and then Egypt and back to Nazareth.  He is no longer mentioned in Biblical accounts but he is the father figure who raised Jesus in his younger years.  That is not something to be sneezed at.

         I suspect some of us feel like minor characters supporting someone else’s lead performance.  It is not easy to play second fiddle.  Soooo close to important but not quite, or so the Evil One will try to convince us to think.  Comparison-itis is such a rabbit hole that we so easily slide down at Christmas as friends share what they bought their kids and grandkids.  We become grasshoppers in our own eyes.  Finding peace in the midst of problems seems to me to depend on finding peace with our role, our talents, and our tasks in life and doing them faithfully as we are able. 

         Joseph was God’s chosen husband for Mary and he did his role in spite of the social censure it incurred.  George Bailey was not able to go to war but he served faithfully on the home front.  Lord, help us live humbly and faithfully doing all you ask of us daily. 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me (Psalm 23:4)

         We have been following the sequence of events in the life of George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  George postpones his dreams of traveling the world to run his father’s business and loan company when the father suddenly dies.  He postpones going to college so his brother can.  He does marry Mary but he sees his friends being successful.  We pondered George being offered a job by his archrival Mr. Potter yesterday and how he resists the temptation that again dangles before him his dream of traveling the world.  George goes home to Mary in a grumpy mood and asks her, “Why did you marry a guy like me?  You could have had any guy in town!”  Mary responds, “I didn’t want any guy.  I wanted my baby to look like you.”  George suddenly grasps the announcement, “Mary, are you on the nest?!!!”  Discouragement has turned to hope and peace as George realizes love has brought forth new life and a new future.

         Sometimes in the midst of discouraging times, we can find the strength to carry on when friends affirm, offer new perspectives of the potential of a situation, and walk with us.  My daughter was offered a job that she did not feel fit her talents but agreed to the interview.  They did offer the job and she declined.  They came back, “Write your own job description because we believe you are the person we want.”  Wow.  Joseph has envisioned what life will be like with Mary in the Biblical report.  He did not plan on the pregnancy nor a trip to Bethlehem.  But in the midst of the struggles to live, a child is born that outshines the problems.

         We all are walking in the midst of challenges but as we travel with others we can be sources of affirmation and be the eyes that help another see the potential of trying times.  We find peace in problems with the help of encouragers that see God at work and help us see it too.  Let’s be encouragers in the birthing process of Christmas this year.  Blessings.

“Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

         In “It’s a Wonderful Life” George Bailey is presented with a job offer by his arch-rival Mr. Potter.  Mr. Potter, the wealthiest man in Bedford Falls, is informed that George’s affordable housing offered by his building and loan company is cutting into Potter’s profit.   George is drawing people away from his high rents.  Mr. Potter calls George in and offers him a job, a three year contract at a comfortable salary that could provide a nice home and clothes for his wife, trips to New York and possibly even Europe.  George is flabbergasted and flattered and begs for a day to think it over.  Potter evades George’s question about what happens to the building and loan business and George starts to shake hands but then realizes he would be betraying his values.  George could have his dream of travel and luxury but at a price.  He turns Potter down.

         Mr. Potter flattered George to try to manipulate him under his control but George saw through him.  King Herod in the Christmas story meets the wise men and sends them to find the new king and report back so he can go and worship too.  It was a lie.  Herod sent soldiers to kill the babies of Bethlehem.  We have a saying, “Flattery will get you nowhere.”  When we realize someone is complementing us disproportionately for their selfish gain, like Mr. Potter or Herod, we have to stop and think. 

         We might ask ourselves today what our Achilles heel is that we find ourselves vulnerable to.  What dream might we have that tempts us to over extend ourselves?  We are tempted to promise beyond our ability to pay.  For some of us it is our desire to be loved.  Perhaps the promise of financial gain or fame catches our eye.  Proverbs 37:4 warns us to set our hearts on pleasing God.  During the Christmas season we are very vulnerable to spending too much to bless people and we are vulnerable to exhaustion from doing too much.  May we trust God to give us the desires of our heart.  Peace is found in appreciating what we have or receive and not comparing it to what we might have wanted.  Blessings as you navigate this season!

”Praise the Lord, my soul,

all  my inmost being, praise his holy name. 

Praise the Lord, my soul

and forget not all his benefits.”  Psalm 1031-2

         In “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey and Mary do get married.  They use their honeymoon money to save the building and loan company from an apparent bank run and start their honeymoon in the drafty old house they had made wishes on years before.  The next scene shows George and Mary helping Mr. and Mrs. Martini move into their own home in Bailey Park.  George’s old friend Sam Wainwright and his wife are passing through town in their fancy car, on their way to vacation in Florida.  Sam reminds Mary that he offered George to join him in plastics but George stuck with the loan company.  Sam drives off and George returns to work but kicks the door of his old car shut.  The viewer knows that George’s choices have had a price.  Mary is slowly fixing up the old house and George is slowly helping others have a better life but it might have been otherwise.

         Advent 2 focuses on PEACE.  George is learning to make peace with the choices he has made, not by focusing on what might have been but by staying focused on the blessings of the present. When Sam arrived in town and greeted George from across the street, George was helping Mr. Martini move from his old place under Potter into his new home.  Mary, wisely says under her breath, “ignore him, George.”  Mary hands Mrs. Martini a loaf of bread praying that the new home never knows hunger, salt that the home may always have flavor, and George gives a bottle of wine for joy.  George’s dream of building homes that bless people is beginning to come true although not as he had dreamed as a youth and George is finding peace in the present.

         If you could choose a symbol to represent sufficiency and not hunger, what would you choose?  What do you think of for giving flavor to life?  Can you think of a moment of joy that blessed your life?  Focusing on the blessings of what has been and not what might have been is part of the secret of find peace.  Lord, Help us focus on our blessings and not our “might-have-beens.”

This Charles Wesley hymn was first published in 1744.  The tune was composed by a Rowland H. Prichard, age 20 in about 1836.  It is sung here by Chris Tomlin, a modern singer.  We started with the genealogy in Matthew 1 and showed this week in our devotions that the guys from long ago who built lives on choices to trust God are not different from us or George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises to work with us in the past builds HOPE for us to face the future.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus.  Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us.  Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation.  Hope of all the earth Thou art.
Dear desire of every nation.  Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,  Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,  Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,  Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,  Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

By Thine all sufficient merit,  Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

I’ m adding on another new song I found this week that speaks to God’s faithfulness to us ordinary people.  We bow our head in thanks.

George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” post-pones his dream of traveling the world.  His father’s sudden death forces him to choose between travel and heading up the family loan business.  He takes on leadership at the loan company and uses his saved money to enable his brother Harry to go to college.  Harry returns from college and steps off the train.  Will this be the moment when George’s hopes and dreams are met?  What about Mary, will they marry?  The story is unfolding.

         George faces another hurdle.  Harry steps off the train and introduces his new wife.  George freezes but gathers himself together and greets his new sister-in-law with open arms.  Then she tells George that her father has offered Harry a research job in his factory in a new emerging field.  The look on George’s face tells the story.  George must decide if he is going to demand his turn to go to college or will he defer to Harry’s future?  George must choose. Yup, here is one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost.  “Two roads diverged in the woods and I took the one less traveled by.”

         Dreams have a way of moving just over the next horizon as life unfolds.  “The hopes and dreams of all the years were met in thee tonight” is a line from “O Little Town of Bethlehem” written by Phillips Brooks three years after the end of the Civil War in 1868.  It expressed the HOPE that the Bethlehem story gave to a country torn apart by conflict and struggling to find its new normal. George Bailey had to find a new normal as he did not demand to go to college but encouraged his brother Harry’s opportunity.  Joseph and Mary must have wondered what God was doing when they were forced to give birth in a stable and then forced to change plans and flee to Egypt. 

      As a country we are struggling with aftermath of the impact of Coved and economic upheaval.  Let us focus on the God who does not abandon us in all the detours of life.  May we trust and not demand our way just because we can’t see around the corner.  There is HOPE on a detour for our guide knows the route to the best dream.  Blessings.