Worship Christ, the Newborn King

When my brother and I were young, our celebration of Christmas was somewhat compartmentalized. Christmas Eve was for church. My parents, the two of us, and my grandmother (who lived with us), would bundle up and head to church for an early evening candlelight service. In those days, before the advent of children’s sermons and early communion, Christmas Eve was the one time when Brant and I felt equal to everyone else. We were not excluded as the ushers distributed candles or when the candles were lit! On Christmas Eve, everything in worship seemed so familiar, from the gospel to the carols. It was also beautifully different with the Christmas tree, wreaths and candles in the windows. Once we got home from church there was only one thing left to do—get to bed and try to sleep as Mom and Dad wrapped presents right outside our bedroom door.

I do not even know if our congregation had worship on Christmas Day. For us, Christmas morning was devoted to exchanging gifts. Around noon, my other grandparents, my uncle and my great-grandfather would arrive. It was Mom’s job to cook Christmas dinner since we had been at my grandparents for Thanksgiving. Ham and scalloped potatoes were on the menu each year. There were nine of us at the dinner table in our tiny house. As I recall, a folding table was set up diagonally in the living room to accommodate us all. Christmas evening, after the dishes were done and our guests had gone home, the four of us would get in the car and spend the evening with my parents’ closest friends and their two boys.

There seemed to be a division between the sacred and secular in our celebration of Christmas. Christmas Eve was about Jesus. Christmas Day was about gifts, family and friends. But as I think about now, there was nothing secular about our celebration of Christmas. Our celebration simply began with and was undergirded by worship.

That is how it still is for me. My celebration of Christmas begins in worship. In fact, Christmas does not even make sense to me without worship. I trust the same is true for you. “Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn King!”

I join our bishop and the entire synod staff in wishing a Merry Christmas to all.

Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. Image from http://freechristimages.org/. --JC

"I Don't Read Blogs"

“With all due respect to Jeff and his blog, I don’t read blogs.”

These words were spoken by a pastor, a friend and colleague of mine, at a meeting of our synod’s interim pastors. I was not offended. I will happily admit that I do not spend much time reading blogs either. There are a couple out there that are of interest to me, but, truthfully, I find most of them to be a waste of time.

One of the greatest strengths of a blog is also its greatest weakness. In a blog, the author is free to write anything that he or she wants, true or untrue, kind or unkind, fact or fiction, solicitous or slanderous.

The purpose of this blog has been to raise issues in a non-controversial way. I hope some of what I have written has stimulated deeper thought and discussion. Of course, that means that I have steered clear of the hottest topics in the life of the church. As a synod staff member, I do not want my personal opinions to get in the way of working with individuals or congregations that think a different way than I. If asked, I always answer, distinguishing between what this church teaches and what is my opinion. Unfortunately, too many folks end discussions before they begin.

Much has been written about the state of our ELCA since the Churchwide Assembly in August. I have been disappointed, perhaps even horrified, by some of what I have read. I have seen opinion stated as fact and simply awful things said about leaders in the church.

The pastor who said, “I don’t read blogs” does not allow anyone else to think for him. He is happy to engage in dialogue, seeks out opportunities to learn from others, and engages in theological reflection. That sounds healthy to me.

If you choose to read blogs (and I hope that you will continue to read this one), do not accept everything at face value. Dig a little deeper to find if it states the truth. Do not be too quick to agree or disagree. Engage in some theological reflection and good old-fashioned conversation. We live in a world where we engage less and less in anything face-to-face. Your congregation is a place where that kind of discussion can and should take place.

Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. --JC

Advent

Autumn was busier than usual for the synod staff. The professional staff did a lot of traveling as we met with individual congregations, attended conference meetings of rostered leaders, and the Bishop’s Coffees. Our support staff has worked hard to keep the rest of us organized, allowing us to show up at the right place at the right time. We have done our best to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks, though I am sure there must have been some things. If we missed anything, please let us know!

The latter half of December is typically a quiet time in the synod office. As life in our congregations gets busier and busier with Advent and the approach of Christmas, the office phones ring less, requests for meetings dwindle, and I (along with others) try to sneak in a few vacation days before the end of the year.

I participated in a midweek Advent worship last evening (Wednesday). It was a wonderful hour-long respite from the bustle of our consumer oriented world. During December here in Rockford, traffic near my home becomes ridiculously congested as people race to the mall or to Target, Best Buy or Toys R Us. The economy may be bad, but from what I judge by the traffic, there will still be plenty under most trees.

Have you taken a look at some of the people around you? I have not noticed too many outwardly happy people in the stores. People seem so stressed, even in the grocery store. The folks at church last evening were smiling and relaxed as we sang “Holden Evening Prayer.” Later, there was laughter at the tables as we enjoyed coffee and cookies while we addressed and signed Christmas cards for homebound members.

Advent is one of my favorite times of year, not just because it gives us a chance to catch up in the office, but because I can go to church and be reminded of what is truly important. The world tells us that spending money and stressing out is what we are supposed to do at Christmas. The church tells us that Christmas is about Jesus and God’s inestimable love for us. That’s part of the Advent message. I kid you not when I say, I cling to it while I am fighting traffic. Give me Jesus.

“Give me Jesus, give me Jesus. You may have all the rest, give me Jesus.”

Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. --JC