Nativity and Magi

A little early for the visit of the Magi but here are the other figures of my Nativity set.

Shepherds

Here are the shepherds and one sheep from my Nativity set. More to follow.

Joseph

More thoughts on Advent IV and Joseph. Here are 2 poems of Joseph from RevGalBlogPals.

I'm a carpenter.
I make things fit. I square off the edges.
I follow the pumb line.
I measure twice before I cut once.
Surprises are not the friend of a builder.
I like to know the plan.
I like to see the plan before I begin.
But this time I'm not the builder, am I?
This time I'm a tool.
A hammer in your grip.
A nail between your fingers.
I am a chisel is your hands.
This project is yours, not mine....

by Max Lucado in He Still Moves Stones

And by J. Barrie Shepherd, Faces at the Manger

“The hardest task
The most difficult role of all
That of just being there
And Joseph, dearest Joseph, stands for that.
Don’t you see?

It is important,
crucially important,
that he stand there by that manger,
as he does,
In all his silent misery
Of doubt concern and fear.
If Joseph were not there
There might be no place for us,
For those of us at least-
So many- who recognize and know-
That heartache, for our own,
Who share that helpless sense
Of lostness, of impotence
In our own lives, our families, our jobs
In our fearful threatened world this night.
Yes, in Joseph’s look of anguish
We find our place;
We discover that we too
Belong beside the manger:
This manger in which are met
God’s peace and all our wars and fears....
Let us be there,
Simply be there just as Joseph was,
With nothing we can do now,
Nothing we can bring-
It’s far too late for that-
Nothing even to be said
Except, ‘Behold- be blessed,
Be silent, be at peace.’

Joseph, son of David,
‘Do not fear,’ the angel said.
And Jim and Alice, Fred and Sue,
Bob and Tom and Jean and Betty too,
The word to you, to all of us
Here at the manger side,
The word is also, ‘do not fear.’
Our God, the Lord and Sovereign,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Time and eternity,
Of life and death and all that is
And shall be,Has joined us in this moment…,”

And the hymn Joseph Dearest

Advent IV

The readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent are here.
This year we focus on Matthew's story of the birth of Christ. Luke focuses on Mary but Matthew focuses on Joseph. Joseph goes to bed after a hard day of learning that his intended bride is pregnant and trying decide what to do to preserve his honor and still be compassionate towards Mary. He makes s decision to put her away quietly- maybe like those girls in High School when I was young (so many years ago) - who went away to visit an aunt for 9 months and then mysteriously returned to resume life as though nothing had happened.

Joseph falls into a deep sleep perhaps the sleep of escape from the trials and anger and sadness of the day. As he sleeps Joseph dreams of an angel who gives him a surprising message that will turn his life upside down if he acts on the message. The shift from one day to the next for Joseph is stunning. When have we had such a dramatic change of heart and mind - 180 degrees? Going along thinking life is constructed in one particular way and then having something happen where we are never the same again. How do we live into this new way of being? On the other hand what sorts of things change us like this -- angels? new knowledge? new experiences where the old data no longer fits?

Looking over the whole of scripture there seems to be a lot of changes of mind and heart. God changes his mind after an argument with Abraham. Also in the desert with Moses and the Israelites. Paul after his encounter on the road to Damascus, Peter and the Gentiles, all through the Bible - God and God's people change their minds more often than not.

Not preaching Sunday but this is what intrigues me: dreams, changes, reversals, surprising times for those who choose to follow Christ. Most of all it reminds me of the song Rainbow Connection sung by Kermit the Frog.

ADVENT III

Readings for Sunday are here.

The Epistle for this week is from James. It is not a letter that we hear very often. James seems to be writing to counteract a belief that had grown from some of Paul's writings about grace. People took Paul's words to mean that Christians did not have to do anything. Jesus life, death and resurrection had handed them the keys to the car and that meant they did not have to learn how to drive responsibly and take care of the car. It is true as Paul says that we cannot earn grace by our deeds but it is also true that we show that we are followers of Christ and recipients of his grace by how we act towards one another. In first chapter of the letter of James:

22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

Actions are the reply to John that Jesus gives. John, is in prison - having spent his whole life devoted to God and preaching the coming Messiah. In what I think is one of the most poignant moments in the Bible, John sends his followers to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Have I given my life for the real thing or was I totally wrong? he seems to ask. Jesus responds by telling him to look at what is happening - "the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them."

This is incarnation, the Word made flesh -- God in our midst revealed in the actions of those who follow Christ. I started a new blog this week called How beautiful...", also known as "good news walking." I wanted a place to record all the good stories of what The Episcopal Church and other churches in the Anglican Communion are doing. The secular news is all about our dramas and Christians behaving badly. Every Tuesday I put up the news for Episcopal Cafe. As I scan the internet and look at news feeds I find wonderful deeds being done by our part of the Body of Christ. Children and youth and adults living their faith by feeding the hungry, lobbying for fair laws, seeking justice, visiting prisoners, raising funds for mosquito nets for those in areas of malaria. So I decided that I would put these on my new blog. The first article is about Bishop Jenkins of Louisiana. He has become a champion for the poorest of the poor suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His article this week is about the housing crisis and the lack of will to address these needs. Many in our diocese have gone to the Gulf Coast to rebuild homes. Others have given generously to Episcopal Relief and Development. These are the stories I want to highlight. There is enough bad news out there.

As I reflect on our lessons today and the wonderful song of Mary I see that all of them call us to look at the results of our faith. We can have a perfect belief system that we can preach on all day but if there is no action - it is an empty faith.

Isaiah tells of the signs of holiness on earth.

Mary says:

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

Jesus reassures John as he points out the signs of good news.

James in his letter admonishes us:

Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Our example is Jesus and all those in every generation who have spoken up for the poor and the marginalized of society - the widows and orphans. Rather than grumble about what others are doing or not doing we are called to live out our faith in our daily relationships with one another. Acting for the good of all whenever we have the opportunity. Mostly it will be in small ways - but for some it will come as a great leap of faith.

Today I received this letter in my email - usually I delete them but I found this one spoke to our readings - especially James.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas (slightly edited for Episcopalians)

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many you are upset that folks are removing My name from the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year -- it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually the time of pagan festival. Of course, I do appreciate being remembered at any time.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, here's how: GET ALONG WITH EACH AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on... If it bothers you that the town where you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen in your own front yard and put out your own Nativity scene. If all of My followers did that, there wouldn't be any need for a display in the town square because there would already be so many all around your community.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made ALL trees. You can remember Me any time you see ANY tree. Decorate a grapevine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten what I said, look up John 15: 1- 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wishlist.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President to complain about the wording on the White House cards this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then do it! It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. People in your town will attempt to take their own lives this season because they feel so alone and hopeless. Since you don't know who they are, give everyone you meet a warm smile -- it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit-picking about what retailers call this holiday, be patient with the people who work for them. Give each a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support organizations like Episcopal Relief and Development, who are working for better lives for refugees, prisoners, people suffering from diseases that are easily curable with a small amount of money, giving tools and resources so people can support their families.

9. There are individuals and families in your town who will not only have no "Christmas" tree, but also no presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, take some food and gifts to a charity who will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do or say things that you wouldn't do or say in My presence. Remember -- When you speak badly of my children, you are speaking badly of Me; when you treat each other badly, you do the same to Me. Let people know by your words and actions that you are one of Mine.

Don't get so worked up about what you think are slights about me that occur in the material world. I am God and I can take care of Myself. I am not diminished by those things.

Instead, simply love Me and do what I have asked you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love.

AMEN.

Ahhhh....

Now Christmas is on its way.

Bloggers help Christ the King Church in Brazil

Let's raise more $$ for City of God in Brazil. Details here.

CHRIST THE KING ANGLICAN CHURCH in the Cidade de Deus, is in one of the most impoverished and dangerous neighbourhoods in the world. The following is an English translation of what this church considers its mission to be in this challenging environment:

We intend to be a place where all are welcome to be free, especially in the Cidade de Deus (City of God) neighborhood, where poverty, violence and hunger are so well-known. And in order to live this Gospel of liberation and reconciliation of the entire world through Christ Jesus, we also seek to integrate the Church with society, through several social projects. Our mission is bold: to say that Christ is the King is to say that love has the last word in the midst of this world of calamities. However, we are sure that, with Him, we are victorious.

ADVENT I

ADVENT I
Readings HERE.

Went to church today with our grandson at his church. It is his birthday this week so he wanted to have his birthday blessing. He has most of the service memorized (at 9 years of age) - both the people parts and the priest parts. Grandma the priest is happy. His church is a close knit community that does lots of praying for one another over all sorts of life events.
Today's theme is be alert as we do not know when Jesus will return. From the Gospel,"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Advent is a time of preparation for Jesus' birth at Christmas but also a preparation for his return as the Christ. My way of looking at this is not so much some end time scenario with Jesus returning in clouds of glory at the end of the world as we know it. I believe that from the moment of resurrection we have been living with his return - we just don't always see it.
Where have I seen God breaking into my life in both small and grand ways? Advent is a time for me to reflect and watch. Reflect on the "closest moments to Christ" in my daily life (as the question in the Cursillo 4th day materials asks) and watch for moments this day and as the days proceed. It is happening all the time - if we are alert.
Waking and dreaming I wait and watch for the Christ filled moments as the days become shorter and the nights lengthen. There is something about the dark that can make room for entering both our hopes and fears, holding them close in the night time of our days.

A poem I wrote for for this week:


Wrapping myself in darkness
Under a quilt of stars
I retreat into the dreams
of the waiting child

World AIDS Day

A message from the Archbishop of Canterbury for World AIDS Day.

Friday Five

Every week revgalblogpals blog carries Friday Five - 5 questions to answer on your blog and link back to them. This week intrigued me enough to answer.
Post Thanksgiving Day Friday Five asks:

1. Did you go elsewhere for the day, or did you have visitors at your place instead? How was it?

2. Main course: If it was the turkey, the whole turkey, and nothing but the turkey, was it prepared in an unusual way? Or did you throw tradition to the winds and do something different?

3. Other than the meal, do you have any Thanksgiving customs that you observe every year?

4. The day after Thanksgiving is considered a major Christmas shopping day by most US retailers. Do you go out bargain hunting and shop ‘till you drop, or do you stay indoors with the blinds closed? Or something in between?

5. Let the HOLIDAY SEASON commence! When will your Christmas decorations go up?

I answer:
1. We were on the road all day traveling from Wyoming to the Oregon Coast.

2. I had a T-day dinner of a bowl of Wheaties. Good part - no post stuffing hangover. I would not have cooked in any case as it was my birthday and I never cook when my birthday falls on T-day. When I do cook Thanksgiving dinner - I do the turkey and the gravy and have everyone else bring something. I like yams (not too much with marshmallows though) and mashed potatoes and jellied cranberry sauce with my dinner - whatever else shows up is super.

3. Napping in a tryptophan and carbo haze.

4. Might go out to enjoy the crowds - probably won't indulge in any fights with other shoppers over items.

5. Holiday Season --- arrgghhh!!! Now is the time for going inward into my own private dark time (in a good way) of Advent. We cut our tree the weekend before Christmas and it stays up to January 6. I like to read Jan Richardson's Night Visions: searching the shadows of advent and christmas each day to keep me centered.

Workout Personality

Prevention Magazine quiz to determine what exercise program will work for your personality.

Here's mine:

Your Personality Type: SPONTANEOUS
Life is a game, and your strategy is always changing. While you aren't much for rules, you'll follow them if they're simple and help you have fun.

Your Exercise Rx:
Short but sweet activities that allow you to accumulate exercise time throughout the day may be a good choice, says Ross Andersen, PhD, director of exercise science at Johns Hopkins' weight management center. Spontaneous types also tend to do well with games.

Best Choices

Short walks throughout the day
Taking the stairs
Bike rides
Hiking
Tennis
Racquetball
Squash
Basketball
Frisbee


Leisure Activities
Your first priority is to work regular exercise into your week. But also think about using your leisure time to burn off a few extra calories. Here are some extracurricular activities for your personality type:

skiing

playing in a softball or volleyball league


Obstacles
Different personalities don't just take to different activities; they have to contend with different obstacles too. Here's what you might find in your path, as well as ways to get around it:

Your biggest enemy is an idle mind. Even short workouts can turn torturous if there's nothing to occupy your brain.

Solution: Watch TV or listen to music while exercising, or grab a workout partner to talk with.

All Saints and All Souls

I am not preaching this week, not on the road either. Nice to contemplate home without travel. It feels like I have been traveling non-stop. And "miles to go" again starting next Thursday. Since this is the week of celebration of All Saints and All Souls I have been thinking about those in my life who have been saints to me. I could never quite separate those who belong to one day or the other. Some believe that only capital "S" saints belong on the first day while other "known only to me alone" people belong on the second day. Who are your saints? The people who have made it possible for you to live and thrive? Who has shown you the ways of life? Here are the words to a chant often used on All Saints Day. It is found at the Mission St. Clare Daily Office site.

Add your own saints and Saints.

Feast of All Saints 1 November

The litany of saints that follows is chanted annually at the Church of St. Stephen and the Incarnation in Washington, D.C., at the principal eucharist celebrating All Saints' Day. It was composed around 1979, largely by William MacKaye, former religion editor of the Washington Post, though some of the images were taken from A Liberation Prayer Book of the Free Church in Berkeley, California, and has been adapted here and there in the subsequent years.

A Litany of All the Saints

* For all the saints, who from their labor rest,
* Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
* Thy Name, O Jesus, be for ever blessed.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones present at our beginnings:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Abraham and Sarah,
Isaac and Rebecca,
Jacob and Rachel and Leah,
makers of the covenant, forebears of our race:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Elizabeth and Simeon,
Joseph, Monica and Helen,
exemplars in the love and care of children:

Stand Here Beside Us!
John the baptizer, map-maker of the Lord's coming:

Stand Here Beside Us!

* Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might:
* Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
* Thou, in the darkness drear, the one true Light.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones who showed the good news to be the way of life:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Thomas the doubter;
Augustine of Canterbury;
Francis Xavier;
Samuel Joseph Schereschewsky;
all travelers who carried the Gospel to distant places:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Bernard and Dominic;
Catherine of Siena, the scourge of popes;
John and Charles Wesley, preachers in the streets;
all whose power of speaking gave life to the written word:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Benedict of Nursia,
Teresa of Avila;
Nicholas Ferrar;
Elizabeth Ann Seton;
Richard Meux Benson;
Charles de Foucauld;
all founders of communities:

Stand Here Beside Us!

* O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
* Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
* And win, with them, the victor's crown of gold.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones who gave their lives to the care of others:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Louis, king of France;
Margaret, queen of Scotland;
Gandhi the mahatma, reproach to the churches;
Dag Hammarskjold the bureaucrat;
all who made governance an act of faith:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Peter of the keys, denier of the Lord;
Ambrose of Milan, who answered the Church's summons;
Hilda, abbess at Whitby;
Robert Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln, protector of the Jews;
Jean-Baptiste Vianney, cure d' Ars,

Patient hearer of catalogues of sins;
All faithful shepherds of the Master's flock:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Mary Magdalen, anointer of the Lord's feet;
Luke the physician;
Francis who kissed the leper;
Florence Nightingale;
Albert Schweitzer;
all who brought to the sick and suffering the hands of healing:

Stand Here Beside Us!

* O blest communion, fellowship divine!
* We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
* Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones who made the proclaiming of God's love a work of art:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Pierluigi da Palestrina;
John Merbecke;
Johann Sebastian Bach;
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart;
Benjamin Britten;
Duke Ellington;
all who sang the Creator's praises in the language of the soul:

Stand Here Beside Us!
David and the Psalmists;
Caedmon;
John Milton, sketcher of Paradise;
William Blake, builder of Jerusalem;
John Mason Neale, preserver of the past;
all poets of the celestial vision:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Zaccheus the tree-climber;
Brother Lawrence;
Therese of Lisieux, the little flower;
Andrew of Glasshampton;
all cultivators of holy simplicity:

Stand Here Beside Us!

* And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
* Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
* And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones haunted by the justice and mercy of God:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Amos of Tekoa, who held up the plumbline;
John Wycliffe, who brought the Scripture to the common folk;
John Hus and Menno Simons, generals in the Lamb's war;
Martin Luther, who could do no other;
George Fox, foe of steeple-houses;
all who kept the Church ever-reforming:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Paul the apostle, transfixed by noonday light;
Augustine of Hippo, God's city planner;
Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, architects of the divine;
Charles Williams, teacher of coinherence;
Karl Barth, knower of the unknowable;
all who saw God at work and wrote down what they saw:

Stand Here Beside Us!
John, the seer of Patmos;
Anthony of the desert;
Julian, the anchoress of Norwich;
Hildegarde, the sybil of the Rhine;
Meister Eckardt;
Bernadette of Lourdes;
all who were called to see the Master's face:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Joachim of Fiora, prophet of the new age;
Johnny Appleseed, mad planter of Eden;
Sojourner Truth, pilgrim of justice;
Benedict Joseph Labre, priest and panhandler;
all whose love for God was beyond containment:

Stand Here Beside Us!

* The golden evening brightens in the west;
* Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
* Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones who died in witness to the Christ:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Stephen the deacon, the first martyr, stoned in Jerusalem:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Justin, Ignatius and Polycarp, who refused the incense to Caesar:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Perpetua and Felicity, torn by beasts in the arena at Carthage:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley,

Burned in Oxford:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein, put to death at Auschwitz:

Stand Here Beside Us!
James Reeb, Jonathan Daniels, Michael Schwerner,
Medgar Evers, Viola Liuzzo, shot in the South:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Martin Luther King, shot in Memphis:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Janani Luwum, shot in Kampala:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Oscar Romero, shot in San Salvador:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Martyrs of Rome, of Lyons, of Japan, of Eastern Equatorial
Africa, of Uganda, of Melanesia,
martyrs of everywhere:

STAND HERE BESIDE US!
* But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
* The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
* The King of Glory passes on his way.
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Holy ones of every time and place:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Glorious company of heaven:

Stand Here Beside Us!
All climbers of the ladder of Paradise:

Stand Here Beside Us!
All runners of the celestial race:

Stand Here Beside Us!

[The people may call out saints' names]

Great cloud of witnesses:

Stand Here Beside Us!

Mary most holy, chief of the saints:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Mary most holy, yes-sayer to God:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Mary most holy, unmarried mother:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Mary most holy, gate of heaven and ark of the covenant:

Stand Here Beside Us!

* From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
* Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
* Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
* Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus our liberator, creator of all:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Jesus our liberator, redeemer of all:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Jesus our liberator, sanctifier of all:

Stand Here Beside Us!
Jesus our liberator, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and
the end:

Stand Here Beside Us!