25 diciembre 2011

dear humanity,

Dear humanity,

I believe we´ve watched enough Disney movies by now to have learned that Christmas is not all about the gifts under the Christmas tree. I´d like to humbly suggest the following to the "Christmas is not all about..." list.

"Christmas is not all about..." LIST:
- gifts underneath the Christmas tree.
- how much you give.
- family.
- togetherness.
- happiness.

Because if Christmas were all about family and warm fuzzies, well, not much of a gift to all the dysfunctional families made of hearts too cold and numb for all that jazz. And if it´s about how much you give, what if you´re a good-for-nothing mess of a person too poor and needy and unstable to give jack? What if you´ve driven off all who love you? What if they´re dead or too busy? What if you´re not enough to keep a crowd? What if you´ve failed all those you could´ve loved? What if you´re Scrooge... but too broke and handicapped to reform?

Well, then, have Christmas, even if it´s not too merry.
Christmas is... Christ´s mass.
He ought to have one.

Because, just think:
God became physically cold, so our freezing souls could be clothed.
God became flesh, so He could be pierced for us.
He became a tiny body, so He could have it to give up for the life of the world.
He grew veins and blood, so He could spend it for bloodthirsty man.
God became man, so that
pathetic,
sin-eating,
self-sabotaging,
dirty,
disenchanted,
disillusioned,
disgusted and disgusting,
hoping,
feeling,
longing,
fearing,
humans
would never have to be alone again.

As ugly and lonely as we can be, we would never have to be alone again. God came to be with us, to be for us, to be one of us. And not "us" just as in universal humanity, but as in, "you" in particular. "me." the lonely, the loser, the loner down the street.

Family or no family, we would never have to be alone again.
Generous or stingy, we would never have to be alone again.
Healthy or dying, we would never have to be alone again.
With absolutely everything going for us,
or absolutely everything against us,
with laughlines creasing our eyes
or dark circles from dark nights of the soul,
with the reward of good choices surrounding us,
or the consequences of bad ones mocking us,
with children
or without,
with a bright future,
or a broken past,
we would never have to be alone again.

So, don´t just grit your teeth and wait for Merry Christmas to pass. Ignore Merry Christmas. Have a quiet, kind of sad one. But you could have a grateful, quiet, kind of sad one. You could rejoice, if not be happy. Maybe rejoicing just means getting out bed. Maybe just opening the curtains. Maybe just turning off the TV and praying a minute. But you can still rejoice. God is with us. That is God´s gift to us. In fact, that´s the only sort of "gift" we can really give back: to receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save our souls. You see, Christ´s Mass is all about receiving after all...

Rejoice, knowing all the facts... not just about our selves, but remembering the facts that include Him.

Etiquetas: , , , , ,

15 diciembre 2011

that's what i'm talking about.

11 diciembre 2011

Advent, musically




In a broken land the wells of love run dry
In a frozen place the hurts are left to cry
But if we live in shame
All that can grow is pain
Filling our hearts and minds
To hide You from our sight

Yet the calling voice is clear to one and all
To be on our guard and ready for the fall
So why do we stand tonight
Lost in the dead of night
Hearing the distant voices crying in the storm?

As the earth waits, as the earth waits
As the earth waits for your coming Lord
As the earth waits, as the earth waits
As the earth waits for your coming Lord

When I listen to the words of long ago
It is clear that we've forgotten all we've known
Let us set aside the night
And put on the arms of light
And wait for the dawn to come
For day will soon be here!

And the earth waits, and the earth waits

04 diciembre 2011

What to do now?

"Now" being everything you read in a news magazine, hear on the radio, see promoted on youtube, witness your loved ones saying, doing, and turning into, worry about in the car, pray about in the morning, want to curse in the midday... all that makes cynicism look realistic. all that makes godlessness look like a beast devouring nearer and nearer to where you are...

What to do?

"Bind up the testimonies," Isaiah said to his community in a similar moment. Now is the time for prayer and fasting, for this kind of demon cannot be bidden to leave otherwise.

Now is the time for love and mercy in your family, your neighborhood and your church.

Now is the time to be winsome and childlike.

Now is the time for gentle speech, wisdom and trust.

Now is the time to say you have absolutely no idea how the future will pan out, and what exactly you and the church will be doing next year: "whereas you do not know about tomorrow -- what is your life?" (James 4.14).

Now is the time to protect the weak and to care for the broken earth.

Now is the time to care for the little things, and to eschew the great opportunities.

Now is the time to leave off theological speculation and ecclesial reorganization, and do the simple things of repentance and thanksgiving.

Now is the time to be poetic, and prophetic ...

... and to learn what peace is so you have some of it to give away.
- blessing of God upon Father Jonathan, here

Etiquetas: , , , , ,