News News!

This last month has been a real test of my spirit. I don't tend to favor the time period between Thanksgiving and March 21 as it is and December is usually my least favorite month of the year. Try as I might to make this season merry and bright by playing Christmas music, reflecting on the true meaning of it all, or marveling at the generosity of others this time of year, it seems I always end up weary, fed up, anxious, and, well, a tad Scroogy.

This year has been no exception. I had some work related event, meeting, visit, etc. for 21 days in a row (save one day trip to reflect with family on the passing of my Granddad). As the generous outpouring of the human spirit soared, I played Santa all over South Jersey, arranging gift pick ups, sending Wish Lists, being the "Go To" for gift getting, taking pictures of everything, sending Thank You notes, emails, and doing my best to make it a Merry Christmas for our kids.  There were a few beautiful moments for sure, but the battle in my spirit was apparent. 

Many humbles accompanied all this, to which I am thankful to the Lord for pointing out.  I did reflect every morning as I drove to work how thankful and blessed I was to even be employed…This hit home when someone I knew sent me an email with the subject line, "An early Christmas gift", which I thought was a donation but turned out to be their resume because they had just received a layoff notice. Oh.  Another came as I sat down to write a few of "the boys" Christmas cards who will spend the season, a few once again, behind bars. Oh. And one of the biggest of all was feeling like we wouldn't have enough gifts for the kids this year as only a few groups had signed on to donate…only to have an avalanche of last minute collections overwhelm us all and provide enough "stuff" for our kids to not only have plenty for Christmas but to provide for kids who will continue to grace our doors in the New Year. Oh.

I still wanted something deeper though, something new…I've read the Christmas story countless times, heard the sermons, Christ is the Perfect Gift, Keep Christ in Christmas, Jesus is the Reason for the Season, etc. Last Sunday our pastors wife got up to do the greeting and she expounded on an angle of the Christmas story I hadn't considered or even knew too much about.  She reflected on how cool it was that God used 2 extremes to share the Good News about Jesus's birth--shepherds and Wise Men. What I didn't know was back in the day, shepherds were considered the lowest of the low, poorest of the poor. They weren't even allowed to vote! Yet God saw fit to allow this group of misfits be the first ones to hear the Good News!? And the message was personal for them--"For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior…" The angel didn't appear to kings or town folk or the relatives of Mary and Joseph…but to the least of these.  How awesome that must have been! And what a lesson for us! That God gave the announcement of the greatest news EVER to people with whom nobody looked upon favorably. What sense of worth must have accompanied that declaration to them…"Unto US is born a Savior? To ME? Joe Shepherd who isn't even allowed to vote?" Yes!

It made me think of our kids and how worthless they must feel this time of year, often forgotten,, disregarded, etc. I was wrapping gifts with a donor last night and I asked why she got involved with Covenant House. She answered, "I think a lot of people tend to think about children…but not your age group…and they need help too".  Similarly, a woman called from a local store to donate gifts and I asked her the same question: "Why us?" She said, "I know there are a lot of charities that will give to kids, like children who are sick and in the hospital this time of year and that's great. But I think they probably all have families that will visit them and eventually they'll have a home to go to when they're better. But your kids won't have either". Restoring worth…

Getting back to the pastor's wife reflections, she then went on to point out that the Wise Men were the other extreme who heard the Good News--rich, sophisticated, honored guys who were looked up to and regarded. The cool thing I'd never thought about was that their odd gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were just what the young couple needed to get out of Dodge when they learned that Herod was intent on killing Jesus. Those gifts helped them relocate and live out the time until Jesus was old enough to be out of danger. How cool is that???

In the midst of all the "stuff" this season tends to bring (to me, anyway), how thankful I am for new News! News! to reflect upon and challenge my weary spirit. Christ was born for this!
Merry Christmas to all!

Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say
News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before Him bow
And He is in the manger now
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye hear of endless bliss
Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this
He hath ope'd the heav'nly door
And man is blessed evermore
Christ was born for this
Christ was born for this

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain His everlasting hall
Christ was born to save
Christ was born to save