Holy Day vs. Holidays

This past Sunday at CrossLife (the youth group I lead) we talked with the youth about what it means for Christmas to be a Holy Day.  We looked at the Nativity scene, and how people have a tendency to gloss over the reality of the what happened the night Jesus was born.  We typically think of Jesus birth as this cute little scene you see to the right: the angel hovers over the stable as the three wise men bring their gifts, the shepherd comes to see what the angels spoke about, the donkeys and the cows peacefully lay in the background, and Mary and Joseph look on with loving wonder at the baby Jesus and all that is happening around them.  And of course, baby Jesus, who, though being a perfectly normal baby (which means he probably knew how to cry), somehow sleeps peacefully through the entire event.  It’s a nice picture, but sometimes it falls so miserably short of the beauty, mystery, wonder, glory, and sheer humanity of the way in which God himself came to be born as a baby boy.

I didn't know Jesus was born the proportional size of a two year old...

If you take a look at the two biblical accounts that we have of Jesus birth (found in both Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:1-2:20), you can see that in a lot of ways our timeline is all screwed up anyway.  Matthew only talks about Jesus birth in the before and after, as in the announcement from the angel to both Mary and Joseph and the visit of the Wise Guys almost 2 years after Jesus was actually born (read the context!).  Luke focuses on John the Baptist preceding Jesus and then zeros in on the actual events immediately surrounding Jesus birth, including the catalyst for Mary and Joseph being in Bethlehem, that is Caesar's census.

Did we miss something here?

The point of all that is to say that, in many ways, we have romanticized the Nativity (if you don't believe me watch the movie) so much that we tend to lose the flavor that God had originally intended us to have.  We have made Christmas into this nice holiday that we can bring out of the attic along with all of our Christmas decorations, and when we are done with it, we place it back in the box with the rest of the decorations, never to be thought of until the next year when we do it all over again. 

The truth is Jesus birth, like so many things in Scripture, was not as neat and put together, maybe not even as beautiful, as we like to think.  Just think about who was there: Joseph and Mary, who had just finished traveling a great distance and had nowhere to clean themselves up before they are thrust into labor next to the family donkey.  Then there are the shepherds, who let’s face it, are not exactly in the most refined class of people (and who, because they spend all their time with them sheep, smell like…sheep).  And let’s not forget the animals that would have been around (presumably the donkey Mary rode in on, maybe a cow or pig or whatever), who tend to make quite a mess when left to their own devices.  

So if anything, the most certain thing we can say about the night that Jesus was born was that it was, if nothing else, smelly.  Smelly and Messy.  That’s right.  The most important event in all of history was probably very, very smelly and very, very messy.  I mean seriously, Jesus was even laid in a FEEDING TROUGH!

The funny thing about that is, when I think of it in those terms, suddenly the night comes alive, and Jesus seems to be very, very real.  And though it might not appear so, in that less-than-kosher environment, we find an ordinary day that has become something else entirely:  a holy day.

We have to choose to make Christmas a Holy Day, rather than a holiday

Often we allow our preconceived notions (our traditions, our personal preferences, etc.) to color how we see Christmas.  When we do that, we take Christmas, a holy day, and turn it into simply a holiday.  What happens is that we take this major event in history and direct the value of it towards ourselves.  We get wrapped up in presents, Christmas lights, family traditions, and suddenly we miss what Christmas is really about.  We turn a Holy Day into just another holiday.  We miss the opportunity to reflect on the wonder and mystery of what God did in Christmas: that he humbled himself and made himself vulnerable by being born in the filthiest, poorest, and most ridiculous situation imaginable. 

So this is the crux of the lessons for the month of December.  Will you make Christmas a holy day, or will you let it pass you by as just one more day in the holidays? 

Let’s be like the shepherds

So the logical question is: How exactly do we make Christmas a holy day?  I am certainly not suggesting that we get rid of our traditions and our decorations and stop listening to Christmas music so that we can focus on Christmas as it is meant to be.  But I think that what we need to do is take time and give space for Jesus to make himself present in the midst of the festivities as he did on that night over 2000 years ago.

Consider the shepherds.  Luke says they were “living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”  The shepherds were in the perfect situation for God to speak to them: they were watching and waiting in the dead of night.  Maybe this is what we need more of.  In the midst of a busy holiday season, maybe what we need to do is to take time out of our schedule to simply be together as families, as people of God, as Christians, to simply and quietly make space for Christ to show up in Christmas.  Everything happens so fast these days that it truly is easy to miss what God is doing, but when we quiet our hearts and open our eyes, God will surely show up.

So here are some suggestions of ways you and your family might make space for God to show up in the midst of your lives and your traditions this Christmas:

1.       Take some time to talk about your family traditions together

Sometimes it’s good to reflect on why it is you do certain things certain ways.  Set aside time to talk to people in your family about what they like and what they don’t like about your Christmas traditions.  Give them the space to share and listen to what they have to say and you all may really begin to take ownership of your traditions.  Who knows, maybe someone will even have a few good suggestions of their own for things you might do together as a family.

2.       Read the Christmas story together (Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-2:20)

It is amazing how quickly the Christmas season can go by without even thinking about Jesus and what it means that he came to be born among people like us.  Take an opportunity on Christmas Eve or before that to read through the both versions of the story and discuss them.  Ask each other what you liked about the story, what you did not like, and what things you don’t understand.  A unique way to do this may be to pick one word, phrase, or idea that stands out or connects with you and why it does that.  It may feel corny or awkward, but I can almost guarantee that you will be surprised at the things others can pick up on or have good questions that get you thinking about it.

3.       Take an opportunity to serve others together with your family

Around this time of the year there are so many service opportunities out there and so many places and people that need help.  If you can find time, even just a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, get connected with a food bank, soup kitchen, or even a Salvation Army to help those less fortunate than you this year.  This can be a really humbling and eye opening experience for you and your loved ones.  You may have never seen someone truly in need, and it can be a great place to open up a conversation with others about God’s love for everyone.  

4.       Celebrate Christmas in one of your church's Christmas Eve services

I have not been to the Christmas Eve services here at Zion yet, but I have heard that each of the services here on Christmas Eve (6:00, 8:00, and 11:00 PM) has its own flavor and emphasis.  If your church has different services that are different, but you have been attending the 6:00 PM service for 10 years, switch it up with a visit to the 8:00 or 11:00 PM.   At the very least, take the opportunity to talk about the service with others, and not just to comment on how nice the sermon was or how pretty the candles were.  Really talk about: the wonder and beauty of Immanuel, God with us.

I hope and pray for you this Christmas season that you will take every opportunity to reflect on the beauty of God becoming flesh and dwelling here among us that we might have the hope of salvation in Him.

Until next time,

Kevin

Sometimes when you close a chapter, it feels like the whole book is ending...

So this is my first blog post...ever.

I have toyed with the idea of starting a blog for some time now, but I generally assume that no one really wants to hear what I have to say.  I know some people go into these types of things with grand dreams of eventually writing a book or something like that, and though I can't say that I haven't dreamed about it, I put no real stock in my own ability to write or that I really have anything that interesting to say.  Some people create blogs so that they can simply kvetch (yes it's a word) about what is going on in their life and so that people they know can share in the burden that is their existence.  I am not planning on doing that either (at least I hope not!).  Then there are those people (like my wife) who write these types of things because they want to keep people informed.

No, the reason I am finally hopping on the bandwagon will most likely seem entirely like a ridiculous excuse to air my own dirty laundry or to share my opinion where it is not wanted.  I am finally taking the time to sit down and write because God told me that I needed to.  I have been avoiding it for a while now; filling my time with other worthless things, but all the while with this growing thought that has been pressing on my brain and on my heart. 

So here it is. It probably isn't going to be pretty, in fact right now my blog itself looks like a hot mess, but like a mosaic, hopefully I can put it together piece by piece until I have something of value.  Something that God is going to use for His glory.  I know that most of the people who I wish would read this blog probably won’t, and those who do read will probably not even be my “target audience” (though I do appreciate your support and hope that you keep reading…).  I just hope that someone is getting something out of this, but that part is not my responsibility.

So here’s the thought that has been going on in my head (it also happens to be the title of this particular post, if you hadn’t noticed): 

Sometimes, in life, when you finish a chapter, it feels like the whole book is ending. 

For those of you to whom this particular post pertains (namely, the students of FCCB youth group, and their affiliates, appendages, parents, etc. whom I developed relationships with while in MA), this particular truth might not even realized for you.  What I mean is that, for most of you, my returning to Pennsylvania probably has had little effect on your day to day existence.  For most of you, life has continued on, as well it should.  Although things may be slightly different on those Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays (some Fridays, Saturdays, and well, pretty much any day of the week) that we interacted, not a whole lot has changed.  Me leaving may have been difficult, maybe it even elicited some tears (I know you balled your eyes out David…), but when all was said and done…Life.  Goes.  On…without me.

I know this truth full well, and I tried to remind myself of it every day of the month of September (most of the time by simply looking at Facebook).  I mean, who am I to think that my absence would change much.  I know that I am not the center of your world, and I hope I never acted that way either.  My life is not the Truman Show (if you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend it http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/).  Things do not stop simply because I am not around for them.  The show does not come to an end just because I exit stage left (or, in my case, because I headed south).  

Knowing this truth full well, I was still not prepared for the gaping hole that not working at FCCB left in my life.  You see, of the 20+ people who I interacted with on a weekly basis each only needed to adjust to the absence of that one relationship.  I, on the other hand, was suddenly devoid of all of those relationships that had consumed my time and contributed to the meaning that I associate with my existence.  I truly did not know what to do with myself.  I thought that I would get all these different things done, but I ended up watching the entire first season of Grimm that first week of September.  I think that watching it helped me to cope with the intense loss that I was feeling, because occupied my mind in a way that took the pressure off. 

Whenever I thought about leaving Mass, about no longer being a part of the lives of those that I had come to know and love, those that I had cared, prayed, and worked for these last three years, the tears would start.  It felt like someone took a scalpel and cut a Boxford-sized hole (which coincidentally is shaped like a shoe, just in case you were trying to visualize it) out of my heart.  I was only finishing that particular chapter of my life, but it felt like the whole book was ending (and way too soon for that matter).  I didn’t feel like I was dying, but it felt like a part of me was, and that somehow I could not go on as I was.

That’s the funny thing about life sometimes, and it is the point that I am trying to make out of this horrifically long diatribe (ha, and you all thought I was done with writing ridiculous papers!).  We all, at some point, go through transitions in our lives.  Sometimes they are small, like getting a Droid when you’ve had an Iphone for 3 years.  Other times, they are huge, like graduating from high school and going to college, or losing a loved one, or moving to another state and leaving people you care about behind. 

When those things happen; when you close a chapter in your life, it may feel like the story couldn’t possibly continue…that it is coming to an end.  When that happens, the internal (and sometimes the external) conflict can be excruciating.  It’s hard to think about the story continuing without you, and it is equally as hard to imagine where your own story is going to take you.  But the amazing (but sometimes painful) thing about conflict is that it is a catalyst for change, and sometimes change is good.

A new chapter not only brings a change in the story-line  but it also brings new characters and new adventures, until suddenly you can find yourself enjoying this chapter just as much (and possibly even more) than you did the last one.  Sometimes you need the next chapter in order to make sense out of the one that came before.  And just because the characters are different, that doesn't mean that you won’t get a cameo here and there, and sometimes those short glimpses back to a chapter that meant a lot to you can be more meaningful than if a chapter had continued where it was meant to have ended. 

So what’s your story?  Many of the students I know back in Boxford are going to college next year.  That is a huge time of transition, and as you close the chapter of high school and open the one about college, what will it be like for you?  Will it be one filled with joy or grief or conflict?  Will it be filled with Christ?  If conflict is the catalyst for change, what will be the change in your life?  When you experience conflict in your life, will you use that to grow closer to God or further from him?

For me, I think this time of transition has already been one where I have grown closer to God.  Maybe I am just energized by my first day at my new job, but I am excited to see the ways in which God is going to use me to impact the lives of the students in York, PA.  I am sad to no longer be a part of the family in Boxford, but I know (because God has told me so… ) that he is using this transition for our good and for His glory.  For those of you that I have had the privilege of working with in Boxford, I hope that at some point you will make a cameo in my story, or that I can make a cameo in yours.  But if that is not in the plan for us, then I look forward to the day where we get to celebrate the continuation of the Story of all stories as we worship Jesus together…side by side. 

So what do you think of my first blog post?  Ridiculously long, I know.  I have had a lot to say for a while now, but hopefully this new adventure will be the start of something good.  I will try to share these tidbits as they come to me, and I hope that God can use them as you live out the story he has written for you.

Until next time,

Kevin