DECEMBER 23

WRONG!!! I have Christmas Freeze. You know that thing that happens in your head when you take too big of an ice cream bite? Brain Freeze? Well, this is Christmas Freeze. It happens pretty much the same way. Too much Christmas 'stuff' builds up until paralysis sets in -- Christmas Freeze. And it isn't because I have too much to do. I'm done. Wrapped. Labeled. Done. But the world around me is nuts.

Twenty minutes of silence is just not going to happen. Oh, the silence may happen. But not in my head. My head is going to be going gang busters nuts. So I think I will skip even trying for that. What I am hoping for is a Christmas Eve respite. A time to relax in my church. Be with the people that I love. Hear the songs. Say the prayers. Be at one with God..... I am hoping.

WHAT LIGHT???

My light just plum went out yesterday.

Hope to get it back by Friday.

WHY,GOD, WHY????

I am frequently experiencing doubting times in my life. The doubts come at odd times. Usually not in troubling times. Mostly in times when I am free of pain and agonies and have the clearness to be thinking on the workings of things. Doubting Thomas is very real for me. Show me, Lord, is just about where I am a lot of the time. And with the 'show me' comes, WHY. I am many times into the whys. And sometimes even wherefores.

Why, Lord, are there hungry children? Why, Lord, are homophobics allowed to exist? Why is there so much cruelty and hurt and killing? Why aren't we all one color or even better, WHEN will we all be one color? When will there be heaven on earth -- I know it will happen, WHEN?

MANSIONS/ROOMS/DWELLING PLACES

Remember when Jesus said something like 'in my Father's house are many mansions/rooms/dwelling places....I go to prepare a place for you.'? I take that to mean that there is a place for each one of us in God's kingdom. No matter who we are. No matter how different we are from one another. NO MATTER WHAT -- there is a place for us with God.

The collect this morning, however, is intimating that in US there is a mansion prepared for Jesus. In US. Jesus longs to be in US. WITH us. Being in our lives for the long haul. Being a part of who we are and who we long to be. Jesus IN us. Almost too overwhelming to accept. I'll keep working on the thought, though. Jesus. Part of me. Me. Part of Jesus.

GENEROSITY

The idea of this is not new to me. RevLois gave us the story of a woman who gave a diamond ring to a poor woman. Just because. Because the woman needed something special in her life. Something beautiful. And in giving the gift there is NO follow up. We don't need to know how the gift was accepted, used, kept, passed on or sold. We just do the giving.

And there is no 'thank you' involved. Better that the gift is anonymous. Better that the receiver just receives and enjoys. Better that the giver knows in her own heart that it was a good thing. All round, God knows.

FEED SOMEONE

It is easy to feed the hungry. At my own church there is the opportunity to supply our own Food Pantry which is available for call ins and our own parishioners who are in need of food subsidy. Food banks abound and are always accepting donations. It is so easy to add a few extra things into our basket when we do the weekly grocery shopping.

If you want to make an even bigger donation to try to eliminate hunger in the world you can go to Episcopal Relief and Development and choose any number of ways to make a difference. And here's an even more challenging way to make a difference -- invite the corner panhandler to join you around the corner at the local diner. Look her in the eye, let him know that they are valued as people. Have I done this? -- not yet.

THE MAGNIFICAT

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
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.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

I have never been much of a Mary person. That is I don't pray to Mary. When I pray I go directly to God. But I have always liked this poem. Maybe because it is all direct to God and is what God is all about. And the language flows. It is good. Enough words. Read it again and just enjoy.