dual personalities

Category: Christmas

December 15, 2014

Sleepers, wake!*

by chuckofish

tree

Advent Three. The second lesson was I Thessalonians 5: 16-24, which you will recall I blogged about last month.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. (NRSV)

You would think that it would be easy to rejoice during this particular  holiday season as we await the birth of our saviour. But it isn’t, is it? We feel harried and under the gun. We try so hard and no one seems to notice. We aren’t included causing us to feel left out and once again like our 8th grade personas.  We miss our loved ones and feel lonely. Sigh.

Well, I say turn off Facebook and turn to your prayer book (or Walt Whitman) instead. Take a walk. Give thanks that you can. Have a glass of wine. Give thanks in all circumstances.

It’s all good.

*Hymn #61

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December 12, 2014

Friday movie picks–Christmas edition

by chuckofish

It being that happy season of Christmas movie viewing, I thought I’d just remind you of my favorites. Here are my top five:

1. White Christmas (1954)

whitechristmasonesheet

Oh, I do love this movie and have blogged about it here. I just watched it last weekend for probably the 50th time. It never gets old.

2. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

the-bishops-wife

A wonderful film with a stellar cast–and it’s about Episcopalians!

3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

miracleon34thstreetthreesheet

Here’s another one that never gets old. I watched it over the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed it anew.

4. Home Alone (1990) This one still makes me laugh out loud. Do not, however, waste your time on Home Alone 2 (1992).

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5. 3 Godfathers (1948) This John Wayne classic is my all-time favorite Christmas movie!

3_Godfathers_1948_poster

Other favorites include Scrooge (1951),  It’s a Wonderful Life (1947), and A Christmas Story (1983).

Other movies I like a lot which can’t really be categorized as Christmas movies, but include a Christmas element are Edward Scissorhands (1990) and The World of Henry Orient (1964).

Here’s a blast from the past that is available on YouTube: A Smoky Mountain Christmas, which was first aired on TV in 1986. It stars Dolly Parton, Lee Majors and John Ritter, and, although admittedly a bit hokey, I liked it then and I still do.

Have I left out anything? I think I’ll hunker down this weekend and get in the mood. It sounds like a plan to me.

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December 8, 2014

Comfortable in Babylon

by chuckofish

On Sunday our preacher (the Associate Rector who is pretty good) reminded us that we post-modern Christians are like Isaiah’s Jews in exile in Babylon. He warned us against becoming too comfortable in this world, especially during Advent. Good point.

I try to keep in mind that Jesus is indeed the reason for the season. I try not to go overboard on buying presents and decorating the house. But December is the month when the Puritan in me takes a vacation.

I think this is because so much of the Christmas season is tied up in memory and in remembering our childhood Christmases. In tradition: This is how we always did it.

xmas katie

So happy in 1959

Our mother loved Christmas. She loved the decorations, the presents, the wrapping of presents, the writing of special poems for cards, the mailing of packages, the making of fruit cakes. It was a big deal at our house.

Mommy xmas

Happy again in 1962

Not to decorate the house and have two trees and all that goes with them would seem like treachery somehow. That may seem like a strong word, but that’s how I feel. I am always surprised by people who no longer put up a tree in their empty nest. Why bother? Well, because.

The Scrooge in me does get annoyed with the houses that have their lights done professionally in the neighborhoods where one-upmanship seems to be rampant. And I never get started before Thanksgiving. The big tree will never go up until a week before Christmas. I do have standards.

Home is definitely the place to be for the holidays–even if only in your dreams.

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December 5, 2014

Yet what I can, I give Him

by chuckofish

Today we celebrate the birthday of Christina Rosetti (December 5, 1830 – December 29, 1894), a 19th century English poet and devout Anglican. She wrote the poem that was set to music and is one of my favorite Christmas carols, In the Bleak Midwinter.

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk,
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air –
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can, I give Him –
Give my heart.

Here is a lovely rendition of this beautiful carol:

This may get you headed in the right direction–that is, not toward the mall, but to wherever you go to listen to that still, small voice in your heart.

Have a great weekend and enjoy Advent II.

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