December 25

Merry Christmas!

Today, as you celebrate the birth of Christ remember this: Out of God’s great love a child was born to reconcile God to us. The birth of Christ is the beginning of our salvation!

Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is calledBethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned,glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

December 24

Harry and Madeline Barrow

It was 1982.  Our son – Leland – was 4 years old, and our daughter – Anne – was 2. I was working as Director of Admissions at Columbia Theological Seminary, and the four of us were living in Decatur. We had not been to see our parents in Baton Rouge and Shreveport for quite a while, and we were determined to see them for Christmas!

Madeline and I began planning for our trip to Louisiana several weeks before Christmas. The presents were wrapped with care, and we had gathered all the children’s clothes and children’s equipment necessary for a week-and-a-half journey to Louisiana.

As I recall, we planned to leave on a Friday morning. On Wednesday evening, the weather report began to look ominous. An ice and snow storm would soon be rolling across Alabama and into Georgia. After some frenzied discussion, we loaded up our old blue Gran Torino (“The Cruiser Shark”) and moved up our departure time. We were absolutely determined to be with our extended family for Christmas! So, the four of us – Anne and Leland in their car seats – took off on the 10-hour drive to Shreveport!

About three hours down the road, just outside of Birmingham, it started to snow and sleet. Instead of pushing our luck, we began to look for a motel. We saw a Holiday Inn, and as we pulled in the parking lot, I noticed that the “The Cruiser Shark” began to slip and slide. But we made it in to the motel office, got a room, and checked in. The “innkeeper” was hospitable and friendly and, we were thankful to be there! We went to bed early, not knowing what to expect the next morning.

I woke up early, pulled the curtains back, and looked outside to find a “winter wonderland” of snow and ice everywhere! When the children woke up, we went for breakfast. Only one or two employees made it to work at the hotel that day, but they were kind, and we enjoyed visiting with them. We bundled up Leland and Anne, and they had a blast playing in the snow. By necessity, we stayed at the Holiday Inn all day and another night.

The second morning, the Highway Patrol told us that if we could make it about 50 miles down I-20, we would be alright. As I mentioned, we were determined to be with family on Christmas! So, we took off and, slowly but surely, we made it to dry roads and then on to see Madeline’s mother and father in Shreveport, and then my parents in Baton Rouge. So a simple visit to Louisiana had the dramatic elements required of a Christmas memory: a summons to our native land, uncertainty and hardships along the way (remember it was a 10-hour ride with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old before the advent of video), kindness from unexpected quarters, and a celebration of Christ’s birth at journey’s end. All in all, it was a great reminder of the Christmas story, and it was a Christmas journey we shall not forget!

Matthew 1:23
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”

December 23

The Adams’
DC, Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Joseph

When we first moved to Georgia, we felt very out of place.  Moving from a very rural location in eastern Oklahoma to a very urban Decatur, we brought with us no real traditions for “just us.” Also, knowing we would not have room to store an artificial Christmas tree, we gave it away before moving.  So here we were, new place with no tree.  It didn’t feel like Christmas.  So Elizabeth and I decided to start a new tradition. 

We googled the nearest tree farm to Decatur.  The results turned out this little place in Hampton, Ga.  We piled in our minivan and drove out of the city to find the perfect tree.  We sang with Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra as our favorite Christmas tunes poured out of the speakers making the trip through Clayton County enjoyable.  Upon arriving, we chose a beautiful Leyland Cypress and made our way home.  We hung our ornaments, drank our wassail, and made all new traditions.

Making changes and new traditions is, in and of itself, a journey.  You never know what will stick or what will be a “one hit wonder”.  But one thing about our family’s journey is that God has been present every step of the way.  There have been times of fear and uncertainty and there will be more.  But God will walk with us.  That is the promise God made by sending Immanuel, God with us.

From our family to you and yours, Merry Christmas!  May you feel God’s real and mighty presence this day and everyday.

Zephaniah 3:14-17
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

December 22

The 2013 Stewardship Committee

There is a song usually sung at Thanksgiving that talks of “going over the river and through the woods” to Grandmother’s house.  This song is great for remembering how excited we all get about gathering together for the holidays. In our hearts, we understand, in a core way, the words “Hooray for the fun! Is the turkey done?  Hooray for the pumpkin pie.”  We know it’s not really about the turkey, the fun, or the pie.  It is about fellowship and family.  It is about knowing you have a place to belong and that you are loved.

Mary and Joseph did not have the best place in the city of Bethlehem. They did not seem to have family or friends in that place, otherwise why would they have sought the comfort of the inn.  It seems that this young couple had no one in which to turn.  But God had a plan for them.  One in which they could not begin to understand or fathom.  From the beginning of their journey, they had come to rely fully on God’s providence and grace, trusting that they would be kept safe.  God was their family, their place to belong.

On this final Sunday of Advent, when you gather with your church family today, make sure you look around and reflect on the people who surround you.  You and they share a common bond, the church.  This is your place to belong, to be a part of fellowship and family.  Give thanks to God for sending you to this place.

Isaiah 11:2-7
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.