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December 18, 2010

The Greatest Gift

Susie White

“For God so loved the world, he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not die, but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

This is the message.   When we sort through all of the debates and disagreements about theology, and how to “do church”…to baptize by immersion or sprinkling, to sing with instruments or without…to believe that God saves us through his own work, or through some combination of his work and our works… this simple passage from the Gospel of John is the very heart of the gospel message:

God loves us, and he gave his one and only son in order to bring us home to him.
Can we believe a message so void of complexity? Can we accept the gift, just as it’s offered? Or will be debate it? Analyze and dissect it? Will we try to make ourselves good enough to receive the gift, or just accept that it is true, and rejoice in the wonder of it all?

Yesterday I shared the story of how my Grandmother used to stand at the top of the carport steps, waiting for our family to arrive home. She waited for our car to pull into the gravel driveway and send the farm dogs into a barking frenzy that hailed our coming, and yet, we had no cell phones then…no way to let her know we were almost there…but she always seemed to know when we were going to arrive, and there she stood…waiting for us…ready to receive us with open arms and a happy smile of welcome.

Did we analyze or debate the authenticity of her love, or the joyful welcome she extended to us? Did we stop a few miles away and rush into a gas station restroom to try and “clean up” for our homecoming? No…of course not! We did not question or debate, or try in any way to earn her affection…we simply trusted the love offered to us, and gratefully received her happy embrace. No clean up was required, and there was never any fear of being rejected…the love was always true, and the welcome was always sure…and this is what made it home.

Funny then, isn’t it…that most of us struggle so much to believe that God loves us…to believe he would give everything he has in order to bring us home to him again? Sometimes religion can get in the way, and the purest and most simple message of the Christmas season can be lost in the shuffle…but this is still the message…and God’s love for us is still the greatest gift.

Posted December 18, 2010    |    View

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December 18, 2010

Going home for the holidays...

Susie White

When I was a little girl, there were many Christmases when my family would travel to the small towns in northeast Mississippi where both of my parents grew up.
 
This story is meaningful to me because of what happened at the end...when we arrived home, and my Grandmother stood holding the storm door open for us at the top of steps that overlooked the carport...it was indescribable, the feeling I had when we arrived there...and it's a feeling that I believe all of us long for. I can remember as if it was yesterday...the exhilaration I felt as our car circled the last bend and began up the hill to my grandparents' house...the porch light was on, and seeing it in the distance, I could hardly wait for the sound of our car tires hitting the gravel driveway...we were home. The trip was long and tiring, but we were home, and all was hugs and happiness then...the smell of homecooked food wafting from the kitchen...the sounds of laughter and the excited chatter of a joyful reunion...
 
The scripture readings today talk about a light coming to people who are in darkness, and of God's desire to bring salvation to all of mankind...and I can't help but think of how God must long for his children to finally arrive home....he stands, as my Grandmother always did, in the doorway...waiting for us to finally arrive. Happiness and hugs are there, and a great feast for all the family...a joyful reunion for all who come.
 
This Christmas season, I don't know whether you have a joyful homecoming to anticipate, or whether hugs and happiness await you during the holiday season...but I know that God wants to welcome you home, and has prepared a place especially for you. I've said this before, but I'll keep saying it because I believe it is so very important...God's endgame for you is joy and love, and a safe place to come home. It is why he became a man and lived here among us...and it is why we celebrate Christmas in the church.
 
Whatever this week before Christmas includes for you...whether it's travel, or cooking...shopping or church...I hope your week will hold the special promise of going home for the holidays. I hope it will include hugs and happiness, and the joyful chatter of happy reunions...and I hope you'll take a moment to savor the holiday, and the foretaste of the homecoming that God has prepared for each of us.

Posted December 18, 2010    |    View

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December 17, 2010

Looking for kindness...

Susie White

I read an Advent devotional yesterday that told a story of kindness...
 
It might be an old idea, a worn out concept, but I felt we should look for an act of kindness that we can offer to someone today...this means that we consciously look for an opportunity to be kind...today. Put it on the "to do" list.
 
Why? A couple of reasons come to mind:
 
1. Christians are sometimes experienced as less than kind by folks in the world. The Bible has a lot to say about behavior, and holiness, and what we should and shouldn't do...and sometimes, how we are in the world is more reflective of that "should and shouldn't" list, rather than the love that Jesus modeled for us.
 
Jesus said, "Love one another, as I have loved you."
 
What is love? What does it look like in everyday life? There is a famous passage in Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth that provides a definition of love...it is very popular at weddings, but it can also help us with our kindness project today:
 
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices when truth wins out. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres. Love never fails."
 
Living up to such a high standard could feel overwhelming...unless...we made a decision to simply look for one opportunity to be kind today...one opportunity to be loving. Tomorrow will take care of itself, but just for today...keep these words of love right in front of your eyes, and look for just one opening for kindness.
 
2. There's a second reason for today's project...if we, as Christians, desire to see other people come to know the love of God, we'll need to start making it known in the way we live our lives. The scripture says that it's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance...to me, this says that we are, all of us, drawn toward God because of his love and kindness, and not because of some fear of punishment, or to avoid his anger.
 
Kindness is hard to resist, when offered in a spirit of authentic love.
 
Today's gospel reading talks about John the Baptist, and how he was sent to prepare the way for Jesus' coming. The passage talks about how John will "make straight paths for him", and another translation says that he will "make the crooked ways smooth..." The picture that came to mind was a person working to clear a jungle path so that someone else could get through...
 
Perhaps we can help prepare the way for folks who haven't met Jesus...who haven't yet experienced God's love in this way...our kindness can clear the path, so that the love and kindness of God can get through to the people we meet today.

Posted December 17, 2010    |    View

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December 16, 2010

Lost in a blizzard with no rope...

Susie White

I noticed in the daily readings a couple of references to the fact that when we die, we can't take our belongings with us, and the message resonated. In the past few days, and again this morning, my boss has suggested that I consider applying for a higher level position within our organization...the position doesn't matter so much as the lessons that might be learned from the conversation going on in my mind...
 
When someone suggests to me that I might be well-suited for a higher position in the company, I am flattered, of course. The ego boost is not lost on me...at all. On the other hand, I find myself wrestling with questions of real importance...like, "What do I really want in a job?" And perhaps more important still, "What am I willing to give of myself to a job?" The job I have today is an excellent job...and in many respects, for me...an easy job. In recent months I have been intentionally focused on the fact that I am happy in this job...content in this job...and, I am grateful for this job. Would I chase a different job because of title and money...when, in truth, I am content with the job I have?
 
As I rode in the elevator this morning, the word that kept coming to mind was contentment. I thought of the passage in Paul's letter to Timothy, where he talks about contentment, and the love of money, and how to keep it all in balance. Here's what Paul says:
 
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction."
 
There is nothing wrong with being promoted, or even with making more money, per se. I think the more important question for each of us is this: Why are are we doing what we're doing? What is at the heart of our choices...about work, about money, about priorities and how we spend our precious time?
 
I'm no role-model where this topic is concerned, but I am one who needs to be reminded about perspective, and contentment. Parker Palmer, in his book "A Hidden Wholeness," relates a story about farmers living in the northern plains, where severe blizzards have left people stranded and utterly lost...only yards from their home. The story illustrates what can happen to us when we lose our bearings, and can no longer find our way home with our physical eyes. In those moments, we need a spiritual perspective...internal eyes that help us to see rightly, even when our external circumstances go a little bit crazy...
 
During the Christmas season, our external circumstances can definitely go a little crazy...there is an almost unavoidable emphasis on spending money and buying things...and sometimes contentment can be lost among the boxes and bows. The most important things about the holiday season can't be bought or sold, however; so perhaps the greater wisdom is to simply enjoy all of it, however much or little you might give or receive...and be content with what you have.
 

Posted December 16, 2010    |    View

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December 15, 2010

The Snowman and the salad...

Susie White

I ate a snowman today...and since I live in Dallas, where the temperature is hovering around 70 degrees, you can probably surmise that this snowman wasn't made of...well, snow.
 
I had the best of intentions when I got up this morning, for eating healthy foods...like the salad I'm now eating for lunch...but somewhere on the way to the salad, a snowman from Krispy Kreme crossed my path, and I ate him.
 
I bring up the ill-fated "Frosty" because he represents, for me, what sometimes happens to my hopes...I hope to do things, I hope things work out a certain way in my life and work and relationships...but hope doesn't always deliver, does it?
 
I was watching the finale episode of "The Biggest Loser" on TV last night, and one of the finalists made this statement:
 
"Without hope, what is there?"
 
It got me thinking about hope, which led to my looking up the word in the dictionary.
 
I love reading the definitions of words, and their background and meaning, but I was a bit disappointed in the word "hope," because the definition doesn't seem to have the emotional weight that you'd expect from such an important idea...it simply says that hope is an expression of what we want, or look forward to...something we desire.
 
On a surface level, I have no disagreement with the definition, but to me, hope is a substance that is so much more significant than simply describing what we want...it is a necessary thing...like air and water...as Frado said on TV last night, "Without hope, what is there?"
 
Scripture is full of the word hope...it's everywhere, throughout the Old and the New Testament, in the historical books, the poetry books, and the books that are focused on life instruction. This tells me that God understands about the importance of hope. It's true that I hope to eat healthy food and lose weight, but this is a fleeting kind of "hope"...more along the lines of "win some...lose some..." kind of hope. It informs our daily experience, but doesn't speak to a kind of inner weight of importance that we feel when the doctor says, for instance: "There's no more hope."
 
We must have hope to go on...but where do we get the hope? The Gospel reading for today talks about Mary's engagement to Joseph, and the shock of their finding out that she was pregnant...a very curious place to find hope, I'd say. But there it is...God plants hope in the womb of a young Jewish girl, and against all odds, he is still the source of our hope today.
 
And what is our hope? Our hope is in the certainty of God's love for us...the knowledge that his ultimate endgame is our joy and our redemption, and the Christmas season reminds us that the greatest hope of all was born in Bethlehem.
 
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord."
 
And in Hebrews, known as a book that is all about faith and what it means to have faith...we read this:
 
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see...we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure..."
 
I hope the Cowboys will win on Sunday, and I hope I'll get a good deal on the contract I'm negotiating as a part of my job...and I hope I'll be able to resist the next Krispy Kreme donut...but these are not the hopes that anchor my soul in the storms of life...
 
We need a hope that penetrates our souls, to get us through even the most difficult of times.
 
Christmas is about peace, and joy, and love...and it's about hope...
 
The coming of Jesus was and is God's way of saying, "I'm real...I'm here, and you can put your hope in me." Because of the unchangeableness of his promise, and the greatness of his love for us, we have this hope as an anchor for our souls...firm and secure.

Posted December 15, 2010    |    View

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December 14, 2010

What's up with the free peanuts??

Susie White

Today's blog will be slightly on the edge, so I'll start with a funny story...I was on a flight from Dallas to Dayton yesterday, and about half-way into the trip, the alarm on a guy's cell phone went off. He was sitting right behind me, so I looked over my shoulder to "check it out..." He was asleep...totally konked out...so the alarm just went off...paused 5 seconds, and went off again...over and over this went on...
 
Finally, I motioned for the flight attendant to come over, and explained that this guy's alarm kept going off...she leaned over, gave him a good shaking, and said very loudly, "Sir!! Your alarm is going off!" I laughed at the irony of having to wake someone up to tell them that their alarm is going off...but perhaps it's only funny to me.
 
With that, I'll retire from a short career as a comedian-blogger...the thing I really want to talk about makes me a little nervous...so perhaps I'm telling the joke to distract from my nerves...it wouldn't be the first time I've used humor to deflect a deeper emotion.
 
If you've ever been to a therapist or counselor, you might know that one of the most effective questions that a therapist can use is this one:
 
"What is it that you're not telling me...and why?"
 
For whatever reason, this question is often effective at cracking open the part of a person's heart that is sealed over with a protective coating, and the therapist can then begin to learn what their client most needs to talk about in their counseling sessions. I was thinking about this question when I read the New Testament reading for today, because I've been conscious of the fact that I've blogged very little on the New Testament passages that come from the letters of Peter and Paul. What is it that I'm not saying, and why?
 
Today's readings include a passage from the second letter of Peter, and it's a passage that I genuinely love, but out of my fear of offending those who might not share my Christian perspective...or even offending those who hold a slightly different viewpoint within the Christian faith. Here's the passage:
 
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perserverance; and to perserverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
 
When I wrote about joy yesterday, part of what informed my perspective was this passage; because God has given us everything we need for life and godliness...and I believe he has given it to us through Jesus Christ. While this seems like an obvious thing to say for a Christian blogger, blogging through the season of Advent, I'm aware of the fact that my decision to take a position on Jesus...a position that makes him the central focal point of my spiritual perspective, might lead to my losing readers who don't share my view.
 
It's a balancing act...sometimes a risky one...writing about scripture and the life-changing power of Jesus Christ, without alienating folks who don't see Jesus as God. In the end, the reason I write is to share Christ...to share the love of God as I've come to know it...to encourage and challenge every reader, regardless of the reader's spiritual perspective. I am not primarily an "apologist" (a person who argues for the tenets of our faith), and I am not primarily an evangelist...
 
I am...I hope, salty. I am like the free bowl of peanuts that you'll always find on your table in the local bar...eat a few peanuts, and perhaps you'll become thirsty for something to drink. In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his disciples:
 
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
 
This verse has never meant much to me...until today. Today, I want very much to be salty...I want to be free peanuts for you, whatever your spiritual persuasion...and I hope that reading these blogs will make you thirsty to know more of the God I know...and thirsty to know more about the Jesus we celebrate during Advent, and all throughout the year.

Posted December 14, 2010    |    View

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December 13, 2010

Falling into joy...

Susie White

I've been thinking about happiness lately...where it comes from...how do we get more of it...and what is the relationship between happiness and joy??
 
Growing up in the church, I was taught that there's a difference between happiness and joy...here's how it went: "Happiness is something that depends on your circumstances, but joy comes from your relationship with God, so no matter what your circumstances, you can be joyful." I can understand the thought, on some level...but to be honest, I don't really see anything in scripture to support the premise, and I'm not so sure that it describes the human experience very well. I bring it up because I'd like to de-spiritualize the whole conversation for a moment, and talk about what it might take for us to live happier...more joyful lives.
 
There's little question in my mind that pleasant circumstances tend to make us happy...what's wrong with that? On the other hand, I have also come to believe that happiness can be created by our own choice. I read an article by Darren Hardy today, and I liked what he had to say about the subject:
 
"The bottom line is this: Happiness creates. It is not derived from the outside; it is only derived from within. Happiness is a state of mind, and you can continually choose to be happy. The best way I know to live in happiness is to live in gratitude."
 
The Old Testament reading in church yesterday morning came from Isaiah 35, and reads, in part, this way:
 
"They (the people of Israel) will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will be upon their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorry and sighing will flee away."
 
You know what I thought when I heard this passage read? I thought,
 
"God's endgame is joy. Whatever is going on right now...wherever we may be on the road of life, the destination is joy."
 
So...if God is the parent, and we're riding in the backseat of the family mini-van, the next question might be, "Are we there yet?" And...I think...I would even go so far as to say, I believe, that God has given us the tools for joy in the here and now...
 
But even if we struggle to live in a state of joy and happiness in our present-day lives, eventually, gladness and joy will overtake us, because that is God's ultimate destination for us.
 
If you've ever experienced what it's like for a child to joyfully run up behind you and jump on your back, you have a small foretaste of what it's like for gladness and joy to overtake you... There is a childlike abandon involved in the experience of joy...it requires that we give ourselves completely to what is happy in the present moment, without worry about what comes next...whether the laundry needs doing, or the car needs fixing...we just choose, for the moment...to be happy.
 
I've been very sad at various points in time over the past several months...very sad...so I say these things with a deep appreciation for what it means to grieve, to experience significant loss...and to be depressed. I do not disregard the fact that life can be very hard, and indeed, very painful...but in most of our life experiences, we have much to be joyful about...much to be grateful for...and we very much have the freedom and the capacity to choose our own happiness.
 
Falling in love can be one of life's most wonderful experiences...certainly a source of deep joy and happiness...but falling in love with someone requires that we choose to give ourselves to the person and to the process...we have to let go of control, and make our heart available to the wave of emotion that is love...
 
I'm wondering today if falling into joy is something that we can also choose to give ourselves to? Can I make a decision to trust joyfulness? Can I give myself over to happiness in this present moment...and then string some moments together into a happy day?
 
If I had to choose a way to get there from here...I might take Darren Hardy's advice, and start a gratitude list...in this moment...on December 13, 2010...what am I grateful for? If I make a list of what is good and happy in my life right now, and then sit and stare at it for a moment...would I experience a moment of joy? Would you?
 
And...if having experienced even a moment of joy and gratitude...could we perhaps string together a few more moments of joy...even an hour or two...? Having made a small start on the journey toward happiness, could we build the foundation for a more joyful life?
 
Remember, in the end, gladness and joy is going to overtake us all, so we might as well give into it now, and just enjoy the trip.

Posted December 13, 2010    |    View

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December 12, 2010

He knows that we are but dust...

Susie White

As I read the scripture passages for today's daily office, it occured to me that I should say as little as possible, and use the space to highlight this incredible Psalm...I hope you'll read it slowly, carefully, and with a heart that is open to its message...and meditate today on the character and compassion of the God we serve:

Praise the Lord, o my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
 
Praise the Lord, o my soul, and forget none of his benefits --
 
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you
 
with love and compassion,
 
Who satisfies your desires with good things
 
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
 
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all of the oppressed.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to how we've messed up.
 
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who honor him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
 
As a loving father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows that we are humans, he remembers that we are but dust.
 
There is much to be hoped for as we read this Psalm...and our hope has good roots, reliable roots that cannot be broken apart during times of difficulty and loss. Storms come, painful winds of loss blow across the landscapes of our lives, and yet our God remains.
 
He is more gracious than the most gracious person you know...he is more kind and compassionate than the kindest person you know. He doesn't treat you according to how you've messed up. He doesn't treat me according to how I've messed up.
 
He knows. He knows you are human, he knows the limits and the broken places in your heart...he knows. And he loves you.

Posted December 12, 2010    |    View

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December 11, 2010

We See Through a Glass Darkly...

Susie White

In today's gospel reading, Jesus tells Peter that he's going to be tested, but that Jesus has already prayed for him...that he will be restored, once the testing is over. Peter protests this prediction vehemently, and says to Jesus:
 
"Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."
 
According to the historical record of the gospel, before sunrise of the following morning, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus on three separate occasions, the result of which was great emotional and spiritual torment for Peter...ultimately, as Jesus had prayed, Peter was restored and forgiven, and went on to be a leader in the early church.
 
I have a theory about how we see ourselves...or don't see ourselves. In the gospel story, it's clear that Peter did not see himself as he truly was, and didn't recognize in himself even the capacity to betray the person who was both close friend and spiritual mentor to him. Part of the human condition is a built-in challenge as it relates to self-perception...sometimes we see ourselves as better than we really are, sometimes we see ourselves as worse than we really are...either way, our view is skewed.
 
In the world of psychology, there is something called Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and according to the official diagnosis, the essential feature of the disorder is a preoccupation with a defect in appearance. The defect, if there even is a defect at all, is typically minimal in relation to the person's own imagination...nevertheless, the result of the preoccupation can be miserable for the person...intensely painful, even devasting to their emotional and physical well-being. Michael Jackson comes to mind as a person who likely struggled with this ailment, and because of his inability to see himself accurately, endured years of painful, and ultimately deforming surgeries.
 
At the other extreme is narcissism...a condition that is characterized by a skewed perspective of oneself on the positive end of the spectrum, without a realistic understanding of one's natural human shortcomings and faults.
 
As I think about this inability to see ourselves accurately, it occurs to me that we all suffer from a kind of spiritual dysmorphic disorder...born out of our need to feel good about ourselves, or at the very least, to feel like we're better than the next guy, we often fail to see our spiritual, relational, or emotional shortcomings. Or, in the converse, we expend enormous amounts of energy with guilt and shame...feeling as if we are bad people who will never measure up or be "good enough."
 
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul describes it this way:
 
"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
 
We do not see ourselves, or life in general, fully. We see only in part. Paul says that someday will will know fully, even as we are known, and in the meantime, the most important character traits to get us through the journey? Faith...Hope...and most of all...Love.

The question to consider, I believe, is how do you maintain a healthy perspective...a right perspective that can keep you well grounded in reality? Psalm 139 says, "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely."
 
In our relationship with God, we have one who longs to enter into our daily life...one who can help us to see ourselves with a healthy and right perspective. Outside of our relationship with God, we have available to us another incredibly powerful gift that can help us to see ourselves and life more accurately: friends.
 
The writer of the Proverbs says this about friends:
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."
 
Do you have friends who you trust to know you on an intimate level? Will you allow them to speak truth into your life when your perspective is skewed? Sometimes truth spoken by a friend can wound, but we need those outside voices to help keep us on track....to help us see ourselves more accurately.
 
Whatever your situation today, whether you're feeling like you've got the world by the tail, or whether you're feeling whipped by life...remember that what you're seeing isn't the full picture...and perhaps a more complete perspective will come when you seek God's input, as well as the input of a trusted friend.

Posted December 11, 2010    |    View

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December 10, 2010

Crawl into a box, and wrap yourself up...

Susie White

What if we could wrap a box of love, and put it under the Christmas tree? What would it look like? Would it rattle if you shook it? Would it be heavy or light?
 
I am woefully behind on my Christmas preparations this year...there's no Christmas tree in my front room...no Christmas candles around the house....no presents wrapped, or even waiting to be wrapped! What is wrong with me??
 
When I was a kid, my Dad sometimes traveled for work, and periodically, my Mom would let me sleep with her while he was away...on those nights, she would tell me stories from her childhood...and one that comes to mind is Christmas. When my Mom was a young girl in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Christmas festivities didn't really begin at all until the week between December 18 and 25. During this week, the general mercantile store would add a toy department, and for just that one week...the kids would ooh and ahh over all the toys in the display window. Christmas trees went up on Christmas Eve, and often came down on the day after Christmas. It was nothing like we know today. I'm sure there's not a right and wrong about how to do Christmas, but remembering my Mom's childhood experience reminds me that it's okay if I don't have a tree up in November, and if I wait to do my shopping until the week before Christmas...it might be a good thing!
 
On the subject of gifts, I've had a quote in my mind since yesterday afternoon, and I can't seem to shake it:
 
"Love is an action, an activity. Genuine love implies commitment and the exercise of wisdom. It is the will to extend yourself for the purpose of nurturing...another's spiritual well-being..." -M. Scott Peck
 
How can I wrap up my love and put it under the tree this year? Can I crawl into a big box...perhaps an empty dishwasher or refrigerator box...and wrap myself up? Didn't God crawl into the box of human experience and wrap himself up as a gift to us? His gift of himself is what theologians (people who study and write about God all the time) describe as the "atonement."
 
In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul said it this way:
 
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for us. Very rarely will anyone die for a good man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
 
Jesus left this legacy for the small group of friends that were his closest followers while he lived here on the earth...just before he died, he said this to them:
 
"My command is this: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
 
I don't know how these passages impact you, but to me, it seems like it would be alot easier to pick up an iTunes gift card and put that in the Christmas box. On any given day, I feel as if I'm nowhere near the kind of spiritual maturity it requires to give of myself in the way that Jesus describes...and yet...it is the calling of everyone who follows him.
 
Love...the ultimate gift...how far are we willing to extend ourselves for the spiritual well-being of another? Let's allow the question to roll around in the back of our minds as we wrap our Christmas gifts this year...

Posted December 10, 2010    |    View

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