Christmas | Grandma's Ramblings

Halloween decorations are off the shelf – and even before we celebrate Thanksgiving, the stores are filled with Christmas decorations and music. Many of my friends tell me they are busy with their Christmas shopping list.

It is amazing to me how much money we spend at Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation, American spent 929.5 billion on Christmas in 2022, 955.6 billion in 2023 and it is estimated to grow 2.5% to 3.5%, to a new record of between $979.5 billion and $989 billion this year.

While Halloween spending is much less, it still is amazing what we spend. Americans spent $12.2 billion on Halloween in 2023 and $10.6 billion on Halloween in 2022.

Now – I am not trying to be Scrooge. Christmas is a great holiday – and absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying all the parties, gift exchanges and family gatherings.

BUT….as you begin shopping for family and friends, may I suggest you add something to that shopping list. Find an organization that helps the homeless, those who have lost their homes in natural disasters and the many in refugee camps around the world. The list goes on and on. Check out this website to find what needs there are – both in the USA and around the world.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/

There are many local organizations that could use some help. Local food pantries, Toys for Tots, check with your local school board for church for a family that could use help.

Check out my post on Mercy Ships.

https://wordpress.com/post/barblaneblog.com/7833

Let the joy of Christmas shopping extend beyond your immediate circle.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

He did not wait till the world was ready, till men and nations were at peace. He came when the heavens were unsteady, and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time. He came when the need was deep and great. He dined with sinners in all their grime, turned water into wine.

He did not wait till hearts were pure. In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt. To a world like ours, of anguished shame he came, and his light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh, to heal its tangles, shield its scorn. In the mystery of the Word made flesh the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane to raise our songs with joyful voice, for to share our grief, to touch our pain, he came with love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Madeleine L’Engle

Speak of Christmas and we think of bright lights, beautiful decorations, parties, carols and family gatherings. We sing about joy, peace and a silent night where all is calm, all is bright. (But was it?)

https://barblaneblog.com/2023/12/15/was-it-a-silent-night/ 

Christmas can be a sad, difficult time for some. There is grief for loved ones who are no longer with us. Perhaps they are deceased, or just simply too far away to be home for Christmas. 

Perhaps this year they are homeless. For them, no decorated tree, no presents. The year may have brought illness or divorce or unemployment.

As a Christian even in these difficult situations, we have reason to rejoice. We know that God is with us. We know that there is hope for the future because of the hope of eternal life.

Still, we feel sadness or pain. 

For those in troubled times, Christmas can be the longest night. Sadly, we often do not allow those hurting to be able to express their pain. They are forced to put on a happy face and pretend all is well. 

I found myself in this position the first Christmas after my husband died. My extended family gathered for a meal and there was laughter and joy. I kept waiting for someone to mention that they missed my husband or ask me and my daughters how we were. But no one said a word. It was as if my husband had never existed. At one point one of my sisters apparently saw my sad face and asked me, “What’s wrong?” I wanted to scream, “I’m hurting.” But I just smiled and said there was nothing wrong. I was just fine.

To give credit to my family, my older sister later told me they had all agreed not to mention my husband or his death because they thought it would be easier for me if they did not talk about him or acknowledge his absence. 

Thankfully my pastor (who is also my daughter and understands dealing with pain at Christmas) offered a service this week to those who find themselves struggling this year with pain. She offered them a place to be allowed to feel their sorrow, their grief, maybe even their anger. In the midst of that time, she also reminded them that Christmas means God is with us. We can find in Him the strength we need to go on. We can find in Him the hope that this too will pass. We were invited to take a candle, share our pain with Him and as we blew out the candle, commit it all into His hands.

Although it has been years since my first husband died and I have been happily married again for almost 40 years, it was good to take time to remember this dear man with whom I shared two beautiful daughters. There were people there who had lost their mother this year and this gave them a moment to acknowledge their grief.

The message of Christmas – “God with us” – is cause to rejoice and be glad. But I encourage my readers if you are dealing with a difficult time, it is okay to express that sorrow. That is the whole point of Christmas. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who labor and are weary, and I will give you rest.” But to receive that rest, we need to be able to acknowledge that we are weary. Take your sorrow, your grief, even your anger to the one who truly understands and loves you.

If you have a family member who is going through a tough time this season, I encourage you to be sensitive to them. To allow them to share their pain if they need to. Allow them to not share their pain if they choose that. Be aware of others and not condemn those who may not be “jolly and bright” this year.

Remember: ”Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms 30:5

The following is excerpted from “A Note from the Author to Parents and Educators” that is included in The Story of St. Nicholas: More than Reindeer and a Red Suit, a book for children published by VOM that tells the true story of St. Nicholas of Myra, the man whose story became the basis of our modern-day Santa Claus.

Throughout history many legends about the life of Saint Nicholas of Myra have circulated around the world, bringing us to the man we know today as Santa Claus—a chubby man in a red suit who delivers presents to good boys and girls with his reindeer on Christmas Eve.

But who is this man behind the myth of Santa Claus?

Nicholas of Myra was born in the third century in a province called Lycia, which was a part of the Roman Empire. Today ancient Lycia is a part of the country we know as Turkey. Nicholas is believed to have died around 343 A.D., on December 6^th, a date that is currently celebrated by many nations, such as Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, where it is called “Saint Nicholas Day.” For example, in Germany, children are known to put a boot, called a Nikolaus-Stiefel, outside their front door on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, hoping he will fill it with gifts if he thinks they were good. But if found bad, they will receive a lump of charcoal.

The real Nicholas was a man full of generosity and conviction. He was born to wealthy parents who, when they died, left him their fortune. He chose to use his inheritance to help those in need. For example, one of the vignettes in the book is about three sisters who were saved from life on the streets. Their father was unable to arrange suitable marriages because he did not have enough money for their dowries. (Therefore, the father was left with no choice but to sell them to a brothel.) Upon hearing this, Nicholas secretly threw bags of gold into the girls’ room. The father was elated and, after discovering his daughters’ mysterious benefactor, was sworn to secrecy by Nicholas that he would never tell anyone who had given him the gold.

Nicholas is recorded to have exposed the corruptness of a government official during a famine. He uncovered the governor’s deceitful actions of hoarding grain until the demand forced it into higher prices. Later, Nicholas intervened in an execution of three innocent men…all falsely accused by the same, crooked governor. It is said that one of the prisoners was situated on the block for decapitation, and Nicholas grabbed the sword from the executioner’s hands, setting all three men free. He was praised for his bravery.

Even though many have preserved the stories of Nicholas’ acts of righteousness, few know of his sufferings for Christ. When the Roman emperor Diocletian took power, he instigated a horrific persecution of Christians. Nicholas was imprisoned and physically tortured (pinched with hot iron pliers) for refusing to deny Jesus as God. One account mentions the prisons were so full of church leaders there was no room for the actual criminals.

After the reign of persecution ended, Nicholas would still face a fierce testing of his faith—this time within the church. A preacher named Arius began promoting a heresy that Jesus was not God in the flesh. Arius even went so far as to set his false teaching to music by putting words to popular drinking songs. Constantine, the new leader of the Roman Empire, called together church leaders at Nicea to discuss Arius’ teachings and other issues dividing the church. This was called the Council of Nicea. According to legend, as Arius was making his presentation, he began singing one of his blasphemous songs about Jesus. Unwilling to see this man shame Christ, Nicholas stood up and punched Arius in the mouth. Those in attendance were shocked! Although they understood Nicholas’ need to stand up for Christ’s reputation, they did not believe they could allow such behavior since Christ taught us to love our enemies and live a life of peace. Therefore, Nicholas was no longer allowed to serve as bishop. (It’s noted he was later restored to his position.) But this action did not stop Nicholas from serving the sick and needy.

Those who are persecuted for following Christ today are much like Nicholas of Myra: They humbly serve their fellow countrymen and courageously stand for the Lord when faced with the choice of prison with  Christ or no prison without Christ. His story of boldness and generosity in the face of persecution from the government and conflict within the church is for everyone. By any Christian definition, Nicholas was indeed a saint.

May Nicholas of Myra’s life challenge us to live generously by serving the poor and courageously by standing for Christ in a culture that is increasingly hostile to Him and His people!

This is a powerful song. Hope you will take time to listen to it.

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we’re sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping

Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

What a beautiful picture we have of that first Christmas!  Mary and Joseph, dressed in plain, but neat, clothes.  The baby is wrapped in a clean blanket and the shepherds and Wise Men all stand or sit on the clean straw.  And one of our most beloved Christmas carols make it all sound so peaceful and clean.

Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright

But was it a silent night?  Was all calm and bright?

According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph had just made a long trip from their home town of Nazareth to Bethlehem.  This would not be considered a “long” trip today.  It is approximately 100 miles and MapQuest says it can be made in less than two hours.  However, at the time of Jesus’ birth, travel would have been on foot on rough roads with no Holiday Inn or McDonald’s along the way.  Mary may have had the luxury of riding on a donkey as our pictures always show, but even so with Joseph walking by her side, the trip would have been long and hard.  I can’t imagine making such a trip while eight or nine months pregnant.

Upon arrival in Bethlehem, Luke tells us there were no rooms available at the inn.  The innkeeper is often portrayed as an unsympathetic man who refused a place for Mary and Joseph.  However, if the town was crowded with visitors for the census and there were no rooms available, he may have acted out of compassion by providing a place for them in the stable nearby.  At least there they would have a roof over their heads and some protection from the night.

While we don’t know how old Mary was, most scholars believe she was probably a teenager.  So – here is a young girl, found pregnant before she was married at a time when that brought great shame (and could have brought death by stoning), far from home getting ready to give birth in a stable.  I’m not sure how calm she must have felt or how silent the night was as she gave birth to her son.

I imagine Joseph – worrying about his young wife giving birth without benefit of the comforts of home, wondering how he was going to be able to raise the Son of God.

It appears that shortly after giving birth, Mary laid Jesus in the manger.  While trying to rest, Joseph and Mary had visitors.  Shepherds.

These were men who were on the bottom of the Palestinian social ladder. They would be placed in the same class as tax collectors and dung sweepers.  In spite of their fantastic story of angels appearing to them with the wonderful announcement of the Messiah’s birth, only one of the Gospel writers – Luke – bother to tell us about them.

Judaism’s written record of the oral law, the Mishnah, reflects this prejudice, referring to shepherds in belittling terms. One passage describes them as “incompetent”; another says no one should ever feel obligated to rescue a shepherd who has fallen into a pit.

Being out in the field with the sheep for a long period of time, I can only imagine that their clothes may have been worn and/or dirty and they were probably in need of a good bath.  Not necessarily a beautiful, neat scene.

They related their story to Mary and Joseph of the angels’ appearance and the wonderful message of peace the angels had shared.  While many pictures of the shepherds visit to the manger show a bright light shining on Mary and the baby and the carol says “Radiant beams from Thy holy face,” Luke’s narrative does not give any hint of that.  Rather, the shepherds were told they would recognize the baby by:

And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.

Certainly they would not have needed that sign if there was a radiant light streaming around the manger when they arrived in Bethlehem.

By writing this I am not trying to detract from the beauty of that first Christmas.  Rather, I hope that we see the birth of Jesus Christ for what it was.  Not a beautiful, serene scene where everything was calm and bright.  Our Savior did not come to a world of comfort and ease.   The writer of the letter to the Philippians said:

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.   Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.

 The beauty of that night was not a calm, serene setting with radiant beams emitting from or around the baby.  The beauty of that night was how clearly it showed the love of God – sending His son not to the king’s palace or the rich man’s house, but to a dirty, cold, dark stable.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son!

That’s the “real” story of Christmas!

We live in a society that wants immediate satisfaction.

• Instant coffee
• Fast food restaurants
• Google gives us instant answers
• With Roku we can even skip the commercials

Waiting is not a skill we have. But this season of Advent reminds us we wait.

“Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” 1 Corinthians 1:7

“But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.“ 2 Peter 3:13

“Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus“ Titus 2:13

“Advent….is not just about commemorating the historical event, which occurred some 2,000 years go in a little village of Judea. Instead, we must understand that our whole life should be an “advent” in vigilant expectation of Christ’s final coming. To prepare our hears to welcome the Lord….we must learn to recognize his presence in the events of daily life. Avent then is a period of intense training that directs as to the One who has already come, who will come and who continuously comes.”  Pope John Paul II

As Pope John Paul points out waiting for the return of Jesus is not just sitting around hoping he comes soon. We need to recognize that He is here now and see Him in our daily life.

I see him in a baby’s smile.

The beauty of the flowers reveal his love of beauty.

The heavens declare the glory of God.

“Stars of the Heavens” Bob Patterson

I hear him when the thunder roars.

I hear him in the wind that sighs.

“The message of Advent doesn’t fit neatly into a sound-bite or vignette. It’s too complex, too deep, to compete with glitter and noise; and it’s a hard sell in a culture that would rather skip straight to the big finish. But Advent is too important to be forgotten, because it is this season that prepares us to encounter our Lord.” Kerry van der Vinne

“Everlasting God in whom we live and move and have our being, You have made us for Yourself so that our hearts are restless until they rest in You” Augustine of Hippo

“If Advent is an occasion when I re-turn my eyes to the Savior, then it is also an invitation to consider where my eyes—and my heart—have been in the meantime. Advent is the gentle nudge that invites me to remember that the truth most worth knowing is that Jesus Christ is the only way Home. It is also a gentle reminder that I ought to keep my eyes upon Him all year long.” Jean-Michel Hansen

“As the world around us surges into a frenzied and festive December, let’s take a step away from the party and ask the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts for a deeper and truer celebration of Christmas” Kerry van der Vinne

“God gives God. That is the gift God always ultimately gives. Because nothing is greater and we have no greater need, God gives God. God gives God, and we only need to slow long enough to unwrap the greatest Gift with our time: time in His Word, time in His presence, time at His feet.” Ann Voskamp