Anyone need a Christmas Eve sermon? I have one that isn't going to be used tonight. We have cancelled the late service, the one I was going to be preaching. So far we are holding for the five o'clock. Who knows if anyone will be there....but M will celebrate and preach, R will acolyte and I will be congregation and perhaps the entire choir as well! Such is life on the wild and wooly Midwestern prairie in the depths of winter. We have had about three inches overnight with another two to four on the way today, more tomorrow and Saturday. The winds are coming as well, so all in all it sounds like it's going to be kind of a mess.
R made it out the door bright and early. He will spend the day moving the white stuff out of the way so the last minute shoppers can get to the stores at his mall. I was going to donate blood this morning, but I just got the e-mail that the blood drive has been cancelled due to the storm. So I have nowhere to be until this afternoon when I go help the Presbys set up for their Christmas dinner. That is still on as far as I know.
That's how my Christmas Eve is shaping up at this point. Hanging out, hanging loose, trying not to stress, trying not to really care that all the best laid plans avail us nought. Trying to remember that whether or not we have a service, or sit home and pray our grateful prayers together....Christmas is still Christmas. The Incarnation did and does continue to happen. God is among us.
So in the meantime, if you need a little cheer for the day, a friend of mine sent me this link to a very funny YouTube video that a friend of hers was part of creating. I can't figure out how to embed these things, so I'll just pass it along this way: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5HkXmOIwpkQ
Merry Christmas Eve to all.
Showing posts with label Adventing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventing. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Well There Goes November.... And Here's Advent
And so much for frequent posting. Time seems to be my frenemy these days. I enjoy it so much more than I used to when I was burning it madly in an attempt to hide from myself, but on the other hand, it seems to move even faster in some ways than it did then. As I arrived back in the day job office this morning I could hardly believe I'd just had a four-day weekend--it seems like I just left, and yet....when I think of all the things these days have held.....
Wednesday night was our community Thanksgiving service. Those who have been with this blog a while know this service is one of those markers for me by which I sort of measure my life and times here in little town on the prairie. I so clearly remember my first one....sitting alone in the big Catholic church, looking around me wondering if I would ever feel any sense of belonging in this community. The second year and third years I think I may have too. Before I knew it, I was there as part of the clergy, then for the last two years on the planning group. This year as I sat with the other clergy I was able to smile out at R, sitting in the congregation. Another year, another milestone, another gratitude.
Thursday we went to R's sister's for the day. We took his young adult daughter along. She is usually away at college, so it's nice to get to spend time with her. There were a passel of siblings and in-laws, almost grown up kids and a couple little-uns along with his Dad. We stuffed ourselves with the usual fare, teased, laughed and visited. There was a card game and a chance to revisit the past playing My Little Ponies with little great-niece L.
R had to work on Friday, so I spent the day doing some much needed house-foofing, erranding and grocery-getting. It was also the day to put up the garland on the house-front. This was the year to replace lights and generally spruce it up, so when R got home from work we spent some time on that and it looks very festive.
Saturday we celebrated his birthday (which was actually on Thanksgiving) with some friends. I made my first ever scratch cake--carrot, and lasagna. We played wii and a good time was had by all.
And of course Sunday we are suddenly in Advent. Every year it seems to surprise me. Wasn't it just Lent for heaven's sake? But the Advent candle lighting has begun, the Trisagion is being sung, the altar is dressed in blue....all the inescapable clues that indeed it is here. Advent is one of my favorite seasons, and it always seems too short. I'm not sure why, but somehow I want to wait longer, savor the anticipation more. But it too will fly by I think. The schedule for the next weeks is heating up. Things that fill me with both anxiety and joy. The falling shoes event is this Friday as is R's work party. Both coincidentally and conveniently are in the Big City on the same day. So we will be traveling later this week. I am praying that there is no "weather" to further add to my anxiety. As December moves on there is the ECW church womens' Christmas gathering, our annual Lessons and Carols, with its rehearsals and robe mongering for all the "extras" (my particular task), a nursing home service, another round of preaching at St. J's....oh yeah and the day job. All mixed into the usual tumble of craziness that the holidays bring. Its easy to forget in all of this that it's about something, toward something. But I want to slow it down a little, savor it and the reason for it, remember why it is we celebrate this holiday at all. I want to reflect a bit on how absolutely incredible it is that we are loved this much, I want to let the fact of the Incarnation sink in a little more, revel in my belovedness, see the Gift for what it really is. That's my hope for Advent this year. What's yours?
Wednesday night was our community Thanksgiving service. Those who have been with this blog a while know this service is one of those markers for me by which I sort of measure my life and times here in little town on the prairie. I so clearly remember my first one....sitting alone in the big Catholic church, looking around me wondering if I would ever feel any sense of belonging in this community. The second year and third years I think I may have too. Before I knew it, I was there as part of the clergy, then for the last two years on the planning group. This year as I sat with the other clergy I was able to smile out at R, sitting in the congregation. Another year, another milestone, another gratitude.
Thursday we went to R's sister's for the day. We took his young adult daughter along. She is usually away at college, so it's nice to get to spend time with her. There were a passel of siblings and in-laws, almost grown up kids and a couple little-uns along with his Dad. We stuffed ourselves with the usual fare, teased, laughed and visited. There was a card game and a chance to revisit the past playing My Little Ponies with little great-niece L.
R had to work on Friday, so I spent the day doing some much needed house-foofing, erranding and grocery-getting. It was also the day to put up the garland on the house-front. This was the year to replace lights and generally spruce it up, so when R got home from work we spent some time on that and it looks very festive.
Saturday we celebrated his birthday (which was actually on Thanksgiving) with some friends. I made my first ever scratch cake--carrot, and lasagna. We played wii and a good time was had by all.
And of course Sunday we are suddenly in Advent. Every year it seems to surprise me. Wasn't it just Lent for heaven's sake? But the Advent candle lighting has begun, the Trisagion is being sung, the altar is dressed in blue....all the inescapable clues that indeed it is here. Advent is one of my favorite seasons, and it always seems too short. I'm not sure why, but somehow I want to wait longer, savor the anticipation more. But it too will fly by I think. The schedule for the next weeks is heating up. Things that fill me with both anxiety and joy. The falling shoes event is this Friday as is R's work party. Both coincidentally and conveniently are in the Big City on the same day. So we will be traveling later this week. I am praying that there is no "weather" to further add to my anxiety. As December moves on there is the ECW church womens' Christmas gathering, our annual Lessons and Carols, with its rehearsals and robe mongering for all the "extras" (my particular task), a nursing home service, another round of preaching at St. J's....oh yeah and the day job. All mixed into the usual tumble of craziness that the holidays bring. Its easy to forget in all of this that it's about something, toward something. But I want to slow it down a little, savor it and the reason for it, remember why it is we celebrate this holiday at all. I want to reflect a bit on how absolutely incredible it is that we are loved this much, I want to let the fact of the Incarnation sink in a little more, revel in my belovedness, see the Gift for what it really is. That's my hope for Advent this year. What's yours?
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
On the Third Day of Advent.....
I decided I have to firm up what I'm doing for my Advent practice. There is some urgency here....I mean it's day three! And it's not like Lent where we have forty days to figure this thing out. I thought about the Exercises....but the book came and I paged through and it's "not now" clearly in my heart....this is not the season. Perhaps I will have my own little season for that, but not this one. It needs more time than I can give now for one thing, and it is not quite in sync somehow. So what I have so far is yoga every morning to Taize instrumental. I'm finding this quite wonderful as it turns the practice to body prayer while it makes me more graceful in my practice on many levels. It also turns the braintalk to the words of the hymns. So if I have to have words in my head...which sometimes I just do....they are good ones to have. Then it's Morning Prayer with special attention to the lectionary readings of Isaiah who seems to have incredible relevance and immediacy. The other end of the day is time spent with Bonhoeffer in Discipleship. We are moving very slowly with him in Soul Sisters, and I think I may still be his biggest fan at this point. I am finding him more challenging as we move further into the book. The first chapter slid in rather effortlessly and I was going for it from there. And now it's read, read, and re-read sometimes, and even then I am not sure I really know what he means to say. But even so, stretched out to grasp, I say "oh, yes!" to his thoughts. It's a funny sensation, like holding these two things in my peripheral mind's eye. If I see one clearly I cannot see the other. I glance back and forth between them at warp speed, trying to hold the image of the first long enough to super-impose it on the second so the whole picture emerges. Theological mental gymnastics, indeed! I want to get him, long to, because I know he has something to say to me. His life speaks to me, and what he says, when I do grasp it, makes sense and contextualizes things in a way that I have not experienced since de Chardin rescued me at age sixteen from the bookkeeper God of my parochial upbringing and gave me the Stillpoint and the God who is endless.
So perhaps I do have enough going for Advent...body, mind, spirit...oh and the heart as well seems to have her own Advent waiting and anticipation going on. As far as the outside world, we have Gospel Based Discipleship Bible study every week now, and rehearsal for our beautiful lessons and carols every Saturday. So I have the songs in my head, and on every CD player I own. I preach Advent 3 and am thinking ahead to that....luck of the draw I get the Magnificat! That and John and Isaiah to preach on....we could be there all day! The greens are hung at church and at home, and it does feel lovely and anticipatory. The song from West Side Story just flashed through my head....
Could be! Who knows?
There's something due any day;
I will know right away, Soon as it shows.
It may come cannonballing down through the sky,
Gleam in its eye, Bright as a rose! Who knows?
It's only just out of reach, Down the block, on a beach, Under a tree.
I got a feeling there's a miracle due, Gonna come true,
Coming to me! Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something's coming, something good, If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is Gonna be great! With a click, with a shock,
Phone'll jingle, door'll knock, Open the latch!
Something's coming, don't know when, but it's soon;
Catch the moon, One-handed catch!
Around the corner, Or whistling down the river,
Come on, deliver To me! Will it be? Yes, it will.
Maybe just by holding still, It'll be there!
Come on, something, come on in, don't be shy,
Meet a guy, Pull up a chair!
The air is humming, And something great is coming!
Who knows? It's only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach, Maybe tonight . . .
It's Advent in God's world and anything can happen. I'll keep you posted.
So perhaps I do have enough going for Advent...body, mind, spirit...oh and the heart as well seems to have her own Advent waiting and anticipation going on. As far as the outside world, we have Gospel Based Discipleship Bible study every week now, and rehearsal for our beautiful lessons and carols every Saturday. So I have the songs in my head, and on every CD player I own. I preach Advent 3 and am thinking ahead to that....luck of the draw I get the Magnificat! That and John and Isaiah to preach on....we could be there all day! The greens are hung at church and at home, and it does feel lovely and anticipatory. The song from West Side Story just flashed through my head....
Could be! Who knows?
There's something due any day;
I will know right away, Soon as it shows.
It may come cannonballing down through the sky,
Gleam in its eye, Bright as a rose! Who knows?
It's only just out of reach, Down the block, on a beach, Under a tree.
I got a feeling there's a miracle due, Gonna come true,
Coming to me! Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something's coming, something good, If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is Gonna be great! With a click, with a shock,
Phone'll jingle, door'll knock, Open the latch!
Something's coming, don't know when, but it's soon;
Catch the moon, One-handed catch!
Around the corner, Or whistling down the river,
Come on, deliver To me! Will it be? Yes, it will.
Maybe just by holding still, It'll be there!
Come on, something, come on in, don't be shy,
Meet a guy, Pull up a chair!
The air is humming, And something great is coming!
Who knows? It's only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach, Maybe tonight . . .
It's Advent in God's world and anything can happen. I'll keep you posted.
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