A Sermon for Christmas Eve 2023 - "In the Mess"

I’ve been a pastor for 20 years, and over all of those years, Christmas Eve services have been and remain some of my favorite worship experiences. Sanctuaries tend to be full, people tend to dress their best (in my case, that only brings so much improvement, but you all look great tonight), and of course, there’s the Christmas hymns that mean the most on this night. 

Sometime during my first few years as a pastor, I came across the option to include a proclamation of the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I started inserting it at the end of “Silent Night” for those services. I thought about asking Amy if we could do that here at First this year (because when you’re the bishop you can ask for those kind of favors), but when I read through the text this year, I got stuck in one place. See if you get stuck, too. 

The Proclamation of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ 

The Twenty-fifth Day of December, 

when ages beyond number had run their course from the creation of the world, 

when God in the beginning created heaven and earth, and formed humanity in God’s own likeness; 

when century upon century had passed since the Almighty set a bow in the clouds after the Great Flood as a sign of covenant and peace; 

in the twenty-first century since Abraham and Sara, our parents in faith, came out of Ur of the Chaldees; 

in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel were led by Moses in the Exodus from Egypt;
around the thousandth year since David was anointed King;

in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel; 

in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; 

in the seven hundred and fifty-second year since the foundation of the City of Rome; 

in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus, the whole world being at peace, 

JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, 

desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, 

and when nine months had passed since his conception, 

was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah, and was made human. 

This is the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

It’s beautiful, right? Poetic? Sounds a lot like scripture itself? So - where do you think I got stuck? Some of you probably got stuck here, too:  “The whole world being at peace.” Tonight, war continues to rage in Ukraine, Sudan, Israel/Palestine, and other places. Closer to home, our political leaders squabble and accomplish next to nothing of substance while an endless cycle of violence, blame, and arguments repeats, over and over. I’m 49 years old and I don’t think I’ve ever been more anxious about the state of things in our church, our communities, and our world. We are definitely not a world at peace. 

Line all of that up against this proclamation of the birth of Christ, and what appear to be the cultural expectations of the Christmas holiday, and things get anxious. We strive to give the perfect gift, to enjoy the perfect Christmas meal. Christmas carols started on the radio the day after Halloween in some places, and if I’m honest they sort of sound like a nightmare after two months of solid airplay over and over again, particularly in a year like this year when the weather has been unseasonably warm and not the least bit frightful. It would be incredibly easy to lose hope with so much cognitive dissonance and so many failed expectations. Yet, even in this present anxiety, tonight we gather to celebrate a light that continues to shine. 

Your theme here at First this Advent has been “The Light of Grace,” celebrating the 250th anniversary of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” This is one of our most beloved hymns, for many reasons, but one thing you’ve not discussed much is the origin of the hymn itself. Here’s the story: John Newton was a captain of a slaving ship who got caught in a storm at sea, and after some of his crew were washed over the side, he prayed to God for salvation. After steering the ship through the storm all night, morning found Newton and the rest of his crew safe and saved (to say nothing of the "cargo" of course). It wasn' the last time Newton captained a slaving ship, but it did mark a moment of spiritual conversion for Newton, and in time he became an ardent abolitionist. The story doesn’t excuse who he was or what he did for a living, however. John Newton was a person who had made a living from the capture, transportation, and sale of God‘s children. This is not the story of a simple prayer recited out loud in a revival meeting by a person, feeling guilty about cheating on a test or getting caught speeding. Newton was exactly what the first verse says he was: a wretch. ’Twas grace that redeemed Newton because that’s how grace works. Grace doesn’t apply to the deserving or the perfect. Grace is for those who truly need it. Grace shines best when it shines into the what we most want to hide from the world. 

Just this past Wednesday night, many of us gathered in the mission center for a celebration that included a living nativity, and a prayer service here in the sanctuary. It was lovely. There was something of a petting zoo here as well - a camel as well as some sheep, goats, and other animals - and I couldn’t help noticing that they stayed outside. If we really wanted a living nativity that would re-create what it was like when God came to us in the flesh, we would’ve brought the camel and the sheep and the goats and the llamas and the pigs right into the mission center with us. Now, I’m not actually suggesting we do that, mostly because I’m pretty sure your deacon for faith formation (My wife Kristin) would require me to be the one who shovels out the mess afterwards. But I mention it because there are parts of that story of Jesus’ birth that we don’t acknowledge, because they’re messy. They’re inconvenient. To put it bluntly, they smell. We often tell a sanitized version of the story of Jesus’ birth, and the picture it presents is one of perfection: beatific Holy Child Jesus in the manger (which is filled with sweet, clean hay), beaming Mary resting in peace in beautiful, simple clothing which shows no sign of having just delivered her first child, Joesph silently…being there, stars in the sky, humble shepherds coming to worship (and not losing a one of the sheep entrusted to their care in doing so). There is an entire industry centered around this ideal, this perfection of Christmas peace. The unhealthy danger of this is the anxiety it amplifies in us when things are not perfect in our own Christmas celebrations. What do we do when the gifts are a mess, or when there aren’t any gifts at all because it’s been a hard year? What do we do when family is as much a burden as a blessing, or when we’d give anything for that burden of family because we’re alone? When it comes to Christmas, all too often we are most definitely not a world at peace. 

God did not wait until the world was properly, perfectly prepared to become incarnate. God entered the world as it was, into all the mess, in a scene that in its actual happening would not be the sort of thing that fits ever so beautifully onto a Christmas card. If the world was at peace on that night, 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, just a short walk from Jerusalem, it was a peace that had been imposed on the population by Rome, an occupying power from a foreign land. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because the political power of his time told his parents they needed to go to a different city so they could be taxed. Joseph and Mary were refugees in their own homeland; roaming in search of shelter while the world around them was gripped by anxiety and violence. 

This was the world into which Jesus was born on that long ago night in Bethlehem.  

In a stable that smelled of sheep and goats, of hay and dung. 

In the mess. 

Among the wretches. 

In a world that was definitely not at peace. 

Years from now, when I think about Christmas 2023, the image that will live seared into my brain will be this, the nativity at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bethlehem.

  

Yes, this is a statement about the current state of things in Israel/Palestine. 

Yes, that is meant to be rubble of buildings destroyed by rockets and bombs fired by both sides of this horrible conflict. 

Yes, that is the baby Jesus there in the midst of the rubble. 

In the mess. 

Among the wrenches. 

Born into a world that is most definitely not at peace. 

In a minute we’re going to sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” It’s one of my most beloved Christmas hymns because of one line: “…the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Christmas has never been about a perfect Christmas peace. 

Jesus means to meet us in the rubble. 

In the mess. 

In our wretched anxiety. 

 

Jesus knows we live in a world that is not at peace, and to be honest, rarely has been. Jesus meets us there because that’s how you make this wretched world holy: you start in the rubble. In the mess. You shine the light of grace where it is most needed, and the redemption of the world begins. 

Christmas is wherever Jesus meets us, and in meeting Jesus, we meet peace, wherever he finds us. Merry Christmas, friends. May all your hopes and fears be met in Jesus, tonight and always. Amen.

Faith, Fear, and Trembling

So there we were in Bible study today at the local cafe, the same way we are every week.  This week we were looking at the readings for our Christmas Eve service, particularly the gospel narrative of Jesus' birth from Luke 2.  We were all talking about what it must have been like for the shepherds, wandering around Bethlehem in the dark, looking for that one stable where Jesus was born out of the many nooks and crannies likely available in a little hill town like Bethlehem.  No streetlights.  Nothing but the stars and the occasional household fire.  Then one of the members of the Bible study said, "I always figured the star led the shepherds to where Jesus was."

Familiar Voices

I subscribe to the Writer's Almanac - you should go sign up before reading the rest of this.  Go ahead - I'll wait.  

Favorite Christmas Albums

There's a discussion going on over at RevGals about favorite Christmas music. I thought I'd post a few of my favorites here.

The first has appeared before on this blog, but it's worth another mention. The Bells of Dublin is fantastic from start to finish, with one noticeable exception (those of you who own the album already know exactly which track is the one in question). Highlights include Elvis Costello singing "St Stephen's Day Murders," "The Wren," "Don Oiche Ud I mBethil"and an absolutely beautiful version of "Once In Royal David's City."


Because we liked the first album so much, I picked up A Christmas in Rome two years ago. It has grown on my quite a bit. It's a wonderful album overall, with another exception that isn't as awful as the one on Bells of Dublin, just a curious "how the heck does this fit?" track. Highlights include the Overture and Lullabies.

Some would insist that you can't be a Lutheran musician in the U.S. without loving the St. Olaf Choir. I'm one of them, for many reasons: the tradition, the incredible "St. Olaf Sound," and a dedication to furthering the art of a capella choral singing. This CD, however, has very little a capella work, but it's still worthy of mention. It was recorded in Trondjeim, at Nidaros Cathedral, and if I remember right a video performance has been broadcast a few times over the past few years on PBS. Here the highlights include "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (the descant WILL be sung in our Lessons and Carols service next year!), "Light Everlasting" and "Hope for Resolution," the last of which is a jazz treatment of Divinum Mysterium (Of the Father's Love Begotten) mixed with an original composition. That's good stuff, there.

So, there you have it. Three albums guaranteed to treat you better than one more version of "The Christmas Song" or "Little Drummer Boy." You're welcome.

Friday Five: Countdown to Christmas

Songbird had the Friday Five yesterday. One thing I've noticed is that as a parent, I get more done when it's NOT a snow day: we spent most of yesterday managing kids instead of relaxing and taking it easy. And the parental weirdness continues... By the by, I swear that every time I navigate away from this page the spacing between paragraphs gets larger. Sometimes Blogger does some crazy formatting stuff...

It's true.

There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.

So let's make this easy, if we can: tell us five things you need to accomplish before Christmas Eve.

Let me start by confessing that we have sucked at Christmas the last couple of years. In 2007, we were preparing to move and chasing an 11 month-old around the house. So, no tree, and the holiday photocards we ordered from Snapfish sat around our old house and our new one until we threw them out sometime in March. This year, again, no tree, though I don't feel bad about it because I'd rather spend December doing pretty much anything BUT chase two girls away from the tree all day long. So, the goal this year? Don't suck so much. Thankfully, that sets the bar pretty low.

1. Write the Christmas letter and send the cards to our friends and family.

2. Get Kristin's present (going to do that this afternoon - I know what I'm getting her, I just need to buy it locally so as to save on shipping).

3. Start working on 2008 Taxes (because I WILL NOT file an extension for a third straight year)

4. Enjoy the start of the college football bowl season (please, God, let there be some decent games - January through August is the longest time of the year!)

5. Continue to enjoy a remarkably angst-free Advent. Thankfully, it appears that the Society for the Preservation of Advent finds its work much less demanding in the midst of an economic downturn.

Bonus "to-do" item: maintain a good sense of humor - it makes everything else so much more enjoyable. Thus, I give you the following cartoon:

Sermon for Christmas Eve - "More Faithful Than Righteous"

Preaching Texts

Christmas hasn't come easy for me this year. To be completely honest, I don't feel like I deserve to be here before you this evening, telling you the good news about Jesus' birth, because I've done so little to deserve a position of such honor. In the past, I've spent the season of Advent in anticipation of the celebration to come. Like many Christians, I usually make devotion time a priority during Advent. Some years I've taken up a fast of some sort to mark the season. At the very least, Kristin and I have lit an advent wreath at suppertime and enjoyed its quiet light as we look out on the darkness that surrounds our house more and more each night. But not this year – and I'm feeling the difference. I'm not feeling particularly righteous or worthy when it comes to Christmas this year. It feels like Christmas is happening whether I’m ready, prepared, looking forward to it, or not.

It doesn't feel right for Christmas to happen like this. How can it be Christmas without the holiday spirit? How can it be Christmas without the sounding joy? How can it be Christmas I am more Scrooge than Cratchit, more grave than gravy? This isn't how it's supposed to happen!

As this feeling has enveloped me the past week or so, I have thought more and more about Joseph and his own struggle with what happened in his life. We know precious little about Joseph from the scriptures: we know he was a carpenter, a righteous man, engaged to Mary but struggling to make sense of what he was supposed to do once her pregnancy was revealed. As one pastor reminded me this week, "Here's the rule about what happens if you think the woman to whom you're engaged is bearing someone else's child: both the woman and the man whose child it is get death by stoning -- assuming you know the identity of the father, and that the woman is seized in an area in which someone could have heard her screams if she cried out. Joseph [wa]s a righteous man, but he refuse[d] to expose Mary to public disgrace to carry this out."[1] I can't help but think that Joseph also wondered how his life had gotten so complicated so quickly, and why it had to be that way. You all know the feeling you get when you're forced into a disastrous situation through no fault of your own: you can't sleep, you can't eat, your mind keeps returning to the disaster over and over again until you begin to wonder if you're ever going to be able to fix it and start to live again. Don't you imagine that's how Joseph felt? He was a righteous man, according to Matthew, a man who followed the commandments scrupulously and had every right to expect that his wife-to-be would do the same. Every life has its seasons, and for Joseph, the season in which he would be married and look forward to starting a family had come. He must have expected there would be some difficulty along the way, but surely nothing like this.

In the midst of Joseph's torment over how to handle this disastrous situation, God intervened. "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you will name him "Jesus," for He will save His people from their sins." The answer Joseph was given did not make anything easier: in fact, it complicated the matter even more. The righteous man who had a painful choice between accusation or quiet rejection was given a glimpse into the purposes of heaven and told that his choice was more important than he had ever imagined. If Joseph took the righteous path, he would save himself and his reputation but deny the voice of God telling him to have faith: if Joseph took the faithful path, the price would be even harsher: a new wife and child of dubious origin and the risk of losing his reputation and the goodwill of a society that valued righteousness above almost everything else. It couldn't have been an easy choice for Joseph. It certainly wouldn't have seemed "right" to be forced to make that choice in the first place. But Joseph was more faithful than he was righteous, and the child of God in Mary's womb came into the world protected by two loving parents, as God intended.

Christmas is the season that always seems to be promoted as the time when everything is "right." People show kindness to friends and strangers alike. Goodwill and harmony reign. The busy world ceases for one night of quiet worship of the beautiful child lying peacefully in a manger, lit by a heavenly glow and heralded by an army of angels singing praises to God. But at the time it wasn't righteous at all. It wasn't a moment of goodwill and harmony, nor did the busy world stop to notice, much less join the angel choir. It would have been no more right if it were to happen tonight, and there's a very good chance that you and I would have missed it as easily as most of the world missed it two thousand years ago.

God did not choose the righteous path when God chose to come into flesh and blood. We often miss the scandal of the Incarnation for the blessings that come to us through it. God redeemed the world through the birth, life and death of Jesus, but God chose to redeem the world from the bottom up, bringing light and salvation to all by the humblest means possible. Joseph and the world around him could have seen nothing but sin in the child Mary bore in her womb. But God used that seemingly unrighteous conception to claim all that is unrighteous for the kingdom of heaven. A child born out of wedlock and laid in a donkey's feed trough was named "God saves" and heralded as the Messiah, God's chosen One, Emmanuel: there is no irony or sarcasm strong enough to hold such a story if it weren't true. It seems right to us today because we've heard the story so often it bears its own authenticity and righteousness. But the wonder of the Incarnation isn't its righteousness: it is the faith of Joseph and Mary that this child was indeed the Messiah whom God had promised.

My friend and former seminary professor Mary Hinkle Shore says that this is only the first of many instances of faith in Matthew's gospel. "Alongside the gift of a baby who bears the very presence of God to humanity is another gift, a gift that the one who is God with us will keep offering throughout his ministry: freedom from fear. The people who will whisper behind your back cannot hurt you, Joseph. Do not be afraid. The storm tossing your boat, O disciples, will be stilled by the One who walks toward you. Do not be afraid. To those sent out in Jesus' name: the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is greater than your visions of being tongue-tied when you attempt to give an account of the hope that is within you. It is greater, too, than the experience of being ridiculed when you manage to offer such an account. Do not be afraid."[2] The faith of Joseph and Mary, the faith of the shepherds and the Magi, the faith of the angels who sing His praise, the faith of Peter, James, John and all the apostles, the faith of Paul and Stephen and all the martyrs, the faith of the whole church marching in line from that night in Bethlehem comes not from the righteousness of the birth of the Messiah but from its unrighteousness. The redemption of all creation rises from the birth of One who was born in such seemingly irredeemable circumstances: what, then, in your life, can not be redeemed by Him? The righteous man who wanted to quietly dismiss his seemingly wayward fiancée adopted her child as his own: how could such a child ever refuse to adopt you, no matter what your sins might be? The world wasn't ready or right for the Incarnation of the Lamb of God, yet He came: He will come for you, too, even though you may not be ready or right for His coming.

Maybe you're not ready for Christmas this year, either. Maybe you, like me, have found yourself struggling to feel righteous enough to be worthy of the Christ-child. Maybe death has touched you with its cold fingers, or sin has surrounded you with its constant temptings, or you are afflicted with the despair of simply knowing that whatever the right way to feel about life may be, you're not there and it's just not going to happen this year. If so, then the angels have a message for you tonight, too: do not be afraid. Your righteousness is not the issue. Neither is death, sin, or despair. The Christ-child came once into a world that was not prepared for Him, and He comes again this night to you, prepared or not, willing or not, righteous or not. God doesn't ask us to be righteous when the Christ comes: God asks us to be faithful, to believe that He is what and who He claims to be: Jesus, the one named "God saves," the Messiah, Emmanuel, "God with us." Do not be afraid, friends, for unto us, unrighteous, unprepared, a child was born, Christ, the Lord, and let all you who are faithful join in the song to welcome Him. Amen.

---

[1] http://www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/2004/12/fourth_sunday_o.html

[2] Mary Hinkle Shore. http://maryhinkle.typepad.com/pilgrim_preaching/2004/12/do_not_be_afrai.html

Bah Humbug Friday Five

WillSmama had the Friday Five at RevGals today - and I've never played a better one.

[Insert bitter pre-Advent Christmas kvetching and grumbling here.]
Please tell us your least favorite/most annoying seasonal....

1) dessert/cookie/family food
Okay, I'll admit it - I despise lutefisk and always have. I tried it several times as a kid and just never developed a taste for it. For those of you who don't know what lutefisk is, suffice it to say that it is a piece of cod that passes all human understanding.

2) beverage (seasonal beer, eggnog w/ way too much egg and not enough nog, etc...)
Yeah, eggnog. Why, again, are we drinking raw eggs mixed with milk and booze?

3) tradition (church, family, other)
My annual "Society for the Preservation of Advent" rant. Usually makes its appearance sometime about now, after which everyone will breathe a big sigh of relief and start looking forward to the Christmas Program. Grrrrr.

4) decoration
Big floppy snowmen/candycanes/Santa Claus/reindeer on people's rooftops or front lawns. Actually, most anything outside of white lights makes my inner aesthete want to urp just a little bit.

5) gift (received or given)
No particular gift here, but my least favorite thing relating to gifts is hearing how much the average person spends on Christmas gifts. Frankly, it's obscene. Beloved and I are trying to plan for future Christmas celebrations with forethought so that Ainsley understands that gifts are not the prime motivator for the celebration of Christmas. We'll see how that goes...

BONUS: SONG/CD that makes you want to tell the elves where to stick it.
Oh, where should I start? Little Drummer Boy? Up On The Rooftop? ANYTHING by Kenny G or Celine Dion? Dreck, all of it, I say! DRECK!
But, A Confession: I do love Mannheim Steamroller, most likely because they're an Omaha product and I grew up in Nebraska. Go figure. Even the inner aesthete can't get enough of those synthesizers. Go figure...

Post Thanksgiving Day Friday Five

Ah, the day after Thanksgiving--groan! Fortunately, I love Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thanksgiving is the American holiday when the greatest number of people travel somewhere else to celebrate. I am posting this from my son’s home in Minnesota where we are recovering from the food shopping and the preparations and the meal and the clean up. It is difficult to think of anything requiring much energy today, and I am enjoying my sweet baby granddaughter, so I will keep it simple.

For those of you not in the USA, I apologize for the nationalistic tone of
this Friday Five!

1. Did you go elsewhere for the day, or did you have visitors at your place instead? How was it?
We drove to my parents' farm in Nebraska, where we had a great Thanksgiving Supper with the whole family: myself, my younger brother and his family, my youngest brother and his girlfriend, my parents and my Grandma Janke.

2. Main course: If it was the turkey, the whole turkey, and nothing but the turkey, was it prepared in an unusual way? Or did you throw tradition to the winds and do something different?
Because my mom worked yesterday morning, we decided to just keep things simple, so we didn't do a "whole turkey" dinner. Mom had a turkey roast ready for heating, we kids brought pies and Butterfinger dessert, and we made potatoes and green bean casserole and dressing yesterday afternoon after everyone arrived. Someday when we host Thanksgiving we'll do something wild and crazy, but simple is great, too. In our house, it's the family stuff that counts; the food is just, well, extra.

3. Other than the meal, do you have any Thanksgiving customs that you observe every year?
Those of us who have the day off will sit down later this morning to watch the football game between the University of Nebraska (my alma mater) and the University of Colorado. When I was a kid, the day after Thanksgiving was reserved for the Nebraska - Oklahoma game, but money and conference regulations interrupted that wonderful tradition about fifteen years ago. It's not the same, but it's not so bad, either. And it could be worse: my baby brother has to work today.

4. The day after Thanksgiving is considered a major Christmas shopping day by most US retailers. Do you go out bargain hunting and shop ‘till you drop, or do you stay indoors with the blinds closed? Or something in between?
You wouldn't catch me within throwing distance of a mall or a store today. I don't care how good the bargains are - I'm too stuffed to move and I re-he-he-he-he-HEALLY don't like the Christmas shopping crowds. Last year I did all my gift shopping online and it was wonderful - think I'll do the same this year.

5. Let the HOLIDAY SEASON commence! When will your Christmas decorations go up?
Most likely the day that Kristin and I have our traditional "It's Christmas - NO, IT'S ADVENT" argument, at which point I usually wind up feeling like a Scrooge and put up the first of the decorations as a peace offering. "It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas..."

Christmas Holidays and a Delicious Moment of Humor

We were flipping channels last night in a post-Christmas dinner stupor when we came across the National Spelling Bee. We didn't watch long - seeing 14 year olds wither under spotlights is just too emotionally charged for our tastes (this from a former state finalist - wonder how my parents handled it?). But during the short while we were watching, I swear I heard one of the commentators say the word "examinating."

The National Spelling Bee? "Examinating?" Seriously? Delicious.

In other news, Beloved, Little Miss and I made a "test run" to the hospital on Saturday. Seems Beloved might have overdone it on our treadmill that morning - she went for a 30 minute walk and must have encouraged LM to think it was time to go. Nothing major - small contractions and likely a stretched ligament in Beloved's tummy. But we discovered a few things that will be helpful to know when the blessed day does come, such as:
1. The maternity ward's selection of magazines isn't spectacular. In a word, for daddies, it blows. Threw a couple of books into the birth bag when we got home just so I'd have something to read. For AFTER, of course - do you really think I'll read DURING labor? (Mom, don't answer that one.)
2. When you pre-register at the hospital for labor & delivery, they can get you to the maternity ward quicker than Ruben Stoddard devouring a Philly Cheesesteak. If that's the case (and I'm not saying it shouldn't be), can someone explain why it took four hours to get from triage to a room in the ER last Christmas holiday?
3. The greatest benefit of small communities is the personal interaction you get with folks. Our maternity nurses were wonderful, especially the one with whom we had mutual friends. We're hoping she'll be on call when the delivery comes. AND the doctor with whom we were originally going to deliver came by to check on us when she heard Beloved was there. We're not her patients anymore, but she checked anyway. How cool is that?

In other news, we are headed to Nebraska for some much-anticipated family time. With the proper amount of rest and care, Little Miss won't be a native-born Husker; let's hope that's the case. Grandma Janke celebrates her 90th birthday on Saturday and we're spending time with friends for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (another baby shower? Okay!). I won't be blogging much more until we return on the 2nd. Go Huskers!

Festive Foods Friday Five

Well friends, we've covered advent, music, and movies/TV--but we here at F5 HQ would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that quintessential holiday topic... fooooooooood.

1. Favorite cookie/candy/baked good without which, it's just not Christmas.
Hmmm - I'd say that I have to have the lovely Scandinavian sweets to which I've grown accustomed since moving to Minnesota. Rosettes, krumkake, that kind of thing. There's also Ostkaka, Swedish for "cheesecake," though it's nothing like American cheesecake. I may try to make Ostkaka this year, if I can find the ingredients and the time to do some baking over the weekend. Since my Grandma died in January, it's going to fall to us to maintain some traditions we want to maintain. (Though I bet no one's making Lutefisk this year...)
I would be remiss if I didn't mention potato sausage as another treat without which it just ain't Christmas. Hopefully my Mom has tracked some down for our feast this year!

2. Do you do a fancy dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, both, or neither? (Optional: with whom will you gather around the table this year?)
Since Beloved and I are still settling into this marriage bit (two years and counting) and our families are widely separated (my family in Nebraska, my in-laws in Eugene, OR and the Twin Cities) we don't have a family tradition yet. This year I'm making something for Christmas Eve just for the 2.75 of us. Christmas Day our church hosts a Christmas Dinner for those who wish to join - usually there's about 20 people there.
That having been said, this year will be special. We're returning to Nebraska for my Grandma Janke's 90th birthday on the 30th, and on the 1st my sister-in-law and some good friends from college are giving us a baby shower (right after the Nebraska-Auburn game, of course - priorities!). Should be a lovely trip home.

3. Evaluate one or more of the holiday beverage trifecta: hot chocolate, wassail, egg nog.
Hot chocolate - delicious if it's made strong enough and mixed thoroughly. Dark chocolate melted into milk is especially good. I used to dream about the river of chocolate in the Willy Wonka factory - I could imagine just how creamy, warm and chocolatey it would taste.
I don't know if it's "wassail," exactly, but I do think that spiced cider is also delicious. My grandma used to sometimes mix it with orange juice for a bit of a kick; it's definitely a different taste than straight cider. But what I most especially love is a German concoction called Gluhwein - mulled wine served warm. It's also known as fusswarmer or "footwarmer." Yummy.
Egg nog. Warm milk and eggs, booze optional. What's to like, again?

4. Candy canes: do you like all the new-fangled flavors or are you a peppermint purist?
Peppermint, definitely - otherwise, what's the point?

5. Have you ever actually had figgy pudding? And is it really so good that people will refuse to leave until they are served it?
Nope, never had it - but I'd like to try it sometime.

Edited to add: Well, I am APPALLED with myself that I forgot to include a question about the crown prince of holiday foods--the fruitcake.

Feel free to add your thoughts on this most polarizing holiday confection.
It's been YEARS since I've had fruitcake. Honestly, I don't know anyone who makes it anymore - is it becoming some kind of urban myth, like the people who wake up in their bathtub on ice with a big stitched-up scar where their kidney used to be?

A Christmas Version of I Corinthians 13

From RevGalBlogPals - I know it's a woman's voice here, but it's true:

I CORINTHIANS 13 - A CHRISTMAS VERSION

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

Yuletide Friday Five

For this mid-December Friday Five, let's explore some Yuletide favorites.

1) It's a Wonderful Life--Is it? Do you remember seeing it for the first time?
I'm sure I will - when I finally do see the whole thing. I've never watched this movie from beginning to end; I've only seen the last scene, and that only once.

2) Miracle on 34th Street--old version or new?
Again, having only seen the new version, I'd have to go with "new." But apparently we were so busy having Swedish & German Christmas celebrations as kids that we missed much of the "American" experience. I did, however, see Rudolph and Frosty and Charlie Brown numerous times.

3) Do you have a favorite incarnation of Mr. Scrooge?
Ahhh - great question. Lately Patrick Stewart has been my favorite. George C. Scott was also great, although Scrooge really should be close to emaciated, right? Michael Caine is a great actor, but the Muppet version was just too nice for my taste - "A Christmas Carol" is not a happy story until the very end.

4) Why should it be a problem for an elf to be a dentist? I've been watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for years now, and I still don't get it.
It's called a plot device - without it Hermie has no motivation for leaving Santa's shop. English majors, can I get an "Amen?"

5) Who's the scariest character in Christmas specials/movies?
* The Bumble
* The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Muppet Version
* That Mean Magician Who Tries to Melt Frosty
* Your Nomination
My Nomination: Santa from "A Nightmare Before Christmas." Those eyes just creep me out, man.

Navel Gazing? Naaah - Novel Uses for Navel Lint!

There are some who will say this whole weblog thing is just an exercise in navel-gazing (ya feel me, Jeremy?) Here's evidence to the contrary, courtesy of Real Live Preacher, his propensity for odd gifts, and a completely twisted individual who obviously knows how to use eBay.

You can't make this stuff up - and I'll warn you, swallow that coffee before you start reading.

Christmas Meme

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate, for two reasons: first, I love chocolate and second, the thought of drinking warm eggs is not particularly appealing to me. I've dreamed about the river of chocolate from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; is that wrong?

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

I'm not sure - Santa has us on the "Soon to be Added" list for Christmas 2007. Guess we'll find out then, eh?

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

White lights on house and tree and everything else. White lights on the house when I can get up off my lazy butt and put them up (like next year).

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope - wouldn't even know where to get it.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Beloved is a "soon as the Thanksgiving turkey is cool" decorations person. Me, I'd prefer to wait - but with no specific reason other than I'm a charter member of the Society for the Preservation of Advent.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?

Mmmmm - potato sausage. Mmmmm - ostekaka. Mmmmm - Grandma's Swedish tea ring. Mmmmm - krumkaka. Mmmmm - lefse. Mmmmm - lutefisk - WAIT, NO! BLECCCCHHH!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

First, the Christmas Eve service, which should be held at 10:00 or later - bedtime be damned. Singing "Silent Night" with only our candles to light the dark sanctuary. Smell of pine and beeswax and the snow outside (not to mention mom's chili in our stomachs and on our breath - wonder why no one would sit in front of us?)

Then we would go to my grandparents house on Christmas Day - either to my mom's parents in Winside or my dad's parents just a mile from our farm. All my cousins would be there, and we would badger our uncles to come outside and play football. Usually we'd play Monopoly if it was too cold for football.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I honestly don't remember. I'll have to ask my parents. I think in some small way I still believe in Santa; at least, I believe in a good-hearted saint who gives children gifts to celebrate the birth of Christ. Maybe I actually believe more in St. Nicholas than Santa? Hard to say.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Yes - and I'm not sure how that tradition will continue once Little Miss makes her arrival. Right now, we've opened "our" gifts on Christmas Eve every year, but next year we may wait until Christmas morning to share it with our little one.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

We would need to HAVE a tree in order to decorate. This year with all the rush and bother of Impending Parenthood and the annual Trip to See the Family we just decided not to have a tree. I'm wondering when I wandered into a John Grisham novel...

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE snow. Biggest disappointment about Minnesota thus far has been the wimpy winters we've had in most of the time I've been here. I honestly can't get enough of the stuff, even when I have to shovel it by hand.

12. Can you ice skate?

Will I fall down lots? No. Am I Brian Boitano? No.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

This is going to sound weird, but one of the most meaningful gifts I've received was from my ex-wife while we were dating. As a summer camp site manager I had taken some neat pictures of Tipi Village - she got them enlarged & professionally framed, and even now, ten years later and thousands of miles apart, those pictures still hang in my house. Not a favorite gift - those would be too many to mention. But a meaningful gift nonetheless.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?

Time with family, without a question. It's such a treasure because we're so far away from family; Beloved's in Oregon, mine in Nebraska (with the exception of Beloved's sister & her family in the Cities). The Christmas flight to Eugene or drive to Wakefield is about the longest day of the year.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

All of them - except mincemeat or sour cream raisin pie. I may try to make ostekaka this year, if I can find Grandma Johnson's recipe.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Probably soup & songs on Christmas Eve. A few years ago I taped a couple of Lutheran college Christmas Concerts on public TV and I like to pop that video in while we make supper. Hopefully they'll have new ones on this year, since our congregation is only having one Christmas Eve service - we'll be home together all night and we'll have lots of time for singing.

17. What tops your tree?

I bought an angel at a local gift shop the first year I was in Barrett. It's technically an ornament, not a tree topper, but it's beautiful and we like it. See above for why it's not up this year.

18.Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

The only thing I don't like about giving is not knowing if I've done well. Like this year: my brother's present was an easy one, but Beloved's has been very difficult to figure out.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

I actually like a lot of Advent songs more than Christmas songs. "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come" is a favorite, as is "Comfort, Comfort Now My People" "Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying" gets me every time. "The Promise" and "Immanuel" by Michael Card, and also "Don Oiche Ud I mBeithil" by the Chieftains and Burgess Meredith. "Of the Father's Love Begotten" and "Once In Royal David's City" are also beautiful Christmas songs. I used to love "O Holy Night" but the overkill has done me in this year. Can we pass a moratorium on that one for a few years so my ears can recover?

As for "secular" songs, I heard an Elmer Fudd version of "Blue Christmas" a few years ago that never fails to bring me to tears of laughter.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?

Yum, I guess - but no great desire either way, TBH.

Now you've read this - now you're tagged. Your turn!

Fa-la-la-la-la, La Friday Five

Reverendmother here... those of you who read my blog know I have a love-hate relationship with the 24/7 Christmas music we're subjected treated to in stores and radio (in the U.S. at least). It gets too sentimentally sticky-sweet sometimes, yet I find myself unable to resist it. Nothing says "it's Christmas" to me like John Denver and Rolf the Dog singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." So...

1. A favorite 'secular' Christmas song. Wow, that's tough. I suppose "Christmas in the Trenches" by John McCutcheon might qualify. Other than that, I pretty much despise all of them. Oh, wait: the "Elmer Fudd" version of "Blue Christmas" is great, for comedic value only.

2. Christmas song that chokes you up (maybe even in spite of yourself--the cheesier the better) "The Music of Christmas" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Just seems to get me every time. But it's certainly not a "secular" Christmas song. And I agree with Reverendmother: Rolf and John Denver do choke me up quite a bit, in spite of myself.

3. Christmas song that makes you want to stuff your ears with chestnuts roasted on an open fire. "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas," "Little Drummer Boy" and anything you hear in every Christmas movie where the name Jesus is only mentioned as a profanity. Fa-la-la-la-la, indeed.

4. The Twelve Days of Christmas: is there *any* redeeming value to that song? Discuss. Sure: the Muppets recorded it on the aforementioned Christmas album. Miss Piggy singing, "Five - GOO - OLD haRINGGGGGGGS ba dum dump" is comedy gold. Not to mention the janitor foghorning his way through "eleven pipers piping." "Is nothing sacred?"

5. A favorite Christmas album. I do like "When My Heart Finds Christmas" by Harry Connick, Jr. Also the Stan Kenton Christmas album (can't remember the title): hearing the Kenton Orchestra blazing through "Angels We Have Heard On High" is just COOL. But my favorite Christmas album by far would be "The Bells of Dublin" by the Chieftains. Beautiful music, great guest singers (Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, etc) and two tracks featuring Kevin Conneff singing sean nos: "O the Holly She Bears a Berry" and "The Wren in the Furze." The only blemish on this album is a CLUNKER of a recording of "O Holy Night." It's so bad I've considered dubbing a copy CD without the offending track. But otherwise it's a gem of an album.

"The Nativity Story" (In Which a Movie is Discussed and Marketing Jesus is Pooh-poohed)

Becky Garrison, senior editor of The Wittenburg Door and all-around cool Christian writer, wrote a review of The Nativity Story and some thoughts on her experience at a pre-screening complete with a pitch for selling the movie. Find it here.

Beloved and I also attended a pre-screening, one week ago today, to be precise. We were invited by the local movieplex. They gave us free popcorn & soda (minor whine: why is it that the free stuff comes in tiny little cups - do they order them just for freebies?) and pointed us in the direction of the theater showing the movie. Afterwards, the manager told us there were posters, trailer DVDs and other stuff up front if we wanted them - but we weren't pressured to take them, nor did I ever get the feeling that this was more than a local theater owner giving us a chance to check out the movie before our people asked us if they should bring their families or not. It was nice, actually, and I appreciated the gesture.

On the whole, I thought the movie was great. Outside of the strange accents (I don't even know what an Aramaic accent would sound like, but I'll bet it doesn't sound like the Queen's English), I felt like the director/producers captured the feel of the times. I especially appreciated the depiction of the perilous environment into which Christ was born. 21st century Americans have no way of understanding the danger of living under foreign occupation; this movie captured that danger and made us understand that Jesus was born in fragile times. God-with-us meant that God became fragile and dependent; in Jesus the Creator of the world needed to be sheltered from that very same world. It's a remarkable thing to consider, and the movie made me think of it in a new way. No one movie/book/illustration can ever capture the wonder of the birth of Christ - and maybe that's a good thing.

Anti-shopping Christmas

Beloved and I have decided to keep our Christmas presents small and meaningful this year, and we've asked our families to do the same if possible. So here are a few websites for you to peruse as you consider the true nature of the holiday season:

Buy Nothing for Christmas
The Church of Immaculate Consumption
Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping

If I were more handy I'd make our presents myself, but a) I'm not a craft person per se and b) I'm pretty clueless as to what kind of crafts my loved ones could use anyway. So we'll just keep it small and simple this year and that, I think, will be enough. Some of our shopping is already complete and most will be complete in a week or so, I think.

A blessed Advent to you all - please think about what you're doing and who you're honoring as you do it!