It seems surreal that 2020 is drawing to a close – what a strange and eventful year it’s been. As I’ve gotten older, naturally, the years have slipped by faster and faster. In more recent years I’ve barely even gotten into the habit of writing the current year when signing and dating papers and forms before the calendar flips over again.

The ever-shifting climate doesn’t really help my internal clock mark the passage of time, either; jumping straight from deep, bitterly cold winter into steamy summer with hardly a spring to speak of, whole winters with barely any snow, and others with countless feet. The natural signposts that mark the passage of time seem harder to trace than usual when you’re looking out of the same living room window just about every day (is it January or April?). Deliberately spending a little more time outdoors this year helped me reconnect with the more powerful and important cosmic clock, which flouts the human conventions of time that we force upon ourselves – the same conventions that are so disrupted by things such as, say, a global pandemic. 

2020, it goes without saying, was about as far from a typical year as I can remember and perhaps underscores just how fragile our whole daily reality really is. I still recall my last day in the office back in early March, when me and my coworkers were gathered up and informed that there was a potential exposure to the virus in our office building, and we’d be working from home until things got cleared up. Within 20 minutes, we’d gathered up the equipment we might need to get through the next week or two and went our separate ways. Things didn’t get any clearer for weeks, and then months. As it turned out, those would be my last few minutes at the workplace where I’d spent close to a decade. 

As March turned into April, then May, and then, unbelievably, June, the novelty of working from home started to wear thin. My wife and I were expecting our son to be born in late July, but it was starting to look like he’d be showing up earlier than expected. The walls of the house were feeling a little more constraining than I was used to, as we each carved out workspaces to try and make the most out of our available space, maxing out our WIFI signal for virtual meetings while also working to prepare a nursery and make room for our new arrival. 

Without the ability to run our typical errands and the slowed-down economy taking a mounting toll on small businesses, friends and family and our community at-large, the passage of time somehow both slowed to a crawl and slipped by in a blink. In March, we were optimistic that the virus would come and go before our great adventure at the hospital would arrive; by June, it was clear there would be no visitors, no family present, and still no end in sight.

Cancellations mounted, countless lives were disrupted, sports were cast by the wayside and family members – especially those in long-term care facilities – dealt with increased isolation and loneliness. People died – real people, with families and friends of their own. My own job was eliminated as lost revenues for all sorts of companies skyrocketed. I experienced the frustration of navigating an overwhelmed and under-resourced unemployment system, where frazzled call center employees on the other end of the line are doing their best to help people that are as stressed out and worried as one can be. 

I’ve watched the parking lot of the megachurch just beyond my backyard fill to capacity as families lined up for thanksgiving meals, boxes of food and free Covid testing. Millions of people around the country are leaning on these resources for the first time, and even more are reluctant to seek help because these circumstances are still new to so many, and the stigma of accepting help burns bright. 

As for myself, despite the rollercoaster of a year that 2020 has been, I am trying to accept it for the rare opportunity it may be providing. Oftentimes, the new year approaches and we collectively make our resolutions, talk about the changes we want to make and the big plans we have – we wonder where life might take us. A few months slip by, suddenly it’s July and we’re looking towards the fall and ramping back up for the holidays again – and nothing has changed. 

This time, that choice has been made for me. For the first time in a while, I’ll be heading into a new year without the job that’s occupied most of my time for years and years, with a son and supportive wife to navigate these unknown waters with, to bounce ideas off of and enter into a new chapter with more hope than fear and stress.

As I was pondering what to write about this week, it struck me that this would be a good week to write about Christmas. Brilliant, right? But, what about Christmas? Hasn’t everything that needs to be said about Christmas already been said? I mean, what’s left to say? 

Most folks already know the story of Christmas from the Bible, don’t they? And, all the great Christmas hymns, which help reinforce the meaning of the story. We have special services, like our Advent services, which help us prepare for the coming of Christmas. We have church activities, like our Christmas Day Dinner and our donations for the local food pantry, which bring to life the meaning of Christmas. Heck, we even have our own little Arthur Christmas Parade, to fill us with the Spirit of Christmas. 

Seriously … what more is left to say?

And then I thought a little deeper! I know, right? And it dawned on me that the only voice I was still waiting to hear from about what Christmas really means and why it matters so much to all of us … is God’s voice. Maybe God can add something to this plethora of Christmas messages we receive every year. Maybe God can help us understand the true meaning of Christmas in a way that could actually change us. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a way to tell the story of Christmas that will bring the divine gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love to our lives in a deep lasting way. 

I thought it was worth a shot! 

So, this week, I turn this space over to our God … the One and Only! And while my translation of God’s story might be a little lacking, I think I got most of the story accurately. So, here it is: 

CHRISTMAS ACCORDING TO GOD

ACT ONE: In the beginning I created humans, like you, and all living things … and all other things. To exist is good! To be is better than not to be. So, all things are good. Especially humans – they’re very good! I created them in my own image. And each thing I created had a perfectly fulfilling role to play in the world … with each other, and with everything else in creation. I call this “Shalom” – when everything that exists is in perfect harmony with everything else. Only I can do that. Shalom means that all things are exactly what I created them to be, and humans live strictly according to my will. And, because of the divine love I have for all things, and that all humans have for each other and all other things of the world, goodness is known by all and constantly enjoyed by all. You might call it paradise. 

ACT TWO: Because I love humans so much, and I desire to have that love returned to me just as I have given it to them, I gifted humans with the ability to freely choose. Bottom-line: You, and all other humans, now have the option of choosing a lesser good over the ultimate good of love and faithfulness to me. When you, and other humans, choose lesser and lesser good things, things that are not part of the original plan for divine love and perfect harmony, then you become separated from me, your God. This is called sin, and sin brings harm and evil into creation, and breaks the harmony that I established in the beginning. Things in the world are no longer the way I intend them to be. The world is broken because of your choices, and you do not have the power to restore it to its original goodness. And deep down, every human longs to be healed and made whole again according to my will … and all of creation groans as it suffers. 

ACT THREE: And, though you, or anyone else, does not have the power to restore harmony to creation, I do! And because of my divine love for you, for all humans, and for all of my creation, I chose to become human, in order to provide you with the power you need to heal yourself and to help me fix the world. Thus, we come to what you call the Christmas story. That babe in the manger in the stable in Bethlehem … that’s me! I became human in the body and spirit of a person named Jesus of Nazareth to show you, and everyone else, that I am with you, and I am for you … always. I have come into the world in order that the world, including you, may be redeemed, restored, and re-created in all of its original goodness. When I was born on Christmas Day, I began a new creation. And the building of this new creation starts with you, and all other followers of the Way of Jesus. As Jesus, I taught you to repent from your “lesser good” ways, and to turn back to my ways. I don’t want you to settle for a life that’s “good enough.” I came to earth so that you could have real life, the life I intended for you, and to have it abundantly! That’s what Christmas is all about! I became a human to show you how to live as a human … to show you what a life dedicated to me looks like, and sounds like, and acts like. That’s the way of life I created you for. That’s who you really are! Trust me, I know. I created you! 

I found a secret letter this week, and after reading it closely, I wondered if it might have been written about me … or perhaps, you. 

See what you think. After some formal salutations at the beginning of the letter, this is what it says:

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“ … I gather that Our Lord has given you a great deal of grace, and now is dealing with you in the usual way. You have felt, in the past, that you were making progress and improving, and that God had led you into a new way.

But after some time it always happens that one seems to return to the rut of common life. Provided you have the same desire to be all for God, what does it matter how you feel? Except that this sort of feeling of dryness or dissipation is founding humility in you – We have to accept from God with absolute submission (and with what joy we can) not merely our sufferings, but: — Also ourselves, all our inborn and ingrained weakness and selfishness and incapacity.

And also the poor amount of sanctity we see in ourselves.

If we were always sailing along in a fair wind, we should have very little to suffer, and very little to make us humble. It is when we can’t pray, and can’t feel we want only God’s will, and can’t even feel humble (and so forth), that we are being purged and molded and made into what God wants us to be. We are like little children being washed and having their hair brushed by a nurse; they don’t like it at all, and think the nurse is very unkind.

… (L)earn to accept exactly the prayer that God gives you here and now. It is quite right to wish for higher union with God, and to envy those who have attained it: — but, here and now, I must wish for exactly the state God wishes me to be in, whether it means distractions, or discouragements, or sleepiness, or merely emptiness. Nothing matters but God’s Will; and we do not want simply God’s Will, if we are really dissatisfied with what we get from Him.

It is the habit of referring everything to God’s Will that we must acquire. And we should always be at peace, if we had really acquired it. As far as I gather from (you), there is nothing going wrong. You feel sometimes, I expect, like a watch which has run down, — you want winding up! You do try, I know, to care only for God’s Will. But you do not always realize, perhaps, that He loves you just as you are, for your good. And yet, of course, you do know it. In fact, you know already all I can say to you, only it is sometimes useful to be assured of it by someone else.

… One is inclined to say ‘I am so weak, I can’t go on like this! I must have some consolation, or I shall merely fall, and grow worldly.’ But God knows best. Absolute and complete confidence, trust, abandon, is what we need.

I apologize for writing such obvious truths! Please pray for me and I will pray for you.”

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So, what do you think? Could that letter have been intended for you? I feel like it could have been written for me. This letter was written on March 22, 1922, by Dom John Chapman, the fourth Abbot of the Downside Abbey in Great Britain. It was NOT written to me … or to you. It was actually written to a lay woman who sought spiritual counsel from the Abbot … but it sure sounds like it could have been written to me. Don’t you agree? 

I guess we all get feelings of emptiness and dryness … like our little light has gone out and God is not around to re-light it! But, those episodes occur in the lives of all Jesus’s followers. Some of the most famous Saints in history, and some of the most faithful servants of God in our times, have felt the darkness, the separation from God, or the heavy burden of life so much that we think we can’t go on. Or maybe, we just pray that it’s got to  get better than this! 

Here is the HOPEFUL news in all this:

1) God is getting us through everything, even to the end;

2) We are getting stronger in faith each and every day that we rely on God to lead us through the tough times and the dry spells; and, 

3) We always, always, always have HOPE, because we always have God … our Lord and savior Jesus Christ … and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Yes, that is my headline for Thanksgiving this year and I’m sticking to it! We have a whole lot more to be grateful for this year than we can even imagine! Sure, it  may look dark and dismal right now, and it has been a gut-wrenching, even tragic, year in  our land. You may be sick and tired of being confined and masked for a good portion of your  day. You are probably fed up with the lack of political civility. And you should be concerned  about the state of our democracy and the struggle to extend the promises of our Founders  to all people in our land.  

But then consider what the Apostle Paul was going through when he wrote these words:  “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thes. 5:16- 18)  

Paul wrote those words while he was sitting in a dark, dank prison, chained in place and not  knowing if there was any hope for him to survive. His life’s calling, to plant churches of Jesus  followers throughout the known world, may be coming to an end, falling miserably short!  But still, he urges those he loves to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks. As my friend Bruce  Condill likes to translate these words of Paul: “Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t get any better  than this!”

You see, Paul knew the secret between being a person thankful for just the good things in  life, and being a person grateful for life itself – including everything that goes with it. You  don’t have to be a person of faith to be thankful for the good stuff in your life. But, as Paul  says, to be “thankful in ALL circumstances,” that’s quite a different thing. That takes a  person of great faith.  

It seems to me that “gratefulness” is the spiritual condition of a heart given over to the Lord.  Otherwise, we end up being thankful for only the things that help us and that we prefer …  and that’s not a spiritual trait at all. That’s just plain old self-centeredness, which Jesus  warns us about over and over in His gospels.  

So, this year for Thanksgiving, I propose that we become “Grateful Pilgrims”; People of faith  who are thankful in ALL circumstances — even the circumstances we’re in today.  Gratefulness is the gift that gets us through the tough times, and that leaves us being better  people for having gone through the hardships.  

People of faith understand that enduring tough times is not only part of living life on life’s  terms, but it actually strengthens our faith and instills in us the hope that we can get  through anything … with God. Indeed, when we look at it that way, the tough times are the  things we should be most grateful for. Not thankful for … but grateful for.  

As you look back on the journey you have walked in your life, can you see that the tough  times were really the defining moments in your faith life, and that you wouldn’t be the  person you are today, or even have the life that you have today, if you hadn’t endured  through the hardships? And can you also see how that perseverance has molded and  solidified your relationship with God over the years? That shouldn’t make you thankful for  the hardships, but it should make you grateful for having gone through them.  

So, as you gather around the table, or around the Zoom screen, on this Thanksgiving, and  you ponder what possibly you could be thankful for this year – think about these tough  times as opportunities to grow closer to God, to strengthen your faith and trust in Jesus, and  to move from being a person who is thankful for only the good things in life, to one who is  grateful for life itself, with everything included; Or, as Paul puts it, “to be thankful in all  circumstances.” 

Friends and neighbors, take a look around. Think of the people who have come and gone  that mean everything to you. Think of all the great memories, and the ones you’re making  today. Think of the blessings of food and shelter … and of good friends. Think of the freedom  we enjoy and the beauty of all creation. And then look into your heart, and see your Lord  and savior always there with you … in ALL circumstances. So yes, I do think it’s fair to say: It  doesn’t get any better than this … so let’s make the most of it!  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Grateful to be Your Pastor,  

It’s that time of the year again when we take time to honor the farmers in our midst. How grateful we are to them for keeping the agri-CULTURE way of life alive and well in and around our community. 

Vine Street Christian Church is especially blessed to have so many “farm families” as part of our “faith family.” The lessons we learn every day throughout the year from our farmers are treasures that keep us rooted in the natural harmony of God’s time. 

Our farmers are there each day when the sun comes up … and long after the sun goes down. The rhythm of their lives is in sync with the seasons that God bestowed upon us. The day’s weather is a dominant presence in their lives, ever dependent on the will of God to provide the proper amount of sun and rain to get through another year. 

The culture of agriculture is one of the greatest gifts we have in our American culture today. It teaches us that all things work for good … and all things work best in God’s time. It slows us down to a human pace and shows us the miracles that can occur – like a seed into a soybean – when we put our trust in God and partner with God for our life’s work. 

Those of us who aren’t farmers can learn a lot from a farmer. Most important, we can learn a lot about how God works and the blessings that fill our lives the more we live in harmony with God’s will. 

God bless our farmers! YOU are the salt of the earth and the light of the world! 

Here is a poem dedicated to our farmers, recommended by Lois Silvanik. 

Soybeans

by Thomas Alan Orr

The October air was warm and musky, blowing

Over brown fields, heavy with the fragrance

Do you ever stop to reflect on how much of your heart you’re putting into something, or giving to someone? Being “wholehearted” about something or with someone sure makes a big difference, but it can be very hard to measure or define what wholeheartedness is for any one person in any given situation. But you know it when you feel it! 

I’ve been doing a little journaling lately with a book called “the book of the soul: 52 Paths to Living What Matters,” by Mark Nepo. Nepo is a prolific writer on matters of spirituality and the inner life, and is often on the New York Times bestsellers list. His true gift is his ability to “see” the power and the practical applications of the spiritual life across all cultures, religions, and traditions. His work is just as accessible and meaningful to a Hindu, Shinto, Muslim or Christian … or even a “none.”

In his sixth entry in the book, Nepo considers the challenge of living wholeheartedly, claiming that this is the only way “to be lifted by the mystical web of life.” It seems that that the old saying, “you will get out of it what you put into it” is also true in your faith life, in your relationship with God, or in your walk with Jesus. 

So, have you stopped lately to reflect upon how much of your heart you’re giving to God these days? How committed you are to your walk with Jesus? How invested you are in your faith life … and in your church? Nepo says that the “work of being human is to be all-embracing.” When we hold back from investing in the important things in our life, then, he claims, the more random life will appear to be. And “randomness” in our lives makes us very uneasy, as if we’re not in control of things. 

Consider the areas in your life right now that seem to more random (out of control) than you would prefer. One question you may want to ask is: How much of my heart am I investing here? Am I trying to get a bargain, by expecting more out of some area of my life that I am willing to invest? This “wholeheartedness test” can work in almost any part of your life, from your marriage to your work to your family to your church.

But, and this is very important for Nepo, it can also work on yourself!  For instance, think about how “all-embracing” you are with your very own person … you! When you come to yourself wholeheartedly you become able to accept yourself just as you are … everything included. And there is a great freedom from within that comes from honestly accepting all your gifts as well as all your failings. 

When you bring your whole heart to your relationship with yourself, then you no longer deny your stubborn or difficult parts. Your heart becomes spacious enough to hold your full humanity. When this happens, Nepo says, we are able to 1) experience the full miracle of life; and 2) experience the full miracle of love. 

The main reason this happens is because wholeheartedness overcomes what Carl Jung calls our “shadow,” which is where we hide all of our character traits that we would prefer to deny or avoid. As we make less room in our heart for these specific traits, then they become exaggerated within us, and we end up projecting these exaggerated shadow parts of who we are onto others. For instance, it is much more convenient for me to highlight and criticize your self-centeredness than it is for me to deal with mine. 

Think about the traits you have that you would rather deny or avoid. When there is no room in your heart to accept these parts of yourself, then you end up exaggerating them in other people. This means you are not only failing to love yourself, just as you are, but you also end up judging others based on your own shadows. Jung says, “the more we deny any one aspect of who we are, the more powerful and distorted its place in our life.” Eventually, we end up being controlled, even dominated, by the very things about us that we would originally prefer to hide from. 

Wholeheartedness, then, becomes a way to accept, even honor, all the traits about yourself that make you who you are, not just the ones you like. You can never love yourself fully until you love all of yourself! The integrity of wholeheartedness is that it’s completely inclusive.  Not being willing to accept your whole self means that you cannot truly love your whole self. Which, of course, leaves your love fragmented and selective … and that’s not really love at all. 

When we cannot come to accept our selves just as we are, then we cannot come to fully accept and love others just as they are. Nepo puts it this way: “For we can only see as far into the world as we can see into ourselves.” The broader goal of wholeheartedness is to; 1) admit our failings, limitations, and darker impulses, and 2) embrace them into our own efforts at restoring kindness and harmony in our lives. Sounds great! How do we do that? We can begin by accepting our own full humanity, and then help each other repair the torn seams in our lives and in the world, as we discover just how far our love can stretch. 

Searching for my shadows … loving with my whole heart …                                                                                                                                  Pastor Bob <><