katyandtheword

Christmas Carols Annotated!

Maybe next year I’ll do a kids candlelight service, we can include charlie brown and Grinch music…holiday readings from classic tales….wouldn’t that be awesome?

katyandtheword

I like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Winter Wonderland.

But…..I prefer Christmas Carols, possibly because they are so seldom played that they are not on the radio and retail venues everywhere…

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: This is not in my Presbyterian hymnal–it is also seriously undersung (ie its considered a carol but never included Christmas Eve and is only occasionally on the pop albums). Although the sexist words (ugh) the TAKE HEART lyrics make me super, super happy….

Away in the Manger: The other lullaby (you know not Silent Night), the second verse is my favorite…where I tend to change lowing to Mooing and “no crying” to lotsa crying (because that’s what makes sense, Jesus was fully human after all).

Hark the Herald Angels Sing: reconciliation and healing in his wings…..maybe my favorite carol…….maybe

Angels We Have Heard On High: GLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The First Noel: I love, love, love the…

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The Waiting Room: #adoption #narrativelectionary #joseph #christmas

Jesus is adopted

http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2259 here is a good resource to start thinking things and another one http://revgalblogpals.org/2014/12/16/narrative-lectionary-dreams-and-adoption-rooted-in-faith/ …but Jesus is adopted by Joseph

as scripture describes here

This fact is so, so important in understand who Jesus is…..He’s family…

NPR’s The Moth recently played Jillian Lauren’s tale of adoption

(Full 12min story here)

She flew to Africa to find her child, and was terrified, because a friend of hers had just come back from a Russian adoption empty-handed.

She had been warned that some of the people in her group were “super-Christian” so she decided to cover her tattoo, avoid talking about homosexuality (because even if they were nice, they probably actually hated them) and stop cursing.
She makes the long flight over and goes to the orphanage, where amongst beautiful babies, she and her husband are the last ones called over, and finally, finally they get to meet Tariku, for the first time and plays with him all day..and then has to put him back (at which point she wants to run away with him in her arms) until the next day. She describes the promise ceremony, where they meet the mother, who is still a young teenager, and formally hand over the care of the baby. The mother said, that Tariku’s name meant, his story because he already had such a story to tell.

This put me in mind of Jesus Christ’s story…of how he is and was the word of God how he had a story before he was born and that part of adopting Jesus is adoption of the word of God adoption of that whole story of creation….

Back to Jillian and her husband…they get to the embassy for the paperwork, and they get through the line, and the clerk tells them that they cannot adopt Tariku, because they can only adopt up to 4months…Jillian and her husband explain that it is a typo and should say 4yrs, so he goes in the back….

and they wait, and they wait, they wait hrs and there is no word, they don’t know where he’s gone or what he is doing, so by now they are asking frantically for help.

They reach a social worker who listens and also disappears in the back…

Meanwhile, of course, all the other parents received their paperwork fine, they have their cute diaper bags and their children and are ready to rest up for the long flight home tomorrow…

but they wait with the couple who is trying to figure out how to get Tariku …Tariku’s new parents wait, and all the other families wait with them…and their kids all play on the dirty floor together, they all wait beside this almost family….and finally, finally the official comes back and says everything is cleared up…and he-didn’t-know-why-they-were-so-worried-anyway….

Jillian explains how this experience formed a new family for her, for while they were awaiting to adopt Tariku, the people there adopted them…….and they became family, one that meets up regularly and keeps in contact…

Joseph adopted Jesus…just as Mary became mother, Joseph waited for him, and became his father…in fact all the people who were there…all those who had been waiting: the shepherds, the wise men, Mary & Joseph, all of them became a family…

Isn’t this what we practice every year? Aren’t we awaiting a Christ who will be adopted by us, and within that waiting, those-who-are-waiting become a family….and it doesn’t matter how different we truly are, because we have Christ in common. We wait, and we celebrate with one another and we mourn with one another and we do the hard waiting with one another….We wait for Christ at Christmas, because we are practicing, awaiting Christ’s return!

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba!^* Father!’ ¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness^* with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:16-17

We adopt Christ, Christ adopts us

and somehow, through the love of Christ, we end up adopting each other….

That is what we do every Christmas…that is what the church is….a waiting room for Christ….one where we learn how to love each other as family….

Maybe that’s why every time I walk into a church, I feel like I am home

Painting from http://theinmanclan.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/the-painting-004.jpg

God Laughs Me Into Hope: A Poem

Reverend Fem

Some mornings
God laughs me into hope.
She is sneaky like that.

While I am busy fretting
and She’s busy
holding the mourning,
and stirring up discomfort
in the sleepy and complacent,
and loving this world
in all its messiness,

She spares a momentary finger
to poke me in the side
and then a holy hand
around my ear
to whisper:
“You are ridiculous.
And fine.
Ridiculous!”
She laughs.
“I love you.”

And since Her laugh
once birthed a world,
it gives me hope
and swells my daring.

Thank God, She knows me
and laughs.

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More Christmas Books

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett Susan is totally practical, but since she’s Death’s daughter, she must help to save Christmas (tongue and cheek)

Merry Christmas Curious George: Cheering up sick Children!

Little Drummer Boy: yep, just like the song

The Tale of Three Trees: Three trees tell the full story of Christmas

Little House on the Prairie Stories: Read the Christmas Chapters

Miracle on 39th St

Miracle on 1oth St Madeline L’engle Poems and Christmas tales

Letters from Father Christmas J. R. R. Tolkien Stories about Santa and what he does on adventures

The Friendly Beasts: An old Carol, did you know in England on Christmas animals talk

Twas the Night before Christmas & Theater

So, I have 5 amazing children who are doing a performance of Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Joy, Joy, Joy!

This is where the spirit of the season is…let me tell you

1. The kids have come to practically every rehearsal (I tried to keep them reasonable). I am amazed at their commitment

2. The kids have synergy! We have played all sorts of games and learned all kinds of theater skills, and they are definitely in tune with each other

3. Each child is unique! Coming from 4 different families, representing broad socio-economic and cultural perspectives it is a joy to see how representative of the community these kids are…(we have a half Hispanic-Half African-American Child, an adopted Asian Child and Three Caucasian children all from different types of homes)

4. They (almost) know their lines, and we are 3 weeks from the actual performance

5. They LOVE rehearsing “Can we do it again?” “Can we sing more?” “What else are we going to add?” are just some of their questions. They seem to ALWAYS have fun.

6. They are helping with everything! Devoting time to drawing pictures, creating bios and planning the party, each kid is committed to help out.

Last time I did a Charlie Brown Christmas–the adults performed it to 150 people, with squirmy children, a group home and many community members in attendance. It was a huge success, we collected a cartload (well really a pickup truck load) of nonperishable food (the price of admission)…That we have now asked the boys scouts to help us out, in case this year is as good (or better) a success….

But I have to say…this play is already a success, no matter how many people come, no matter how many shelter goods we collect, the kids are coming together and doing Christmas…Being Christmassed together

In the midst of worry about the future (protests re: Ferguson & NYC come to mind), these children Incarnate the HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE of the season! They are my human Advent Wreath, bringing their warmth and light of the season home. Its amazing how a Christmas Play can bring Jesus home.

#Adventus 3, 4 #CrimingWhileWhite

“Am I my brother/Sister’s Keeper” Genesis 4:9

In the Bible “Keeping” someone is a broad topic. It includes caring, loving and doing justice on that person’s behalf.

Thus we give as a blessing “The Lord Bless you and keep you”

It is a good question, am I my brother’s keeper?….but it hints at the deeper question.

In all the swirling news of Ferguson and NYC. In all the talk of cops and criminals, teenagers and adults, white and black. When justice seems weak, and the plight of blacks being shot by white cops hints at what is a huge question. Which is where is Christ in all of this

“If you cannot find Christ in the one being murdered in the street, you will not find him in the chalice.”@JesusOfNaz316

Ok, so Christ is here, so am I my brother’s keeper? Who am I more responsible for the cop or the citizen………

We really are asking, who is my brother?

So much deeper than taking sides, because family is those you claim, family are those you are supposed to love no matter what.

Can I love a cop who shoots people as much as I love the person who has been shot?

Can I claim the black teenager as family, when my white, cis, straight, middle class experience is so foreign?

Families come in all shapes and sizes. So the question is how can I claim as family those people who seem to be more different from me? How can I claim them, without taking away or devaluing their identity.

Somehow, Jesus did it. Somehow Jesus hung out with the sick, the addicted, the foreigners, the unschooled, the political, the poor, and even the rich.

I may or not be my brother’s keeper…….but I am their sister, and I need to claim that

This brings me to today’s Adventus

Gen 16:13 “Hagar named God, you are El-Roi: The One who sees”

Hagar was the outcast, A slave, she was (probably) of a different race than her master and Mistress Abram & Sarai and when she conceived, and Sarah didn’t, Hagar was forced to run away.

God returned her to the family, and got the family to care for her and her son….complicated and still an imperfect situation. Hagar spoke to God, and says God gets it, he sees what I am going through. He knows.

God sees each and every child and claims them as his own.

Just as Hagar is my sister, I have a large family, one that includes Darren Wilson, one that includes Eric Garner……

How can I do what God does….Can I be the one that sees? Can I see Christ in these people? Can I bless them? Can I keep them?

Isn’t that what Advent is about…blessing and keeping people as we await Christ together…….

I pray it is

Adventus 2

In the Begining God Created….Genesis 1:1
Sparkles: the perfect balance of light and darkness

I be God sparkles

#Adventus Day 1

Prepare the Way of the Lord–Mark 1:3

Snuggles……….

How many times do I prepare for things?

I clean, I mix things up, I run errands…

And yet, when I prepare my child for things

I talk to him, I make pictures and tell stories about that which we are waiting for, and I snuggle him, preparation takes a lot of snuggling….

Can I prepare for God this way?

The Rise of the Dones

Holy Soup

John is every pastor’s dream member. He’s a life-long believer, well-studied in the Bible, gives generously, and leads others passionately.

But last year he dropped out of church. He didn’t switch to the other church down the road. He dropped out completely. His departure wasn’t the result of an ugly encounter with a staff person or another member. It wasn’t triggered by any single event.

John had come to a long-considered, thoughtful decision. He said, “I’m just done. I’m done with church.”

John is one in a growing multitude of ex-members. They’re sometimes called the de-churched. They have not abandoned their faith. They have not joined the also-growing legion of those with no religious affiliation–often called the Nones. Rather, John has joined the Dones.

At Group’s recent Future of the Church conference, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones. He explained these de-churched were among…

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Advent & Christmas at Faith and Wonder: DETAILS!

Faith and Wonder

A Summary of What’s to Come…

There is much to choose from this Advent at Faith and Wonder–check out the offerings below and to see how you, your family, or your church might engage with the stories of God this Advent and Christmas!

Tales from the Jesse Tree: An Advent Podcast Series (Begins December 1st)

**5 days a week of audio storytelling beginning December 1st
**Features stories from the Jesse Tree–including some traditionally left off the branches (ehem…the women’s stories)
**Each episode will include a personal storytelling prompt
**A terrific Advent practice (Episodes will generally be less than 10 minutes in length…as for your own stories…take your time!)

I am hoping to have it up on iTunes…still awaiting some technical changes to make that happen!

Christmas By Heart: 12 Days of Story-Learning (Begins Dec 1st)

This video story-learning workshop is aimed at learning Luke 2:1-20 and includes:

**”Tips for Telling”…

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