I don’t know about you, but I simply do NOT want the Christmas season to be over.  Not just yet.  None of that ripping down the decorations the day after for me.  I like to let it linger.  We are still enjoying the bright lights of our Christmas tree, and our wise men are still making their way toward the baby in the manger.   Only a couple of years ago, I came to realize the twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas day, December 25th, and Epiphany, January 6th.  Epiphany is the day the Church remembers the visit of the wise men to see Jesus and how God revealed himself through that visit.

Epiphany is defined by dictionary.com as “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.”  The Christian holiday is defined by the same site as “a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi.”  So, without studying the history or origin of this holiday, I’ve been contemplating the choice of the word used to entitle the day.  Epiphany.  A sudden insight usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence.  Hmmm.  Isn’t that what the visit of the wise men was?  Or what it can still be for us today?

They followed the star.  They longed to see the baby King.  They came from afar.  They were not of Jewish origin.  They brought gifts.  They defied King Herod and went back another way to protect the infant they worshipped from sure slaughter.  So, this coming Sunday, we will move our wise men to the manger.  Finally.  My kids keep asking me when they will ever get there.  And I hope that we will also have an epiphany, a moment of truth.  That wise ones still follow God’s light, still worship Jesus, still bring gifts and still defy evil to give him laud. 

We had fun saying goodbye to 2008 and ringing in the new year yesterday.  During the afternoon, the kids made place mats from blank poster paper, filled with drawings of their favorite memories, events, and accomplishments from 2008.  I’m going to laminate them, and we’ll enjoy using them for awhile. 

Last night everyone (David, me, Jonathan - 8, Anna - 6, and Mollie - 4) stayed up until the ball dropped in New York City (our oldest stayed up for the “real thing” and hour later), and we filled a small cookie tin with special drawings and memoirs from this past year.  We plan to make this a new tradition and open it next year.  While we did that, we talked about our hopes for 2009 - what kind of birthday party the kids want to have, what they want to learn and do, the fact that I’m turning 40, (whew!) and David and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage.  It was so fun to share the day with them in this way. 

I’ve always been a bit reflective at the end of the year, and I love to dream and make plans/ hopes for the new year.  But it was the first time I had done this with my children.  I could tell they enjoyed it as much as I did.  We had a roaring fire, yummy snacks, and lots of fun time together - drawing and playing video games.  This morning when they woke up, a “Baby New Year” had been born.  I had dressed up one of the girls’ baby dolls in happy new year attire. It is 2009, and I can’t wait to see what the year holds.   

Okay, you’ve got to know my youngest daughter to understand what I’m about to share.  Mollie is a four year old “fancy girl”, dramatic to the core, and nothing is frilly or girly enough for her.  Just the other night, she was modeling every pair of shoes I have in my closet, and you guessed it - the higher the heal, the more wrap-around ribbon and sequins, the less practical, the better.  The next day, when she was spending time at “Grandmom’s”, my mother went to put on her trusty old brown birks, comfy and practical.  Mollie looked at them with disdain and stated matter-of-factly, “Those shoes are not very princess-y.”  To which my mother replied, holding a grin from becoming a belly laugh,  “Well, I’m not a princess.”  Mollie, dead serious, countered, “No, you’re a queen.”  My mother could no longer contain herself and howled in amusement.  I guess a queen should not be seen in a pair of these.  Then again,  a queen should be able to wear whatever she wants.  hmmmm.

We took a fun family road trip to Nashville yesterday to check out the lights and decorations at the Opryland Hotel.  While we were there, we went through the Grinch ICE.  It was well worth the money and travel there.  “The Grinch who Stole Christmas” is one of our all time favorite Christmas specials.  “Who” doesn’t love it?!   It’s pretty frigid in there, and they give you these cool blue coats to wear that slip really well on the ice slides.  It’s open through January 4th, so check it out if you’re near enough to go. 

Well, so far we’ve looked at love, joy, peace, and now it’s time for patience.  That is one of those qualities people want everyone else to have but it is not so fun to try to grow some for yourself.  I hear myself say several times each day to my kids as they repeatedly call my name,  “Could you just be patient a second?!”  But it isn’t so simple to be the one practicing patience at a traffic jam, a long grocery store line, or when you’re in a heated “discussion” with a loved one.  Now is it?

The word for patience used in Galatians 5:22 can be translated forebearance or longsuffering.  And longsuffering is just that, suffering a long time.  The word comes from another root that means far or long.  The idea is to go a long time or long distance.  The other New Testament word for patience as found in Romans 5:3 means “an abiding under.”  It has the idea of cheerful or hopeful endurance or constancy, and it comes from a word which means to stay under, to remain.  Put the words together and you have the idea of remaining under for a long time.  Hmmm.

I’ve pretty much always thought about patience as simply waiting and doing so without getting too ruffled or whiney.  And while that is the way the word is often used in our English language, the meaning seems much richer in these Greek words.  The idea is that the Spirit of God produces within us as he dwells there, the ability to “stay” to remain under difficult circumstances and to keep a cheerful or hopeful countenance.  This is no mere outer conformance to difficult circumstances or the ability to put on a happy face or “suck it up” some more.  It is much deeper and more arduous than that.  It is impossible without the indwelling Spirit.

And it is not without groaning.  It is not a quick fix or a magic wand.  God isn’t into those things if you haven’t noticed, though we often demand just that.  No, it is learning to embrace this truth from Romans:  We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. . .the Spirit Himself  intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

It is worshipping the One who has been and continues to be patient and suffers long with his Creation and his redeemed ones.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 

So often in Christian teaching, the emphasis becomes on what we need to do, rather than on God’s amazing work even when we can’t do anymore, or don’t want to, or are just plain weary.  A while back, I was deeply encouraged when thinking about Psalm 40.  It was a painful trial for our family, and when I thought of how I should handle it or what needed to be done next, I just couldn’t.  Have you been there?  Where you are just “done”?  Such a painful place to be, but really a good one.  Well, I found a curious encouragement from the words of the psalm.  I waited.  Then God inclined his ear and lifted me out of the slimy pit.  I could wait.  I could stay.  But I could do nothing more.  And God would do the rest.  Listen to U2’s famous rendition of this psalm.  It says it beautifully.

Okay, I admit that when I started thinking about this fruit of the Spirit, I expected to learn more about that “peaceful easy feeling” kind of peace.  As I studied, I was a bit surprised to find something remarkably different.  The kind of peace that the Spirit grows in our lives is a relational peace.  The Greek word is “eirene”, and it means to be or act peaceful.  Other ways of saying this is to be at peace, live in peace, or live peaceably.  The word comes from a root word “eiro”  which means to join.  So, the peace the Spirit brings is a peace of being joined together with God and others. 

Think about this with me.  Isn’t that the core of most of our problems?  That we are separated from God and others?  Isn’t that the horrific damage sin has caused every member of the human race?  That we no longer are joined together easily with God and those we love.  The fruit of the Spirit is peace.  What the Spirit likes to do is to join together that which sin has separated.  In our flesh we are at war with God and others.  We fight to stay alive and to take care of ourselves.  We look out for ourselves, even at dire cost to our relationships. 

Then throw in the mix that we are all looking for personal peace, that peaceful, easy feeling kind of peace I mentioned before.  But we want it without having to need God to provide it.  So, sin has destroyed our relationships by tearing us apart from those we want to love.  And on top of this, we are all seeking peace or rest in our lives, without having to trust God to bring it. 

Let me illustrate.  First of all, sin has separated what God wants to join.  Think about the divorce rate in our country.  And it isn’t any better within the church than it is outside.  Look at your kids, or your friends’ kids, or my kids.  No matter how much they love each other, there is always the lack of peace, eiro peace, in their relationships.  Just today, on the way home from grandmom’s house, my girls, who are the best of friends, began arguing about something unimportant.  The argument escalated into yelling and screaming and even throwing a boot at the other sister.  Sometimes it is hitting, pinching, pulling hair, or saying really mean words.  Then the peace is gone.  The smallest thing can cause separation.  Even in our best relationships.

Here’s a recent example from my life.  Last week I was supposed to join some friends for dinner, and at the very minute I was walking out the door, things fell apart at my house, with my tired kids.  And I mean really fell apart.  I was not able to go out with my girlfriends, and when I called to tell one of them about it, I accidentally took out my frustrations from my hard night on my friend.  Thankfully, she is a true friend, and we have made peace, but this just shows how easily separation happens.

Now, about that personal peace we are all fighting for.  What form does it take in your life?  “I don’t get a moment’s rest from all of this laundry and all of the demands.  Moma this.  Mama that.”   “I just staightened up the living room, and you kids come in with your jackets and shoes and snacks and destoy it in minutes.”  “I’m trying to catch the news.  Don’t bother me now.”  “What is for supper?”  “If only. . . . if only I had more money, more friends, more time, a bigger house, a different job, better friends.  If only. . .  if only he would change, if only she would do what I want her to.“  The list goes on and on, and it can be different for each of us.  But the core is the same.  We want peace, damnit.  We want peace, and we do not believe God is doing a very good job of providing it for us.

So, how does the Spirt of Christ step into the messy places of our lives, the real places where we really live, and bring peace?  The peace that joins us back to him and to others?  First of all, it is by believing that Jesus has made our peace with God.  It is finished.   We no longer have to strive. 

The corresponding word in Hebrew for peace is “shalom,”  which has the connotation of wholeness and fullness, or having been made perfect.  When we believe the gospel, we begin to grasp that Jesus has made us whole.  We no longer have to strive to make ourselves complete or worthy of love and acceptance.  This peace with God gives us peace with ourselves.  It also can grow into true peace with others.

The Bible says it like this:  Isaiah 32:17  The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.  This righteousness is God’s, not our own.  When we begin to believe that we have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, that we have his goodness and he took our sin on himself (2 Cor. 5:21), this knowledge will bear the fruit of peace in our lives.  It will join us together with God and others and bring a quietness to our hearts that speaks rest to a restless world. 

And once again,  this does not always feel peaceful.  It can be a long, messy process.  Sometimes it requires real struggle to believe and real struggle in our relationships to come to peace.  But here is our hope:  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  Romans 16:20

Peace to you this Christmas season.

This is a fun rendition of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer that I wanted to share for some Christmas fun.  The song is from Jewel’s wonderful Christmas album called Joy -A Holiday Collection.

One of the high school kids I counsel recently told me about a deeply inspiring story.  It is the story of the life of a boy, who was the victim of one of the worst documented cases of child abuse in the state of California.  The events took place in the late 60’s and early 70’s beforeDavid Pelzer, the survivor wrote a trilogy of his life events.  The first is pictured above, A Child Called It.  The second and third books are The Lost Boy and A Man Called Dave.  You can find the books here.

It is hard to read about such cruelty to children, but the statistics tell us that these things happen everyday.  One therapist has gathered a list of online resources that look at the different aspects and occurrences of abuse.  If you are interested in learning more, check out the findings of C.J. Newton, MA, on this site.

If you work with or are around children, it is crucial to understand and recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect.  You can also get more information about this survivor’s current work with abuse prevention and inspiration here.  Dave has appeared on Oprah, and he has a weekly radio broadcast.

“When I have no eyes for the small signs of God’s presence - the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends - I will always remain tempted to despair.  The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention.  The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises.”

From Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen

This music is one of the most pleasant and fun ways I’ve found to date to introduce children to classical music.  (It is also pretty great for adults.)  This volume one includes Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, Mozart’s Magic Fantasy, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, and Mr. Bach Comes to Call. 

Each of the four discs include an intriguing combination of the music of these masters, facts about their lives, and imaginative story-telling.  If you want to learn about these amazing musicians, or if you want your children to be introduced to them, this is a delightfully engaging way to do it!  Mr. Bach Comes to Call is my personal favorite.  Mr. Bach, this dead German composer, shows up in a young British girls’ living room while she is rotely practising her piano lessons, bored to tears.  She is introduced to the wonder of his compositions and the magic of music.  Each story is unique in its approach to the presentation of the different composers.  And there is a volume two, which includes Handel and Tchaikovsky.  Very fun indeed!