What better is there to do on the day after Christmas than to re-gift? I give you a quote from Howard Thurman that a friend gave me today:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart... --Howard Thurman
May Christmas Blessings continue in your life!
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
"You Go To Heaven When You're Born"
Next Monday is Christmas Eve. It is also the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most iconic photographs ever taken. The astronauts of Apollo 8 were the first humans to orbit the moon and see Earth "rise" on the moon's horizon. On that space mission they saw, and shared in photography, what no human had seen before - Earth suspended in space.
James Lovell, the last surviving member of that crew describes it this way: "...we brought back a picture of the Earth as it is 240,000 miles away. And the fact is, it gives you a different perspective of the Earth when you see it as three-dimensional between the sun and the moon, and you begin to realize how small and how significant the body is. When I put my thumb up to the window I could completely hide it, and then I realized that behind my thumb that I'm hiding this Earth, and there are about 6 billion people that are all striving to live there."
Earth, he says, "...has the proper mass, has the gravity to contain water and an atmosphere, which are the very essentials for life,.. orbiting a star just at the right distance — not too far to be too cold, or too close to be too hot — and just at the right distance to absorb that star's energy and then, with that energy, cause life to evolve here in the first place."
From this amazing perspective, Lovell concludes, "You have to really kind of think about our own existence here in the universe. You realize that people often say, 'I hope to go to heaven when I die,' In reality, if you think about it, you go to heaven when you're born. God has really given us a stage, just looking at where we were around the moon, a stage on which we perform. And how that play turns out is up to us.
Next Monday many people around the world will tell an ancient story of the birth of a child named Jesus, which means "the one who saves." Could it be that the salvation we seek and the salvation Jesus brings is similar to Lovell's observations? Jesus tells us the kingdom of heaven is already here and now. When we realize this, we are born into harmony with our planet and all of its inhabitants-- heaven!
( I recently read the title quote in the Dec-Jan "AARP Bulletin." Quotes from Lovell are from this article: https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-is-heaven-james-lovell-lunar-astronaut-2017-3 )
James Lovell, the last surviving member of that crew describes it this way: "...we brought back a picture of the Earth as it is 240,000 miles away. And the fact is, it gives you a different perspective of the Earth when you see it as three-dimensional between the sun and the moon, and you begin to realize how small and how significant the body is. When I put my thumb up to the window I could completely hide it, and then I realized that behind my thumb that I'm hiding this Earth, and there are about 6 billion people that are all striving to live there."
Earth, he says, "...has the proper mass, has the gravity to contain water and an atmosphere, which are the very essentials for life,.. orbiting a star just at the right distance — not too far to be too cold, or too close to be too hot — and just at the right distance to absorb that star's energy and then, with that energy, cause life to evolve here in the first place."
From this amazing perspective, Lovell concludes, "You have to really kind of think about our own existence here in the universe. You realize that people often say, 'I hope to go to heaven when I die,' In reality, if you think about it, you go to heaven when you're born. God has really given us a stage, just looking at where we were around the moon, a stage on which we perform. And how that play turns out is up to us.
Next Monday many people around the world will tell an ancient story of the birth of a child named Jesus, which means "the one who saves." Could it be that the salvation we seek and the salvation Jesus brings is similar to Lovell's observations? Jesus tells us the kingdom of heaven is already here and now. When we realize this, we are born into harmony with our planet and all of its inhabitants-- heaven!
( I recently read the title quote in the Dec-Jan "AARP Bulletin." Quotes from Lovell are from this article: https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-is-heaven-james-lovell-lunar-astronaut-2017-3 )
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Behold! Good News of Great Joy!
A wrong number started the whole thing. Way back before the internet, smart phones, cell phones, caller ID, or even answering machines, we used dial telephones, got busy signals, and "hung up" after too many rings. And since there were no robo calls and telemarketing, there were very few unsolicited phone calls.
In those more simple days, one year about two week before Christmas my uncle received a call from a child who asked to speak to someone not known by him. He gave the usual reply for such a call, "Sorry, you have the wrong number."
The child asked, "Who is this?"
My uncle decided to have a little fun, "This is Santa Claus." He had no idea what he was starting.
"Really?" The child said.
"Yup. That's me"
"Where are you?" The child asked.
"Why, the North Pole, of course."
After some conversation about what the child wanted for Christmas they hung up.
Immediately the phone rang again. It was the child. "Is this Santa?"
"Didn't we just talk?" My uncle asked.
"Yes. I just want to make sure I had the right number." Click.
For the next two weeks my uncle's phone rang off the hook, as we used to say. Child after child called to speak with Santa. He played the role with every caller and even enlisted my aunt to be Mrs. Claus when he wasn't there. Hundreds of children in our community were filled with joy that Christmas because they got to call the North Pole and talk to Santa and Mrs. Claus. And there's no telling how many called when my uncle and aunt weren't home.
One amazing thing about this story is how fast Santa's phone number got spread around. Remember there was no email, texting, or snapchat. This happened the old fashion way by passing notes in class, whispering in lunch lines, huddling on playgrounds, and walking to school in packs. Another wonderful thing is how one simple, spontaneous moment of fun ignited joy in so many, especially my aunt and uncle. Small acts of kindness can be and often are contagious.
There is an old saying about news - "Bad news travels at the speed of light, good news like molasses." I'm not so sure about that, especially when there is so much bad news around and good news seems to be rare. The first words of the angel announcing Jesus' birth are "Fear not!" The next words are, "I bring you good news of great joy!" Maybe if more of us would actually "fear not" and act upon our impulses of "kinder angels" more joy would be ignited and shared.
By the way, my uncle was a "newsman." He was News Director for a local radio station, and columnist for several local papers. His spontaneous, "This is Santa Claus," may have been his best ever lede!
In those more simple days, one year about two week before Christmas my uncle received a call from a child who asked to speak to someone not known by him. He gave the usual reply for such a call, "Sorry, you have the wrong number."
The child asked, "Who is this?"
My uncle decided to have a little fun, "This is Santa Claus." He had no idea what he was starting.
"Really?" The child said.
"Yup. That's me"
"Where are you?" The child asked.
"Why, the North Pole, of course."
After some conversation about what the child wanted for Christmas they hung up.
Immediately the phone rang again. It was the child. "Is this Santa?"
"Didn't we just talk?" My uncle asked.
"Yes. I just want to make sure I had the right number." Click.
For the next two weeks my uncle's phone rang off the hook, as we used to say. Child after child called to speak with Santa. He played the role with every caller and even enlisted my aunt to be Mrs. Claus when he wasn't there. Hundreds of children in our community were filled with joy that Christmas because they got to call the North Pole and talk to Santa and Mrs. Claus. And there's no telling how many called when my uncle and aunt weren't home.
One amazing thing about this story is how fast Santa's phone number got spread around. Remember there was no email, texting, or snapchat. This happened the old fashion way by passing notes in class, whispering in lunch lines, huddling on playgrounds, and walking to school in packs. Another wonderful thing is how one simple, spontaneous moment of fun ignited joy in so many, especially my aunt and uncle. Small acts of kindness can be and often are contagious.
There is an old saying about news - "Bad news travels at the speed of light, good news like molasses." I'm not so sure about that, especially when there is so much bad news around and good news seems to be rare. The first words of the angel announcing Jesus' birth are "Fear not!" The next words are, "I bring you good news of great joy!" Maybe if more of us would actually "fear not" and act upon our impulses of "kinder angels" more joy would be ignited and shared.
By the way, my uncle was a "newsman." He was News Director for a local radio station, and columnist for several local papers. His spontaneous, "This is Santa Claus," may have been his best ever lede!
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Miracle Babies
Somewhere in every genealogy is an unexpected birth, a story in our lineage of the baby who was not supposed to be. In many cases that baby may even be us. The scenarios of unexpected conceptions are many. Among them are: supposed infertility, way too fertile, illicit liaisons, miscalculations, chance encounters, unleashed passion, desperate measures, violence, careless contraception, or past the prime years. Whatever the story is and whoever the baby was, the reality is that if they weren't then you aren't. Most of us don't have to look very far to find a "miracle baby" in our lives that allows our life.
In the Bible all of the major birth stories of iconic figures are stories of barrenness, infertility, obstacles, and impediment to conception and birth. In many cases the these stories are actually the same story, retold with new characters and circumstances. The Christmas story is one of these.
The story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus is an echo of Abraham, Sarah, and Issac; the Hebrew midwives and Moses; Boaz, Ruth, and Obed; Elkanah, Hannah, and Samuel; David, Bathsheba, and Solomon; Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John. Miracle babies galore!
All of these stories of unexpected, unplanned births remind us that life itself is often unexpected. Even lives that are planned and come off without a hitch are possible because somewhere, sometime, someone in our past was born unexpectedly. In a fanciful way, we are all Miracle Babies!
In the Bible all of the major birth stories of iconic figures are stories of barrenness, infertility, obstacles, and impediment to conception and birth. In many cases the these stories are actually the same story, retold with new characters and circumstances. The Christmas story is one of these.
The story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus is an echo of Abraham, Sarah, and Issac; the Hebrew midwives and Moses; Boaz, Ruth, and Obed; Elkanah, Hannah, and Samuel; David, Bathsheba, and Solomon; Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John. Miracle babies galore!
All of these stories of unexpected, unplanned births remind us that life itself is often unexpected. Even lives that are planned and come off without a hitch are possible because somewhere, sometime, someone in our past was born unexpectedly. In a fanciful way, we are all Miracle Babies!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)