Sunday, December 27, 2009

We Need A Little Christmas

There is a “Peanuts” cartoon in which Lucy greets Charlie Brown by saying, “Merry Christmas!” Charlie Brown replies, “Why does it only have to be this time of year? Why can’t people be nice to one another all year around?” Lucy retorts, “What are you? Some kind of fanatic or something?”

Of course, like Charlie Brown we would want it to be this way the whole year round, but Lucy unfortunately has it right – such generosity and love and attention to need is not the rule.

It was way back in September when I first started seeing Christmas displays in stores and we were already hearing Christmas music. Not carols so much, not religious music, but Christmas songs. Songs involving jingle bells and drummer boys and chipmunks and barking dogs and grandma getting run over by a reindeer. There are a lot of happy, bouncy holiday classics, and one of those that have been stuck in my head is called “We Need A Little Christmas.”

It turns out that this song is from the 1966 musical “Mame,” with Angela Lansbury. The happiness and cheeriness may seem overdone, but when you know something about the musical, it makes more sense. “Mame” is set between the Great Depression and World War II – not exactly the sunniest of times. People really did need some cheering up. And when you listen to the words more carefully, tucked into the cheery, happy tune is this verse:

For I've grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,
And I need a little angel
Sitting on my shoulder,
Need a little Christmas now.

I think a lot of us can relate to these words. It’s not just that folks in that grim stretch of the 30’s needed cheering up, lots of folks in the grim stretch we are in today need some cheering up. Many of us have grown a little leaner, a little colder, a little sadder, certainly a little older. And we do need the angels – we do need the arrival of God with us.

There in much in my ministry that just feels heavy and needs some cheering up:

More war.
More hunger.
More terrorism.
More stories of children neglected and abused.
More factories closing.
More folks out of work.
More homes in foreclosure.
More people struggling to get by.
More people who are homeless.
More people without adequate medical care.
More loved ones facing serious illness.
More of us who have lost loved ones this year.
More students struggling with what to do with their lives.
More people looking for direction.

What we need most in the midst of hard times is to know that things will be OK, to know that we are not alone, to know that someone cares. We need to know that God is there. As Mame sings, we need that angel sitting on our shoulder. Maybe that is what we need most: to know that God is with us.

We seem to go from one obstacle or crisis or setback to another, and humanity seems to stumble along from one conflict and collapse to another. And we can so resonate, again, with this cheery song:

We need a little music,
Need a little laughter,
Need a little singing
Ringing through the rafter,
And we need a little snappy
”Happy ever after,”
Need a little Christmas now.

Into a world that desperately needed it, Jesus was born. It didn’t seem like an earth-shattering event. In fact, it seemed like yet another example of the pain and harshness of the world. A not-yet-married couple are on a journey when the time to deliver comes, and there is no place to stay, no room at the inn, and a baby is born in a stable – in a shelter for animals. Not an auspicious beginning. Nothing about the story is expected, but every step of the story gives us hope. If God can turn the world upside down through a baby born in such humble surroundings to poor parents in an unimportant country, then maybe there is hope for us.

The birth of Jesus was like that – it changed things. It changed things and continues to change things for us. In the darkest night, we know that God has come to us. Yes, we need a little Christmas. Christ comes into our hearts bringing hope and peace and joy and love.

God lives with us as we hear the angels speak: “ Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim good news of great joy… For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who need to know that God cares for us, that God has offered us a wonderful gift. We need a little Christmas, need it every day. And the Good News is that we have it. We have the gift of Christ, God with us, now and always.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Christmas Card from Prison

Long-time, good friends stopped by my office with an urgent need to discuss a personal matter. They were in shock and uncomfortable by a letter that came from prison. It had arrived from a former colleague and estranged friend. This person was a victim of poor legal representation that resulted in serving as a first-time offender for a non-violent crime. They simply wanted to understand what all this meant from God. They were confused and angry and looked for guidance on what they needed to do.

What my good friends did not know was that this inmate had made me promise to watch over his mother while serving their sentence. I had recently received a Christmas card from this young inmate that made me cry. The message from this inmate to his long-time friends was a gesture of hope and reconciltation. He understood that they had been seriously hurt by a decision he made in their work together. This couple had given this apprentice their support, experience and guidance. However, his decision had abruptly ended their friendship and professional relationship. Now after spending seven months in confinement, the desert experience had made our inmate soul realize that it was a serious mistake in judgment. This little one wanted to be loved and accepted back into their family.

The inmate’s letter tried to give this couple a glimpse of the lack of dignity inmates suffer in an unjust prison system. Any parent who has a family member incarcerated understands this injustice whenever they visit their loved ones. Many first time, non-violent offenders would better find rehabilitation outside prison. These families know that the system is in need of serious reform. Worse, this young person has shared how the routine that starts with lights on at 6am and a count, and the sheer repitition of each day strips the mind, body and spirit.

After learning that their former apprentice was suffering this injustice, this couple struggled in their hearts whether this was a ploy to get them to cooperate in the appeal process or simply a genuine gesture to surrender hurts and mistakes of the past. Listening to my friends concerns, I simply shared that this is what Christmas is all about. It is saying inside your heart and soul that we have already forgiven you for any misunderstanding and pain.

I shared that for seven months, I listened to his mother’s fears, frustrations and struggles with the legal system. I had taken the 5-hour trip to the prison and hugged this soul with the assurance that they will never be forgotten. The weekly letters from over 75 friends are the highlight of his day at 3:30 in the afternoon.

His Christmas card was a surprise and most humbling was the message on the front cover: HOPE. Is this not why God came to live among his people? Our Emmanuel, God with us, came to be at our side during despite times.

There will not be any Christmas hymns playing inside those prison cells, but I pray that all prisoners know that God has never forgotten them and that memories of the Christ Child bring hope to all in need of a Christmas blessing.

The letter to my friends ended with an invitation to come visit him in prison. He wrote that in that moment there will be many tears to shed. His hope was that tears of healing and forgiveness could replace the anguish of rejection and abandonment.

How many of us feel uncomfortable with another family invitation during the Christmas holidays. Our memories turn to past hurts when we felt misunderstood and rejected by family. We might better wish that the angels in Bethlehem whisked us away to a safe haven. Despite these hurts, the angels are back again to invite us to a place where shepherds keep watch and proclaim that a Savoir has been born. Come away from your despair and loneliness and allow the tiny eyes in the manger to fill your soul with a peaceful calm that says you are divinely loved. That’s the true meaning of Christmas.

Our Savior prays for us as we reflect: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matt 18:10).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine friends who have family and friends in prison during the Christmas season, May their gifts to buy food or warm clothes, or their letters and visits help to lift the spirits of those souls that feel abandoned. Let them know that God cares and wants each lost soul to be free from their fears and rest in the manger of love and hope.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Perfect Gift

The UPS box was soaking wet. It had been delivered unprotected from the snow, wind and rain that had pelted the region. The return address announced it came from good friends several states away that were trying to beat the Christmas rush. Carefully, plying away the drenched cardboard, the contents had been packed in those plastic peanuts to keep the presents safe. Despite my friend’s best intentions, each gift was unwrapped to check for damage and regretfully we found mug handles broken and clothing soaking wet.

I was more than disappointed that Big Brown had been so careless in their service. However, I prefer to reflect on the gift and the meaning behind each present. I felt blessed that there are people in my life who had taken the extra time and effort to send such special gifts. Many times we go out of way to show our appreciation for those special friendships. In our journey, we stumble and fail to say the perfect words or buy that perfect present. Despite those times when the end result did not come out as planned, it is our intent, our efforts that matter the most to Our Lord.

How many Christmases have you exhausted yourself in search of that one special gift for your child or friend, only to have it delivered, broken or lost in the process. Or your worse fear was realized when your child’s response was not as enthusiastic as you had hoped because you bought the wrong model number. Yikes! What a dummy you say to yourself.

Let me remind you that there will be a few broken packages and broken promises that make us sad. But there is hope on the horizon. The shining moment we are waiting for comes in a package wrapped in swaddling clothes to reach out to your heart and smile into your soul that you are one special gift in yourself. The Prince of Peace loves you always. That’s the true meaning of Christmas. It is not buying the perfect present or spending beyond your budget that matters to God. Our Savior appreciates your daily efforts that reflect the rays of His forgiveness, love and gratitude. No need for a gift, for you are God’s greatest gift to one another. Live in the Spirit of His undying love for you.

God prays for us as we reflect: “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers one into the presence of the great.” (Proverbs 18:16).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who worry that their gifts will not satisfy the receiver. Our gifts may arrive soggy and broken, however, it is our spirit of love that matters most to you.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Maybe This is Hell?

Imagine someone wrote your obituary and posted it on the internet as a joke. Despite the fact that you were really still alive. Your friends and foes started to post their comments and memories about what they thought about you. What would you be reading?

In the book, “The Christmas List’ the main character is angered and humiliated by the comments of his so-called friends and foes. Worse than anger or even betrayal, he felt something still stronger. He felt shame.

Heartless, Monster, Grinch, His memory had been betrayed by his friends as well as his enemies. Only one person seemed to care about him and it was the woman he betrayed. He was baffled. After all he had done to her, she had stood up for him. Why?

For the first time in his life he discovered what people really thought about him. Without going into details and giving away the story let me share that he decided to make amends to all the people he had hurt in his life.

Our character was pretty shaken up by what he read in the online comments. He decided he wanted to make amends. But his best friend asked him a most profound question: “Do you want to change yourself or change what others thought about you.”

He felt that he deserved every one of those comments on the web site and ten thousand more. “Those people know the real me.” But the worst thing is that NOW that I really do want to make things better, there’s nothing I can do. Maybe this is hell, seeing the truth. Knowing fully the pain and hurt you caused others and knowing there’s no way you can make it better. He stole their lives and dreams. How could he ever be forgiven?

Isn’t that the point of Christmas? You might have started your life’s journey for the wrong reason reaching for ambition, greed, selfishness, but you want desperately to be in the right place. I believe that our intent matters. I know that it’s never too late to do the right thing. There are people who still need you and care about you.

God prays for us as we reflect on this passage: “Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).

We all wish to be pure again. To be reborn to a second chance.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who ask the question: Can you ever forgive me? Imagine Jesus taking your face into His hands and looking into your eyes as he says: “I already have.”

This year, as you gaze upon the infant in the crib in wonder, whisper these words: “How could you forgive me? I don’t deserve it.” Remember: that’s what makes it love.