For those of you who haven’t noticed, I’ll confess: I can be a bit grinchy during Advent. It’s an occupational hazard of the pastorate, to be honest, and I do succumb to the temptation. Yes, it’s true, I want to sing Advent hymns rather than Christmas carols… but with the exception of that most popular “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” people look at me like I’ve requested a Top 40 jukebox to spit out Mozart and Palestrina. Of course, it’s understandable that I want a religious Christmas rather than a secular one. And as a pastor I do feel a personal responsibility to speak for “those who sit in darkness, bowed beneath their sorrows’ load” in the face of the holly jolly ferocity of those who are determined to close their eyes to the darkness in some kind of denial, “simply having a wonderful Christmas time” with boxes and bows and big happy families. This is my job. The babe in the manger is a light in the darkness, and we can scarcely know the light if we don’t first recognize the darkness.
But.
Moderation in all things, even Advent.
I need to very deliberately take off my Advent Police uniform for a bit, for the sake of allowing gratitude and joy to grow, blossom, and flourish. So in that spirit, here are 5 totally un-Adventy early Christmas blessings, and I hope you can join me in enjoying them.
- Lights. Those little strings made of the metals of the earth, plastics refined from ancient fossil fuels, glass, color, and delight – not to mention the electricity that flows at will from our walls and battery packs. For the resources of the earth, for scientists and electricians who work and play with it, and for the cheer it brings, we give thanks.
- BABIES. Because whether they are squalling in a coffee shop or smiling perfectly in a posed photo, in each baby we can see the miracle of life, and the wonders of exploring the world. For each baby that could be the Christ Child come again, we give thanks.
- Letters and cards. The taken-for-granted privilege of having things delivered right to your own home. The anticipation as you check the return address, wondering who thought of you as they addressed and stamped. (By the way, your MPC church staff also appreciates receiving your cards or year-end-photo-roundup letters, and will post them in the Family Room for wider enjoyment!) For those who send and those who deliver, we give thanks.
- Music. Because what is not amazing about our vocal cords which can so precisely tune to one another in unison or harmony? What is not amazing about a piano’s hundreds of strings, a violin’s exact architecture, or the complexity of a tuba? For humanity’s musical abilities, talents, and craft, we give thanks.
- Cold weather. Because although we don’t really dream of a white Christmas in Oakland, we do dream vicariously for the sake of Tahoe and our neighboring mountain ranges, that they may be abundantly blessed with snow. For this we will endure the cold, knowing El Niño may yet deliver us from drought, and we will give thanks.
May you be delivered from all grinchiness, and be grateful.
Blessings,
Talitha