About thirty years ago friends of ours gave us some nesting Santas for Christmas. Back then, we had no idea how many years of joy we would get from that simple gift!
The Santas are one of the first decorations out of the storage boxes each year. They are guaranteed to keep little ones (and oftentimes older ones) busy for hours. My grandson came back to them time and time again the afternoon we unpacked them.
The star of the show is the smallest one, the baby Santa. Who couldn’t love that little guy? When my children were growing up, a favorite game was hiding baby Santa. It’s pretty simple. One person hides the baby Santa on the Christmas tree while everyone else has their eyes closed. The first one to find him gets to hide him for the next round. On a Christmas tree filled with lights and ornaments, a 2-inch Santa can be surprisingly hard to find. Wrapped in greenery, balanced behind ornaments or nestled close to the trunk, baby Santa has quite a range of hiding places.
The grandchildren are just about old enough to play this game. Next year for sure. For now, it’s so much fun to watch them laugh as they discover Santa after Santa after Santa in this simple entertaining toy.
I did not stage this. I would never do that to ice cream or beer. But this sight at Publix made me think of few story nuggets…
With a cart chock full of food for the family for the week, there was room for one more item. The ice cream aisle is so long and looks so good. Why not? Grab a 1/2 gallon. But then you turn the corner and you think to yourself, “I may have made a mistake.” However, it’s one you correct. Abandoning the ice cream, there is just enough room in your cart for something from this beer aisle that is just as long and looks oh so good.
You made the mistake of bringing the kids to the store with you. The non-stop whining for this and that finally got to you. At first, you agreed to some ice cream. But the pleas for more didn’t let up. That’s it. No treats for you. But there will be a treat for me!
Uh-oh. Here she comes. I can’t let her see this. I thought I could slip it into the cart between the spinach and the eggs. I’ve got to ditch this somewhere. Whew, that was close.
I hate it when the ice cream is so hard that you can’t scoop it out of the container. I’ll just let it soften up in here for a minute.
“I already got some double-chocolate fudge brownie turtle swirl sundae. Put that vanilla back, and let’s go.” Yeah, like I’m walking all the way back there. This freezer is good enough.
I’m glad my phone was accessible when I saw this rare albino garbage truck on US 1 n the way to St. Augustine. This is a first. All the others I’ve seen were green and painted with a waste disposal company logo. It doesn’t look brand new but has a couple of rakes on the side and a hefty winch on top. So I’m wondering what this is all about.
I suppose you can buy your own garbage truck from whoever manufactures them. A quick search revealed a $250,000 price tag. I wonder what other colors are available? And what options can you choose?
Someone may have made a mistake at the assembly line, and pushed the “white” button instead of “green.” Pretty major error.
Or maybe this person bought a used garbage truck and painted it white for their own business. Could a private collector undercut the big boys who contact with the city? White would certainly make you stand out. But there’s no business info on it, so I’m not sure that’s the case here.
Perhaps this isn’t a garbage truck at all. Maybe its a cover for some other kind of business, smuggling something from one end of the state to the other. Does anyone ever question what you’ve got in that garbage truck?
Maybe the truck isn’t there at all. It’s not albino, but a ghost!
Early in December I was cruising the aisles of Hobby Lobby with my grandson when what to my wondering eye should appear but an endcap devoted to Hanukkah. I wasn’t surprised, yet in some ways I was.
Hobby Lobby makes no secret of being a Christian company, closed on Sundays like Chick-fil-A. Yet it has plenty of aisles devoted to Santas, reindeer, snowmen, and nutcrackers, as well as secular seasonal items for Halloween, Easter and pretty much every holiday in-between. So why not a nod towards a Jewish festival? At least items are 50% off, like most things in the store.
Even so, there are only fifteen items here, none of which look that appealing. I took this picture four weeks before the first night of Hanukkah, so I wouldn’t expect the shelves to be bare yet. It appears to be little more than an afterthought. Or a bone thrown to appease someone who complained that this tradition was excluded. Plus, is this what Jewish families shop for as the festival of lights draws near? I suspect not. Is this what one would expect to see in a typical Jewish family’s home? Not if the festival is more about family gathering, prayers and special foods than decorations and cookies.
I believe Jesus came down hard on those in the temple who capitalized on religious observance. I suspect he would do the same today.
Keeping an electronic calendar makes it easier to go back and review the previous year. When I do, I’m amazed at all that happened and all the places I went.
Travel included:
Late January and mid-August trips to Springfield to see my Dad.
February and August trips to Dallas to see my son and his family, including the birth of our 6th grandchild, Josephine.
April trip to the graduate’s call service at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN.
May trip to Detroit for a spring pastor’s conference.
June trip to Orlando for Stephen Ministry Leader training.
July trip to Seven Devils, NC, to get away from some of the Florida summer to a nice cabin on the mountain.
July trip to Tampa for the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod convention.
August trip to Ridley Park for my Dad’s funeral at the church where we grew up.
10 day September trip to Israel!
Family events included:
The birth of our 6th grandchild, Josephine on July 26 and her baptism on August 4.
The death of my father at the age of 95 on August 12. My brother, my son and I preached at his funeral on August 16.
Two of our grandchildren, Daniel and Cameron celebrated their first birthdays.
My son and his family from Texas came to visit in June and again in December.
A few other interesting tidbits:
I started holding some of my elder meetings by teleconference. Worked well, especially since some of the church elders live some distance from the church.
I got to preach a dialogue sermon with Pastor Brent Hartwig, the uncle of one of our confirmands in April. It was both fun to prepare and deliver.
I got to assist in the worship service where my son baptized his newborn daughter, Josephine.
I build a really cool wooden fort/swing set in our backyard for the grandkids.
Lots of trips to playgrounds, zoos, attractions, restaurants, and movies with the grandkids.
I announced my retirement from full-time pastoral ministry, effective July 26, 2020.
I could add to that all the weddings, funerals, baptisms and celebrations I was a part of, too. I am so grateful for a great year!
And [the shepherds] went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (Luke 2:16-18)
They came, they saw and then they talked about it. The shepherds had quite a story to tell. Their shift that night had included angels, an announcement, and a baby lying in a manger.
Who did they tell? I’ll bet they talked about this over a drink with their buddies after their shift. Or whatever that looked like 2,000 years ago.
I’ll bet most days and nights as a shepherd were uneventful. Not many stories to tell. An occasional wolf to shoo off or a stray to recover. Shooting stars in the sky.
How many believed their story? It’s out there, for sure. The audience may have “wondered,” but they may have wondered whether it was true or whether the shepherds were simply spinning a tale or had started drinking before their shift ended.
At the beginning of the gospel, Luke tells us that his account is based eyewitness testimony (Luke 1:2). Do you think he sought and found those shepherds who recalled what they had seen years ago? If so, I’ll bet their story was just as compelling as the first time they told it. it’s still compelling when we hear the story!
Don’t forget: it’s just as compelling when you tell the story, too!
Thank you, Lord, for all who told the story and continue to tell the story of the baby lying in a manger. Amen.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14)
What a sight and what a sound that must have been! Though many think of the heavenly host as a musical ensemble, they are actually the angel armies of God. This is the same group who was there at creation, who Jacob saw ascending to and descending from heaven, who surrounded the enemy armies at Samaria. They are the same forces Jesus could have summoned to fight for him in Gethsemane.
Here, after the shepherds have heard the angelic announcement of the birth of the Savior, they do what angels do. They praise God. They proclaim peace. They announce that God is not angry but pleased with his people because of Christ who has reconciled us with him.
One angel would be enough to make my day. A multitude? That would be overwhelming! I guess I’ll be overwhelmed one day when I see them in heaven, too many to be counted.
I think it’s interesting that wherever our Lord shows up, he’s got an entourage of angels with him. Sometimes you see them. Sometimes you don’t.
I’ll never get to be an angel. But I can praise him, too.
Thank you, Lord, for all those who praised you then and praise you now. Amen.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)
What a great assignment! As a messenger from the Lord and a ministering spirit to people, this angel got to make the announcement of all time. The savior has been born! The Christ has come! This is a unique moment in the history of the world and the salvation plans of God. Never before and never again would such news be the headline of the day.
Sometimes only a few people show up for church. I’ve done funerals for less than six people. Before we stopped gathering for New Years Eve worship, we only had about a dozen. I even showed up at church on Sunday morning as a hurricane was approaching and was the only one there. When you have the best news of all, the gospel, you always hope a few more people will be there to hear it.
This night, it was just some shepherds who found themselves in the presence of an angel bathed in the glory of the Lord. Angel usually show up and speak to individuals, like Mary and Joseph. It’s very personal. Yet, on this occasion, it was “good news of great joy for all the people.” It’s an announcement meant for a much wider audience.
Like you and I. Do you ever get tired of reading or hearing those words? Not me. And when I do, I sense the glory of the Lord surrounding me, too. That’s the power of God’s Word. It brings you into his presence, touches your heart, and makes you feel like he’s talking to just you.
Thank you, Lord, for such great news – for me and everyone else, too! Amen.
In the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:8-12).
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child (Luke 2:15-16).
Some unnamed shepherds play a unique supporting role in the advent of our Lord. They are the only ones who get to hear the announcement of the angel and the praises of a multitude of the heavenly host. They are also the only visitors to and witnesses of the infant Jesus in the manger. They are the first to testify to this good news, too. They are never mentioned again in the New Testament, but are cast and costumed in every Christmas pageant I’ve ever seen. They don’t need a line. We all know why they are there!
There are many other shepherds in the bible. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Amos were all shepherds. Jesus would later call himself the good shepherd, the one God promised to send to care for his people. Pastors are charged with “shepherding” the flock under their care. It is an occupation that weaves its way throughout the pages of scripture.
I am certain others got to see the infant Jesus in the days that followed. If Joseph’s ancestral home was Bethlehem, he must have run into family while he was there to register. Without realizing it, they were looking on the heir to the throne of Israel, the Messiah, the Son of Man, and the Word become flesh. But the shepherds knew. They knew the gravity of that moment.
Never underestimate the value of simply hearing the good news of the Gospel, which is the good news of great joy of Christmas. The word that powerfully changes hearts and lives gives you a part in the story, too! You get to make this good news known.
Thank you, Lord, for casting me in this amazing story. Amen.
Waite for it... 