Tag: Christmas

Posted in Christmas

The snowmen are back.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

IMG_7929When Eli and I were decorating the tree yesterday, I noticed that my collection of ornaments included eight snowmen. We haven’t bought any ornaments for ourselves, so all of these were given to us by someone sometime in the past. Try as I might, I can’t remember where any of them came from. But since the snowmen hold eight seats in our congress of decorations, I thought I would make a few observations.

First of all, they are all bundled up. Why? I would think that a snowman would revel in the cold. Yet the snowman uniform includes a hat, scarf and mittens. I figure they don’t need them to keep warm, so they must wear them to look “cool.”

Second, snowmen are happy. They are all grinning. Obviously they enjoy their seasonal jobs.  They only really work about four weeks a year. Plus, this bunch gets to live and work where everyone else vacations — Florida! Life is good for these snowmen.

Third, they have found their way into the celebration of Christmas. Frosty the Snowman, their patron saint, doesn’t appear in song until 1950, but scores a television special in 1969 to take his place in the highly competitive American Christmas landscape.

I haven’t made a snowman in over twenty-one years, since we’ve been in Florida. But the snowman is no less popular in the sunshine state than he was in the north. Our tree is testimony to that.

 

 

 

Posted in Christmas

He knew we’d want to play with this.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

IMG-7920I knew I’d be watching my two-year-old grandson Elijah for a few hours today while my daughter and wife did a little shopping. Before he arrived, I set out our little Playmobile nativity out on the porch.

From the moment he saw it he was delighted! He exclaimed, “This is perfect!” And then he picked up the baby from the manger and announced, “He’s awake!” He pointed out the donkey, camel, and sheep. Then, spotting the magi’s treasure chests, his eyes got big and he burst out with “Presents!” We got a full ninety minutes of play from this season’s first encounter with the cast of characters from Luke 2 and Matthew 2!

I believe our all-knowing Father knew that his children would delight in this hands-on telling and re-enactment of Christ’s birth. I can’t prove it, but I would contend he purposely chose the first-century, Roman empire, Bethlehem, virgin and carpenter setting because he knew it would capture our imagination, our hearts, and our souls.

I also believe it is therapeutic to sit and play with a nativity, preferably with kids. The holidays aren’t always the easiest times to navigate. You may be dealing with distance, death or divorce. There may be family conflicts, financial worries, unrealistic demands and unmet expectations, But when you sit down to play with a nativity, much of that fades behind the reminders of God’s promises, faithfulness, and presence. He shows up in the lives of real, ordinary people just like us, to walk us through guilt, sorrow, doubt, fear, pain, or whatever we’re dealing with.

That’s what it’s all about. Even a child knows that. I guess Jesus was right. You really need to be a child.

 

 

Posted in advent, Christmas, Devotions, Ministry

Five ways to stay close to God during a busy holiday season.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
gareth-harper-1753421.jpg
Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

It seems like a no-brainer. The holiday season, spanning Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and New Years is rooted in Christian tradition, filled with special music and worship services, and fills our view with many Christian themes. The busyness of the season, whether it’s planning for guests, getting ready for travel, scheduling worship, buying and wrapping gifts or practicing for performances, we may discover that there isn’t a whole lot of room for Christ himself, a problem dating back to the birth of our Lord.

So, how do you stay close to God during this fun, amazing and busy time of the year?

Put him on the calendar. There’s worship at your church on Sunday mornings and maybe some midweek services during Lent. Ink them in and be there. Our Lord promises to join our worship gatherings of two, three or more, speaks to us as His Word is proclaimed, and brings His gifts of grace in the sacrament. These worship moments provide an anchor when you find yourself being pulled in many different directions.

Do a “plus one.” OK, you already have a morning quiet time or evening devotion. Grab a seasonal devotion and give him an extra five minutes. Our church gives them out. Many are available online. Here’s a great one from Lutheran Hour Ministries. Just like that first cup of coffee, jump start your day with His word rather than all the other things going on. It makes all the difference in the world. (Bonus points: get or make a little Advent wreath and burn the candles.)

Play a little sacred seasonal music. You can listen to non-stop Christian music every day beginning well before Thanksgiving. Much of it, however, will be secular rather than sacred. You can find it on Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon if you look. Most of your favorite artists have a Christmas album. I like “All I Want For Christmas is You” and “Sleigh Ride” as much as the next person, but you can do a whole lot better.

If you send Christmas cards, send one with a Christian message. You would not believe how many member of my church send me secular Christmas cards featuring cardinals, snowmen, and Santas! It’s usually around 50%! There are so many amazing and affordable cards that creatively capture the birth of Christ. Pick up a box of those to send out, for your sake and theirs.

Serve. Help out at church, help out a neighbor, help at a local ministry. Don’t just give something or send something. Be there. Jesus said, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Jesus came and spent time with those who seemed furthest away from the kingdom. That’s where you’ll still find him in this world.

If those don’t work for you, I’m OK with that. If gingerbread, Burl Ives, Kris Kringle, mistletoe and the Hallmark Channel do it for you, go for it. If not, why not try something different this year?

Posted in church, Ministry

The nativity: it’s all ours.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

screen-shot-2015-12-28-at-9-57-20-pm.pngAs I was tagging along with my wife, the day’s errands took us to Michael’s, a place filled with “arts and crafts, custom framing, home decor & seasonal products” and more than anything else: Christmas! Well over half the store was devoted to everything red, silver and gold on a green backdrop. According to the latest flyer, it’s all 50% off, too. You better get over there. And I mean now.

I started thinking about this thing called Christmas. This thing that has taken on a life of its own. This thing that now occupies two of the twelve months of the year. This thing that drives so much retail and online sales. This thing that we thought was a sacred holiday, but has long since been taken captive by our culture.

Church, I have sobering news for you. You are not going to get Christmas back. You’ve lost that battle. You’ve lost this culture war. There is nothing you can do to get Christ back in Christmas. It is now a fully secular event. You may participate in it, but it is not yours anymore.

But that’s OK. Really. Because we still have something. Something different. Something real. The nativity. That is still ours.

That’s the story. That’s the real story. And the world doesn’t want that. So it’s ours. It’s all ours.

So that’s what we’ll celebrate. That’s what we’ll proclaim. That’s the story we’ll tell. The nativity. That’s what you’ll hear me talk about. O, I like Christmas as much as the next guy. I’m in for trees, lights, songs, presents, cookies, snowmen, “Elf”, penguins, snow and fruitcake. But when it comes to church, we’re doing nativity. The festival of the nativity. The birth of the Savior, the King, the Christ.

That’s what you’ll be hearing me talk about. Not Christmas. Nativity.

Posted in Life

Nativities are alive and well

Posted on by William Douthwaite

nativity collageAs I wandered through a Ten Thousand Villages store in Harrisonburg, VA, I was struck by the number of nativities for sale, crafted by artisans from all over the world. Some were made of rocks, others had been formed from clay, and yet others crocheted. Some were tiny, no bigger than a golf ball. Others hang from mobiles. Some were designed to be Christmas tree ornaments. Others were meant to be handled and played with.

I was struck by the reality that in what is called a post-modern, post-Christian world, where we are told nones, atheists and the de-churched comprise a larger and larger portion of our nation, nativities are still in demand. There is still plenty of room among snowmen and Santas for Jesus, Mary and Joseph, shepherds with sheep, and wise men with gifts. I was fascinated and delighted to see that this form of the sacred has not been pushed out of view by the secular.

I believe we can learn something from this. While it’s rarely productive to ram Jesus down people’s throats with threats of eternal damnation, it’s not so hard to slip him into craft fairs, holiday displays, and winter festivals. This is probably why Jesus didn’t come on the clouds with power the first time around. He came as a baby, slipped into the world virtually unnoticed, and found a place in a hostile environment.

That’s the seed we plant and water at this time of the year. God handles the growth.

 

 

 

Posted in Life, Ministry

Christmas 2013 reflections

Posted on by William Douthwaite

IMG_7172Christmas 2013 in Florida had unique blessings. It was different for us this year because we did not have all of our children here with us. Adam and Sarah went to be with her family in Champaign, IL after worship at his church in Dallas. Katie and her fiancee Brian will be here this weekend and we will have a little more Christmas. (Next year, though, I think it will be our turn to have everyone here, including a small addition to the family coming in July.) Continue reading “Christmas 2013 reflections” →

Posted in Life

It’s all over

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today I put away all our Christmas decorations. I took down the lights from the outside of the house, put away all the Christmas items that we set out around the house, like nativities, took the ornaments off the tree and boxed them up, and then took the tree apart and stored it in the attic.

It’s a ritual that is somewhat less exciting that the decorating that took place a month ago, but is not less a part of the year and the passage of time. After all, you can’t celebrate Christmas all year, can you? Actually, more than a few people would like to do just that. Trees are decorated earlier each year, often being put up weeks before Thanksgiving. Christmas items are available in stores before Halloween now. A day that wasn’t even observed in the early church now occupies almost a quarter of our year. Just how much Christmas can we stand?

Posted in Ministry

Christmas letters

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I just got done writing my Christmas letter to send out with some of our cards. I’ve been receiving some, too. Here’s what I think makes a good Christmas letter:

  • Share the good stuff. It’s OK to mention a problem or struggle here and there, but mostly report on how you’ve been blessed. Hit the highlights of your year, including accomplishments, trips, joys and milestones.
  • Give me just enough information. I don’t need to know about every yucky illnesses you’ve had this year. At least not in a letter like this.
  • Get to the point. More than one page and I probably won’t read the whole thing.
  • Use a normal font. I probably won’t try to read that decorative font or that 6 point font you used to fit it all on one page.
  • Use prose. A poem is nice and I appreciate the effort, but it’s hard to get the news that way. Include a poem, but mostly use prose.

As I was writing the letter this year, my wife asked if it was really necessary. After all, just about everyone we send it to is in one of our social networks (like Facebook). They know what we did last year. And they’ve seen lots of pictures. Good point. Are the days numbered for Christmas letters?

Posted in Life

Christmas feels better already

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ll be encouraging our church to think along the lines of Advent Conspiracy this year. This book, video and study by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay, and Greg Holder really makes you take stock of how commercial Christmas has become, and how much more it could be if we worship fully, spend less, give more and love all instead.

To be fair, though, I don’t know that we chose to create a Christmas that was all about spending, debt, quantity, extravagance and gifts void of meaning. I was raised that way. For boomers like me, that’s what it was all about. My dad has slides (kind of like filmstrips that you can project instead of snapshots to pass around, for you who have no idea what slides are) of our Christmases that were consumption oriented. And we didn’t even have that much. But we had a lot. It was great. We loved it. We had a great time. Our stockings contained an orange and a penny, from a past generation for whom fruit and pennies were valuable commodities.

But in the last decade or so, I ran up against a wall when it came to Christmas. Having lost touch with the lifestyles of my family and in-laws, we had no idea what to get them for Christmas. They had no idea what our lives were like, either. So we began exchanging worthless gifts. We’d send each other a $25 gift card. We broke even. One year we got a gift card we couldn’t even use because that franchise wasn’t in our area. Money flushed down the Christmas toilet.

We even had a hard time coming up with gifts for our kids. There wasn’t that much anyone wanted. Christmas became really frustrating.

I, for one, am glad that we are making gifts for each other, giving money to some worthy causes, and scaling back our Christmas. Even before I’ve really done much, it feels better already.