Merry Christmas! (for real)

We are now firmly planted in the 12 days of Christmas. These are my relaxing days; the musical demands of the season are behind me now and I can listen to carols and enjoy them!

Last year, I wrote a little on the subject of sentiment and/or emotion in the carols we sing. The Victorian writers were especially good (it seems to me) at glossing over the hard reality of Jesus' birth. I was challenged by a friend to write something that was more realistic but still singable.

Asleep in the manger; there's no other place
for Mary to put Him. There's dust on His face.
The cattle are noisy! She just needs to rest
with Joseph and Jesus; she feels very blessed.

But wait! There are shepherds who come now to see
the Babe in the manger and His family.
'Twas angels that told them - well, that's what they say.
It would have been nice if they'd come the next day.

The Baby is crying again; is He wet?
Or hungry or cold? Mary's not sure, and yet
she loves Him and holds Him and sings Him to sleep
accompanied by sounds from the goats and the sheep.

Advent 4 - Love = God with us

I am so thankful for God's love,
shared with us in the unique form of His Son, our Lord, Jesus.
Emmanuel = God with us!

Advent 3 - Comfort and joy

The third candle of Advent is Joy. I admit to having a bit of a hard time feeling joyful over the last couple of weeks as 3 of my organist colleagues in the city have lost husband or father recently. Yesterday, I looked up the definition for "joy" in both the Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionaries. What I was expecting to find was a definition that made a distinction between "joy" and "happiness". That was not the case. Is this an instance where a secular definition of the word is very different from a faith-based definition? I don't know. I do know that the words, "O tidings of comfort and joy..." feels like a good refrain to sing these days.

Advent 2 - Peace is coming

Last Sunday we lit the second Advent candle, the candle of peace. I have been thinking about the many aspects of peace over the days since. I have especially been remembering the point that was made in the sermon that we have (very generally speaking) some ideas about what 'peace in the world' will look like. There will be no war, no violence, nations and people will live in harmony with each other. However, just as the Jews in Israel had some misconceptions about Jesus as their King, setting them free from Roman rule, so we may be mistaken about Christ's eventual reign of peace. With the hectic pace of life, particularly at Christmas time, do we feel peace in our lives? In our homes? In our world? How can we promote peace between ourselves and others? These are some questions to ponder during Advent as we actively wait for Christ's coming.