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Immanuel
Long before the wistful Joan Osbourne song asked, “What If God Was One of Us,” God answered by becoming one of us in Jesus Christ. When I look at many young people in crisis, my wish is the same as the first Christmas gift: that God will be with them, with me, with all of us in a way that is real. I wish that I could play a part in making that happen, wrapping the gift in my witness, my love, my work as a pastor.
—J. Christy Ramsey, pastor of Goodyear Heights Presbyterian Church, Akron, Ohio
Breathing lessons
The best gift one could give the world would be a silent daily reflection, practiced with every sunrise and sunset, like the rise and fall of a breath. The first few minutes would cleanse the mind by letting go of all hurt, anger, aggression and ill-will towards oneself and other people. The next few minutes would examine those around us who are suffering, and create concrete steps to help them. This simple practice would make the world a more creative, intelligent and peaceful place — all for a few simple moments out of the day.
—Beth Ruhl, a student at the University of Kansas and member of the National Network of Presbyterian College Women
Learning and listening
The best Christmas present ever would be to wake up on December 25 and find that our nation and faith communities had begun to actively listen to each other, and that the vilification and marginalization of those who are not exactly like ourselves in appearance, thought or custom had become unfashionable, even shameful. Upon opening this present I would find more enthusiasm for learning and far less for pontificating. I would find warmth welling up in celebration of God’s great diversity of creation, as well as deep humility and awe in the presence of Holiness.
—Linda Marley Smith, administrator, Presbytery of Eastern Virginia
Peace in the church
Ordained Presbyterians promise to further the “peace, unity, and purity” of the church, but I worry that we have expended so much energy on purity we have forgotten that peace comes first.
According to Luke, the peace and goodwill that the angels proclaimed at Christ’s birth became the gospel message, as Jesus preached good news to the poor, the captive, the oppressed — and made space at the head of his table for the crippled, the blind and the lame. This is what unites the church — all of God’s people, whatever their human condition, gathering around the Lord’s table to share the gift of Christmas, the peace of Christ, every day of the year.
—Dale Lindsay Morgan, author of Jubilee! Luke’s Gospel for the Poor (Horizons Bible Study 2008–09)
Want a back rub?
Presence, not presents, are what I want for Christmas. Time, not trinkets. With great delight I received a handmade plaque from my 7 and 9-year-old sons 30 years ago. A raccoon cut from a magazine was glued to a block of wood; on its back lay a human hand, cut from another magazine. Included was the promise of three back rubs per month for the following year. Each year after that until they went to college, I received the same gift.
As the boys grew beyond the age when they would sit on my lap, we still had the physical contact often necessary to ease into tough conversations, or simply to “catch up” in a casual, non-threatening way. “Want a back rub?” was my cue to put aside everything else and listen.
—Virginia Stevens, associate for mission, Presbytery of Western North Carolina
A cure for Parkinson’s
All I want is a cure for Parkinson’s disease and therapy to reverse the nerve damage already evident in Parkinsonians such as my retired PC(USA) minister-husband. David is slowly declining in both physical abilities and mental clarity, which necessitates his living in a care facility and apart from me. As is often said in the case of Alzheimer’s disease, this is “a long goodbye” (and a painful one) for the family. We do not wish this on future generations anywhere in this world.
—Ann C. Lodge (and David, too), Heritage Presbyterian Church, Glendale, Ariz.
Peace in God
I had been a member of Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church in Seattle for only two weeks, when I called the church and asked, “How can I serve you?” Both the secretary and pastor said, “Go visit Jan in a nursing home.”
Every Saturday for the next five months I visited Jan. I prayed and read the lectionary with her, walked with her and encouraged her. But she was sad because she was very frail and would not be moving back to her old house. These days, her health has improved enough to live in a group home. But she is unhappy again, because she left the comfort, friends and familiarity of the nursing home.
My hope is that all seniors who feel sad, lonely or disoriented because of changes in their lives as they age will find their peace in God. The best Christmas gift would be to hear Jan say, just as Paul did, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
—Barbara Williams, Seattle, Wash.
No more suffering
My first wish for this Christmas is to have a global peace that ends the suffering of a great number of our sisters and brothers in the world. We are all children of God. I wonder why we want to hurt and kill each other. I want to listen to the daily news and feel elated by glad tidings in a peaceful world. I want God to look at us and be very proud of his work. I want the Baby in the manger to give us the gift of forgiveness and unity.
—Aida Faris, moderator of the National Middle Eastern Presbyterian Caucus
Freedom to travel
The best Christmas gift would be for all people to be able to travel freely. As Americans, we often take for granted the ability to travel — whether it is simply getting in our cars and going from place to place in our own neighborhoods, or traveling abroad. But many other people are denied freedom of travel, because of “artificially” created borders or the difficulty of getting the necessary visas and/or travel permits to move freely.
In the Middle East, as in many other parts of the world, families are separated by human-made barriers, international borders and randomly imposed checkpoints. In Jordan I encounter people almost daily who were born in Palestine, or whose families are refugees from that country. Some have never visited their birthplace or country of origin. Others have never seen relatives who still live there.
Freedom of movement, free access, and families and friends reunited would be my Christmas wish for the world.
—Doug Dicks, regional liaison for the PC(USA) in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories
All I want for Christmas
David Grear, © istockIt’s been a long time since I’ve made a wish list. I’ve left Santa Claus alone, I’ve learned to be content with whatever comes my way,
Be it copper or silver — or coal.
But this year I’m gonna break tradition,
I’m gonna do just like my nephew and
my niece —
This year I’m sending him a letter,
And all I want for Christmas is peace ...
Now peace can be a complicated matter,
Rumors of war may never cease.
Perhaps we just need a stronger politician,
Or maybe just a prince — a prince of peace.
Imagine that — a prince of peace ...
Some quiet night,
When you least expect,
The Lamb of God will come
To serve and to protect.
You’ll hear no trumpet sound,
You’ll hear no battle cry.
He’ll come to you as soft
As an angel’s lullaby.
That’s all I want for Christmas.
—From “All I Want for Christmas” on the CD Some Quiet Night, by David M. Bailey, a singer/songwriter and member of Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church, Ruckersville, Va.
What I want for Christmas
A miracle!
A miracle is what I want for Christmas!
A miracle!
In the early morning hours,
people still in darkness,
I want us all to be awakened
by the pealing of church bells loud and wild,
pealing over and over and over again,
urgent, joyful, overwhelmingly loud and wild!
And when we rush out to see
what’s going on,
neighbors in front of us,
neighbors behind us,
all of us rushing to the church, the bells
continue their pealing, loud and wild,
and over and over again.
On the steps of the church
stands a very tall Angel
dressed in red, and he speaks to us:
“Don’t be afraid; I have great news,
for to you is born this day
a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”
With those words there is much
fluttering of wings
and the sky is full of angels,
all singing, bells still pealing,
but we hear their words clearly:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace and goodwill.”
With that we are lifted into the
still dark sky
and then put down in front of a dazzling light.
When our eyes adjust,
we drop to our knees,
for we are mangerside
in front of the Holy Child,
bells still pealing;
angels still singing peace
I look over my shoulder
and it looks as if the whole world is on their
knees, heads bowed,
and we too are singing peace, and the dark
sky is snowing stars as dawn breaks.
Suddenly the world is bright
and the Holy Child is now a Man,
and he calls us to come and sit at his table.
With nail marks in his hands,
he breaks bread and pours wine
until the whole world is fed.
We no longer are in darkness.
Stars have fallen
into our hearts
and we sing like angels:
The miracle is Life!
Peace on earth has come!
—Ann Weems, a poet and speaker, author of Kneeling in Bethlehem, Psalms of Lament and other books
Alien invasion
It happened so suddenly! All communications media, TV, radio, telephones were taken over by an alien force, announcing in every language: “On December 25 this planet will receive an unsolicited Christmas gift — the moral detoxification of your world. Beginning at your International Date Line in the Pacific, our spaceships will sweep the earth from east to west for 24 hours, covering every inch with an invisible ray that will instantly destroy every trace of animosity, hatred, hostility and violence in humans and beasts.”
An incredulous United Nations brought together representatives of every nation and advised them, with great joy and celebration, to take the message from extrastellar space seriously.
“Finally we will all be able to get along!” announced the elated Secretary General to a mass of reporters at the U.N. Plaza. “But our anthropologists tell us that we must begin the tremendous reconstruction of our personal, social, economic and political codes. Constitutions, criminal law, business practices, religions and the foundations of our civilizations have to be revised to accommodate this gargantuan change in human affairs. And please hurry. There are only 19 shopping days left before Christmas!”
—Gayraud Wilmore, a retired seminary professor and author of Black and Presbyterian and other books
A gift already received
My husband, Tom Conrey, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Perry, Iowa. He is also a chaplain in the Iowa Air National Guard, and was activated in October 2006 to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We have been married for 35 years, and his absence left a big hole in my life. But Tom feels a strong calling to minister to those in the military. He did a lot of crisis counseling, and I am sure he made it easier for many young people to be away from their families.
Tom returned home in May. I am blessed to already have my best Christmas gift.
—Sue Conrey, Perry, Iowa
Epiphany in Zimbabwe
Manfred Konrad, © istockIn December 1998 I stayed with a host family in Zimbabwe, as I attended the World Council of Churches Assembly. The family joyfully gave and received greeting cards—nothing else. Even in a large shopping plaza in Harare, I did not experience the extreme commercialization that we see in this country. Traveling the highway from Harare to Mutare, our group stopped and looked out at the green mountains, and someone spontaneously began singing the “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah. Someone else recited Psalm 121:1–2: “I lift up my eyes to the hills ...” It was an epiphany moment. Thanks be to God for giving me new eyes to experience the Holy Season.
—Bettie J. Durrah, an elder at Radcliffe Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Ga.
A father’s wisdom
A sharp winter night. The cars are trapped in their driveways. Stars grace the limbs of trees. I sit on an old American Flier sled that has met too many bumps on the neighborhood slopes. Frost clouds emerge rhythmically from the woolen scarf wrapped tight across my mouth. My father is pulling the sled, his chin pointed starwards.
“You know.” His mellow baritone is tinged with wonder. “Christmas isn’t really special. Jesus comes to us every day.”
“Really?” found its way out through the layers of my muffler.
“Yes, he is as close as your heart.”
My best Christmas wish? The opportunity to hug my father for a final time and whisper a grateful “Thank you.”
—Peg Gotthold, College Hill Presbyterian Church, Tulsa, Okla.
Made with love
My best Christmas present was (and still is) a tartan sport coat made by Genie, my wife, more than 25 years ago. She arranged for a friend in Scotland to send the MacKellar family tartan. She made the jacket, matching the tartan pattern at the seams, all the while keeping it out of my sight until Christmas Day. I treasure it and wear it with pride and am delighted when I have a chance to tell others, “Genie made it.”
— James MacKellar, parish associate, East Craftsbury Presbyterian Church, Newport Center, Vt. |
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It’s about family
In this Holy Season, I always find myself thinking about childhood memories of family Christmases in South Dakota. I realize more and more that I was given a most precious gift — to be part of a large extended family who loved God and loved to celebrate — especially Christmas. In the process, they taught me the real meaning and joy of Christmas — that it is, at its core, about God and family.
God gave me the priceless gift of belonging to an earthly family. And through Jesus Christ, God has made it possible for all of us to belong to an even larger heavenly family.
—Xavia Arndt Sheffield, Georgetown Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.
A meeting with my brother
For many years my younger brother has been estranged from the rest of his siblings. A phone call or letter from him would be the best Christmas gift. A meeting would be even better. I really don’t want to wait until heaven for a meeting!
—Ruth Nolin, First Presbyterian Church, Washington, Pa.
It is very simple really: my three adult sons and their loved ones, together in a beautiful setting with their father and me. A setting that is warm and fun, and being able to pay for this to happen for each of them.
—Rita Vaughn, Cavalier (N.D.) Presbyterian Church
All I want for Christmas is to spend a day or two with my daughter and family. I appreciate having our daughter come to visit, but would like an invitation to their house, so I could go for a walk on country roads, see the chickens and two little kittens. Sleeping in a strange house would be a challenge, but it would be exciting to be there for breakfast with them and to take part in their daily activities.
—Mildred Hansen, First Presbyterian Church, Galesville, Wis.
A visit — anytime
I have not seen my son and his family for over two years. We live about 1,200 miles apart. Sometimes I fear that I will never see them again. A visit would be a wonderful gift — anytime.
—Jane Turney
Grace amid pain
The best Christmas gift I can imagine would be a cure for Alzheimer’s. I lost both my parents to this disease in April, and it wrenched my heart to witness their decline.
Even when my father had forgotten how to dress or shave, he never failed to kiss my mother goodnight, saying, “I love you, Baby.” Regardless of all he had lost, he still knew he loved his wife. The night before he died he was unresponsive to the nursing staff. Yet when I stroked his hair and said, “I love you, Daddy,” he murmured, “I love you, too.”
Sadly, my mother spent her last few months in fear, screaming because she didn’t know where she was. Mom died four days after Dad. After 60 years of marriage they couldn’t stand to be apart for very long.
—Michele Barnett, First Presbyterian Church, Kingsville, Texas
Such a trooper
My Christmas wish is for my son to be cured of his food allergies. He is such a trooper and tolerates his special diet, but we worry constantly about a reaction.
—Nancy Kramer, Kettering, Ohio
Sad ending
Right now, the best Christmas wish for me would be to have some resolution to my mother’s situation. She has had two strokes in the last two months. Although, she does not have to deal with paralysis, she can no longer talk and has coordination, concentration, and comprehension problems. In many ways, she is locked in her body with no way to communicate with the outside world. My mom has always been well respected and loved. This is not the way she would want to live out the end of her life.
—Sara Jo Meuller, West Plano Presbyterian Church, Plano, Texas
Dinner parties!!
One early December morning I prayed to God to help me find a way to give during the holiday season, even though I had no resources. My eyes fell upon Luke 14:12–14: “ ... when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you ...”
Dinner parties!! I could give dinner parties to my friends and family. I would have them invite the guests, let them decide who would come.
All through the year I have had the wonderful experience of having dinner parities in my home with my friends and their friends. I met new people and had new experiences. My home was blessed with laughter and fellowship. What was intended to be a gift for others became a blessing for me.
—Betty Bigger, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mich.
Two special gifts
I awakened early on my fifth Christmas morning, crept down the stairs, smelled the pine aroma, and looked under the Christmas tree. There was a present for me! At last my father, mother and sister assembled. I opened my gift and found a toy typewriter.
Thanking my beaming parents, I immediately put in paper and began pressing the keys.
What a lucky child I thought I was, especially when I saw my mother’s gift — a flower shaped metal pin. I felt sorry for her.
That was the last Christmas we had with my father; he died suddenly a few months later. My mother always treasured her sterling silver pin, which I had not recognized as special.
—Diane K. Bert
The gift of giving
I am the full time director of a local Boys and Girls Club, and part-time pastor of a very small Presbyterian church. Eighty-five percent of the children in the club live at or below the poverty level. Each year at Christmas we accept donations to buy one gift for every club member.
A few years ago I began asking my church’s session to take the money they would normally spent on me for Christmas and send a check to a Boys and Girls Club. I choose a club other than the one I serve, so that the gift is not self-serving. This gift from my church is the best gift I receive, because it honors me and makes others happy.
—Gary C. Walker, Rome (Ohio) Presbyterian Church
New Year’s skates
When I was 8, my family moved to a new house. My parents used all of their financial resources for the down payment. When Christmas rolled around they told my brother and me that they could only spend one dollar on each of us.
A few of the kids in our neighborhood got roller skates for Christmas. All the others already had skates. As the only kid without a pair of roller skates, I was feeling left out. On New Year’s morning my parents surprised me with a pair of skates. It wasn’t literally a Christmas present, but it was the most memorable gift.
—Bob Haseltine, First United Presbyterian Church, Brilliant, Ohio
My Christmas list
What shall I ask for? Should I bypass Santa and send my requests straight to God? Maybe if my list isn’t too long, I’ll find most of the things under the tree on Christmas morning.
Please God: Grant me the patience to meet the hurdles that come my way.
Help me to look for the good in the people I see each day.
Equip me with an instruction manual, so I can convince people to meet me at “The Spencer Presbyterian Church” each Sunday.
Thank you for your love and care this past year. I wish Jesus a happy birthday and extend wishes for a bright New Year.
—Betty Ingram, Spencer, W.Va.
Double-dipping
In December 2005 my 86-year-old mom received news that she needed surgery for cancer — not exactly the best Christmas present. The surgery was scheduled for December 21, so on December 20 we celebrated Christmas. All four of her kids were with her, along with grandkids and great-grandkids. Mom said that was all she wanted for Christmas.
The surgery went well, so Mom was home for more visits with her boys before they left for Alabama on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning I went to Mom’s room. She was on the floor by her desk. She had been typing a letter to a friend: “I’m hoping I can go to church this morning.”
“That is just like Grandma to double-dip on Christmas,” my daughter said later. “She had a great party with us, and now she is in heaven celebrating with Grandpa and Jesus.”
—Penny Leone, First Presbyterian Church, Georgetown, Texas
God wants us to ask
When I was 9 years old I wanted a basketball for Christmas. On Christmas morning I eagerly looked for a box that might contain a basketball. There wasn’t one. I was disappointed.
I had said, “I don’t know what I want for Christmas. Get me whatever you think I’d like” (while secretly wishing for a basketball). The next Christmas I learned to be specific about what I wanted. That was the year I received a Wilson basketball.
“Ask and you shall receive” does not mean God is a divine Santa Claus. God knows what I want; God also wants me to ask. Asking is trusting God; vagueness is not. Vagueness says, “I need you to do something for me,” but keeps God at a distance like a Prayer Pez Dispenser.
—Richard Vantrease, Community Presbyterian Church, Celebration, Fla.
A timeless message
What do I want most for Christmas? To be young again — young at heart, so that the simple joys of Christmas outweigh the stresses. To experience the anticipation that made falling asleep on Christmas Eve as hard as rising early on Christmas morning to the joyful abandon of opening presents.
Now distant families with competing demands on time make coordinating schedules all but impossible and offending in-laws inevitable. Commercial advertising begins before Halloween, and shopping for the elusive “right” gift means bouncing between crowded stores like a pinball machine.
The timeless message of Christ’s birth remains as relevant to our jaded, tired world as it did two millennia ago, even if we try to obscure it behind the frenzy of commercialization and the politically correct “holiday” or “winter” parties and sharing of “Seasons Greetings.” Too bad then that our churches don’t mark all 12 days of Christmas with the same enthusiasm that is usually reserved for just the first one, December 25.
Oh well, perhaps, we are too busy returning presents to notice.
—J. Steven Moore, Milford (Va..) Presbyterian Church |
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