Welcoming Christmas 2009

Ok, so this probably won't be my last post about Christmas, but who knows, with the busyness of the season, it just might be! :) My tree is up and my apartment is a strange combination of glorious festivites and monotinous laundry, but I guess thats what the most wonderful time of the year is all about right? I mean the monotony doesn't really go away, 9-5 is still 9-5 come December first, but it is somehow slightly more glorious than 9-5 on November 30. I'm trying to decide what it is exactly that makes it SO full of wonder, even though Christmas comes every year. I am coming to the conclusion that it is two things that my mom always told me would NEVER get old, that is people and the Word of God.
Amongst the many tragedies of our fallen world is a person without loved ones on Christmas; however MOST people have someone or a group of someones that make their holiday worth the shopping and the trimming and the parties and the decorating. These people, whether they be relatives only seen once a year, friends who are a part of our everyday lives, strangers who happen to work their way to our table, or a welcoming group of people making us feel at home in a place far away from home; whoever they are, they are. They are tall, short, stocky, thin, gruff, pleasant, funny, intriguing, quiet, broken and beautiful people. The anticipation of being with them, cooking for them, giving to them, and enjoying the crowned creation of the most creative Creator is part of what breaks the monotony.
The other part of the mystery of Christmas is the miracle of Word made flesh and swaddled in a feed trough. The Creator/Created who is the Light of the world. Everything that is good about Christmas, the lights, the sparkles, the fresh snow, the warm cookies, the new start; all of these are only symbols of Truth. Truth that we cannot understand speaks in quiet triumph with all the resounding stillness of a silent night into our hearts, almost unnoticed or unidentified. The "warm fuzzies" we get when we give a gift was invented by the little baby in the barn who was the greatest gift ever given. The laughter we experience was thought up by the one who chose shepherds and kings to break the silent prophecy now fulfilled. The emptiness felt by those scarred by loss is the very void this baby came to fill and every wish on every Christmas star is the Hope of Nations instilled into hearts of the wisest of men who believe that a star can reveal the Salvation of the entire world.
So instead of trying to cram away the mundane and live only for the glory, why not try to see the glory in the small things and the wonder of how simple it really is. People and the Word, its all we can take with us, the only things that do not get old.

Time to switch the wash!

Fight Songs

I spent the weekend with college students last weekend. At one point the schools broke out in their competing fight songs. Of course Uof M and Western were huge ones and filled the room with boisterous noise, but little old OU has a fight song that no one knows! However, there were a few who chanted the made up "Who Who's in the house? OU's in the house! OU!" Ha, it was funny. However loud and annoying fight songs are, they are arousing and they do inspire school spirit. I decided that I am pretty sure college students are some of my favorite people. With all the spirit of a highschooler and the maturity of an adult (mostly anyway) :) , they have enough of a past to make them want to change the future for themselves and for the world. Some come looking for answers, some looking for questions, most looking for community and a family that will love them for them. For freshmen, it is the start of making their faith their own and for seniors it is the start of leadership. Here are some annonymous testimonies and commitments:

"I've grown up in the catholic church, my family didn't really practice. I have been doing drugs and alchohol until last week. Last night when I got here, I thought it was pretty lame. But today it was a lot more interesting. When I heard *Lisa's (name changed) testimony about how she struggles with the same things as me and how Jesus changed her, I realized that I need to start looking into this stuff and sharing it. I want to try to start a support group on campus...."

" I was in the World Changers track and God has really challenged what I want to do with my life. I am almost done with a masters in pharmacy, but as I was working in the pharmacy the other day, I did not feel satisified at all... maybe He is calling me to something else?"

"I came here looking for community. I never had a lot of friends, but now I feel like I have people who care about me!"

There are so many other stories and hearts changed. We sang a song in Spanish that reminded me of a mulit-cultural kind of fight song. Its words were "Se Mueve, se mueve, se mueve con poder. Con con con poder Con con con poder, Con con con poder, Se mueve el mano de Dios!" "It move It moves It moves with power. With, with , with power. With, with, with power. With, with, with, power, Moves the hand of God." As we sang Con con con poder we pushed up our hands in a charge-like motion.... The university is a taste of the whole world, representing cultures, languages, customs, backgrounds, families, etc. Unity amongst all those different lives and facets of life under on Father is a little taste of Heaven.