Happy Holidays! Don't you love hearing this greeting?

Carol Howard Merritt is a blogger (carymilkweed.blogspot.com);[1] for those of you whose computer knowledge is limited to knowing how to spell computer, a blog is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web.  The Christian Century Magazine republished Mrs. Merritt's blog in the December 18, 2013 issue titled, Why I love to say "Happy Holidays".

She began the article with a theological discussion about the tradition of waiting to sing the Christmas Carols, while the congregation stretches out the four Advent hymns they know as they  wait for Christmas.  She said, she is sad that the church does not go out Christmas caroling to their homebound friends anymore. Therefore, we sing the carols less during the holiday season.

The question of following the Christian Calendar, which calls us to experience the wait for the Christ Child or to succumb to the desire to sing the hymns, is an annual question in many churches.  I personally look forward to the Advent season and the anticipation of waiting for Christmas Eve when we traditionally light the Christ Candle to announce Jesus' birth, but I also hunger for the hymns I grew up with. In the Assembly of God Church we did not follow the Christian Calendar so we never experienced waiting for the birth of Christ. Throughout December we sang about the shepherds in the field, wisemen following the star, and the angels singing on high about the new born King. 

I am not one of those progressive liturgical individuals Mrs. Merritt wrote about who gets upset because people want to sing about the birth of Christ before the birth of Christ. But I do want to honor our traditions.  Yet, I also understand the desire to sing the hymns because the season is so secularized we need the hymns to help us embrace the spirit of Christmas.

Maybe Mrs. Merritt is correct, that our conservative friends do host an annual “War on Christmas.” She says, "The soldiers in this war include people who punch Salvation Army volunteers because they say 'Happy Holidays' instead of “Merry Christmas”, then stand tall believing baby Jesus would want them to lead this war.

Well they may be surprised to hear that "the word 'holiday' comes from 'holy day.' But it’s more than that. It hearkens[2] a hope of Sabbath. There is also a sense of wholeness and healing in the word." So this Christmas season when someone says, Happy Holidays, smile and wish that person blessings as well as the hope of Sabbath. 

May God bless you as you anticipate the birth of Christ and while you are waiting, sing a few carols and have a very happy holiday.

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[1] Carol Howard Merritt, http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2013-12/why-i-love-say-happy-holidays

[2] Hearken, to listen and pay attention

Orginally published in the Morrow First United Methodist Church Mirror (Week Newsletter/Bulletin)

Remember

Words to Ponder …Remember … Morrow Mirror … November 24, 2013

"This day shall be a day of remembrance for you" Exodus 12:14.

In 1986 Julie, Lauren, and I stood on the memorial built above the USS Arizona. It was a serene moment. Lauren had only just begun to walk, but this is part of our family story. As Christians part of our calling is to share our story: How Jesus has changed our lives, a story worth telling.  As human beings we are also called to remember and learn from our history. Julie shared a devotional that Mary Lou Carney wrote that brought back memories of that day long ago and touch her heart.

"I'd heard about Pearl Harbor all my life…in every US History class I took, and from my father and father-in-law, both of whom served in the navy. But when Gary and I visited Hawaii and took a trip to see Pearl Harbor for ourselves, I was amazed at the emotion I felt.

A gleaning white structure rested out in the bay, a memorial built over the sunken Arizona. We boarded a boat with other tourists and listened as the guide talked about December 7, 1941. 'The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives. In the shrine room of the memorial, you will find the names of those killed.'

As we walked onto the memorial, I looked over the side. I could see the sunken ship! Its outline was visible in the clear water below us. I imagined the sailors that morning, roused from their sleep. Young, confused, frightened, brave. Did they have mothers, sweethearts, wives? I sensed someone standing next to me at the rail. I looked up to see a Japanese woman. For a moment I stiffened. What right did she have to be here? Then I realized what she was doing: dropping flower petals into the water. In that instant I knew that death-like bravery and love-knows no boundaries, that we are all enlarged by the noble and diminished by the tragic.

The water lapped quietly against the sides of the memorial, and when the lady looked my way, I smiled" (Mary Lou Carney, Reader Digest, Women's Devotional).

December began with a day to remember the tragedy of our own humanity. Lives lost because of conflicting ideologies.  We are a fallen people. However, as we journey through Advent toward the manger we are reminded that God has not given up on humanity. In the Christ Child, Immanuel we find hope and unconditional love.

When the struggles of the season weigh upon you, look around at God's creation, look in the eyes of your neighbor, and see the hope that Christ placed in each us and remember God's love.

In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ, Dr. Ed Judy