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John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through hthe Word, and without the Word not one thing came into being. What has come into being in the Word was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. The Word was in the world, and the world came into being through the Word; yet the world did not know the Word. The Word came to what was the Word's own, and the Word's own people did not accept the Word. But to all who received the Word who believed in the Word's name, the Word gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of human will, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen the Word's glory, the glory as of a God's only child, full of grace and truth. The Give-Away |
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In Frank Capra's. It's a Wonderful Life, directly under Mr. Bailey's picture on the wall of the Bailey Building and Loan, there is a sign that reads, "All you can only take with you is that which you've given away." The protagonist, George Bailey, son of Mr. Bailey, stares at the picture as he contemplates how to bring his family out of financial ruin. This is George Bailey's darkest hour, and hard as he tries, he can not find the light of life.
The words on that sign stick with me, and I find myself meditating on them, especially lately. I too, find myself searching for the light of life, and I wonder, How do we take with us what we have given away?
It should be easy- this is the season of giving- the night we celebrate God giving us Jesus. We give gifts to others in order to emulate that act of God- to show love and grace to those who mean something to us. The give-away is meant to help us feel a little of the joy that God felt in giving to us; and to help us remember that we mean something to God!
What a beautiful truth to embrace.
Yesterday I was among the throngs of people at Shop Rite, picking up last minute items for Christmas dinner and baked goods and all of the other food specialty items we have come to associate with Christmas. And I know it's ridiculously crowded, and shopping takes five times as long as it normally would.
On top of it, yesterday there was an argument in the baking aisle over the last can of almond paste, there was no readily available price on any butterball turkey in the store it seemed, and one man rushing to grab one of the brie cheese assortment platters stacked dangerously close to the wine aisle, knocked over 2 bottles of Chianti- clean up in aisle 5!
And this is to be expected; invariably there will be collisions of carts, and rolling over toes, and a hundred 'excuse me's' to be said. Everyone buys way too much food and the American taste for bigger & more is rampant, yet... this is my favorite day of the year to be in a store.
Because if serpentine past the spilled Chianti and just stop for a moment, and make myself 'be still' in the midst of that food shopping, gift buying frenzy, I can hear a hum... and that hum comes from every person in that store. There is an energy, an excitement, a buzz of the anticipation of tomorrow that is unparalleled the rest of the year.
I call it a hum.
The Gospel writer of John calls it "the light."
Whatever you call is, it shines in us and through us. We are a people who like giving. We, like our Creator, like doing things for those who mean something to us. It's how we show our love. It's why we fight with strangers over the last can of almond paste, because without it, we can't make those cookies that little Jimmy loves so much, and we can't bear to disappoint him. It's why we pack ourselves like sardines into too-small spaces and knock over wine bottles to get the perfect cheese board for our wife- we want to make people happy. It's in our nature-
And I realize what a positive view of humanity I espouse in saying these things. No doubt some choose to focus on the darkness in people, in the Mr. Potters of the world (for those who have seen It's a Wonderful Life). And yes there is darkness- so much of it in fact that it constantly looms, threatening to overtake us, paralyzing us if we let it. And it's real. Loss, grief, fear, sadness- and we don’t have to look far to find them... These are dark times.
And like George Bailey, many of us have a feeling of dread at what may come. We don't see a way out. But if at no other night this year, take heart- because God does have a way, God does have a plan, God will bring us through. The light that Jesus brings, that resides in all people, shines through the darkest night.
Remember that when Jesus was born, things were also dark- people had been waiting for hundreds of years for the light- to be liberated, to feel a sense of dignity, and freedom.
But God combated the darkness by sending the light of Christ. Ad, I'm not sure if you heard that in the scripture but let me point out verse 9 of that beautiful prologue, that the light resides in ALL people! All of us? Yes, all of us. Even them- even the ones who don’t act like it, even US when we don't act like it or feel it. Just because we fail to look at the light, doesn't mean it's not there.
That's why this give-away is so important. Because no matter what we're going through, no matter how dark it seems, doing something for others points us toward that light. It helps us to see that there is indeed good in us, and in the world- it helps us to keep doing good, to keep Christmas, to keep the light shining. Otherwise we darken our own flame.
No matter where you are tonight, what you’re feeling or how far away the light seems from you- God is here. Whatever you think you may have done, whatever may have happened to you, whatever you are sure won't get better, I promise you, God has a way out- God has a plan.
And a final word about the give-away- we often think that this is about gifts, or money, or buying... but giving downt have anything to do with how much, if anything that you can afford. There are all types of give-aways that cost nothing at all... in the words of Howard Hunter- “This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again.”
In other words, show someone they mean something to you- and as we give these simple gifts, we take with us the joy of Christmas. We can truly celebrate the birth of the Christ child, and embrace the light that lives in each of us.
"...You see George; you really have a wonderful life."
The words on that sign stick with me, and I find myself meditating on them, especially lately. I too, find myself searching for the light of life, and I wonder, How do we take with us what we have given away?
It should be easy- this is the season of giving- the night we celebrate God giving us Jesus. We give gifts to others in order to emulate that act of God- to show love and grace to those who mean something to us. The give-away is meant to help us feel a little of the joy that God felt in giving to us; and to help us remember that we mean something to God!
What a beautiful truth to embrace.
Yesterday I was among the throngs of people at Shop Rite, picking up last minute items for Christmas dinner and baked goods and all of the other food specialty items we have come to associate with Christmas. And I know it's ridiculously crowded, and shopping takes five times as long as it normally would.
On top of it, yesterday there was an argument in the baking aisle over the last can of almond paste, there was no readily available price on any butterball turkey in the store it seemed, and one man rushing to grab one of the brie cheese assortment platters stacked dangerously close to the wine aisle, knocked over 2 bottles of Chianti- clean up in aisle 5!
And this is to be expected; invariably there will be collisions of carts, and rolling over toes, and a hundred 'excuse me's' to be said. Everyone buys way too much food and the American taste for bigger & more is rampant, yet... this is my favorite day of the year to be in a store.
Because if serpentine past the spilled Chianti and just stop for a moment, and make myself 'be still' in the midst of that food shopping, gift buying frenzy, I can hear a hum... and that hum comes from every person in that store. There is an energy, an excitement, a buzz of the anticipation of tomorrow that is unparalleled the rest of the year.
I call it a hum.
The Gospel writer of John calls it "the light."
Whatever you call is, it shines in us and through us. We are a people who like giving. We, like our Creator, like doing things for those who mean something to us. It's how we show our love. It's why we fight with strangers over the last can of almond paste, because without it, we can't make those cookies that little Jimmy loves so much, and we can't bear to disappoint him. It's why we pack ourselves like sardines into too-small spaces and knock over wine bottles to get the perfect cheese board for our wife- we want to make people happy. It's in our nature-
And I realize what a positive view of humanity I espouse in saying these things. No doubt some choose to focus on the darkness in people, in the Mr. Potters of the world (for those who have seen It's a Wonderful Life). And yes there is darkness- so much of it in fact that it constantly looms, threatening to overtake us, paralyzing us if we let it. And it's real. Loss, grief, fear, sadness- and we don’t have to look far to find them... These are dark times.
And like George Bailey, many of us have a feeling of dread at what may come. We don't see a way out. But if at no other night this year, take heart- because God does have a way, God does have a plan, God will bring us through. The light that Jesus brings, that resides in all people, shines through the darkest night.
Remember that when Jesus was born, things were also dark- people had been waiting for hundreds of years for the light- to be liberated, to feel a sense of dignity, and freedom.
But God combated the darkness by sending the light of Christ. Ad, I'm not sure if you heard that in the scripture but let me point out verse 9 of that beautiful prologue, that the light resides in ALL people! All of us? Yes, all of us. Even them- even the ones who don’t act like it, even US when we don't act like it or feel it. Just because we fail to look at the light, doesn't mean it's not there.
That's why this give-away is so important. Because no matter what we're going through, no matter how dark it seems, doing something for others points us toward that light. It helps us to see that there is indeed good in us, and in the world- it helps us to keep doing good, to keep Christmas, to keep the light shining. Otherwise we darken our own flame.
No matter where you are tonight, what you’re feeling or how far away the light seems from you- God is here. Whatever you think you may have done, whatever may have happened to you, whatever you are sure won't get better, I promise you, God has a way out- God has a plan.
And a final word about the give-away- we often think that this is about gifts, or money, or buying... but giving downt have anything to do with how much, if anything that you can afford. There are all types of give-aways that cost nothing at all... in the words of Howard Hunter- “This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again.”
In other words, show someone they mean something to you- and as we give these simple gifts, we take with us the joy of Christmas. We can truly celebrate the birth of the Christ child, and embrace the light that lives in each of us.
"...You see George; you really have a wonderful life."