First Thoughts: December 2009

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

William Gilmore Simms "Sabbath Lyrics: A Christmas Gift of Love"

The mid-19th century Southern writer William Gilmore Simms offered
personal reflections on the wonder of Christmas in the midst of the
loss of his children. He and his wife Chevillette had 14 children.
Only 5 outlived him. Read his reflections on the birth of the Good
Shepherd.

Where among the pasturing rocks
The glad shepherds kept their flocks
Came an angel to the fold
And with voice of rapture told
That the Saviour Christ was born

Born in Bethlehem sacred place
Of a virgin full of grace
In a manger lowly spot
Symbol of his mortal lot
Lo the Saviour Christ is born

Dread and glorious was the bright
Of that sudden shining light
Which around the angel then
Token'd to the simple men
That the Saviour Christ was born

But the voice that filled the blaze
Cheer'd them in their deep amaze
Tidings of great joy I bring
In the coming of your King
The true Shepherd Christ is born

Thursday, December 17, 2009

First Impressions

Ann Henderson is a faithful member; we just don't see her at church.
She watches us by television and lives at Shannondale retirement off
Middlebrook Pike. A couple of weeks ago, I dropped by to say hello to
Ann. She get a lot of frequent contact from Matthew and Amy Evans as
part of our Deacon homebound team, but I also enjoy catching up with
folks I don't always see in the pew. Like so many at Christmas time,
Ann had a surprise for me.

During our visit we chatted a bit. I shared a few nuggets of church
life; she asked about my family. Then she reached down and said,
"Pastor, my sister wanted to know if there were some people that I
wanted to remember this Christmas season; and you're one of them. Here
are some homemade peach preserves." I went by to give Ann the gift of
presence, and she surprised me with an unexpected gift.

This season is the time for the unplanned gifts. We plan, we shop, we
wrap, and the calendar turns to a new year and a new decade. We look
forward to what we're going to accomplish, look back at last year's
memories, and worry about the unknowns that lie ahead. Along the way
in January though, after the presents are unwrapped, the real gifts
arrive. These are the venues for the bright ideas and epiphanies that
give you a spiritual "a-ha" moment. They happen when strangers wander
into life, your body gives you an extra hour of sleep, the dreaded
activity becomes a memory, or a moment of service becomes a time of
celebration.

I am not sure what will spark, but I do know that they come when we
are around the kind of people we find in the epiphany season:
foreigners, shepherds, mothers, fathers, babies, and worshipers. Wise
men and television viewers seem to know that best. So, Ann, here is a
very large scale thank you note for the peach preserves. And to all
who stand at the corridor of a new decade, I hope you've left some
time for an unplanned gift.