The End of Stressmas

The Stressmas Elf,
re-configuring church space for online streaming

In my experience, the week before Christmas is a rather busy and chaotic time. I semi-jokingly name that week ‘Stressmas’ as it’s a week of a much planning, little sleep, and poor eating habits. Coordinating services, writing sermons, arranging pastoral calls and cards, church decorating, late nights and early mornings that lead to a generally high-intensity time.

And it’s not just clergy: we all add extra to our lives in that week, the desire for home baking, the menu planning, the teachers’ gifts, the wrapping, the endless “what did I forget" mental aerobics.

Stressmas. It happens.

And while every year, we tell our selves we’ll do better next year, next year we have Stressmas again.

So part of my joy on the 25th is to recognise that Christmas comes.

It comes because God will be with us, regardless of our to-do list, regardless of our imperfections, regardless of our stress.

Emmanuel: God is With Us.

God is with us when things go right, and when they don’t; when things go according to plan, or when we COVID-pivot yet again. When the recipe works or fails; when the family photo is frame-able or forgotten; when the intentions are spot-on or entirely off. God is with us through it all.

God is with us because we make the genuine offering of what we have. And this offering, when it is of God and for God, is an oblation – a sacred gift. And I believe God delights in the offering: for that giving of self is not measured by earthly perfection. That holy offering comes, after all, from an imperfect person.

It is this oblation that coverts Stressmas into Christmas: it is the uplifting of the oblations of others, it is supporting the efforts of the countless helpers, it is connecting (even if only online!) with the love and praise in community, keeping our focus on God.

So now, as the schedule is calmer, and the to-do list is past, we enter into a sacred and holy time of Christmas. The season has just begun; it invites in. To breathe deeply, to love completely, to offer whole-heartedly.

May our Christmas journey truly be one of oblation; and may that be the gift that we carry with us through the year.

 

A Christmas COVID story (from a tired clergy)

...influenced by Dr. Seuss!

The ‘Burgers in Lunenburg liked Christmas – a lot!

But a virus lived everywhere – and care; it did NOT!

Named COVID, the virus ran all through the season,

Going here, there, and everywhere – it seemed without reason.

It kept itself hidden for days before showing,

Then coughing and fevers and lots of nose-blowing

Meant that someone new was told they’re infected

… and whole groups of people had their fun plans rejected.

Indiscriminately, without showing preferences or likes,

We humans were plagued by those darn protein spikes.

With transmissions happening, both here and there,

We had to admit, we felt some despair.

“I’ll change what I look like!” COVID said with a smirk,

As it adapted, mutated, (and acted like a jerk).

“I don’t need to be seen, I don’t even speak,

But because of me, everyone will learn Greek!”

We doubled our efforts to take it to task,

Hand washing, and distanced, and carefully masked.

We listened to premiers, and dear Dr. Strang

And the whole Public Health team (whose praises we sang!)

Resilient Nova Scotians (we’re a hearty bunch!)

Again did a pivot, and changed Christmas lunch.

Our holiday plans shifted, our parties got cancelled,

Travel plans were delayed, feast menus dismantled.

“This stinks” we all grumbled, admitting our sadness,

As we tried our best to find moments of gladness.

In the spirit of compassion, we sprang into action,

Finding new ways to create holiday interaction.

There was joy to be found; with brand new traditions,

Finding ways to spread love with enthusiasm and ambition!

Sure, Christmas looks very different than what we had planned,

But the meaning of the season can never be banned.

We all know that Christmas, the Grinch couldn’t steal,

And the Who’s down in Whoville made quite a big deal

To love Grinch and Max, whose hearts grew three sizes,

For the power of Christmas is full of surprises.

So this year, again, we’ll all do our part,

To keep ourselves safe, together/apart,

We won’t seek out loopholes, for each other we’ll care,

‘Til the end of the pandemic is finally declared!

We’ll sing carols at home, share our prayers online,

It’s safest this way, we all want to be fine.

The results from our rapid tests will be the only negative

As to our beloved, the gift of good health we give.

The hugs – we’ll catch up on those in due time,

(When perhaps this poet will no longer rhyme!)

So together we pray, to the heavens above,

To focus on what really matters: the great gift of love.

Christmas Kindness

It’s a challenging time of year, in a challenging year.

But here we are, a week to go until Christmas, uncertainty abounding, learning the Greek alphabet... stress is high! No matter how much we tell ourselves we want simpler Christmases, we need to admit that our to-do lists tend to be longer around this time of year.

And so: we are out and about more, we are interacting with more people (whilst trying to interact less and less with people), we are feeling more time crunch.

And what I have seen happening recently is this:

We are being kinder.

Kinder to each other, as we navigate shopping aisles and unavoidable delays.

Kinder to staff in stores and offices, who are doing the best they can to help us.

Kinder to ourselves, in re-setting expectations to a more realistic level.

It’s the ‘please’s and ‘thank you’s, the holding open of doors, the acts of generosity, the consideration, the positive communication, … it’s every thing that we do and say, that reflects how we would want to be treated.

Kindness this year is happening in a multitude of expressions!

In a way, as we act kindly, we are also being kinder to the future: for if we can remember this kindness, we will aspire to include it again next year. If we can teach this kindness, others will be inclined to join us in the kindness sharing.

So: for everyone who offered kindness yesterday: delight in knowing that someone you were kind to really needed to receive that kindness!

And for everyone given the opportunity to be kind today (which is, of course, all of us!): let’s do our best to extend that kindness.

For in doing so, we will all enjoy this busy and stressful time of year a little bit more: and more of the light of God will be seen shining in our midst.

Jesus Calling

Earlier this week, the person in front of me got a phone call. Looking at their caller ID, they blurted out “Jesus Christ!” While my sarcastic brain thought “Oh goody, he’s early this year” the person answered the phone with an abrupt “What do you want?”

Oh dear, I thought, still a little punchy. That’s not the best first question to ask Jesus…

Which made me reflect on what question I would first ask of Jesus, if he were to ring my phone or drop by the office.

I’d want to make it a good question: reasoned, intentional, ideally profound and deeply theological, like the meaning of life..

Or would I? Maybe I’d instead want to ask something fun and spurious: Can you explain the platypus? Who’s your favourite author?

All in all, I would want the conversation to be meaningful – and important.

Which would mean that I would need to articulate what is important to me, in my relationship with God. How do I consider what is important and what is not?

I think, if the conversation were to be fruitful, I would want to stay to topics that are enhancing my faith life, and my actions as a Christian, and how to engage with the world in love and faithfulness – and how to avoid those things that are depleting that engagement.

It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t also chat dogs, and hockey, and canoeing, and… because those are things that I enjoy, that make this life happier.

Perhaps as we continue our Advent journey, we can all spend some time focusing and re-focusing on our spiritual priorities – what would we ask Jesus about if he called our phones for a chat?

And what matters of importance (and the importance of relationship!) do we discuss with the Christ we see in the people God has put in front of us?

Choose Your Own Advent-ure

screenshot from search for 'advent calendar'

I recently sent a friend an Advent calendar – who doesn’t enjoy the countdown to Christmas?

When I went looking, I noticed that there were several options. *several* options! I could purchase a calendar where each day offered chocolates – or cheese – or gin (!!) – or brick toys, or action figures, or tea, or jewelry, or… you get the idea. There are a LOT of options for Advent calendars!

(I joked with another friend, after having treated myself to a new novel, that what seemed to be missing from the market was a book-a-day Advent calendar. Hmmm - maybe not everyone reads as voraciously as I do?)

I also noted that some options existed for fill-your-own calendars; with spaces for candies or prayers, for candles or biblical verses. A conversation with friends and colleagues suggested a lot of love and planning goes into those calendars, trying to combine the secular seasonal enthusiasm with the liturgical anticipation. As their children aged, so did the contents, catering to the spiritual needs and development of the individuals.

Basically, these home-filled Advent calendars allowed the filling elves (parents!) to make each Advent not just an adventure, but an experience. The spiritual journey is emphasised alongside the sweetness of candies; the richness of our preparatory season infused with the excitement of opening each daily door.

It reminded me of the opportunity we all have, as we journey through Advent: to choose how we will spend this time. We can be intentional about including prayers and scriptures into our days, guiding our hearts through each today. It can help us to not rush through Advent only focused on the 25th, but to choose – carefully – the adventure that is Advent.