“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.  Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.  Yet, in thy dark street shineth the Everlasting Light.  The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

It is in a little town, in the stillness of a moment, in a simple stable that God comes to be with us.  I love this tiny nativity from Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It seems to express the magnitude of our Great God Almighty coming to earth as a tiny baby in a most unexpected small place



Last week early one morning I was sitting in the Houston airport eating my breakfast.  In the midst of a lonely, sleepy, fairly deserted little side cafe, I felt a sudden flutter of wings brush by me.  “What in the world was that?”, I thought to myself.  I looked down and behold, a small bird had just landed at my feet!  “Where did you come from?”  There were no open windows.  I did not see the bird flying around….it just appeared.  In one split second the bird hopped up to the chair beside me and was present while I ate my breakfast.  Then just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.  Mystery!  All I know is I felt God’s presence.  “Be still and know”.

May you be blessed, my friend, by this beautiful prayer as we continue our Advent journey together…

“Neither I nor the poets I love found the keys to the kingdom of prayer, and we cannot force God to stumble over us where we sit.  But I know that it’s a good idea to sit anyway.  So every morning I sit, I kneel, waiting, making friends with the habit of listening, hoping that I’m being listened to.  There, I greet God in my own disorder.  I say hello to my chaos, my unmade decisions, my unmade bed, my desire and my trouble. 

 I say hello to distraction and privilege.  I greet the day and I greet my beloved and bewildering Jesus.  I recognize and greet my burdens, my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story.  I greet my untold stories, my unfolding story, my unloved body, my own love, my own body.  I greet the things I think will happen and I say hello to everything I do not know about the day.  I greet my own small world and I hope that I can meet the bigger world that day.  I greet my story and hope that I can forget my story during the day, and hope that I can hear some stories, and greet some surprising stories during the long day ahead.  I greet God, and I greet the God who is more God than the God I greet.

Hello to you all, I say, as the sun rises above the chimneys of North Belfast.

Hello.”

-Padraig O Tuama

nk

Pondering…

Watch for the small moments of God’s presence.



The most dramatic moment of the Christmas Carol “O Holy Night” is the phrase “Fall on your knees”!  The music suddenly becomes very loud, fortissimo!  The emphasis is on “FALL”.  There is no gentle slipping down to the kneeling bench.  There is a sudden full out, fall on your face, overcome with awe at being in the holy presence of God.  This is the moment of truth when we absolutely know that God is God and we are not.  We are part of fallen humanity in need of a Savior.  In this moment we know that the baby is our gift of life eternal.  We were lost and we have just been found, rescued!   It just feels so good to fall on our knees, to fully give ourselves in this way.  The following photo was taken by my friend Ellen of a nativity in Nazereth.



Another lesser known Christmas Carol is “Nino Lindo”. It is a traditional Venezuelan Christmas song translated by George Lockwood, 1987.

“Child so lovely, you are Christ my God…All my life, my darling, and my soul as well; this is what I offer, offer joyously, falling at your feet.”

Here the gift of ourselves is offered in full surrender of our lives, our souls.  This Advent season I saw the opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors”.  The boy, Amahl, is crippled and walks with a crutch.  The wise men stop by the humble abode of Amahl and his mother as they are on their way to the manger in Bethlehem.  Upon hearing about the new baby Jesus, the new king who brings new life, Amahl wants to send a gift to the baby.  The only thing he has to offer is his crutch.  As he lifts it up, he passionately offers the essence of his life support.  In this very moment he begins to fall to his knees and is suddenly healed.  His leg catches his fall, and Amahl bursts forth with new life, dancing about.  A miracle!

nk

Pondering…

Let us recall a special holy moment of kneeling before God.  Write about it if you wish.

Have you ever surrendered something to God, falling on your knees?

The Christmas Carol “What Child Is This?” is a 16th century English melody with words written by William C. Dix in 1985.  Here is a portion of the song…

“What child is this who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Why lies he in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding?  Good Christians  fear , for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.  This, this is Christ the King.”

Such a beautiful expression of God’s grace is present in the phrase “for sinners the silent Word is pleading”.  God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  He sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world though Him might be saved.  (John 3:16-17)

This statue stands in a courtyard in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast of Southern Italy.  I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful is this place! 

Mary is holding baby Jesus.  Yet, this is not a typical pose of Madonna and Child in quiet serenity.  Notice the intensity of feeling expressed.  There is a fierce love present between these two.  Mary is holding the Christ Child ever so tightly, with every sinew in her body feeling the passion of this embrace.  The baby, who is not yet old enough to talk, is the full expression of the Word made flesh.  God has come to dwell among us.  And in His eyes, His hands, I see the phrase,”for sinners here the silent Word is pleading”.  This. Child. Pleading.

nk

Pondering…

Have you ever felt the grace of God pleading for your salvation?

This past week I attended the annual pastor’s Christmas party for our district.  It is always good to see old friends again and meet some new ones.  We lit Advent candles of Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love.  Persons were invited to share a story if they felt led, about an experience of one of these.  The candle of “Peace” was lit and my heart leaped up to the microphone before my mind could argue about whether or not I should be telling a story in the midst of all these other great pastors!  I probably would have talked myself out of it.  The words came spilling out as I remembered in my mind’s eye…

It was just before Christmas.  I received a phone call from Jane’s family, “Could you possibly visit Jane in the nursing home?  The nurses say she is extremely agitated and they cannot seem to comfort her.”  Jane had Alzheimers and did not appear to recognize anyone anymore.

I arrived at the nursing home to witness an array of jingle bells and Santa hats.  Carolers were singing in the main dining area as residents were gathered around in their wheelchairs.  A happy noise filled the place, until I walked into Jane’s room.  There was a troubling disturbance present as Jane’s body and mind wrestled about on the bed.  Although she did not appear to be aware of my visit, when I asked if she would like Holy Communion, she nodded, “Yes”.  

I said a simple prayer, “Lord be with us”, and carefully placed a tiny crumb of the broken bread upon her lips.  “Jesus loves you Jane”, I whispered softly close to her ear.  In that holy moment, that holy meal of transformation brought the reality of the gift of the Christ Child.  A wonderful peace came over Jane’s body.  Indeed, Peace arrived all around the room in a breathtaking stillness.

Then Jane began to speak, in a quiet continual flow, these words…”Loves me….loves me……loves me……..loves me……..” I kissed her on the forehead and left with the echo of those words in my ears, and in my heart.

“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child.  Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.” (Words by Joseph Mohr, 1918)

nk

Pondering…

When have you experienced the peace of God?

May there be for you my friend, a holy moment of PEACE this Christmas.

In the Christmas Carol “Little Drummer Boy” a young lad wants to bring his best gift for baby Jesus, but feels he has nothing to bring because he is poor.  Then it dawns on him that he could play his drums for the Christ Child as his gift.  (Words and music to this song were written by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, and Harry Simeone, 1958). There is a lot of repetition in the “rum pa pums”,  but they give the effect of the boy playing.

“Our finest gift we bring, pa rum pa pum pum, to lay before the King, pa rum pa pum pum….I played my drum for Him, pa rum pa pum pum.  I played my best for Him, pa rum pa pum pum.  Then He smiled at me, pa rum pa pum pum, me and my drum.

(My version)…I played my drum for Him, pa rum pa pum pum”.  Then He looked up at me and said,”Let’s try something else!”

The key is that we would each use our own best gifts to glorify God.  What is it that God has created in me, in you, that God wants to use to meet the needs of the world?  We become the vessels for the work of God’s Spirit. It is then that we truly are the best we can be!

I saw this prayer on the wall of my doctor’s office. It beautifully expresses the passion of someone who is living out the calling of their best gifts to be used by God.

nk

Pondering…

What do you think are your best gifts?

How could you give something of yourself this Christmas?

The star plays an important role in the Advent journey.  It’s sudden appearance and brilliant display of luminous energy awakened the wise men to the birth of the Messiah.  It was the light for which they had long been waiting and watching.  The star held within its presence a deep knowing of an eternal truth.  The revelation was so strong that it compelled the wise men to follow as the star led them to the King of kings. The Christmas Carol, “There’s a Song in the Air” speaks about the star. (Words, Josiah G. Holland, 1874):

“There’s a song in the air!  There’s a star in the sky!  There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a baby’s low cry!  And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing, for the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!  The first line of the next stanza captured my attention…“In the light of that star lie the ages impearled”.  

I am thinking of the mystery and wonder of the galaxies.  The stars are visible to us, yet they are light years away!  They contain eternal light.  God set the stars in the expanse of the heavens at the beginning of creation. (Genesis 1:16-17).  I love the thought that the ages of time are impearled within the star.  How wondrously beautiful is that image. It makes me want to find a spot out in the country where the sky is clear, lay down on the ground wrapped in a warm blanket, and bask in the wonder of the stars in the heavens, the story they have to tell.

How in the world is our limited vision connected to such eternal light?  When I had surgery to remove cataracts, the lens of my eye was softened and broken into small pieces.  This was precisely performed by a laser.  A suction cup was placed on my eye and a machine did the work. As I laid there with my eye numbed and held securely wide open, here is what I saw…



This is actually a photo of fireworks in the sky on July 4, yet it portrays what I was seeing in that moment. I simply could not believe that through the same eye experiencing the surgery, I was watching the colorful light show!  This was way beyond my comprehension.  There seemed to be an eternal light which was present both inside and outside my body at the same time.  They came to meet in this healing moment upon the tiny lens of my eye!

I wonder how the eternal light of the star was experienced by the wise men?  What was it like to follow it over hill and valley all the way to Bethlehem?  What about when it finally cast its brilliant beam upon the face of God, the tiny child?  The ages were impearled.  Oh my, I can only imagine the glory!

nk

Pondering…

Remember a time when the stars were especially brilliant and beautiful.  Where were you?

Find a time to enjoy the stars.  Reflect upon their eternal light.

Angels are always present along the Advent journey!  And they have very important messages to bring as they come winging their way from heaven to earth.  An angel let Mary know that the Son of God would be born as a child through her body!  An angel told Joseph that he would be the one to name the baby “Jesus” which means savior!  A whole host of angels sang their way into the hearts of shepherds out in the fields, letting them know that they would be the ones to see the face of God….so, get up and run to Bethlehem!  

Our Christmas Carol today is “Angels from the Realms of Glory”:

“Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o’er all the earth;  ye who sang creation’s story now proclaim Messiah’s birth:  come and worship Christ the newborn King.”  (Words, James Montgomery, 1816).

The phrase that keeps echoing for me is “wing your flight o’er all the earth”.  Angels are everywhere!  



Behold, one night while eating at a sushi bar, my plate suddenly arrived with an angel upon it.  And she was all lit up, glowing in the dark.  I suppose she could have said something like, “Fear not….try these…they’re really good!”  But the message I heard was this…”Pay attention!  Angels can show up any place, any time, to any person, and often in the most unexpected ways. They are quite busy “winging their way o’er all the earth”.

One very early morning recently I was lying on a stretcher waiting, anticipating a somewhat minor surgical procedure.  Stretchers just tend to make you feel anxious.  Suddenly, in the dim light, George appeared by my side.  His dark skin, his dark eyes, led me to believe he could have been from the Middle East.  He had a very gentle presence about him.  He carefully explained everything to me, bringing an unusual comfort and assurance.  Then he took my hand and said,”Don’t be afraid.”  I smiled.  (This is very typical angel language!).  It seemed that George was my angel.

I love this poem by Mary Oliver from her book entitled “Devotions”:



nk

Pondering…

When was the last time you felt the presence of an angel?  Have you seen one?

One of the most important aspects of our Advent journey is to be ready to receive the coming of Christ.  Our Christmas Carol is “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”, words by Georg Weissel, 17th century; translation by Catherine Winkworth, 1855. Psalm 24)

“Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold, the King of glory waits; the King of kings is drawing near; the Savior of the world is here!  Fling wide the portals of your heart…”

When I think of “mighty gates” I remember walking through the entrance to the old castle in Heidelberg, Germany which sits high atop a hill overlooking the city….

The gates were massive, and the weight of their power was felt as one steps across the threshold.  Clearly these gates were not easily opened.  The Christmas Carol is calling for open doors, open minds, open hearts.  Sometimes massive doors have been shut tight for centuries.  Christ is coming to break through doors of oppression and injustice, doors of isolation and greed.

We are called to fling wide the portals.  I wonder….must our hearts be open before we are able to open our doors?  Or does the opening of our doors lead to the opening of our hearts?  Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?  This I do believe…the grace of God which enables the opening is present both ways.

Last summer we traveled through a small town in northern New Mexico.  It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.  There was nothing for miles in either direction.  A blink of an eye might cause one to miss it.  Yet our eyes were wide open because we were hungry.  It was in this place that we found what I considered to be a treasure!

It was all about the doors!  The owners of this small, beautiful dining spot had transported doors from Mexico, each hand carved and painted by an artist. 

I absolutely fell in love with these doors as each one was a work of art. What spoke volumes was the fact that each door was open, bringing a warm welcome to anyone who might stop and enter. The whole place had flung wide the portals of its heart.  This hospitality put the entire village on the map in an otherwise dry, deserted place.  I will never forget!

nk

Pondering…

How shall we go about “flinging wide the portals” on this Advent journey?

It’s 5:00 a.m.  I sit at the kitchen table, working I suppose.  Well, I hardly call this working.  My mind is pondering, wandering around from thought to thought, as I anticipate the dawn of a new day along this Advent journey.  My pen is set to the page, yet I am open to transcribe what God wants to say.  My heart is full of both fear and excitement.  It is just so much bigger than me!

The Christmas Carol for today is “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” ( words, 15th century German translation by Theodore Baker, 1894)

“Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!  Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as those of old have sung.  It came a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter, when half spent was the night.”

Here the coming of Christ as a baby is expressed in a surprising event of nature.  A rose is blooming in the dead of winter.  I love how God is so often revealed to us, speaks to us, through nature. This is is exactly what happened one night this past week in Houston, Texas.  I awakened early in anticipation of watching the sunrise.  I peeked out the window and “Lo, how a snow hath fallen!  It came a blanket of white, amid some 70 degree weather, when half spent was the night.”  It was almost eerie and somewhat supernatural…

The sunrise arrived like the cold metal of a knight in shining armor. It was a totally different sight than I had expected!  I love how the light falls right into our back patio like a footprint saying, ” My Light has come to you…arriving right at your doorstep.”

 Oh my goodness!  LOVE, the GUEST arrived in silent beauty. Surprise!  Such is the Advent journey. 

nk

Pondering…

Has there been a surprise for you yet on our journey of Advent?

Let us watch for God’s voice in nature.

Our Christmas Carol for today is entitled “People, Look East”.  The lyrics are written by Eleanor Farjeon, 1928.  It is a traditional French carol.

“People, look east.  The time is near of the crowning of the year…People, look east and sing today:  Love, the Guest, is on the way.”

I am a bit fascinated with the directional instructions in this song.  As we experience our time of Advent, watching for the coming of the Christ Child, we are told to look east.

Why east?  I have a couple of thoughts.  First, the sun rises in the east.  It is in this direction that we witness the dawning of a new day. With each new day arrives a new beginning, new life.  Both as a sign and a reality, HOPE is present in each sunrise. People look east, and expect to find hope.  In fact, within the mere turning of our faces toward the subtle glow of first light peeking across the horizon, hope begins to be born within us.  We know that new creation is ready to burst forth.  What could be more important during this Advent journey than to find the place of HOPE!  Who among us does not find our spirits lifted in the beauty of a glorious sunrise?

Looking at the words of the song once again, we are profoundly struck with the purpose of our turning around our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our souls to look east.  Why?  Because…..”LOVE, the Guest, is on the way!”   I’ll be watching!  Will you?

nk

Pondering…

Can we find occasion during Advent to intentionally watch the sunrise?

How might we embrace an attitude of hope as we anticipate the arrival of Love, the Guest?

Next Morning….

I woke up early to watch the sunrise and SURPRISE!! Snow in Houston, Texas!

LOVE