Devotion XVI at Bethany Village

My sixteenth devotion at Bethany... amid all the Christmas joy and sugarplum fairies and stuff, sometimes it's good to remember that for some Christmas brings pain and loss of their loved ones, and it is good to stand with them during this time and support them. What is the spirit of Christmas, the true spirit?

Matthew 1.32b “…‘and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’”

The spirit of Christmas is found in stillness.

In Oberndorf, Austria, there is a church named Nicola-Kirche (the Church of Saint Nicholas). 24 December 1818, the pastor, Rev. Josef Mohr, and the head musician, Franz Gruber, realized that the organ was no longer working, apparently, the bellows had been eaten through by mice. The bellows are essential to the organ because it keeps the air pressure at a steady rate, which allows for the movement of air through the pipes. In other words, holes in the bellows meant no music. So, Mohr went to his study, grabbed a poem he had written some time earlier, and had Gruber compose it to music. The Christmas service that night was played solely on guitar, with this one new song not being played masterfully on the grand organ, but instead on the quiet strings of the guitar. The song was, of course, “Stille Nacht,” or “Silent Night” as we know it.

Of course, the whole organ story is legend, no one knows for sure anymore the particular motivation for this song being written on guitar instead of the organ, but I think it is a likely story. And, even if the story is false, it still holds the beauty of Christmas, the beauty of simplicity.

Certain churches have the tradition of, during “Silent Night,” having a candle lighting where all the lights are turned off, sometimes even the organ will go silent, and you’ll just hear the voices of those around you singing the words “Silent night, holy night/ all is calm, all is bright,” where the good singers and the bad singers are drowned out by the music of the people around you, and you hold you light close to the book so you can attempt to read the words in the darkness, trying not to catch it on fire where kids fight behind you, trying to purposefully catch each other on fire.

There is something about the faith expression there, something in it, that our culture’s rushed, hurried, and perfectionist view of Christmas has never quite captured. Regardless of what your faith is, the simplicity carries forth the faith. Even those who do not believe sing the words, relying on the belief of others to fill their hearts and minds, knowing that when, not if, they return to belief, the others will return the favor.

Christmas spirit comes in the silence. It comes when you’re completely exhausted and sit down for the first time in what feels like days and you just are quiet. Pensive. Peaceful. It is the long needed rest for the weary.

Christmas is also in the expecting. The Advent which proceeds Christmas. The long awaiting of something… that knowing that something better is yet to come. That is the Christmas spirit. It is silence. It is expectance. It is rest. It is peace. It is not doing for once.

I remember how my brother, sister, and I used to sing together in three part harmony, standing next to each other in the pews on Christmas Eve. The music was glorious. My brother, sister, and I even made homemade recordings of us, me on piano, my sister on flute, and my brother on cello or guitar, and then we gave those out to family members for Christmas.

My brother passed away unexpectedly two years ago at the age of eighteen. And the hardest time of the year consistently is Christmas, where all the joyous family traditions we had—the singing together in a pew on Christmas Eve, the playing our instruments together, decorating trees, all of that is different. Christmas can be a very joyous time for many. But for those who have lost loved ones, Christmas may be a heavy-hearted time.

When I miss my brother this season, I cannot help but think of that first night that “Silent Night” was sung, just the simple guitar. Christmas is about family and love, true, but sometimes I feel more Christmas “spirit” when I’m alone, maybe just decorating my little apartment, humming a Christmas carol to myself. I feel it in the absence of Justin. Where he is no longer with us. I feel that. And I feel the Christmas spirit in his absence. The knowing that he’s gone now, but something better is yet to come. Peace of mind? A harmony that is now only the sound of one voice, united, sad, but peaceful? A voice that begins in silence before the first note even begins. That has silence in the spaces between each note, each phrase. That silent night where a nation heavy with mourning, under foreign occupation, had all their dreams realized in a tiny, little child born in the most humblest of places, a lowly cattle stall. That is where the Christmas spirit lies.

Let us pray.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe. Be with us this advent season, help us prepare for the advent of your reign, an advent realized in the birth of our king in lowly and humble attire. Be with us, we pray, in the name of your son, whose name is a promise in itself: Emmanuel, God is with us.

Let us pray the prayer your son taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Bethany Devotion VII

My seventh devotion (I think?) at Bethany Village in Mechanicsburg, PA.

John 6.35b “[Jesus said] whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
LORAN EISELY

Before I went to seminary this year, my mother gave me a plant. I don’t garden nor have I ever tended one, so I am not sure why she gave me this plant. It is a basil plant. I have it situated by a window so it gets plenty of light and warmth. Although I have never really kept a plant before, the plant seemed to be doing very well, its long green leaves reaching up towards the sun, the green a healthy and vibrant color. This past weekend I went home for a few days, and I forgot to water the plant. I came back to the seminary and saw that the once strong green leaves were now drooping, not just a little, but a lot. Some of the green had faded and some of the leaves began to turn brown around the edges. I had only not watered it for three days, and it was already drooping. I immediately gave the plant plenty of water, hoping that it was not too late to save the plant.

By the next day, after just watering the plant, the basil was already returning to it’s healthy self again. The color was restored to the leaves, the plant was once again reaching its viney tendrils towards the sun. The basil plant filled the air with its sweet aroma once more, its leaves growing in that sweet flavor that is so unique to basil.

Water is such an important part of life. It gives the world life. Growth. Nurture. The flooding of rivers gives rich nutrients to the soil. Rain brings growth to fields. Humans are composed of between sixty to seventy percent water, and if we do not drink enough liquid, we can feel parched, just like my basil plant, only to be refreshed the moment we drink more water.

Many of you I know read your bibles every day, and pray without ceasing. For the word of God is like water. It fills us up, gives us life, and opportunity for growth. Water is used in baptism, and along with the powerful words of the trinity, that water binds us to God forever. The great oceans are full of fish and whales and all sorts of creatures beyond imagination. Jesus said that whoever believes in him is never thirsty. Whoever lets the word of God fill them like water will never be the same again, but will be reborn. Let us continually drink from the living water that is the word of God, so that we may grow in faith and love, and so that we may let justice roll down like a mighty river and righteousness like a never ending stream.

I ended the devotion with Martin Luther's "Flood Prayer," and, of course, the Lord's Prayer.

Bethany Devotion VI

I know it's been a while since I posted a devotion, but I've been doing 'em.

Micah 6.8
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

“If you have made another person on this earth smile, your life has been worthwhile.”
~ Sr. Mary Christelle Macaluso

I used to work at Starbucks Coffee as a Barista—a fancy word Starbucks uses for people who serve coffee. I enjoyed it at first—the smell of fresh coffee—that is bitter and sweet at the same time. The atmosphere of Starbucks was one of sophistication and hurriedness, as people rushed in and rushed out with their coffees off to their busy lives. Making the coffee products were enjoyable, too. But, after a while, the days became longer and the business caught up to me. I remember one particular day I was making tea and I tripped, spilling the boiling hot water all over my hands. The day did not get any better, as the lines got unusually long, making customers unhappy as they had to wait, customers who had grown accustomed to their own special routine that included a warm cup of sweet, flavorful Starbucks coffee. And I remember complaining to my manager at the end of the day how bad it was.

“I just feel like I got nothing accomplished,” I said.

He replied, “What do you mean?”

I responded, “Well, the lines were long and customers were unhappy. I burnt myself. I just feel like today was a waste. Like today was a really bad day.”

My manager responded, “But you did your job. Even though the lines were long and people were unhappy, you were able to help brighten people’s days just by being there, simply by listening to their concerns and helping them get their coffee.”

My managers words were unexpected. I had not realized that my job was more than simply getting people their coffee. My job was more than that. It was serving people with a smile, helping them in perhaps the smallest way possible get through their day. And even though serving someone coffee is quite simple, I was able to help people smile, even if only for a few minutes on their way to work in the morning.

In life, so often we can get caught up in the disappointments in life. We can have bad days. Sometimes bad weeks or bad months! And it can feel like we’re not helping anyone. But just by being there, being a listening ear, being someone that smiles and says hello in the hallway, we can brighten someone’s day.

In the Bible verse I read, the prophet Micah is asking what all he needs to do to give God the praise God deserves. Micah asks if ten thousand rams would be enough, if rivers and rivers of oil would be enough. If that’s not enough, then what? Micah offers to give his first born child up to God! And yet, at the end, Micah realizes that all God requires is to love mercy, love kindness, and walk humbly alongside our God.

Just like a smile and a cup of coffee was a very humble means of serving another person, it was still serving them. It was still one small thing I could do to brighten someone’s day. Just by being kind, loving mercy, and walking humbly through the ups and downs of life we are serving our neighbors, and we are serving God.
So for today, I’d like to ask you to reflect on a few questions. How can we walk humbly in our lives? What small ways can we show kindness to one another?

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have protected us all through this night and with each new day comes new opportunities to serve you and to serve one another, so that we may act justly, love mercy and kindness, and walk humbly in your Holy Name O Lord. Let us pray together the prayer your Son taught us:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.