Tidings from Thomas - December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas!!!  Today we celebrate that God became a human being and lived among us.  We celebrate that God continues to live with us, within us, and among us.  The angels’ proclamation to the shepherds is the same one we hear today, “to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Matthew 2:11).  Christ is born for you!

We also hear Matthew’s words about the Virgin Mary, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Matthew 2:19).  Sometime today, I encourage you to take a moment to ponder.  Find a lull in all the activity between presents and food to sit, be quiet, and reflect on the mystery that Christ the Savior is born.  The Creator of the universe, the One who started the world spinning, became human for you.  Take time today to rest in that mystery, reflect on all the wonderful gifts of God, and offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

One of the traditional Greek Orthodox prayers offered on Christmas morning includes these words, which I offer for you to ponder:

Christ is born, give glory!
Christ comes from heaven, meet him!
Christ is on earth, be lifted up!
O all the earth, sing to the Lord,
and sing praises in gladness, all you people,
for he has been glorified!

Yours in Christ,

Thomas W. Smith

Tidings from Thomas - December 16, 2019

There was some big excitement at the Smith house the other night.  Almost of its own accord, the Christmas tree fell over.  Though she was seen running from the commotion, eyewitness accounts confirm the dog was not to blame.  Neither child was in the room at the time and no suspicious persons were seen loitering in the living room.  According to authorities, a well-intended adult Smith was attempting to water the tree when one light tap in the right direction sent the tree reeling.  The tree was righted, the mess was tidied up, and all is again right in the living room.

This seems like a metaphor for what many of us feel this time of year.  We try to act like everything is alright.  Everything may seem alright from the outside, but everything may be far from alright.  All of us carry brokenness and hurt.  All of us have issues in families and relationships.  For some reason, those issues can all bubble to the surface this time of year.

Yet Jesus still breaks into the world on Christmas to remind us there is hope.  The Child of Bethlehem arrives to heal our brokenness and show us a better way.  It’s still Advent, but Christmas is coming.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas W. Smith

Tidings from Thomas - December 9, 2019

You can always tell when Christmas is around the corner because all the TV commercials have snow in them.  I could go on and on about the commercialization of Christmas and the secularization of an inherently Christian holiday, but you have no doubt heard that rant.  One man is often blamed for the secular hijacking of Christmas. If you haven’t met him, you’ve surely seen him around town.  I am writing, of course, about Santa Claus.

 Santa gets unfairly blamed for the de-Christianization of Christmas.  Rather than reject the jolly old elf outright, let us instead reclaim him as a Christian symbol.  The name Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch Sinterklass, meaning St. Nicholas.  Nicholas was a real-life man who lived in what is now Turkey and served as a bishop.  Many stories tell of Nicholas’ generosity, especially toward children.  One such story tells of a poor man and his three teenage daughters.  The man could not afford a dowry for his daughters, meaning they were unable to marry.  Without husbands, the girls would be left destitute after their father’s death.  Not wanting to embarrass the family or draw attention to himself, Nicholas waited until nightfall and dropped three small bags of gold down the family’s chimney.  The bags fell into stockings that had been hung by the fireplace to dry.  With the gold as dowry, the daughters were married and, as the saying goes, lived happily ever after.

This story of Christian charity was retold and reworked until it lost its Christian meaning.  How might seemingly secular Christmas traditions take on new meaning if we reclaimed their Christian meaning?  As we approach Christmas, take some time to reflect on your family’s traditions and consider how they might be infused with new meaning.  Look for ways they point you to God and give thanks for God’s wonderful gift of God’s Son.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas W. Smith

The First Tidings from Thomas

It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is just around the corner.  As a child, Christmas was a magic time of year.  It seemed that Christmas would never arrive and then when the wonderful day arrived, it was a time filled with wonder and joy.  Of course, there were presents, but there were also family gatherings, and special foods and unoccupied days to keep the joy of December 25th rolling until the dreaded day came and we returned to school.

What I remember most keenly from childhood is the longing for Christmas to finally arrive.  In the Church’s worshiping year, the season preceding Christmas is called Advent.  In the most basic sense, Advent is a season of preparation for Christmas.  But with Advent comes the sense of longing.  It reminds us how God’s people yearned for the arrival of the Messiah, who eventually did arrive on the first Christmas.  Before the joy of Jesus’ birth came a season of waiting, of worrying, of longing. 

This year, let us not fall into the hasty rush for Christmas.  Take some time to live into Advent.  Let Advent be an annual reminder that as the world received Jesus 2000 years ago, we need to continually seek and receive Jesus in our lives.  One of my favorite Christian writers, Henri Nouwen, wrote in The Inner Voice of Love,

"When your eating, drinking, working, playing, speaking, or writing is no longer for the glory of God, you should stop it immediately, because when you no longer live for the glory of God, you begin to live for your own glory. Then you separate yourself from God and do yourself harm. Your main question should always be whether something is lived with or without God."

This Advent, don’t rush straight to Christmas.  Spend some time looking for the God who is already with you.  Because, if you do, you will always find Him.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas

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