How quickly Christmas is left behind. Last week it was all lights and presents, parties, and love. Now it’s back to the “real world.” Every magazine will have it’s year in review issue, and articles speculating on we can expect in 2012.

In a way that’s appropriate. All the hope and expectation around the birth of Jesus was not really about the birth of a child. The hope and expectation were focused on what that child would accomplish. At the annunciation Gabriele promises Mary, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:32-33) Shortly thereafter Mary visits Elizabeth, the child Elizabeth has conceived leaps in her womb in recognition, and Mary proclaims,

“For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:49-53)

Jesus grew up. And when he did he fulfilled the words of Mary, Gabriele and the prophets. He challenged the powerful, taught us to receive the love of God and share that love with others. Jesus changed the course of history, bending it in the direction he referred to constantly as “the Kingdom of God.” In the Kingdom of God there would be justice, and peace; kindness and compassion.

But the Kingdom isn’t finished. Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit are still working on it—in part because they want to give you and me a chance to be involved in building it. The Kingdom, Jesus says, is like a seed growing secretly. It’s like leaven in a loaf of flour. It’s often hidden, but it’s growing. It’s getting ready to burst forth. We who follow Jesus are invited to help with the gardening. Help the Kingdom grow and flourish.

So it’s perfectly fine—required in fact—to move beyond Christmas into the world of ordinary life. But in doing so, let us not leave behind the hope, the joyful expectation that lay behind our Christmas celebrations. That gift is meant to be carried forward. The “real world” does not have to be the way it is. Jesus showed us how to live a different set of values. The kingdom, of justice, compassion and peace has been planted. It’s growing. So let us garden!

Happy New Year!

Dear Friends,

 I have wanted to fly ever since I took a ground school course in high school. After reading The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy I had vivid dreams in which I put out my arms, and, as the book suggests, “threw myself at the ground and missed.” When my daughter started school, I had a little extra time each week, and I decided this was my chance. I started out with a couple of lessons in a glider, but there aren’t many good gliding days in this area so I switched over to powered planes.

  I fly out of Stanton Airfield, east of Northfield, which looks pretty much like a huge lawn with a lot of tire tracks in it. In fact I have a devil of a time spotting it from the air, especially in the fall when everything is uniformly brown. I have always loved to fly, even on commercial flights. While I was learning I hardly had time to appreciate being in the air. Piloting always keeps you busy. But every once in a while I pause, take a big breath and say, “this is really fine.”

 A cartoon in the airport office shows a plane in a tree and says, “Flying is not inherently dangerous, but it is less forgiving of human error than many activities.” To reduce the danger of missing something important, pilots use check-lists. In the preflight checklist, one item comes up 4 different times: “Fuel selector switch in the on position.” That’s because the engine will run on the fuel in the lines and on vapors just long enough to get you 100 feet in the air before it dies.

 As we enter the season of Advent, I’d like to propose a pre-Christmas Checklist.

q Remember who’s birthday it is

q Actually read the Christmas story in the bible

q Break from the rush to reflect and give thanks

q Enough is as good as a feast

q Give time and love

q Give to the poor

q Break from the rush to reflect and give thanks

q Put some lights out for your neighbors

q Don’t let the gift thing get out of control

q Break from the rush to reflect and give thanks

q Be kind and compassionate to yourself and others

q Listen to some great music

q Laugh a lot

q Break from the rush to reflect and give thanks

You’re ready to fly! 

I wish you peace and joy.

Tom 

The Rev. Thomas D. Harries

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being. (John 1:1-3)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (John 1:14) 

The created world can be thought of as God’s house, God’s home. According to its Greek derivation, the word “ecology” means “the doctrine of the house.” We Anglicans are particularly incarnational in our understanding. That means we treat Jesus’ presence in the flesh of the world as a type or perfect example of something more generally true. God is present within and among the created world. God inhabits the world, dwells in it. Since God also created the world we are reminded that the world belongs to God. We are guests in God’s house.

When I am a guest in someone’s home, I try harder than at my own house to treat the place with care. I don’t want to spill coffee on the furniture or make a watermark on the table because the owners have invested themselves in choosing and caring for them. Some people are more concerned about such things than others, of course, but the question is not whether they will be upset. It is part of my respect for the hosts to careful of their place.

Some of you have heard me tell of my stay at the Mad Carpenter Inn in Laramie, Wyoming. It is an old house that has been lovingly renovated and refurbished by the owner, a gifted carpenter. He added every imaginable decorative flourish as he replaced trim, floors, and wainscoting throughout. Guests naturally respond to the beautiful wood with exclamations of wonder. They also take extra care not scratch, break, or watermark anything. This strikes me as a fine example of how people ought to treat the Earth God has so carefully created—with gentleness and care.

If we want to preserve the world in a condition to sustain ourselves and our grandchildren, not to mention passing its beauty to them,

The paradigm of dominating the earth…needs to be replaced by the paradigm of inhabiting the earth, which aims at establishing compatible and sustaining forms of interaction between humans and nature.[1]

We are welcome guests in God’s house—beloved children whom God is more than happy to shelter and feed. But we’re not toddlers anymore. So let’s treat this wonderful world with the respect and care due the home of one who loves us.

Shalom,

The Rev. Thomas D. Harries

Dear Members and Friends of the Church of the Holy Communion:

The New Year has arrived, and with it the promise of another fresh start. We have opportunities for improving our quality of life even in hard times. Because we develop resilience with age, we have the ability to confront challenges, accept them, and keep on going. The following are strategies for boosting your resilience in the face of challenges:

1. Establish meaningful relationships. Good relationships with family and friends help us feel integrated into our communities.

 2. Accept adversity and move on. It helps to focus on what we have and are grateful for.

3. Have a compassionate attitude toward yourself. Avoid self-criticism.

4. Have realistic expectations of yourself. Although we may not be able to do all that we used to do, we can focus on the interesting things we can do.

5. Help others. Assisting others helps make life more meaningful.

6. Rediscover your strengths. Consider doing some of the things you used to enjoy and take pride in. Regaining a sense of control over your life helps make you more resilient.

 7. Enjoy challenging mental activities and pursue a variety of interests. It helps to keep engaged in the world around you.

8. Plan pleasurable events and establish meaningful goals. It helps to have things to look forward to.

9. Adopt a healthy lifestyle. A nutritious diet, regular physical activity, and restful sleep help physical resilience. Avoid smoking and excessive drinking.

10. Regular exercise improves your health and sense of well being.

11. Reduce stress. Take time to unwind and practice relaxing activities. Confide worries to trusted friends or family.

12. Accept help from friends and family when you are discouraged.

 With love and care,   Judy Gardner, Parish Nurse  January, 2012

 Mind, Mood & Memory. (August 2011) Massachusetts General Hospital.