“Where there is faith, there is love; Where there is love,
there is peace; Where there is peace, there is God; And where there is God; there is no
need.” -Leo Tolstoy
Christmas, while growing up, was a magical time. Just like all
the other children of the post Second World War era, I looked at the mail order
catalogues and drooled over all the toys that were being offered. In our world,
that protected cloister we called family, there was the small “s” spirit of
Christmas called Santa Claus. I am not
sure at what age the truth about his actually being just an image was revealed.
I am sure it made a difference at some level, but we still left our Christmas
stockings out to be filled and had great expectations of what might be left
under the tree, long after we heard the truth.
I am not sure really, that it made that much of a difference
about having a Santa Claus or not having one, as the true meaning of Christmas
was always present for us. The Christmas Story was read from Luke Chapter 2
through the years, and we have passed that on down to our children… or we pray
that to be so. The main theme of Christmas was that of love. All the other
bi-products of the commercial celebrations were just a bonus to us. Did we fully
understand that when we were merely youngsters? No, of course not, but as we
grew and matured it became more evidenced in those family traditions that made
up the Christmas season.
I wish I could say that every day was just like Christmas
Day, but none of us can say that with all truthfulness, can we. Back then, there was
the threat of knowing that the mystical Santa Claus had both a nice and a
naughty list, and we lived in fear of a lump of coal or a bundle of sticks in
our stockings. We all have those memories where things didn’t always run
smoothly and relationships got ruffed up a bit. Some of those moments were hard
to get beyond; our ability to let go of “stuff” and forgive, often took a
beating. It is said that you can’t take back what comes out of your mouth. Once
the harsh or unkind words are spoken, they are fixed in time… and in “memory”…
if not yours, the person you said them to.
I remember how important it was for our parents to remind us that we
should watch both our language and our attitudes. More than once I have been
reminded of my Mom telling us that it was a sin to tell someone that we hate
them, and the Scripture reminds us that if our hearts begin to hate someone, we have in
essence killed that person already. That was enough to frighten our young
hearts, but not always enough to stop our young and contemptuous tongues from
spilling forth the words, when our anger got the best of us. Love is sometimes
hard to cling to, and even harder to administer under duress, created by
self-doubt, or in our weakest moments.
In our culture, in Eastern Canada, we watched Santa Claus’s
message every day, following the evening news on the National TV Network. I
will never forget Santa’s instruction to all the girls and boys as he ended his
talk; “Now repeat after me… I promise to be good in every way and try to make every
day, almost as happy as Christmas Day!” That was reflective of the ideal, which
hoped for not only joy, but peace in the family, community and world. Tolstoy’s quote, remind us that there is a
“basic need”, required to accomplish the kind of peace in the world, that would
be both everlasting and fulfilling. I once wrote of my Mom’s desire to have her
sons love her 365 days of the year, not just on Mother’s Day. Love, not being a
continuous process on a daily basis, has no great or lasting effect on
humanity. There must be a deliberate striving toward that level of love,
wherein you gain and retain peace.
Things have changed in so many ways over the past 6 decades.
A few days ago our family took a drive around the area to look at the outside
decorations and lights. In the 1970’s there were pockets of brightly decorated
homes in certain areas. People would flock to those communities and drive
around, just to enjoy the beauty of the Season. Not all of the decorations
reflected the Christ of Christmas; many were just reflections of childhood
interest, in a seasonal reproduction of gifts, and Santa Claus, along with the
special arrangements of coloured lights. While the joy of the trip to visit
those communities was often discussed among friends, little of the peace and
joy of the Christ Child’s birth was retained, just because of superficial
dressings of people’s homes. It was what took place inside the homes that was
of more interest, as I began to mature, and my heart still wonders, as we drive
through those same communities, visiting friends and family during the Christmas
Season; do they know the true Reason for the Season?
I can remember pouring through the Christmas Wish Book,
which was one of the delights of the pre-Christmas season, as a child. Those
mail-order catalogues, though there were central outlets for them in most
communities back then, were important factors in every child’s penning of a
wish list for Santa, to be delivered through Mom and Dad. Some will remember
that old song where the lyrics went something like this: “Johnny wants a
pair of skates, Susie wants a dolly; Nellie wants a story book, she thinks
dolls are folly”. I may be off on the lyrics there…. It was the version my Dad
used to sing. We soon learned that just because we wanted something, our dreams
did not always come true.
We lived in an era when the Walt Disney program sang that song,
stating that our dreams come true when once we have wished upon a star. Those
fantasies soon disappeared when we had to look at the future through some not
so rose tinted glasses. Work for you supper and you’ll get breakfast was more
in alignment with what took place. Not that we were stone poor; it was a
bi-product of living with older parents who saw the plus side of teaching their
children the responsibility of helping to support the family by earning their
own way in life. It helped everyone, including our parents, who no longer
needed to fully shoulder the burden of meeting all the expectations of a new
age, with new dreams and potentials, that for the most part, cost lots of money.
Christmas has become even more commercial than it ever was.
Can one turn back the clock and revert to a slower, more moderate time and
survive the penalty of peer humiliation? Some would say, “Absolutely!” and not
care about the repercussions of derision heaped against those under their care,
especially those children in relational and fellowship groups in school and
playgrounds. There has never been a time when people did “not” look down on the
less fortunate. That is a sad statement for sure. But human nature raises its
ugly head and scoffs at those who do not come up to the standards of the times.
But, still, we don’t always get what we want.
In my work as clergy through the years, there were other
circumstances, other reasons, other criteria whereby I experienced the plea for
a wish to come true. I’ve stood by the side of dying people and heard their
family’s plea for a life to continue, for sickness to turn once again to
health. I have listened while well-meaning individuals promised the sick that
if they surrendered and believed, and asked for healing, they would be healed…
after all faith can move mountains… right? And, that just scratches the surface
of pain and misfortune I faced almost on a daily basis. That may sound so harsh,
and on the edge of unbelief, but I can tell you that not all sickness stems
from sin, other than Adam’s sin… and not all prayers are answered as we want
them, just because we pray in faith believing. We must be cautious about how we
approach God. We come as a privilege to his throne, not as demanding servants
who bring a wish-list and expect that list to be filled. We, who are the
servants of God, understand the mystery of His will, only as He allows us to
see it… just like everyone else. God is not Santa Claus nor is He Walt Disney
who grants wishes because we have written him a letter (prayed) or wished upon
some star. I have written before of Christ’s plea in the garden, just before
His arrest. That was a believer’s prayer! He received what was needed, not what
he desired, in the human context of his prayer.
I got my sword… a wish come true. I met the woman of my
dreams… bingo! God allowed me to attain an Electrical license, that happens to
serve me well to this day! My prayer was, “God allow me to become an
electrician and I will go where you want me to go!” (And so I went, even to India on 4 different occasions in service for Him.) Well… I got it partially
right anyhow. Out of electrical work and into ministry He sent me … kicking and
screaming, for the first 5 years or so. Sometimes we get what we want with added
codicils. Now, 30 years or so later, I am coasting through my retirement years, clinging to the hope that
financial burdens of home ownership, and standard maintenance, will not shove
us too close to the edge. Who am I kidding? That is standard fair for everyone
these days! LOL
So? How about those Christmas dreams? Mine include family
gathered, time to laugh, a meal shared and most of all love, that binds us
together, no matter the size or intrinsic worth of what those Christmas wrappings
enfold. Quite like the Christmas fever, that we pay homage to in a commercial
sense, daily life can spring some surprises on us from time to time. A turn of
the tide, a fork in the road, or even a flat tire can change the planed design
of your day and cause either deep heartache or bring a rich blessing. A poet by the name of Robert Frost once wrote of the
road less taken; it can bring meaning to life, as we plan ahead, and I want to
share the last verse with you today, as you consider the theme I bring forward.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
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Somewhere ages and ages hence:
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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
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I took the one less traveled by,
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And that has made all the difference.
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While planning life, I find myself in my latter years more
able to let go of what I thought should happen, and the fears of what could
happen, and I cling to the promise that no matter what does happen, I am loved.
For me, this has made all the difference; you might say it is the only instance
where I could be assured that I really got what I wanted. I have given my wife
and family every reason in the past, to really dislike me on many levels. I
have been absent when I should have been
present, and I let my work take the place of the relationships that were most important
to me, as I strived after what I thought was the Master’s calling on my life. But,
He also called me to be a good, present husband, and father to my children. I
was reminded of my remiss early enough to make some changes, but the continued
pressures of work and the stresses of ministry did take its toll. Am I sad?
Yes, sometimes more than I need to be perhaps. Am I ashamed? Yes, more than
most will ever know. Yet God is not only good, He is great! As you look down
the road toward the future, measure what you want over and against what you need, and be careful not to put all your eggs in the
basket of guaranteed assurances… You don’t always get what you want! Maybe you need to look to the right "Star" and hang your future on it! That is living near the edge!
