A friend just sent me an internet meme with the Grinch and this note: “This year I decided to do something different. I stole the last week of Advent.”
Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent AND Christmas Eve. I love Advent, perhaps because of the contrast with the hustle and bustle of this season in our society. This year too there has been the added weight of war and suffering, well sadly always there is war and suffering. This year it hits closer to our spiritual home as millions are at risk of starvation and death in the Holy Land while bombs and weapons have already killed tens of thousands, including children.
It is in the midst of this chaos and indifference that we are called for four weeks (more or less) to practice expectant waiting and hope as we yearn for love and peace. More than that, WE are called to make room for the incarnation of Christ in our world, hearts, and homes.
In the words of Margaret Anna Cusack, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, in her reflection for today, Christmas Eve (well written in 1866 but you know what I mean): “Today we are decking our houses for His divine visit: let us not forget to deck our hearts.”
Happy last day of Advent as we await the coming of Christ our love and peace!
Back in the day, I used to enjoy making Christmas Mix Tapes or CDs for family and friends. Today’s equivalent I guess is the Play List. So I made one. You can listen here.
It’s a mix of old favorites by favorite artists, some newer songs and some new-to me artists, starting with three of my own prayer videos set to music. And yes, some songs are repeated! It’s 2020. All rules are flexible.
Enjoy! and Blessings of Peace!
Song list:
As Joseph was a Walking – Annie Lenox Only at Christmas Time – Sufjan Stevens Joy to the World – Sufjan Stevens God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Sara Groves Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? – Sufjan Stevens Christmas (Baby Please Come HOme) – Darlene Love The Christmas Song – Aimee Mann Winter Wonderland – She & Him Jingle Bells – Ella Fitzgerald Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Phoebe Bridgers All I Want for Christmas – THe Yeah Yeah Yeahs O Come All Ye Faithful – Weezer What are You Doing New Year’s Eve? – The Head and the Heart Are You Coming Over for Christmas? – Belle & Sebastian Winter Wonderland – Radio Head The FIrst Noel – Weezer O Little Town of Bethlehem – Belle & Sebastian Jingle Bell Rock – Arcade Fire Donna & Blitzen – Badly Drawn Boy Last Christmas – Jimme Eat World Blue Christmas – Bright Eyes The Christmas Song – The Raveonettes Baby It’s Cold Outside – John Legend feat. Kelly Clarkson Frost the Snowman – Fiona Apple It’s Beginning to Look a lot LIke Christmas – Bing Crosby Skating – Vince Guaraldi 7 O’Clock News/Silent Night – Pheobe Bridgers (feat. Fiona Apple and Matt Berniger) Wonderful Christmastime – The Shins Little Drummer Boy – The Dandy Warhols Xmas Time is Here Again – My Morning Jacket O Holy Night – Weezer Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Albin Lee Meldau I Heard the Bless on Christmas Day – The Civil Wars Happy Xmas (War is Over) – The Polyphonic Spree Santa bring my baby back to me – Belle & Sebastian I Want an Alien for Christmas – Fountains of Wayne Good King Wenceslas – The Irish Rovers The Christians & The Pagans – Dar Williams Christmas in Hollis – Run DMC Last Christmas – Wham! O Holy Night – Tracy Chapman Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Frank Sinatra O Christmas Tree – Aretha Franklin Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – U2 On Christmas Day – Spiers & Boden The First Good Joy Our Mary Had – Fraser Freda Boyes Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer – Nowell Sing We Clear Christmas in Killarney – The Irish Rovers Let Us the Infant Greet – Loreena McKennitt Tracks in the Snow – The Civil Wars All My Christmases – Julian Edwards Christmas Song – Phoebe Bridgers Someday at Christmas – Jack Johnson I Saw Three Ships – Th Irish Rovers God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/We Three Kings – Bare Naked Ladies Feat. Sarah McLachlan I Wonder as I Wander – Audrey Assad
My Christmas card this year is a picture I took of a statue of St. Joseph “looking” at a Christmas tree lit up on the grounds of Bon Secours retreat center in Maryland that I took last year on retreat.
As I wrote in my Christmas Letter to family & friends:
I’ve been spending time talking to Joseph these days. In our CSJP constitutions we say about Joseph: “His courage to life a life of faith inspires us to trust in God’s abiding love, especially in times of struggle and uncertainty.”
Pope Francis writes about his own prayer practice with Joseph, and that he’s the one he goes to when he is “in a fix.” He writes little notes of problems that need fixing and slips them under a statue of Joseph. Joseph was a carpenter after all. When we spend time with the Gospel readings about the birth of Jesus, Prince of Peace, during the time of empire, we can see that Joseph understands what it’s like to keep on keeping on during challenging times.
We don’t often spend a lot of time with Joseph, but I think we all could use a little Joseph in our lives these days.
This Christmas Eve, I prayed with “As Joseph Was a Walking” recorded by Annie Lennox. If you want to spend some time with Joseph, here’s my video prayer reflection:
On the 25th of December, Christians around the world celebrate the feast of the incarnation of God’s infinite love in our midst … the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with Us … a mystery for the ages to be sure.
It is an awesome thought, to paraphrase a popsong from the 90s, not what if, but that God DID become one of us. That reality brings both comfort and challenge if one manages to screen out the commercialization of the holiday to the real fundamental message, which is love.
All powerful love … and the love of a vulnerable poor child born in a stable far from his parents’ home.
Universal love … and the particular love of a family, unconventional as it may be.
Love that is meant to transform and expand exponentially to break the binds of oppression, free captives, and build beloved community.
Love incarnate, now and then and always and forever.
It’s incredible on a theological level amd mind boggling on a practical human level.
It is stretching on a heart level, and that my friends is where my Christmas reflections take me this evening. How are we, how am I, called to incarnate love?
We incarnate love through our touch, a kind word, our presence. We can incarnate love through our dedication and faithfulness. Sometimes we are called to incarnate love through our questions and struggles, in the messiness of our lives and in the systems of oppression we resist.
Through it all, Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, is our model, our wonder counselor, our friend.
Jesus, be with me as I seek to be an incarnator of love in my own life.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Only at Christmas Time” by Sufjan Stevens. Unless you are a Sufjan fan, it’s probably new to you. I think I love it so much because it centers on what is important … Jesus comes to bring us peace, to bring us joy. God with us. Emmanuel. Such love.
About ten years ago I began a personal Christmas tradition of taking a long solitary walk on Christmas Eve morning. That first walk was very special and played a key role in my discernment to become a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace. Not every Christmas Eve morning walk has been quite so profound since, but each one has held its own special blessings.
Last year, for example, I went for a walk in the forest on fresh new snow! (You can watch the video prayer I made from pictures taken on that walk.) It was spectacular to celebrate the incarnation in the midst of God’s wondrous creation.
Christmas Eve morning walk – 2013
This year I went for a soggy walk in the rain in my Chicago neighborhood.
Christmas Eve morning walk – 2014
I found myself praying with the Gospel reading from this morning (Luke 1: 67-79) which is actually the Canticle of Zechariah which the church prays daily as part of morning prayer. As hinted at by the title of this post, my footsteps especially echoed the last lines:
In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
I walked through this tunnel, as I often do, on my way to the lake. This morning as I approached the tunnel, I saw two gentleman having a conversation. One was holding a black garbage back and pointing to the litter in the park. He handed the trash bag to the other man, told him there were plastic gloves inside, and that this was as good a place as any to start. I was intrigued, but I kept going on my walk to the lake.
On my way out of the tunnel heading home, I spotted the one man who had been given the trash bag and gloves. Sure enough, he was wandering through the park, in the rain, spotting trash and putting it in the bag. I found myself thinking, “What a lovely gift for Christmas, cleaning up the park.” As I rounded the corner to cross the street, the man was within speaking distance. I wished him a Merry Christmas and asked what he was up to. It turns out, he’s down on his luck and trying to raise some money to go visit his son for Christmas. The other man was paying him to clean up the little patch of park. Again …. in the rain. Given that I had been praying for the tender compassion of God to break upon us, I of course gave him a little contribution myself.
How wonderful to celebrate the gift of the incarnation in the midst of God’s wondrous creation.
As I turn off the computer and get ready to head off to spend this day with my own father, I hold this man and his family especially in my prayers.
And I pray for all of us, that we may indeed welcome the prince of peace by stepping onto the path of peace. In our hearts. In our families. In our cities. In our world.
At the Corner of Susan and St. Joseph 