3rd Day of Christmas: Christmas Oratorio

Every year, I reread this poem.  
Although we have 10 more days of Christmas, many folks feel like they are through with it now and it's time to move on . . .

Christmas Oratorio
W.H. Auden

Well, so that is that.  Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes --
Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to the attic.

The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school.  There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week --
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted -- quite unsuccessfully --
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers.  Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.

The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off.  But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid's geometry
And Newton's mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.

It seems to have shrunk during the holidays.  The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this.  To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened.  Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.

And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,
We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit
Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose

Would be some great suffering.  So, once we have met the Son,
We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;
"Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake."

They will come, all right, don't worry; probably in a form
That we do not expect, and certainly with a force
More dreadful than we can imagine.  In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance.  The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practice his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith
That God's Will will be done, That, in spite of her prayers,
God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

(Chorus)
He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.
He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.
-- W. H. Auden

11 More Days of Christmas

So, this is the Second Day of Christmas. 
Christmastide  is the shortest season of the Church year – just 12 days from December 25 to January 6 – the day of Epiphany.
Once again, the church seems out of sync with the rest of the world.
While the prevailing culture around us - and yes, most of us, also - cleaned up the debris from exchanging gifts on “Christmas” day, the church says, “Hold on.”  
Christmas isn’t over on Christmas day. 
There are eleven more days of Christmas!
Eleven more days of Christmas?!!!

No one we know will be celebrating 12 Days of Christmas – much less anything called Epiphany. 
[I’ve never heard a store around here advertising Epiphany sales.] 

But, it is a fact that in many cultures and many countries in the world, Epiphany is a much larger celebration than Christmas day!

Christmas is at the very heart of our faith. 
The stories of our faith that have been passed down through the ages to us speak to the very essence what Christianity is – how we relate to the creator of the universe and how we relate to others around us.

In fact, we really do not know the actual day Jesus was born – apparently it was just not important to those early believers. 
Jesus never talked about it. 
The Disciples never sang happy birthday to Jesus.  
And no one ever shared pictures of the baby Jesus.  
It was not important to them. 

What was important was what they believed was his message and the authority he must have to be delivering the message so clearly and so forcefully.

And, so we need to know, that no matter how good hearing and singing and believing certain things makes us feel –
the real meaning of the season has nothing to do with gifts, or trinkets, or lights, or candles, or trees, or parties, or dinners, or children, or movies, or shopping, or cards, or Santa, or crosses for that matter.

Christmas is for adults.

The key to understanding Christmas is Emmanuel.
Emmanuel is this Hebrew word that means, “God Is With Us”.

It is significant that we recall and remember that at this time in history – during the heyday of the Roman Empire,
in this particular part of world – an out of the way, nondescript place of no significance to anybody –
the ultimate authority of the universe, the Creator of all that is,
broke through the barriers – the walls of the cosmic egg –
and came to live among, alongside, and with us mortal beings. 
God is no longer confined to the highest heavens, or to the other side of the wall,
or to behind the curtain of the holy of holies. 
No, this is about Emmanuel.

God is with us, we say. 
At Christmas we remember the message and we celebrate the exact point when it happened in history. 
But, the kicker is, the real message is, that it didn’t just happen once and that was it. 
God did not simply open the door and say here I am and then leave.
Emmanuel, we say. 
God is with us, we say.
That’s what we remember through the Christmas stories.
And, Emmanuel, we believe.
God is with us – still. 
Today. 
And tomorrow, and all of our tomorrows – 
Every second of every minute of every hour or every day. 

Emmanuel.

- Clyde E. Griffith

13 Years Cancer Free!

Last week, I skipped  out on meeting of a long-lived book discussion group so that I might keep a long-standing appointment with my Urologist. 

His news was good news.  "13 years cancer free", he said.
No signs of cancer.
"There is nothing for us to talk about," he said.
"See you next year."
"YES!", I said.

11 years ago I wrote these words for our church folks -- and it has since been passed on and on -- I don't know where. 
You might like to read it. Please let me know if you pass it on.


"Cancer," he said.
"You have cancer."
Sobering words, for sure.

I knew he was talking about the cancer that kills more men each year, save one.

I knew that over 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer this year.

I also knew that an estimated two million American men are currently living with prostate cancer.

So, the doctor had my full attention.

Thus began three weeks of whirlwind research and consultations and tests.

Fortunately, all doctors concurred that for my age, and my particular circumstance, the cancer needed to be treated aggressively.

Our research revealed that some surgeons were reporting great outcomes using laproscopic techniques. However, only a few surgeons in the Philadelphia were trained in these procedures and few were actually doing the surgery on a regular basis.

As luck would have it, the most experienced surgeon in laproscopic prostatectomies worked out of Bryn Mawr -- alongside the urologist I have seeing for some 20 years!

Not only had he done more laproscpic surgeries than any other area urologist, but he had documented phenomenal success with positive outcomes. And, he is the first -- and currently, only -- one to use the very latest tool: a robot called DaVinci. And, Lankenau Hospital is the only hospital in the Philadelphia area to have this futuristic machine in use.

I knew from my research that confidence in the medical team was one of the most predictors of positive outcomes. I had that.

I also knew that an even greater predictor of positive outcomes was my involvement with the faith group that is Christ Presbyterian Church.

In recent years I have been collecting scientific studies that confirm what I have observed -- and long suspected -- members of faith groups heal quicker, have less pain, and experience better surgical outcomes than those that aren't.
In fact, research confirms that being a member of a church is a better predictor of positive surgical outcomes than the disease itself, the location of the disease, or, even family history.

The prayers and expressions of concern by so many in the church, in other churches throughout the Presbytery, and in other contexts as well, worked with the skill and dedication of the surgeon and the medical team to help secure the most positive of all outcomes.

Not only has my recovery gone very well -- my hospitalization was only about 24 hours and I have had very little pain or other side effects -- but, tests show that the cancer seems to have confined to the prostate and they got it all!

By all accounts, I am now cancer free!

Sadly, over 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer this year.

This is the cancer that kills more men each year, save one.

It is estimated that some two million American men are currently living with prostate cancer.

And this is a cancer that can be beat with early detection and treatment.

It would behoove all men to get checked today.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

 

Christmas Oratorio: W.H. Auden

Christmas Oratorio
W.H. Auden

Well, so that is that.  Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes --
Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to the attic.

The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school.  There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week --
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted -- quite unsuccessfully --
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers.  Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.

The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off.  But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid's geometry
And Newton's mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.

It seems to have shrunk during the holidays.  The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this.  To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened.  Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.

And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,
We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit
Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose

Would be some great suffering.  So, once we have met the Son,
We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;
"Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake."

They will come, all right, don't worry; probably in a form
That we do not expect, and certainly with a force
More dreadful than we can imagine.  In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance.  The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practice his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith
That God's Will will be done, That, in spite of her prayers,
God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

(Chorus)
He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.
He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.
-- W. H. Auden

Happy Epiphany

The church recognizes the Day of Epiphany as being tomorrow – the first day after the twelve days of Christmas.

It may surprise you to know that many cultures of the world make more to do over the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany than they do over Christmas day itself.

In fact, Epiphany is one of the oldest days of celebration recognized by the church – they celebrated the Day of Epiphany for several hundred years before anyone thought of celebrating the day of the birth of the baby Jesus.

Truth be told, I think we in the US of A should do far more with the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany than we do.

Why is this night, of all nights, important to us?

It’s a good thing we begin a new year every year about this time, don’t you think?

If properly approached, the beginning of a new year can be beneficial to our psyche,
beneficial to our health, and beneficial to our soul.

However, as the years go by, Father Time becomes more of a caricature, and we pay less and less attention to the intention  of the season, don’t we?

Without the fol-de-rol of late night parties, New year’s Eve is of little importance to the on-going nature of our lives. 
We have no ceremony for this time of year, when a youngster may ask, “Why is this night, of all nights, important to us?” 

But, maybe we should. 
For this could be a teaching moment for all of us.

As I have noted before, most of us carry around way too much baggage.  We tend to tote pounds and pounds of grudges, animosity, resentment, and revenge, don’t we?
 
And, we know it’s unhealthy. 
Doctors tell us. 
Ministers tell us. 
Researchers tell us. 
Some friends tell us. 
Our blood pressure is affected. 
Our cholesterol is affected. 


Our heart rate is affected. 
Our mood is affected. 
Our relationships are affected. 
Our outlook is affected. 
Our immune system is affected. 
We become more prone to disease. 
We become more prone to mental disorder. 
We become more prone to grumpiness. 
And, our life is not what it could be. 
Our life is not what it should be. 
Our life is not what it is promised to be.

Dr. Bernie Siegel reminds us that there seems to be an innate desire in all humans to be reborn, to start again,
to make resolutions and changes we can live up to.

He notes that he sees evidence of this deep seeded desire
“every day in my role as a physician:
People learn they have a limited time to live, and they start their New Year behavior.
They move, change jobs, spend more time with those they love, stop worrying about what everyone else thinks of them, and start to celebrate their life. They are grateful for the time they have to enjoy life and they stop whining about what they wish had happened during the past year.”

So, he notes: we don’t need to wait for that one certain day of the year.

Dr. Siegel suggests that everyday can be the beginning of a new year.
When every evening is New Year’s Eve and every day you awaken is New Year’s Day, you are living life as it was intended.

For me, this is the message of the new year. 

As Paul reminds us in Colossians, it is time to put to death old attitudes and agendas.

Then, the new year has meaning.  
Then, the new life we are promised is closer to being fulfilled.

In this way, we nurture our soul. 
And, when our soul is tended, our health is better and our future is brighter.  
Then, and only then, can we truly welcome the new year and the days ahead. 
We know them to be the fulfillment of God’s time.

This is the day the Lord has made. 

When every evening is New Year’s Eve and every day you awaken is New Year’s Day, you are living life as it was intended

A Proclamation Failure or the Ascendancy of Wormwood

I have to say that on November 8, 2016, I experienced a crisis of faith that called into question a lifetime of teaching, leading and nurturing people to live the Christian faith.

Taking clues from the prefector of our faith, Jesus ben Joseph, whom we call The Christ, 
I have spent untold hours proclaiming his stories and message.  Through the years, the proclamation has taken many forms and ways – even using words upon occasion. 

Words have always been important to me.  Weaving words together to clearly express an idea, a concept, or a message has been a constant and major concern.

As the most openly blatant anti-Christian candidate to ever run for the office of President of the United States gained more and more support, I began to see that Wormwood’s work was finally taking hold.  (Screwtape would be so pleased.)
Evil had infiltrated American politics.

Specifically, I felt that my 47 years of work was for naught.  The word of God had not gotten through.  I have failed -  I, and my 400,000 colleagues who spend their lives proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, have failed.

The U.S. Presidential election of 2016 was a sign of proclamation failure.
That so many well-meaning people (including so many good church-going folk) were taken in by the only candidate in history to unabashedly personify anti-Christ behavior revealed a total misunderstanding of the faith that I, and thousands of colleagues, have proclaimed for so long.

Our work, my work, wasn’t heard. 
Or, possibly worse, if heard was rejected by so many of otherwise sane believers.

I had to go back and reread Scott Peck’s seminal work “People of the Lie” that he published in 1983.  Scott Peck argues that evil is alive and well in our world and exerts power in our lives.

Scott Peck affirms that even when evil seems to have taken hold (of a person or a group of people) hope and goodness always are potent antidotes.

So, I am still trying to work out what I am now to do during this time of the seeming prevalence of evil in our country.

There is a moroseness in feeling one has been a failure –  especially at communicating – which is what I have made my life’s work.

Perhaps it is not my failure; but, a nod to the power of Screwtape.  
Hate is powerful.  
Evil is alive and prevalent in our land.

Scott Peck’s work has been confirmed by the work of many in recent years.  
There is mounting evidence that goodness prevails over hate. 

So, I ease into my new “ministry” providing smiles, and thoughtful rhetoric, and hopeful messages, and empowering support, and nourishment to the faithful, and balm  to the hurting - and perhaps even a little enlightenment.