Well, I've been back in the states for a week. I haven't taken any cash out yet. Maybe its out of protest, since I haven't held a dollar in over three months... I am slowly taking steps back into reality. I took the extra pounds and pence out of my purse... slowly chewing the rest of the gum purchased at Vivo in Dundrum...
It sort of seems like the last three and half months have been a dream... I mean, that was my life. I lived in Europe. Got use to my life there. And then. I come home. Things are pretty much just the way I left them, the only change being the huge ice storm that makes me think I might have flown into Iceland or something. Most people ask a couple questions, "How was it?" or "Did you have fun?" and even an occasional, "You look a little Irish..." But, I can only say so much, and then I feel its getting old when I begin to say things about my travels...but it was in a way different from a trip or holiday. I lived there.
But...I did get back into America just in time. Just in time to remember how crazy Americans can get about a holiday that really no longer has much meaning. I mean, not to sound very critical...but the irony of the church and the holiday season may have a hit me a little hard this season. I came into my church that I grew up in, and was greeted by a probably 50 foot, fully lit Christmas tree. And...If I can explain it, our Choir stands in the fake tree. And they sing. About Christmas. Now don't get me wrong, the music is beautiful. It really is pretty and fills you with holiday cheer. There were Elves running, children laughing, presents, the 12 days of Christmas song by the church body, and a skit about the true meaning of Christmas.
After a semester abroad, attending more conservative and traditional churches, the radical Baptist Christmas celebration (or maybe whovillefest?) was a tad bit of a shock. The tree was purchased a few years back, but I've been at school in the past and this was my first time seeing it.
I just felt that maybe spending thousands of dollars on a tree and then having a skit about the true meaning of Christmas in front of the tree was a bit ironic. Hypocritical? Maybe.
This Sunday I went back to Church, to hear our new pastor preach. And he was reading out of Isaiah 53. Talking about who Christ was and why he had to come. He talked about the sacrifice and humility Christ had. How he traded power for infancy, majesty for poverty, beauty for homeliness, and worship for rejection. Christ came down to us, to lift us out of our sin and brokenness. C.S. Lewis talks in his book Miracles about the incarnation of Christ and how it is wrapped around us in our humanity. (more on that later)
But anyways...not to rag on my church. I love my church and the people there. But I have just been getting tired of hearing the same of old things from the Evangelical circle. I don't understand everything or even very much about the incarnation of Christ. But I do think it was more of an explosion of love than a huge singing Christmas tree. I feel like all the energy that was released when such a huge and perfect Christ became such a small and humble man can be found in the unmeasurable amounts of love seen in his life and the cross.
Last week Bek and I picked a girl up that was walking on the side of the road. With no coat. In the middle of an ice storm.
I've never done this before.
We gave her a coat, and took her about 5-10 miles down town. I think she had already walked that amount before we picked her up. Her family didn't have any electricity due to the ice storm, so she was walking to her boyfriend's house. Her name was Debbie. Part of me wonders how comfortable Debbie would be watching our Christmas program. Maybe its more about us going out than trying to sell the Gospel and lure people in.
Not that I can say I practice this... I don't walk a lot of my talk. But I'm just thinking.
It sort of seems like the last three and half months have been a dream... I mean, that was my life. I lived in Europe. Got use to my life there. And then. I come home. Things are pretty much just the way I left them, the only change being the huge ice storm that makes me think I might have flown into Iceland or something. Most people ask a couple questions, "How was it?" or "Did you have fun?" and even an occasional, "You look a little Irish..." But, I can only say so much, and then I feel its getting old when I begin to say things about my travels...but it was in a way different from a trip or holiday. I lived there.
But...I did get back into America just in time. Just in time to remember how crazy Americans can get about a holiday that really no longer has much meaning. I mean, not to sound very critical...but the irony of the church and the holiday season may have a hit me a little hard this season. I came into my church that I grew up in, and was greeted by a probably 50 foot, fully lit Christmas tree. And...If I can explain it, our Choir stands in the fake tree. And they sing. About Christmas. Now don't get me wrong, the music is beautiful. It really is pretty and fills you with holiday cheer. There were Elves running, children laughing, presents, the 12 days of Christmas song by the church body, and a skit about the true meaning of Christmas.
After a semester abroad, attending more conservative and traditional churches, the radical Baptist Christmas celebration (or maybe whovillefest?) was a tad bit of a shock. The tree was purchased a few years back, but I've been at school in the past and this was my first time seeing it.
I just felt that maybe spending thousands of dollars on a tree and then having a skit about the true meaning of Christmas in front of the tree was a bit ironic. Hypocritical? Maybe.
This Sunday I went back to Church, to hear our new pastor preach. And he was reading out of Isaiah 53. Talking about who Christ was and why he had to come. He talked about the sacrifice and humility Christ had. How he traded power for infancy, majesty for poverty, beauty for homeliness, and worship for rejection. Christ came down to us, to lift us out of our sin and brokenness. C.S. Lewis talks in his book Miracles about the incarnation of Christ and how it is wrapped around us in our humanity. (more on that later)
But anyways...not to rag on my church. I love my church and the people there. But I have just been getting tired of hearing the same of old things from the Evangelical circle. I don't understand everything or even very much about the incarnation of Christ. But I do think it was more of an explosion of love than a huge singing Christmas tree. I feel like all the energy that was released when such a huge and perfect Christ became such a small and humble man can be found in the unmeasurable amounts of love seen in his life and the cross.
Last week Bek and I picked a girl up that was walking on the side of the road. With no coat. In the middle of an ice storm.
I've never done this before.
We gave her a coat, and took her about 5-10 miles down town. I think she had already walked that amount before we picked her up. Her family didn't have any electricity due to the ice storm, so she was walking to her boyfriend's house. Her name was Debbie. Part of me wonders how comfortable Debbie would be watching our Christmas program. Maybe its more about us going out than trying to sell the Gospel and lure people in.
Not that I can say I practice this... I don't walk a lot of my talk. But I'm just thinking.
4 comments:
I really like this post. You always capture me with your writing. Love you. Mary-Kate
jeran. i love your thoughts on christmas and the church. i do have to say i was blessed by my new church here in california. it was rather phenomenal but a tad hard to explain...they did such an incredible job of displaying the truth and it was artistic and fabulous. they showed the darkness and the light of his birth through this artistic/musical/poetic/movement scene. you would have loved it.
but i understand the frustration of the church. so much is watered down and it coincides with the world we live in that takes the sanctity and reverence out of christmas. it's quite sad and annoying.
i also work in retail and had to work the holiday season with a fervor to sell as much as possible or my job would be on the line....so incredibly lame. i struggled with such an internal dilemma about the value of christmas while told i had to push sales. i almost quit my job several times, but i pushed forward and have learned several valuable lessons which keep coming-yeah.
anyway, i do think that we are to go out and reach people and i am so impressed that you picked that girl up and gave her a coat. your church should be teaching you to do that. we shouldn't be luring people in because jesus is not something to be sold...but someone to be given.
you are living up to the line from joy to the world:
"let every heart prepare him room"
you gave christ room to live in and through you jeran and that is more than what a ridiculous costly tree could ever do!
we focused a lot on that line in my discipleship group lately and how we should prepare room for him, especially now.
i hope all is well and i am praying for you as you settle back into life at home and then at job! love you!
Hello!
I am contacting you because I am working with the authors of a book about blogs, and I'd like to request permission to use the photograph you have posted in this book. Please contact me at matt@wefeelfine.org, and I'd be happy to give you more information about the project. Please paste a link to your blog in the subject field. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Matt
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