This Friday is Homecoming at Holy Spirit’s school…which means it is SPIRIT WEEK!! Every day my kiddos have a different clothing theme. It was especially fun to see all the “crazy socks” and “crazy hats” as we gathered on the field yesterday for a school Eucharist service outside. Also, I’d be remiss to not mention how fun it was to send them both in University of Georgia gear on Tuesday which was sports team spirit day (go Dawgs!).

This morning, I walked out of the church office to hear Chaplain Suzy ask the Pre-K classes at outdoor chapel, “…and what was the third gift the wise men brought?” There was a resounding declaration “MYRRH!” Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. The 12 days of Christmas have ended and we now move into a season in which the world comes to know and understand just who this Jesus is who was born for us.

Grace and peace be with you as we near the coming of our Jesus! We have had such a wonderful Advent season and as we come finally to the manger and all that God’s incarnation means for us, I am excited to be able to celebrate a hope that trumps all else. I am grateful for everyone involved in our special events this time of the year, especially our Thanksgiving Dinner Eucharist, St. Nick party and movie on the lawn, Lessons and Carols, pageant, and the wonderful reception for the Wrights. Now we turn our attention to the very moment we have all been preparing for, Christmas. I hope you will be able to join us for one of our services tomorrow. Merry Christmas to all!

When I was a teenager and opened a present from my grandmother one Christmas, I was quite surprised to find a CD. This particular CD had quite a strong image on the cover and wasn’t something I would have thought was on Grandma’s radar. I remember it so vividly because not only was it a bold gift, but for the life of me, I could not imagine her walking up to the register and placing the CD on the counter for purchase. I later asked her how she chose it and she had asked someone who worked at the music store what young people were listening to these days. I wondered if she had been as baffled to see the album cover as I was when I opened it. I, of course, thanked her and gave her a hug.

If your family is anything like mine, the movies we watch this time of the year are an importan part of enjoying and immersing ourselves in the holiday season.  There are the funny movies like Elf and my favorite, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  We have numerous versions of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (The Muppet version stands out!).  There are some emotional classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, and some films whose “Christmas movie status” may be dubious (I’m looking at you Die Hard).  This last month of the year comes with so many things that compete for our attention, but taking a couple of hours to relive a favorite movie holds a special celebratory place. 

As Korey and I planned our final adult Sunday school class together described below, we quickly came upon the topic of celebration. Throughout the history of humankind, celebration has been an important part of survival, meaning, wellness, and community cohesiveness. Since the early days of people gathering in Bethlehem in Mary’s house at Christmas or praying in Peter’s house by the sea of Galilea, Christians have focused our celebration on what God has done for us and proclaimed the love of God which gives every single other thing in our lives and world meaning.

Thanksgiving and being together go hand in hand. In the middle of the holiday season with Halloween and Christmas on either side, Thanksgiving has in many ways been a moment to pause around the table for a good meal and reflect on all that we have for which to be grateful. For most of us, these past two years have brought limits and challenges to how we could gather. Hopefully this year will bring joyous reunion. For some of us, this year will be different due to loss. The Condons and our extended family certainly feel that poignantly as it was the last holiday we had with Sarah’s parents. And yet…and yet, we have a God we know to be our redeemer. We have a God who has suffered loss and responded with new life. With the awareness of that love, we can not only acknowledge loss, but proclaim hope and gratitude as we gather with so many cousins, aunts, and uncles this year.

As we proceed full speed ahead into this holiday season, it has been so wonderful to see many of our Holy Spirit traditions coming back. Trunk-or-Treat was a blast and there were so many costumed kiddos and creative trunks. We will have our Thanksgiving dinner and Eucharist this Sunday evening at 5 (don’t forget your side or desert to go with our smoked turkeys and dressing!). Some traditional parts of our common life are still not quite back to normal, such as having our Advent wreath making outside next Sunday, but all things considered, it is good to be back.