Twelve Days of Christmas

The secular holiday known as Christmas ends on December 25. The celebration of the Nativity of our Lord begins on that day. Today, December 30, the Sixth Day of Christmas marks the middle of the Twelve Days. Twelfth Night, sunset on January 5 marks the end of the liturgical Christmas Season. These twelve days are often among my favorite days of the year. As the world is moving on toward and into the celebration of a new calendar year, I get to enjoy the continuing celebration in my heart. For twelve days I rejoice in the birth of the One I love most as a human being, not all that different from me. Blessed be His Name!

Holy Days and Holidays

There seems to be a serious controversy brewing this season. Is there really a culture war over Christmas? It seems to me that many people are losing a sense of perspective. Throughout North America there is a secular holiday known as Christmas. For believing Christians there is a Holy Day celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. In terms of history, the secular holiday clearly derived from the Christian Holy Day. The two are equally clearly not the same thing. So believers can keep Christmas in our hearts, giving thanks for the birth of the Christ, the Son of God as one of us. At the same time we can let the wider society have its holiday with all the good and bad it represents.
The holidays are a difficult time for many people: They bring back memories of happier times, or they cause us to reflect on joys that are no more. The Holy Days are a source of consolation and dependable joy, even in the midst of sorrow. The Christ was born not only in Bethlehem, but every day He is being born in the hearts of people who believe in Him. So I hope you have happy holidays, but even if you don't, I wish you a Blessed celebration of Christmas, the Nativity of our Lord.

The Rose

"Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, lies the seed that with the sun's love in the Spring becomes the Rose." As I'm missing my dear wife, Bina, who died Monday morning, December 5, 2005, I am deeply comforted by thoughts of the Resurrection. There are witnesses to the Resurrection in many places in popular culture. The quote from the song, "The Rose," is one of my personal favorites. Right now there is beautiful snow all around me in northern Idaho, and I love it very much. At the same time, this morning it feels kind of bitter. The low temperature at my house this morning was -5F, and that equals the coldest temperature I've seen in the five winters I've been privileged to spend here so far. Knowing that the Rose - and the Bina - will rise again is a warm comfort to my heart.