What Gifts May Come

"What child is this, who, laid to rest,

On Mary’s lap is sleeping,

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary!"

This was to be "My Christmas Thought" for this coming Sunday, but it was viewed as a bit maudlin for the season.  That is one view, but I'd prefer to consider the beautiful "miracle" of it all, but then, I revel in miracles around me throughout the year and in particular during the Christmas season.  After all, 'tis the season for reflection, and we need to ignore the naysayers and try to remember the reason for the season.  We need to, for a moment, set aside the selfish material desires of the season and consider the simple aspect of joy - if not in the birth of our savior, then in something other than a wrapped gift under a dying tree.  Maybe we need to reflect on the joy of life, and not on the misery.  Our children need to embrace this joy, as if tomorrow may never come, and we need to learn from it.  God help us all if we don't.  Each year I await, more than anything, a simple gift, the call from my children wishing me a merry Christmas.  This is the selfish gift for old farts which reaffirms for us that we have not been forgotten, that we will not die alone.  It gives us great joy.

There was an article from ABC News, on December 12, entitled Boy in Hospital Dies in Santa's Arms After Receiving Early Christmas Present.  Children at death's door never cease to amaze. I always am left to wonder if I will have such strength of character when my time comes to journey into the next great adventure, and how I handled in in the numerous lives which came before. Was I a whimpering, blubbering coward, or did I accept my inevitable fate with courage and faith.  I would hope my sense of faith played a large part in how I dealt with it.  I think this is what separates those of us with some spiritual belief in an afterlife from the "dead and done" philosophy of atheists.

“We do not have control over many things in life and death,

but we do have control over the meaning we give it.”

-- Nathalie Himmelrich, author, grief recovery coach

I wrote a post, not long ago, about our own small miracle involving a fellow minister at the medical center, here (see Lucy the Clown - a Minister?).  What occurred between Lucy the Clown and the autistic child, seen as a miracle or not, was pretty straight forward.  I'm not sure if we can read "miracle" into this particular Santa story, though I would like to think it was guided by the finger of God.  Perhaps it is a lesson for the Santa involved, perhaps a lesson for us all.  He talks about wanting to hang up his suit afterward, yet this seems more of a lesson for him of why he does what he does - why he plays Santa, why we have a Lucy the Clown, and maybe even another reason why Christ was born for us.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'”

-- Matthew 19:14

An interesting thought to ponder, however, is the date of Christ's birth, which is considered to be late September.  This would put the date of the "Immaculate Conception" in late December, which means we are actually celebrating the conception of Jesus Christ.  For those pro-choice advocates, this presents another opportunity for sin and interpretation.  What if Mary had chosen abortion of God's seed over acceptance of her fate and that of the child?  And, it would also answer for us, through the Word of God, the Bible, when life begins since we obviously celebrate it at conception, in this instance.  One has to wonder why we don't celebrate "conception" of a child as much as we do the birth.  Husband and wife are elated when they find out they're pregnant, so the reality of a new life is already affirmed, but our legal system says they celebrate months too early.  As a matter of fact, until that baby takes a "first breath" into those little lungs, it isn't considered worthy of our protection.  How sad for us.

“There is no footprint too small to leave an imprint on this world.”

-- Author unknown

The conception of a child, immaculate or not, is reason for celebration.  Having a child die in one's arms, though God's will, should give us all a reason for pause; where is the lesson in this?  It would seem obvious it is not a lesson for the young child, so it must fall to some adults involved, perhaps even a man, a stranger, visiting in a red costume and bringing joy if only for the briefest of moments.  The gift of a child's birth is as important as the untimely gift of the child's death.  Ours is not to reason why, other than to accept God must have a reason.

“Think of your child, then, not as dead, but as living; not as a flower that has withered, but as one that is transplanted, and touched by a Divine hand, is blooming in richer colors and sweeter shades than those of earth.”

-- Richard Hooker (1554-1600), British theologian

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.