Presby-Musings

This week we are concluding the sermon series that took us all the way through the season of Advent , and has now shamelessly encroached on the season of Christmas--which lasts until Epiphany, in case you were wondering.  Oh yeah, baby.  Christmas is far from over for the Church.  That's how us mainline Protestant-types roll. There's this song on the Beatles " Rubber Soul " album that came to mind as I was preparing for this week's sermon.  Sometimes the Beatles just happen when you're sermonizing.  Trust me on this. The song?  "In My Life."  It goes a little something like this, in case you've forgotten or if you have no concept of good music and have never heard it: There are places I remember All my life, though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remain All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them all ...

When I worked at Walt Disney World many moons ago, I recall several visits that we were paid by Michael Eisner , the Chairman and CEO of the Disney company at the time. As Eisner walked through the Magic Kingdom park during his visits, there would always be a team of people who would find out where he was going, and who would go before his entourage to prepare everyone along the way. Everything had to be perfect because Eisner was notorious for picking up on the slightest imperfection.  He was fond of retelling the story of how he walked by a gate in one of the parks on the way to lunch and casually remarked how it would look better blue.  After lunch he and his posse walked by it again, only this time it was blue--re-painted while he ate. It was considered an honor if Eisner walked through your area of the park and didn't have anything to say about it.  He was gracing us with his presence, essentially.  I will never forget those moments.  Like a kin...

When I was growing up in the non liturgical, "low" church Baptist churches we frequented, the season of Advent was not something we celebrated... or discussed... or had ever heard of before.  It was not part of our language.  I suppose this was the case because the powers-that-be in the fundamentalist churches I attended thought things like "advent" and "candles" were too "Catholic" for "church."  I put a lot of things in quotes just then. And while most church-going folk probably won't give a second thought to Advent or it's meaning, I think that it's making a bit of a comeback outside the church.  For example, I just bought a Star Wars Lego Advent calendar at Target, which is the retail chain famous for encouraging it's employees say "Happy Holidays" instead of " Merry Christmas ." Boom.  There are undoubtedly some within the sound of my voice (or key strokes) who might be saying at thi...