Dear Heavenly Father,
     O thy Holiness, thou art worthy of great praise. I beseech thee to pour out thy mercy upon me, thou most humble servant and...

Ah, forget it. Lord, I don't know why I feel compelled to use Olde English when addressing you in prayer. Maybe I think it will score ecclesiastical points if I sound like Sir Laurence Olivier. I'm sure nothing could be further from the truth.
     Please let me extend my annual hearty thanks for this wonderful season of celebration, a time when we experience the very cream of your creation. There are so many joys. First, the food is incredible. At the risk of gaining 13 pounds this month (as opposed to my normal 12 pounds), I just may have to try all 437 varieties of Christmas cookies. Snickerdoodles anyone? And if I don't experience my family's traditional concoction of cranberry juice with 7-up and sherbet, I may be more than a little disappointed. And the parties...the parties: Humongous church dinners and Uncle Jimmy's house and the in-laws with friends and family galore. Loud! Loud! Loud! And don't forget the music. I would be hard-pressed to find another area in the entire country that offers this variety of December musical offerings. We are truly blessed. Last but not least, thank you for all the decorations displayed on houses and in houses and in churches and on the squares and in the round, both ugly and beautiful. Thanks be to you, O God.
     Now...about my sins: Where do I begin? I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them. I profoundly apologize for shouting obscenities to that guy in the parking lot at Target. It was very unbecoming behavior for a Christian and I am sure that what I misconstrued as his aggressive parking conduct was merely shopping enthusiasm. And I promise not to refer to the state legislature of New Jersey as "clowns" anymore. St. Paul admonished Timothy to pray and give thanks for those in high places so that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives. Clearly I have not yet joined Timothy in that pursuit but I will try my best. And I promise to stop losing my temper with my children, even though their hostilities push me to the brink where, like a Star Trek explorer, "no man has gone before". We are taught to "suffer the little children", so despite my suffering, I will cast a broad net of love and forgiving tolerance towards these difficult but embraceable objects my wife and I have wrought upon the earth, our teenagers.
     Politically, is there anything you can do about this Iraq situation? I know that we have been granted free will to act like knuckleheads so that there is constantly war and famine and slavery in this world, but wouldn't a little peace be nice? Does mankind always have to resemble disgraceful fools? I know you can do it. Psalms 46 tells us, "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire". Please? OK, I know, I know; "not my will, but Thy will be done" (Pause). So if I can't have complete and instantaneous peace, then just let me ask for protection for our military presence there, for their sacrifice is great.
     About contibutions, you have taught us that "God loves a cheerful giver". Make me a bodaciously cheerful giver, not only during Yuletide but Alltide. Pastor Whitener told us months ago that middle class Americans are in the 99.8 percentile ranking of relative personal wealth in the world. If that wasn't a sledge-hammer-blow to my conscience, then nothing ever would be. Think about it! We have homes with real wooden floors and AC and bountiful toilet paper and wide-screen televisions. Some of us have cars that are worth more than the gross national product of Ethiopia. We have freedom. FREEDOM!!!! Surely...surely we can find it in our hearts to take some time out of our "busy" lives and contribute food and clothes and money and things to those in, say, the 10.3 percentile ranking of relative personal wealth.
     I guess that's about it. Thank you for listening. Oh, one more note of thanks. When all the crumbs from the apple walnut pie have been swept up; when all the decorations have been taken down and the tree thrown out into the street; when all the notes from the concerts are left echoing in my ears; when all the wrapping paper has been tossed away and the gifts put in their proper places; when I am inclined to shed a small tear now that all of the excitement has come to an end; let me sit peacefully before a fireplace, let me watch the falling snow from a window, let me contemplatively review once again what it was all about. The Gift. The one supreme gift that keeps on giving; the one gift that I can use every day, all day long, year in and year out; the gift "that surpasses all human understanding" and surpasses anything that we humans could do for ourselves: The gift of the Love of Christ, the Savior of the world who was born this day.

Help me to remember to keep Christ in Christmas, always.

I ask this in His name and for His sake,
Amen

Contributed by Donald P..
Sunday December 16, 2007
Liturgical Year A Week 3