Christmas Letter 2010

November 28, 2010

Dear Sydney –

Today is the first day of Advent, 2010. This year we will celebrate your 10th Christmas. At each one of these celebrations our country has been at war. That’s hard for me to admit. You were only 4 months old when our country was attacked on September 11, 2001. You have grown up with images of this event engrained in your memory – planes crashing, towers falling, smoke billowing. These images are part of who you are as an American in the same way events like Pearl Harbor are for me. Since 9/11 our world has not been the same. For you the world has always included suicide bombings, long security lines at the airport, friends whose parents were deployed to war zones, and TV news reports so terrible I didn’t want you to watch. Just as these images left our screens, new images of a Great Recession, banks failing, foreclosures, bankruptcies replaced them. You have seen family members and friends displaced in search of jobs, watched people you love lose their homes, and seen the stress of this economy of all families. After a decade of war and fears of economic ruin – our country feels like it is being torn apart with no leader able to bring us together. This makes me very sad.

You will realize as you grow older darkness fills our world. There are places and people whose lives are so dark with pain and fear and anger that they do not have any hope. They lash out and hurt other people because they have not hope. They see not future. They do not want to hear about Christmas.

We think Christmas makes everyone feel happy - All of the light and decorations, the traditions and presents, the friends and family. In fact there are many people who would choose not to have Christmas if they could. You see, for them Christmas carries more hurt than hope and more pain than joy. Some of our friends have lost people they love this year – a parent or friend or child. The idea of having Christmas celebrations without that person in their lives seems too painful to endure. I remember the year after Papa John died. As we all gathered for our family Christmas, I kept looking over at the empty spot there at the table and I kept missing him. It hurt so badly.

There are others too, who struggle with Christmas. Some of my friends have tried having children and they can’t. When they see all of you kids getting presents and all of the fun toys on TV they feel a deep loss. Other friends struggle because they are single. So many of our traditions revolve around families and they don’t have a wife or husband. They hurt. And that hurts me too.

The people who hurt me even more, though, are our friends who do not follow Jesus. They live in a spiritual darkness. Can you image not knowing and loving Jesus? They struggle to find meaning in Christmas when it surrounds them. They decorate just like we do, but they miss the hope and purpose and love that surrounds the celebration of Jesus.

This week we begin to celebrate Advent. Advent literally means “coming.” It’s about waiting. Neither you or your sister or I are very good at this. We want to know things now. Advent, though, celebrates anticipation, waiting for something so good that you can almost taste it. You know how you have to wait to open Christmas presents – yes, I remember the “Eric” story that Mama Jean tells you about the year I opened all of my presents early – anyway, Advent is like waiting to open our presents. It reminds us to wait with hope like people did before Jesus was born.

I know the question you are going to ask me one day. One day when you come back home from your first semester in college when you think you know everything. One day when you’ve begun to see the darkness of the world up close and you think you are the first person to ask these questions. In fact though, it’s a question most of us adults have to answer every year. The question will seem simple, but personal - How do we wait with hope when we are living in darkness. Where do we find hope when all seems lost or painful or numb in the world?

We often look for hope in our Christmas culture and traditions. We forget the real purpose and meaning of the Coming of Jesus. You know our family is as guilty as the rest. We get lost in the Christmas culture as we shop for all of the presents, as we slowly decorate our house throughout the month and try to get everything done, and as we try to pack in all of the great things happening in town. This year we began a new tradition by going to cut down our own Christmas tree. The tree will look great in our home and it was lots of fun, but it is not really celebrating Jesus.

The story of Birth of Jesus is much different than all of the shopping and presents, decorating and parties. You see, Jesus came into a world filled with darkness just like ours. When he came lots and lots of people had been expecting him for a very long time. For over 700 years fathers and mothers told the stories of a time in the future when a great messiah – a great king and leader – would come to save them. This was a powerful story in many dark times. It filled people with hope for all who would hear it.

Thinking about all of the Jewish children who lived before Jesus was born reminds me of you and Sarah. They would also get scared or frightened at the things happening in their world. I can see their parents now repeating to them the great stories of God’s work in the world throughout history. These memories were past down from generation to generation and finally written down in the part of the Bible we call the Old Testament.

Jesus did not just show up in the world. Jesus came within the flow of history at the most perfect time and place. The story of Christmas doesn’t begin in Nazareth or Bethlehem; it begins in the Garden of Eden. God created all of us – you, me, Mom, Sarah – everyone – out of love to be friends with Him. God created Adam and Eve, the first people, as stewards of all that God created. When they said “no” to God – you’ve heard the story of when they ate the fruit God told them not to eat - God had to create a way to make all people his friends.

As you start reading more, one day you’ll begin to read more of the Old Testament. The Old Testament tells the story of how God worked through people just like you and me to restore his friendship with us. He called a man named Abraham to follow him. He promised him that if he did, he would create a great nation. Guess what, it wasn’t easy, but Abraham followed. As Abraham and his children and grandchildren followed God, God blessed and watched out for them.

God even did miracles. One of the great stories of all time is how God saved a whole nation of people who were slaves by bringing them safely through a desert and giving them a new land to live in.

Even then, things weren’t always good, though. The people failed to trust God so they created kings to be their rulers. Their best and true king was named David. You have heard stories about how David killed a giant with a slingshot. It’s the same guy. David was considered the perfect king – he followed and listened to God and led the nation well. The nation of former slaves eventually became very wealthy and powerful. Finally the people of the world respected these former slaves. Other kings sent representatives to meet David and his son Solomon.

It didn’t stay that way. Eventually there was a civil war. The great nation of Israel became two nations – the nation in the north was called Israel and the nation in the south was called Judah. One day these names will make sense to you.

The reason I even mention these to you is that there is a period in the Bible that reminds me a lot of our own times. The Old Testament book of Isaiah tells how one person, a preacher by the name of Isaiah spoke for God during this uncertain time. Isaiah was sort of a like a modern day Billy Graham – wait, you won’t know his name, he’s the dad of the guy who runs Operation Christmas Child. Isaiah not only preached to the people of the nations, he also preached to the kings of the country.

When Isaiah preached the world of the people of Israel was very dark and unsteady. For decades war surrounded them. Uncertainty, fear, panic and death seemed to encircle people. It was hard to believe in God let alone find hope for a future. In 743 BC, a new world power by the name of Assyria came to dominate the part of the world we call the Middle East. A very bad man by the name of Tiglath Pileser III ruled this country. One day when you go to the British Museum you will see his face in stone sculptures from his palace walls. This king ruthlessly attacked the people to whom Isaiah preached. He defeated the Northern Kingdom, the country of Israel, and took all of the best people away never to return to their homes. The king and people of Judah in the South panicked and were afraid that this would happen to them. They did everything they could like make bad treaties and decisions - everything except trust in God to get through this time. I bet you can figure out that’s what Isaiah kept saying to the King and everyone else – trust in God – remember how he has saved you in the past.

Not only did Isaiah warn the people of Judah, he also gave them something even greater – hope! Through God’s direction, Isaiah knew that a people facing such a frightening future didn’t just need the right military or political plan of action – they needed hope – deep down in the life and soul of their lives. People needed a new vision for what life with God could be like. A vision for a new kingdom with a new kind of king. There are lots of verses in Isaiah’s book of the bible that tell of this new king of kings. One of my favorite gives a wonderful vision for what this new kingdom will look. These verses of scripture bring me such hope that I want to share them with you. I hope that as you face the darkness and challenges of your life in this new world, they will give you hope as well.

The scripture passage comes from Isaiah 11:1-9

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy;

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together;

and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

Sydney – can you hear the hope in this passage?

Isaiah speaks to the people of his time who are living in darkness. The hope and vision he shares comes with an understanding of the history of God’s working with this called people.

Isaiah says: “Don’t be afraid of these bad kings you’ve had, God will raise up a new king – from the “stump of Jesse.” Jesse was the father of King David – you remember that great king I told you about. During this dark time, everyone remembered all of the great stories their parents told of when David was king. Isaiah tells them that out of the roots of King David, a new life, a green shoot, a Branch will come who will spark new life, new leadership, and a new Kingdom for everyone who is hurting and afraid.

Instead of kings that make bad treaties and decisions. Instead of kings who do not trust in God – The Spirit of God will rest on him. The Spirit of God will provide wisdom and understanding, counsel and power.

In Isaiah 7 we see some of the names people will call this new King:

And he will be called

“Wonderful Counselor, [b] Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Verses 6-9 in Isaiah 11 describe what the peace will be like in the kingdom ruled by this new king. It’s a vision of a world so peaceful that even the natural enemies of the animals will be friends. Can you image a wolf living with a little lamb without eating it? Can you image walking a calf and a lion like you do Lucy down the street and feeling safe?

Isaiah is giving hope to all of these people living in darkness. I can use some of that hope right now. Seeing a wolf play with a lamb sounds as impossible as Osama Ben Laden and George Bush greeting each other as brothers created by God or warlords laying down their guns in Sudan to create a stable country. But God does the impossible. Isaiah tells the people living in daily fear for their lives. God does the impossible. Trust in God. God has a future for you.

Here’s the amazing and hard part of this story, though. The people who were living in darkness still had to wait. This new kingdom did not just happen overnight. Isaiah shared this sermon, but his vision was not fulfilled yet.

It took another 700 years before Jesus was born. That’s right, for the next 700 years people waited for God to begin this new kingdom. During that time new kingdoms arose to control the country – the Maccabeus, the Greeks, and finally the Romans. With each ruler, the people living in darkness waited for God’s new king and new kingdom to emerge.

Then, finally, the birth of Jesus came. Do you see why we celebrate Advent now? By making our selves anticipate Christmas, we remember those 700 years of living while waiting for Jesus to be born.

Through the lives of these unknown generations of people, we see that it is possible to live with hope in the midst of the darkness of our lives. We wait for God to act.

Then Jesus grew up, he began to teach everyone who would listen about his new kingdom. He painted them pictures in words about the Kingdom of God. The hard part was that it wasn’t what everyone thought it would be. The peaceable kingdom that Jesus delivered did not overthrow the governments with power or armies, but with his death on a cross.

Here’s the other exciting part about this story of hope in the midst of darkness. Jesus still brings us hope. The vision of the peaceable kingdom is not dead. Jesus tells us that he will come back again. God is coming back. Just like there was hope in the darkness for those 700 years between Isaiah and Jesus –there has been hope in the 2000 years since Jesus lived – we can place our hope in Jesus – he will come back. He says that we will never know exactly when – but he says to wait.

The vision of Isaiah so many years ago still brings me hope today in the middle of the darkness of our world. Jesus is coming back again. I hope that it is sooner rather than later.

Until then, Sydney, I look forward to being your dad. I will not know all of the answers to all of the questions you will eventually ask, but I do know this. God has a future and a hope just for you. This Christmas and every Christmas I promise to remind you of this hope found the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. I’m sure there will be times I’ll need you to remind me as well.

I love you, Sydney.

Merry Christmas.

Your Dad!

Reflections on the Sermon

I preached this letter as a sermon at FBC, Cornelia. As I look back on the last 10 years - all of Sydney's life - her entire childhood - has seen more difficult moments than my entire childhood and young adult life combined. Things I once through parts of the past - ongoing war, family and friends losing homes and businesses, a diaspora of friends around country doing whatever it takes to find a job - have all be part of what's normal for Sydney. Darkness seems to surround us. Political and financial hope seem to be fleeting dreams. More than anytime in my life - hope must rest completely on Jesus - on what we receive from him. I hope one day, Sydney will appreciate this letter. Now, the only thing she appreciates is the fact that I mentioned her name 4 times from the pulpit which means $4 for her bank account. She'll make a great banker. She knows exactly how much money we owe her!

Blessings at the beginning of Advent.

Eric