Barbara's Banter

Making New Year’s resolutions that we don’t intend to keep is the great American pastime. I say “American” pastime because people who live in countries who don’t have enough to eat and whose only thought is how to stay alive just one more day don’t have the luxury of resolving to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy, make more money and quit smoking, which are the top resolutions everyone makes every year.

Making resolutions and keeping them are two different issues. Therefore websites like How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions are there to help. They suggest to aim low, don’t overload yourself, and wait until spring. I’m assuming these aren’t tips for the over achiever.

I have a better idea. Why not resolve to do something you really can do?

Be nicer! Be kinder! You might stop smoking. You might become a svelte size 4. You may eat tofu and wheat grass and live to be 100. You might even gain riches beyond your wildest dreams. But if you are a disagreeable, grumpy, self consumed, grudge holding, bigoted, humorless, back biting, angry, envious, unsupportive, cantankerous person, WHO CARES what you accomplish?

The Biblical principle is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12) Would you like to see people happy, giving, sharing, forgiving, and caring? It all starts with one person and ripples out to thousands of others. Now I’m not saying you can accomplish it all in one year. In fact you have to take it one day at a time. You might start by smiling. Then you might do some random act of kindness. Then you might say, “Please” or “Thank you.” Then you might open the door for someone who has his hands full. It’s the type of resolution you can renew daily. (2 Corinthians 4:16) If you blow it, just start all over again. Hey, everyday is the beginning of a new year.

In the words of a card I once received, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t blow it!” But if you do, resolve to start all over again because “Everyday is the first day of the rest of your life!”

Doesn’t it strike you a wee bit funny that Americans usher in the New Year singing a Scottish song?  There we were on New Year’s Eve singing, “For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne.  We’ll take a cup of kindness, yet, for auld lang syne.”  I had to wonder – what does it mean?  So I tried to find out…        

“Auld Lang Syne” actually means “old long ago” and Scottish poet, Robert Burns, supposedly composed this little ditty.  Some say he actually found the old song and restored it, adding some bits and pieces of his own.  Whatever!  The fact is that even with this knowledge you still can’t understand it, except for the part where we take a cup of kindness which most of us interpret to mean a good stiff drink.  If you have enough of those you don’t care what the song means. 

“Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?”  Well should they?  I don’t know.  I have some people I’d like to forget.  “Should old acquaintance be forgot in days of ‘old long ago?’”  Beats me!  Should they?  “For auld lang syne, my dear” means for old long ago, my dear.  How old long ago are we talking about here?  Is it one year, two years, or ten years?  “For auld lang syne.”  This is repeated in case we didn’t get that we were actually talking about old, long ago the first time we sang it.  “We’ll take a cup of kindness, yet.”  Ah, the part we think we understand.  Belly up to the bar everyone and have a couple of belts for “auld lang syne.”

We Americans love to sing songs we don’t understand.  Witness the popularity of “Louie, Louie, oh no, we gotta go now…yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!”   I don’t even think the Kingsmen know what it means and they’re the ones who sang it originally.  Yet it has been the theme song of high schools, fraternities, sororities, and even a state.  It’s been used in countless movies, advertising campaigns, and political rallies.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!” 

What about the song “Does anyone really know what time it is?  Does anybody really care?” by Chicago.  I don’t really care what time it is but I sing it anyway.  And let’s not forget the “Horse with No Name” that’s in the desert feelin’ no pain by America.  They had time to write a song but couldn’t give the horse a name?  Go figure!  And just who is that someone who left the “cake out in the rain?”  Because “I don’t think that I can take it, ‘cause it took so long to bake it and I’ll never have that recipe again!”  I only have three words to say to that.  Buy a COOKBOOK! 

One of my personal favorites is “Drop Kick Me Jesus through the Goal Posts of Life.”  (Yes, it is a song!)  The sentence structure is good but what does it mean?

One thing I’ve learned through the years is that I don’t have to fully understand everything to appreciate it.  The Bible is like that, too.  You don’t have to understand the book of Revelation to appreciate the fact that Jesus came and died for your sins.  Salvation isn’t based on what you know as much as who you know and your belief in Him.  Jesus!     

 So everyone sing the second verse of Auld Lang Syne with me.  All together now!

“And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere,

 And gie’s a hand o’ thine,

And we’ll tak a right guid willie-waught,

For auld lang syne.”

I guess that means Happy New Year, Louie!   We gotta go, now.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Christmas – that golden time when the world halts its everyday routine for something special – is over. 

Candle lit services and Christmas pageants are a memory.  Gifts have been opened, bows tossed, stockings removed from the mantle, and carols sung.  The smell of star shaped butter cookies has faded and gingerbread houses are crumbs.  Those festive meals are now extra pounds, but worth every bite.  New addresses on Christmas cards from old friends have been recorded.  The last phone call to that distant loved one has ended.

As we drink the last of the eggnog, the ornaments are stored and the tree comes down.  Now there are bills to pay, clearance items to buy, and presents to return for what we really want.  (I love gift receipts!)  Soon our daily routine returns and we forget what all the celebrating was about.  That’s too bad because the birth of Christ is just the beginning, not an end.          

Titus 3:4-7 tells us, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 

This child of promise, born in a stable’s manger in Bethlehem is God come to live and dwell among us and in us.  He came to serve, heal, comfort, and redeem.  He is our Savior and friend.   He came to save us (Titus 3:5) and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  Not because we are worthy, but because he loves us.  And in this Christ child we have the inheritance of eternal life.

This is indeed cause for great celebration!  This good news cannot be confined to just one day on December 25^th.  The true Christmas is about Christ.  It lasts all year long and is continuously filled with gifts of faith, hope, love, truth and peace – all wrapped in a ribbon of God’s grace!  We need to keep Christmas every day of the year!

I love Christmas time. So in honor of this season I’d like to share one of my favorite poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Many quote the first part of this lovely prayer, but often leave out the second section which is a shame. It says so much!

Oh God,

Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let
kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and
Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Merry Christmas!

A friend of ours has revived the custom of Christmas caroling in her neighborhood. For the past few years she has organized a group of us from church to sing not only in her neighborhood but at hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, and at a few Christmas parties. It has been great fun!

Most know that a carol is a song whose lyrics carry the theme of Christmas or the winter season. Derived from French or Anglo-Norman words, carol or carole technically means a circle dance song. The dancing aspect has faded into history but carols expressing joy have not. We hear them piped in everywhere during the holiday season.

Now the origin of Christmas caroling as we know it is hazy at best. Legendary suggestions abound. Some are believable; some are not. Such as:

• Drunken men and boys looking for a handout
• A child named Carol Poles reported missing from London in 1888 with Jack the Ripper on the loose. Those searching for her would sing carols from house to house to show they meant the families no harm.
• Peasants eager to please the newly married Prince Albert to Victoria of England serenaded them with carols when they found out Prince Albert loved Christmas.

The origin may be hazy but the custom is not. In 13th century Italy, St. Francis of Assisi combined songs about the birth of Christ with a live nativity scene to show Christians how special the season was. During the 14th century carols became a popular religious song form. In the 15th century carols were being sung in elaborate arrangements in festival gatherings, so many were included in the Fayrfax Manuscript, a court songbook not available to the public. By the 16th century their popularity had lessened, only to be revived by the 18th century. Dickens mentions the custom of caroling in his book A Christmas Carol. You can’t keep a good song down. Many carols were not written down, but passed on by one person to another. By the 18th and 19th century, many more carols were written.

I love Christmas carols. The festive ones have me swinging and swaying with joy. The slower ones are fraught with depth and meaning. Most tell some form of the story surrounding the birth of Jesus – from the prophesies foretelling his birth to the blessed event itself. What a clever way to have the whole world singing about the birth of Christ. Even those who have a “Bah! Humbug!” spirit, can’t help but sing-a-long.

My Christmas tree is decorated, carols are pouring from the radio, and as I sit here sipping eggnog while addressing Christmas cards I have no doubt the Christmas season is here – and I love it! Some get stressed just thinking about the holidays. Although it’s tricky not to overdo, the sounds, smells, and sentiments of this season fill me with joy. Here are some of my Christmassy things. They always put me in a Christmassy spirit.

Favorite Christmassy Movies
     7.   Home Alone/A Christmas Story/Die Hard – It’s a tossup!
     6.   The Bishop’s Wife (original with Cary Grant)
     5.   White Christmas
     4.   A Christmas Carol (with Alastair Sim – 1951)
     3.   Christmas in Connecticut (original with Barbara
            Stanwyck)
     2.   Miracle on 34th Street (original with Natalie Wood)
     1.   It’s a Wonderful Life

Favorite Christmassy Songs
     7.   Santa Baby
     6.   Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/Frosty the
            Snowman
     5.   Winter Wonderland/Silver Bells
     4.   Sleigh Ride
     3.   The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole/Mel
            Torme)/Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
            (Judy Garland)
     2.   White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
     1.   Mary Did You Know

Favorite Christmas Carols
     7.   Amen
     6.   Go Tell It on the Mountain
     5.   Silent Night/What Child Is This
     4.   O Holy Night
     3.   Angels We Have Heard on High
     2.   Carol of the Bells
     1.   Joy to the World

Favorite Christmas Stories/Books
     7.   How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
     6.   The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrice Potter
     5.   ‘Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Moore
     4.   Village Christmas by Miss Read
     3.   The Gift of the Magi by O’Henry
     2.   A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
     1.   The Bible (especially Matthew 1 & 2, Luke 1 & 2,
            Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 40:1-11)

I highly recommend reading about the birth of Christ in the Bible. I try never to forget that although I love the sights and sounds of this beautiful time of year, Jesus truly is the reason for this season!

Black Friday sounds more like it should be a Halloween celebration than one connected with the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. Traditionally, what we have come to know as Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving. Although it’s not an official holiday many people have the day off – unless you work for a retailer such as Sears, Kohls, Macy’s, Toys “R” Us, Walmart, K-Mart, Target or anyone else hoping to make a profit during the holiday season. Technically it’s the first shopping day of Christmas and stores hope to get out of the “red” column of debt and into the “black” column of profit. Thus they use the phrase Black Friday.

The idea of Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving actually dates back to holiday parades sponsored by department stores like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which started in 1924. Stores used this venue to advertise. Believe it or not, in those days it was an unwritten rule that retailers wouldn’t do Christmas advertising until after these parades. Those days are long gone. This year I saw Christmas items on sale before Labor Day.

Today stores try to offer deals to entice consumers out on Black Friday, which makes it one of the busiest shopping days of the year. They lead you to believe that the early bird will get the “best deal” because many stores open one minute after midnight. Bargain hunters gather outside store doors ready to trample those who stand in their way, and indeed, some casualties and fatalities have occurred. Some have thought of renaming it “Black-eye Friday.” There isn’t much a shopper won’t do to save a dollar.

All I can say is shopper beware. Standing in long lines for hours to save 10% isn’t all that cost effective. You could probably save that much by watching sale brochures during the year or surfing the net. Also, realize retailers are masters of allusion. They under stock shelves to make it appear there is “only one left” when in reality they may have a hundred in back or have a shipment coming in tomorrow.

I always remember that Black Friday was first used to mean the day that a disaster occurred on a Friday. Such was the case on September 24, 1869 when a group of speculators led by James Fist and Jay Gould attempted to corner the gold market. They failed, which caused a financial collapse and economic depression.

To be honest, I find the whole prospect of shopping on Black Friday depressing. I guess if you approach it as a fun time with friends or like you are exploring a jungle for adventure – go for it. As for me, I prefer to do my Christmas shopping the day after Christmas. While disgruntled gift receivers are in long lines to exchange what people bought them on Black Friday, I’m filling my cart with after Christmas clearance items. Sure, you have to plan ahead, but 50% off beats 10% off every time!

When the Israelites were getting ready to go into the land God had promised them, Moses told them they would prosper. They would have food, shelter, money, livestock, and just about anything they could desire. Then he cautioned them not to say “my power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth” but to remember “the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18)

That’s a caution well worth heeding. Yes, we may work hard and on the surface it looks like we earn our reward, but our effort would be in vain without God’s blessing. It is God who gives us the resources to accomplish and the strength to endure.

When the scripture says, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives….” it is a subtle way of saying, “Give him thanks!”

When the Pilgrims came to a new land they had no allusions of thinking their survival was due to their might. Without the help of the Native Americans they would have perished. Even then it is said that in the first year they made seven times more graves than huts. Still when the harvest was in they gave thanks to God. They chose to focus on what they did have and be thankful for it, instead of focusing on what they didn’t have.

So many times we pray to God asking him for this or that. We focus on what we don’t have. Our wants and needs get blurred. As we approach another Thanksgiving Day, think about this: Saying, “Thank you” to God for what you have could be the most meaningful prayer you could ever utter.

Psalm 92:1 (KJV) “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord…”

A radio talk show host in our area asked people to call in and tell him what influences your life and fills you up.  Then he added, “…but don’t call me and tell me about Jesus.”  This is just another indication of how many in our nation are quick to reject God.  Yet, we are a nation blessed above all nations and all blessings come from God.  Fortunately, God has not rejected us.  He does things for us that we don’t even know about.

Hosea lived during the last twenty-five years of Israel’s existence as a nation.  It was a time of political upheaval, anarchy and bloodshed.  Israel’s spiritual condition had deteriorated.  They were involved in idolatry, adultery, and drunkenness.  Hosea tried to bring them to their senses.  He preached about God’s character, righteousness, omnipotence, and loving kindness.  He reminded them of the covenant they entered into with God.  Then he prepared them for the impending doom of the nation because of their unfaithfulness. 

While reading Hosea one passage got me to thinking about all God does for us.  Hosea 11:1-4 says, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt…I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.  I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.”

I especially love the phrase, “They knew not that I healed them…” 

I wonder what acts of loving kindness God has done for our nation or for us personally that we knew not.  How many acts of terrorism has God averted that we knew not?  How many times has he protected our loved ones that we knew not?  How many times has he led, strengthened, encouraged, and comforted us that we knew not?

It’s all so easy to appear self sufficient but we must remember every blessing comes from God.  As we enter into a thanksgiving season let’s not forget to be thankful for all the things God does for us that we don’t know about.

When I was a kid one of the cruelest school exercises was choosing teams. Whether it was softball, debate, or whatever, captains were elected. Teachers would then have students stand against the wall while captains would take turns choosing who would be on their teams. So everyone knew who was chosen first, second and so on. And everyone knew who was chosen last. To be chosen last was humiliating – a sign of rejection.

Unfortunately, we live in a world of rejection. All of us have experienced it in one way or another. Maybe as a shy boy you were turned down for a date. Maybe the company president laughed at your re-org idea. Maybe your dad walked out on your family. Maybe your mom constantly berated you. Maybe you are a writer with a wall papered with rejection slips. Maybe you were always the last one chosen for the team. Even worse, maybe they wouldn’t even let you play on the team.

Enough rejection can lead to disorders like fear, feelings of inferiority, anxiety or depression. Rejection can make us feel unwanted, unworthy, unappreciated, and unloved. It causes people to focus on the negative instead of the positive. For example, someone might say, “My, doesn’t your hair look nice today,” but instead of that making us feel good we might say, “Are you saying my hair usually looks lousy?”

It can even lead to perceived rejection in other areas of our lives. In other words, we can think people are rejecting us when they aren’t. This perception becomes our reality because as a man thinks, so he is. (Proverbs 23:7) If you think you’re a loser, you’ll act like a loser.

If you have ever felt rejected you are in good company. Jesus was rejected by those in his hometown (Matthew 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-6), by many of his disciples (John 6:60), and by those he came to save (Isaiah 53:3). After everything God had done for the Israelites they rejected him and wanted a king (1 Samuel 10:19).

God created us for acceptance not rejection. That’s why he will never reject us. We might reject God, but he won’t reject us. He wants us and loves us. In fact he loves us so much he forgave us while we were sinners (Romans 5:6-10). He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 3:5). He is with us. We are even seated in the heavenly places with him (Ephesians 2:6). All we have to do is embrace God and he embraces us.

The good news is that God has chosen us to be on his team (John 1:12, Acts 10:34). And it doesn’t matter what our skill level is because he’s going to do all of that for us. All we have to do is show up and be ready to participate.