The Candle of Emmanuel, God with Us!Come, listen, the sounds of God-with-us ring clear,
and signs of a cross in the distance appear.
The Word once made flesh, yet the Word ever near.
One candle is lit for the Christ-birthday here.
The final countdown has begun.
If you have children under the age of 7 you have known since Thanksgiving the number of days until Christmas Day.
So in the immortal words of “hide and seek,” ready or not here Christmas comes.
Gifts have been purchased, trees have been trimmed, lights have strung, travel plans have been made, and stockings have been hung with care. We have been bombarded with Christmas carols since October and the news has been reporting on the “holiday shopping season” since “Black Friday.”
During this time we can start to fall into the trap of “Christmas as usual.” Whether we know it or not we are creatures of habit and not just in our personal life liking having coffee in the morning or eating the same breakfast.
We can find these habits in our religious life as well.
Christmas for many people has become somewhat routine.
We know what to do, what to say, where to go, what to bring, what to cook and where to eat it. It’s all mapped out; just follow the same the routine. Christmas cannot just be something that is done in a secular fashion that is boiled down to shopping and pretty bows.
It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tradition but has Christmas become something that just happens instead of something we experience?
At my work I have been asked more than a dozen times this week if I am “ready for Christmas.” (what they are really asking is “are your children excited for Santa?”)
It’s a hard question to answer. Sure I am ready to be off for a few days and see my family but am I really ready for Christmas? Am I really ready for the coming of Christ into the world?
Can the in breaking of God into the world be celebrated simply singing carols and eating too much?
Has Christmas become just another day to, relax, eat good food and visit family or can it be something more? As Christians we believe we have good grasp on Christmas; we have seen it played out in church pageants, recited the story in worship, we set up our Nativity Scene and even make a point to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.
It’s a familiar story and one that brings back great memories of family, gatherings and friends.
What would Christmas look like or feel like we were truly prepared ourselves to encounter Christ? Forget about the gifts, the holiday ham and the miles to travel, but made the goal to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. Would it mean more? Would we “get more out of it?”
Amid the sea of lights, packages, shopping carts and mad dashes to get everything done, have be lost sight of Christmas?
On December 26 will we be thankful that Christmas is over or thankful that we encountered Christ anew? The story of the birth of Jesus is not a small piece of trivial history rather it is a monumental, deeply profound and theological statement; the God of all of creation came in human form and dwelt among us. Because of this, the world, our lives will never be the same. This story is something that cannot be encapsulated in gift bag or even in a song.
My prayer for you this Christmas is that December 25 will be more than just another Thursday, but a time when the story of the incarnation of Christ is made more real and tangible for you and your loved ones.
I hope that there is a moment where the world full of darkness, greed, injustice and hate would be replaced with the stillness and serenity of the Christmas story. We need these moments; we need these moments where things are calm and bright.
Maybe it will be eating with distant relatives, hearing stories from parents/grandparent’s childhood, maybe it will be seen the excitement of children on Christmas morning, maybe it will be hearing the Christmas story with a new/renewed ears, maybe it will be visiting the cemetery of a loved one.
Whatever it is, may it be a moment that is undeniable that God is present and invading that time. Hold on it, do not let the world take it away from you.
We all need a touch of grace, a touch of love and touch of mercy every now and then, so why not during Christmas?
Let’s not miss Christmas this Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
The Candle of LoveCome, wander where lion and lamb gently play,
where evil is banished and faith takes the day,
a babe in a manger to fool the world’s eyes.
One candle is lit for God’s loving surprise.
As you might have noticed, evandolive.com has received a face lift. When I started this site nearly three years ago I kept the same theme and layout. It was functional but over time I wanted to “freshen up” the site and streamline some of the pages (i.e.- Social media tabs, speaking requests/sermons together, etc) and links. I have been going back and forth between various themes offered by WordPress but none of them were what I was looking for.
Thanks to the help of my devoted soon to be graphic designer sister, Haley, evandolive.com has a new look.
So take a look around and let me know what you think!
Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook to get all of the updates about my forthcoming book in 2015!
And to again say thanks to my sister here is a picture of us at the Stephen F. Austin/Sam Houston State Football game.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
The Candle of JoyCome, festively sing while awaiting the birth,
join angels in dancing from heaven to earth.
Wave banners of good news, lift high thankful praise.
One candle is lit for the joy of these days.
The Candle of PeaceCome quickly, shalom, teach us how to prepare
for a gift that compels us with justice to care.
Our spirits are restless till sin and war cease.
One candle is lit for the reign of God’s peace.
When I heard that a grand jury in New York had decided not to pursue charges in the death of Eric Garner even though there was video evidence of the NYPD officer taking him down in a choke hold, my first thought was “So now what? What do we do now?”
I know I am not alone in this, people from all walks of life have expressed their shock and disbelief that this tragedy even took place. Our eyes are being opened to a world that many of us did not know or want to know existed. A world of distrust, fear and separation.
The way the church responds to this will be one of great importance.
No more can this simply be just a problem ‘those people over there’ or in that state, rather this is something that effects us all.
I wish I had more concrete answers but I don’t and I’m not sure when they will come.
All I know is that the church and religious leaders have an opportunity to make connections and have meaningful conversations about the world we live in and the church’s role in our community.
During this time I was reminded of the words found in James:
It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it. –James 4:17 (Common English Bible)
May we remember the God of peace and love and grace this Advent and forevermore.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Come surely, Lord Jesus, as dawn follows night,our hearts long to greet you, as roses, the light.
Salvation, draw near us, our vision engage.
One candle is lit for the hope of the age.
Advent is here.
Advent is the time in the church calendar when we wait for the coming of the Christ child. It is marked by the observation of the four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. Each Sunday of Advent the church observed a different theme of this journey: hope, peace, love and joy. Candles are lit as the light of the world (Christ) is drawing closer to us.
During this time we are called not to run to the manger but to wait… that’s right…. wait… for Christmas.
Waiting can be difficult in our ultra high paced society. We do not like long lines, emails or voice messages. Waiting for so called ‘fast food’ can send our blood to boil. What do you mean I have to wait? Well how long will it be… I expect to have my burger or chicken or whatever ready and at the appropriate temperatures when I cross the threshold of the door!
We want to get straight to the point as quickly as possible. This is why Twitter is so popular; Twitter forces you to construct your thoughts in 140 characters or less. Tell me what you want and move on.
We are a society on the move and for many of us we are practically sprinting. We cannot stop, we cannot slow down and we need to get more done today so we can repeat the dizzying process tomorrow.
Sure we take time to slow down but usually its because our bodies give out on us or we are “strongly encouraged” by our loved ones to relax and take some time for ourselves.
There is something freeing in slowing down. We are able to take in all that is around us and see how God is moving in our lives in ways that we would have looked right over had we not taken a moment to be reflective.
How are we using this time of Advent to prepare and to wait? Are we rushing for store to store buying mountains of gifts, trying to equate our love for someone by how big the price tag is?
How are we using this time of Advent to wait and to be reflective about what the coming of the Christ child means not only for the world or for the church but for us as followers of Christ? Don’t we want Christmas to be something more than pretty lights, too much food, elf on the shelf and Santa? Cant this time of Advent propel us into a deeper sense of the Divine around us and with us?
These are the thoughts that we take with us during this during to the manger… we aren’t there let but we know where we are going.
Below is a video that will explain Advent in about 2 minutes. I hope and pray that this Advent is not filled with stress but with hope and expectation of God coming to Earth as a baby.
There are several devotional books available online to further your Advent experience.
May you encounter Christ’s hope, peace, love and joy this Advent season.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Photo Credit: “Advent candles” by Markus Grossalber via Flickr. Used under the Creative Commons License 2.0.
EDIT: 12/3/14– grammar and additions
I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with good food, warm hugs and a reminder of all of the blessings that we have been afforded. May we keep these in our mind as we journey to the manager this upcoming Advent season.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Rev. Dr. Evan M. Dolive 