Mid-week News 12-12-12

Dear Family of faith, Happy 12-12-12! Since 12 is the number of completeness and wholeness in a Biblical sense (12 tribes, 12 apostles), this should be our lucky day. Leave it to the pessimists in the world to push up the end of the world to today! So far, so good. I don’t think the North Korean rocket launch today is going to do us in, either; even if the thing is spiraling out of control! I’m thinking about having a cocktail just after midnight tonight to celebrate surviving another doomsday prediction! I suppose by now most of you have heard about the prank that ended in a tragedy. Two Australian radio hosts called up the hospital in England where the Duchess of Cambridge was staying and pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The nurse who ‘got taken’ and told them about Kate’s condition was apparently so embarrassed by the whole prank, that she took her own life last weekend. Now everyone feels just horrible about the whole thing. Perhaps the nurse was going to lose her job over the deception, but I would fault the hospital for having no protocol in place to deal with calls from the palace. Certainly the pranksters didn’t think it would end in tragedy. What it does point out is how fragile some people can be—and there are many such people I have met. It doesn’t take much to make people turn against themselves. Far too many live with an inner voice of condemnation and accusation leading to chronic despair or bouts of misplaced anger. Those who live around such people must “walk on eggshells” as the proverbial expression puts it. But is there a better way? Especially in this often dangerous season when so many people live so close to the edge of hopelessness, can’t we do something? I believe that we can! Sharing the love of God in our words and deeds, pointing out the gifts and beauty of others, caring in tangible ways, and helping others to see that failures and mistakes are human experiences which can make us better—all these serve to help people grow stronger in their spirits and believe in themselves and in their God so that they can let go of criticism, trouble, and even tragedy. If you run into some of these “fragile people” this season, think about how you can help them grow stronger. One of the Christmas cards Jill and I received this week was from the very first pastor I shared ministry with when I was still in seminary. He retired decades ago and is now in his 90’s. He wrote, in part, “I am living in an assisted living facility. I get all my meals and have my own room with a private bath and sitting room. My laundry and cleaning are cared for by the home. If I need help dressing or something else, all I have to do is press my button and someone responds to my door.” Then he adds, “May the love of Jesus always be at the center of your celebrations.” I was struck by the positive tone of what many would see as a very confining life—especially in view of this man’s very active and productive life in the past, not only in the church, but as a handyman and carpenter, too. It made me think about how often I get upset about life when I have so many blessings. This Christmas, be happy for the simple things of life—health and home, family and church, love, and strength for the day. Not all of life is a picnic, but every day is a banquet of blessings. With affection, Pastor Carlan