The holiday songs playing are beautiful, cheerful, silly and amusing. By now we’ve all heard about poor old grandma getting run over by the reindeer, the kid who wants a hippopotamus for Christmas; and ALVIN! There are probably 100 renditions of Santa Claus is coming to town, one of which I really like and still don’t know who it is. I’ve tried to restrain my angst but I’m tired of the commercialization of a really special religious season. So much so I’m just borderline green- Grinch green. My failsafe against the barrage of Jesus-less songs while journeying the hour into Idaho Falls, is to slip in a personal favorite, the one true holiday album, Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. This takes me back to my childhood. *
One particular Christmas season was made special while I lived with my aunt in Los Angeles. We had television, but it was black and white. That year Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer was being broadcast in color. I can’t honestly tell you if it was the first year ever, because I was only in the third grade. I just remember the trek my aunt planned using the city bus, to one of the shopping areas where a Television Store had turned all the sets to the station and ran them night and day to garner sales. We took a seat out front, and spent the next thirty minutes to watch the show. I was entranced. In those years, I hadn’t really fully educated into the hidden significance of the meaning of Christmas. But I do recall that the Carols of Christmas were much more prominent over the airwaves of radio and television, even if I didn’t understand that the angels’ who sang weren’t actually named Harold.
By the seventh grade my mother had started attending the Episcopal Church. I sang in the youth choir and went to a junior high youth group each Sunday evening. In that year, I was finally learning about the real story of Christmas through the church. Advent as a season of preparation was introduced to us by the priest.
In all my years as a child I know I never went without some gifts under the tree. The tree rarely came into the house before December 15th. That was probably as a matter of financial constraints for my parents. My step-father was a disabled veteran of world war II able to work an unusual profession as a clown which meant money was often tight, although I never was really aware of that fact either until many years later. Our Christmas gifts often included generous benefactors who signed the cards “Santa.”
I love getting the letters from friends and family that tell of the year’s highlights. When Tim and I first married I sent out cards to lots of family and some friends. Then we moved to Denver and had to expand to a letter every year to more distant friends and family. There was the annual Christmas picture of our son, then both boys together in 1982, 83, 84. The list has grown over the years but my time hasn’t expanded to keep up with it. I’m absolutely not able to get a letter out before Christmas Eve. Fortunately the Church Calendar calls for 12 days that FOLLOW Christmas Day as the season of Christmas. So now my goal is to have a letter that arrives before Epiphany, which is January 6th.
So it’s 26 hours, 30 minutes before the Christmas Eve service which will be held at 7:30 PM. I’m mulling the message and thinking about Max Lucado’s Cosmic Christmas and letting my mind wander to other places. I’m missing my family California and now being distracted by text messages from our son who’s serving in Iraq. Technology has certainly shrunken the time for feedback, even if it hasn’t been able to eliminate the distance.
There’s no Christmas tree in the parsonage, because Tim and I chose to dispense with the ritual since there aren’t children to gather around our tree. Instead, the tree in the Sanctuary is our focal point. Thankfully the lights are now working on the tree. The candles will be ready for our guests, complete with the handy plastic holder to protect our worshippers from the dripping wax. If you are wondering where you can go to hear the reading of the nativity with carols sung by the congregation, Join us at the United Methodist Church as we commemorate the incarnation of Christ, the light of the world. To quote a hymn, “Come and worship, Come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn king”**
There are so many blessings for us this year. While the world is definitely in a state of uncertainty, we have one sure thing to rely on. Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God, the Word that became flesh, offers us a rock solid relationship to hold us through thick and thin. I pray that you too will be able to claim this as the most prized gift you unwrap for Christmas 2008.
*Especially “Adeste Fideles”
** “Angels from the Realms of Glory” (James Montgomer, 1816)
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Early Christmas
After all the frustrations I related about the internet in the office I have to give a follow-up report.
It seems that the best way to upgrade your internet service in Ashton is to wait until the modem just fizzles out. After techno talk that drove me up the wall, me being directed to check every conceivable cord, outlet and configuration of the telephone system they "referred me up." 24 hours later a nice guy on the other end, Lee, said we would need to replace the modum. "Easy to do and the fastest way" was to have me come down to St. Anthony to pick one up and install it myself. But I don't like denying those who are specialists in their field the opportunity to show off how capable they are. And I didn't want to add a drive to St. Anthony to my schedule either. I agreed to wait until it could be scheduled as a discipline in patience.
"by the way," I asked "can i get a wireless modum?" "Oh sure."
could this be an opening for more new technology for worship?
Happy Advent-uring to you!
It seems that the best way to upgrade your internet service in Ashton is to wait until the modem just fizzles out. After techno talk that drove me up the wall, me being directed to check every conceivable cord, outlet and configuration of the telephone system they "referred me up." 24 hours later a nice guy on the other end, Lee, said we would need to replace the modum. "Easy to do and the fastest way" was to have me come down to St. Anthony to pick one up and install it myself. But I don't like denying those who are specialists in their field the opportunity to show off how capable they are. And I didn't want to add a drive to St. Anthony to my schedule either. I agreed to wait until it could be scheduled as a discipline in patience.
"by the way," I asked "can i get a wireless modum?" "Oh sure."
could this be an opening for more new technology for worship?
Happy Advent-uring to you!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Oh blogger me
A couple of weeks ago my internet service in the office went south on me. It took me several days of patiently, well not too patiently, waiting. On the first day, turning off all things and reconnecting them several times didn’t work. Checking all the connections reaped no reward. So I just went to plan B. I went home to use my own connection to complete the important correspondence of the day. And I did this repeatedly for several days until the problem resolved itself. Later, talking to an older member of the church about this frustration, more in passing than serious lament, she commented that I was spoiled by the internet.
“O contraire!” was my reply. She just didn’t understand that the internet is now our primary means of communication on so many levels. Internet has become the primary means of delivery and connection in the Oregon Idaho Conference. United Methodist organizations at all levels communicate to pastors, and laity with increasing reliance upon the Internet as the medium.
Within the same week a short article came across my desk, (yes, it actually was printed on paper and mailed) which raised the issue of the church and Digital Natives.
I am not a digital native. I’m far too old. My first introduction to computers was after I began working in the banking industry somewhere around 1975 or ‘76. ATM’s were just coming out at that time. Banks sorted and cleared checks using row upon row of computers and keystroke operators. A whole fleet of people and machines worked to sort out the daily work of every branch office in San Diego County for San Diego Trust and Savings Bank. The building was kept at a very cool temperature of about 66.7 degrees in order to keep the machines from overheating.
About a year after that I took my first class in computer programming. If you are a digital native this probably means very little to you unless you are also a digital geek. Those of us who took any programming classes in the 70’s had to use punch cards to write our programs, one card for each line of a program. I wrote the simplest program, prayed not to drop the stack of 70 lines of command in a some foreign language cobal or fortran I think, and shouted for joy when I completed the class with less than an A but better than a d plus.
Since those early days of learning to embrace the technology of computers I’ve taken other classes, and determined that minimally I’m just a user. GUI -Graphic User Interface- made it so much easier than those early days. And now, like 10,400 others who list themselves as pastors in their profile, I’ve taken to using a blog as a means of reflecting – hopefully also inspiring, those who may never once step their foot within the door of any church that I preach in.
My husband kicked and complained about the use of the internet for business purposes until about 6 years ago. Now within just the last 24 hours he too is seeing the value of the blog for connecting. For him and the rest of our family we are setting up a private space, thanks again to blogspot, a place where we can connect with our family which resides in Iraq, California, Missouri, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and who knows where else.
My son and daughter in law were sharing about their experience selecting a church for their family. Their search started with the internet. She studied the mission statements and vision statements of every church around their community. Not being present on the internet with a complete website automatically eliminated a lot of prospective congregations.
Now I know that what I blog is supposed to be "fresh" and "in the moment". So let me confess, I started writing this about two weeks ago. I saved it, and put it aside. But again today, my internet in the office "NO tabaja!" Once again I've had to pack it up and head to the parsonage, and that just to check email and download documents that my denomination dutifully requires me to file annually. And that, my friends led me to pulling out this piece of bloggerity.
Back to the younger set looking for church on the web. Out here, on the edge of the timber, I wonder who is searching for a connection with the Divine, Methodist version or otherwise, through the World Wide Web? And after they've found it, what do they think of us once the walk through the doors to discover that they quite likely, on that particular week are the youngest in the room?
Will they want to worship when I'm also reduced to using DIGITALLY recorded music for our worship through the winter because our accompanist has gone south for the winter?
So tell me, if you're out there, what are you looking for from a church? What will keep you coming back, well, at least once or twice every quarter? How can the church be the church for you?
“O contraire!” was my reply. She just didn’t understand that the internet is now our primary means of communication on so many levels. Internet has become the primary means of delivery and connection in the Oregon Idaho Conference. United Methodist organizations at all levels communicate to pastors, and laity with increasing reliance upon the Internet as the medium.
Within the same week a short article came across my desk, (yes, it actually was printed on paper and mailed) which raised the issue of the church and Digital Natives.
I am not a digital native. I’m far too old. My first introduction to computers was after I began working in the banking industry somewhere around 1975 or ‘76. ATM’s were just coming out at that time. Banks sorted and cleared checks using row upon row of computers and keystroke operators. A whole fleet of people and machines worked to sort out the daily work of every branch office in San Diego County for San Diego Trust and Savings Bank. The building was kept at a very cool temperature of about 66.7 degrees in order to keep the machines from overheating.
About a year after that I took my first class in computer programming. If you are a digital native this probably means very little to you unless you are also a digital geek. Those of us who took any programming classes in the 70’s had to use punch cards to write our programs, one card for each line of a program. I wrote the simplest program, prayed not to drop the stack of 70 lines of command in a some foreign language cobal or fortran I think, and shouted for joy when I completed the class with less than an A but better than a d plus.
Since those early days of learning to embrace the technology of computers I’ve taken other classes, and determined that minimally I’m just a user. GUI -Graphic User Interface- made it so much easier than those early days. And now, like 10,400 others who list themselves as pastors in their profile, I’ve taken to using a blog as a means of reflecting – hopefully also inspiring, those who may never once step their foot within the door of any church that I preach in.
My husband kicked and complained about the use of the internet for business purposes until about 6 years ago. Now within just the last 24 hours he too is seeing the value of the blog for connecting. For him and the rest of our family we are setting up a private space, thanks again to blogspot, a place where we can connect with our family which resides in Iraq, California, Missouri, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and who knows where else.
My son and daughter in law were sharing about their experience selecting a church for their family. Their search started with the internet. She studied the mission statements and vision statements of every church around their community. Not being present on the internet with a complete website automatically eliminated a lot of prospective congregations.
Now I know that what I blog is supposed to be "fresh" and "in the moment". So let me confess, I started writing this about two weeks ago. I saved it, and put it aside. But again today, my internet in the office "NO tabaja!" Once again I've had to pack it up and head to the parsonage, and that just to check email and download documents that my denomination dutifully requires me to file annually. And that, my friends led me to pulling out this piece of bloggerity.
Back to the younger set looking for church on the web. Out here, on the edge of the timber, I wonder who is searching for a connection with the Divine, Methodist version or otherwise, through the World Wide Web? And after they've found it, what do they think of us once the walk through the doors to discover that they quite likely, on that particular week are the youngest in the room?
Will they want to worship when I'm also reduced to using DIGITALLY recorded music for our worship through the winter because our accompanist has gone south for the winter?
So tell me, if you're out there, what are you looking for from a church? What will keep you coming back, well, at least once or twice every quarter? How can the church be the church for you?
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