An Advent Storybook: Recent Episodes
UUMC
Just in time for the Advent season, we've compiled a collection of Christmas stories from the UUMC Community. Each day, you'll be able to read listen to a Christmas memory and spend a little time in prayer.
A Christmas Day PrayerEmmanuel, God with us, thank you for this day when we are overwhelmed with the light of this world. The lights wrapped around the Christmas tree, the lights glowing on houses, the light in children’s eyes, the light of Christ as it enters the world each year on this day. May our hearts reflect this light so that all may see it. May it warm each one of us and all we meet.
Emmanuel, God with us, thank you for this time to be present to the light, to be with those we love. May this day fill us with joy like never before as we remember all that you have done. May we celebrate new life and renewed hope. May we carry that hope with us all year long.
Emmanuel, God with us, thank you for your love that accompanies the light. A love that won’t let us go. A love that transcends all and is with us from generation to generation.
From generation to generation,
we have been claimed and loved.
From generation to generation,
God has been by our side.
From generation to generation,
we are not alone.
The God of yesterday and the God of tomorrow
knows you by name, loves you, and calls you forth,
saying, “Go be the person you are called to be,
love wildly and do justice.”
May it be so. Amen.
- A Benediction By Sarah Speed
Scripture: Scripture: Matthew 1:23Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”
Applesauce Barsby Heather GreenEvery year my great grandmother would make her famous applesauce bars for Christmas. These were a fan favorite. So beloved in fact, that she would make them and then have to hide them around the kitchen so they didn’t get eaten all at once. I don’t remember much about my great Nonnie or her house. She died when I was very young. I’m told, however, that her house was small and humble. But at Christmastime it was bursting at the seams with people, food, presents, laughter, love and applesauce bars.
Years later I began trying to recreate these applesauce bars. No one could ever find a recipe. They knew she used a spice cake box mix, cans (not jars) of applesauce and there was much debate between my mom and aunt if there were crushed up pecans added. Everyone was certain however, that they were topped with cream cheese frosting.
I tried recreating these bars for several years in a row. Each time adjusting the recipe so slightly. I managed to get the flavor almost right, but I could never achieve the right consistency. Mine were always too “cakey” and not bar-like. But year after year cousins, aunts, and uncles would show up to Christmas waiting to try my applesauce bars.
Working on this recipe for so long connected me to my great grandmother. A woman who was kind and thoughtful and would bring out an “extra” present if anyone showed up to Christmas she wasn’t expecting. A woman who filled everyone’s tummy with warmth. A woman who built a family foundation of faith and love.
As we enter into this Christmas season, may we remember the ones who came before us, who created our family traditions, who crafted our family culture. And may we keep trying to create homes of faith, warmth and love for this generation and the next. Knowing our efforts now, may just bring hope and love and joy for years to come.
Scripture: Psalm 78:4We won’t hide them from their descendants; we’ll tell the next generation all about the praise due the Lord and his strength— the wondrous works God has done.
PrayerGod of us all, thank you for those who have gone before us, guiding our way, teaching us how to love. Inspire us and grant us strength to continue the traditions that bring us life and forge new ones that bring us hope. From this generation to the next. In the name of the one who was and is and is to come. Amen.
Candlelightby Amanda WilsonGrowing up, my parents were never religious but our family would attend a Christmas Eve service at my aunt’s congregation in downtown Houston. The service never really resonated with me; however, I always enjoyed holding my candle, receiving the flame, passing the flame on, and watching all the candles glow and flicker in the dark church. Something about it felt special and made the whole visit worthwhile.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve of 2021, so much in my life had changed since attending that church in downtown Houston. I had found UUMC and its abundance of community in 2016 and had been regularly attending Sunday services. With my family now scattered across the country and not wanting to fly due to the pandemic, I found myself staying in Austin during Christmas of 2021 and wanted to do something special. I decided to sing in the choir on Christmas Eve. While I had never sung before, something told me it was the right thing to do! During the service, I sang my heart out and felt incredibly connected to our congregation. When it came time to light the candles, I was able to watch the process from an entirely different perspective since I was sitting with the choir. The candles still felt special, but this year it felt different. After years of Christmas Eve services where I felt out of place and confused, I finally felt like I had found where I belonged.
Scripture: John 1: 9-10aThe true light that shines on all people was coming into the world. The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light.
PrayerLight of the World, help us as we continue to find our place, especially during the holiday season. Remind us of your love and help us pass that love onto others as light passes from candle to candle. Amen.
Christmas with Maryby Jillian MooreDespite having a strained relationship with the church I grew up in, as I reflect on my past, all of my favorite Christmas memories are there. Years of Advent Festivals, candlelight Christmas Eve services, helping set up trees and decorations when I was in the youth group. I’ve always wondered why Christmas at church felt like such a brighter experience than all of my other church experiences. Was it simply the fact that Christmas is just generally magical? I remember being so enamored by the stories, the crafts, the cozy feeling, and remarkably as though I was worthy. I saw a woman in the story. I got to see myself in Mary. I remember being 14 or 15 and finally being able to verbalize that feeling. I loved Christmas at church because it was a moment in my faith that I didn’t have to negotiate quite so much with my womanness. There she was, the giver of life, at the center of one of the most important stories in the bible. The comfort that brought me, even when I couldn’t understand all the ways that my perspective was being shaped, was tremendous. Christmases at church are my favorite church memories AND my favorite Christmas memories and that is not insignificant to me. Celebrating the birth of Jesus is also a celebration of Mary.
After Christmas Eve candlelight service, my family and I would always make and eat tamales and talk about the season. Mary, unsurprisingly, was always my biggest talking point. Merry Christmas!
Scripture: Luke 1: 46-49Mary said, ‘With all my heart I glorify the Lord! In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored because the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name.
PrayerDear God, thank you for Mary. Thank you for the ways she ushered in new life, giving birth to hope and light and love. May we strive to be like Mary. Making way for new things to come, ushering in your kindom on earth. Amen.
Christmas Treesby Colleen HobbsWestern red cedar is an invasive species in central Oklahoma. The state will pay you to remove them since they shade out native grass and desirable hardwoods. Cutting a cedar at Christmas time, then, weeded the pasture while providing holiday festivity. My father checked his cattle daily, and cedars were always in abundance. When I was still small enough to care deeply about the quality of my Christmas tree, I would find myself in a Chevy pickup in mid-December, my father’s chain saws in the truck bed.
Shrubby, unattractive cedars grow in abundance under black oaks, but the symmetrical trees you could see from the pickup were at least 10 feet tall. My father, uncomplaining, didn’t object if I changed my mind, and we sometimes brought home multiples of these oversized evergreens, oozing sap, dragging in prairie grass, and much too tall for our house.
I have reflected on this childhood memory as one in which my father consistently, knowingly brought home inappropriately sized trees. After selecting trees with my own children, however, I can better appreciate that my parents truly never cared about tree size or aesthetics. I could have picked out a Bradford pear for all they cared.
My father hardly talked when he drove, so my memory is what he did, not what he said: he cut down trees for a small child until she was satisfied. And my mother, lovingly exasperated, trimmed the tree so its tip no longer bent at the our ceilings (which at 11 ½ feet could accommodate the average Norway spruce) and directed me to vacuum spikey trimmings out of the carpet. Their holiday gift was time and patience. My parents, by design, set us up for what outwardly looked like a Christmas tree failure. Each year, we failed big.
Scripture: Isaiah 40: 3-5A voice is crying out: “Clear the Lord’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God! Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be flattened. Uneven ground will become level, and rough terrain a valley plain. The Lord’s glory will appear, and all humanity will see it together; the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.”
PrayerO God, we thank you for memories that bring us joy. For in the re-membering we are bringing together all that was and all that is. Help us practice what we learn from these memories: patience, peace, joy, love. Amen.
Christmas in the Detailsby Chad JonesBetween cookie decorating contests, living-room-fort movie marathons and Christmas Pictionary, there is no shortage of holiday traditions in our house. Some we’ve started and some we’ve carried on, and what I’ve found is often it’s the moments in-between where we find the most joy.
While I absolutely love Christmas, it also comes with seemingly endless to do lists.
My mother and sister work tirelessly through November to get shopping and all their wrapping done so they have time to relax as the holiday approaches. But as one thing is ticked off the list another is added, and if we’re not careful, the quiet moments give way to the more chaotic.
So every year I quietly refuse to wrap anything until after the kids are in bed on Christmas Eve. Then I drag out the box of presents from the closet, throw a few logs on the fire and sit down with my wife Ashley. My mother and sister migrate into their respective living room chairs and for the next hour, as we wrap, we remember. I recount something funny Huck said earlier in the week that reminds Ashley of a distant memory she has from when Olivia was a baby. That reminds mom of something Dad had done when I was a child, and away we go. Over the years these stories seem to grow. They get wilder and the laughs get bigger. We relive these small moments that have made our life so full over the years. And in that joy we find the inspiration to be more present in those moments as they happen. To savor them. To remember all the small details so next year, as we wrap, we can experience them all over again.
Scripture: Luke 2:17-19When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully.
PrayerGod of the big and the small, silence the noise and chaos this season, and elevate the soft, quiet moments. Help us breathe in each moment, each memory in the making. May these times stay close to our hearts. Amen.
A Reflectionby David WoodruffIn this season we celebrate a child, and children. As parents, we might celebrate children with fancy dresses and school holiday parties and a Christmas pageant at church. Maybe even a trip to see Santa or the Trail of Lights. A lot of planning can go into an effort to make memories. But some of the most enduring memories come from unscripted moments that might have caused parents to cringe. Four-year-olds can help with this. Consider:
- My oldest brother-in-law sang “Away in a Manger” in his grandparents’ country church while his mother played the piano. During the silence that followed the polite applause, Michael said, in his outside voice, “Mom, what does that word ‘nigh’ mean? I never heard that word before in my life.”
- Our daughter Lydia was one of many doves at her first UUMC Christmas pageant. She smiled and sang softly, though not exactly at the same time as the other children. Her sweet Sunday school teacher asked Lydia what song she had been singing. “Oklahoma!”
- Our daughter Grace spent early Christmas Eves in the little church in her mother’s hometown. When her candle went out during Silent Night, she felt comfortable walking down front to relight it from one of the altar candles. While there, she noticed the thimble-sized plastic communion cups that had so fascinated her earlier in the service, and she took a moment to gather up a few and bring them back to our pew. Later, some of the nice church ladies presented Grace with several more, complete with grape juice residue.
Over time, our capacity for wholehearted, full-contact celebration might wane. This Advent, let the ability to embrace the moment be born anew in all of us.
Scripture: Mark 10: 14b-15God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children. I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.
PrayerO God, Let us come to you like children, full of wonder and hope, unscripted and true, curious and gracious. Amen.
Christmas Traditionsby Cindy ReevesAs I’ve gotten older, my Christmas traditions have changed, slightly, but not a lot, surprisingly!
Growing up, I always had a white artificial Christmas tree that I would help decorate with all red ornaments and then any special ones I made as a kid. Now, my husband, David, and I always go pick out a real tree together, as he grew up with real trees. We have collected many ornaments in our almost 15 years of marriage. Some from all the places we have been, others that have been gifted to us. So our tree is full of “meaningful and special” ornaments.
One tradition that has not changed is that I have always attended a Christmas Eve service, whether it be at my childhood church in Arlington, or here at UUMC. My Mom has always been a part of that tradition and now it is tradition that she travels here to attend our Christmas Eve service with us.
As our kids have gotten older and now are both married, with one granddaughter who just turned 1, the date of our Christmas gathering changes year by year, but not what we do when we are all together. We take turns selecting a Christmas movie to watch together and decide on a meal to prepare. We also still do Christmas stockings and put a mystery fruit or vegetable in the bottom and the kids have to guess what the fruit or vegetable is by feeling it before they look at it or empty their stocking.
Scripture: Luke 1: 72He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our ancestor Abraham.
PrayerHoly God, the mystery of Christmas remains year after year. In moments with family, in holiday decorations, in church services. Thank you for being near to us always. Amen.
The Thin Placeby Marsha WhittonBefore the age of 40, most all my traditions were secular, but in the last 30 years the traditions with my church family have become my most essential traditions. Starting with Lessons and Carols, moving on to Advent Studies, the Children’s Pageant and the joyous Homeroom and Sunday School Christmas parties. The star over the manger for me however, is the 10:30 pm Christmas Eve Service. I usually come from my home which is overflowing with visiting family and the kitchen chaos that comes from days in a row with more than a dozen gathered for meals. I leave behind the wrapping and baking still needing to be done before the Christmas Day meals and celebrations. I enter the church and suddenly I am in sacred space and am experiencing sacred time. And then, the string orchestra begins playing “O Come All Ye Faithful”, the choir processes and my voice joins theirs and I am transported into this “thin place” untouched by my overactive life whirling around me. My eyes are brimming with tears and I know I have come home. While kneeling at the communion rail to receive Holy Communion by candlelight, I know this is the most important shared meal I will have at Christmas. While passing the lighted candles that transform the dark church into a golden gathering, revealing the glowing faces of all who have come, I know I am surrounded by love. Concluding by singing the last verse of Silent Night with only the sound of other pilgrim voices, I am sent off into the quiet holy night, driving home in a quiet car with near empty streets continuing to hum the song. I arrive back at my house about midnight and re-enter my home - now quiet and dark. For these brief moments on Christmas Eve, all seems right in the world and the peace I experience gives me hope that it will one day come to all. My day draws to an end knowing I have just experienced the sweetest gift of the season. O, Come, O, Come Emanuel.
Scripture: Psalm 46:10Be still and know that I am God.
PrayerGod with us, may we be still long enough this advent season to recognize and meet you in the thin places of Christmas. Amen
A The Tree of Misfit Ornamentsby Renee MorenoHandmade ornaments. Every kid makes some during those early school years. They’re sweet and sometimes cute, but they won’t win any home decor awards.
My mom still has each and every ornament that my sisters and I made in school. She has ornaments I made at age 5 when I couldn’t write my 9s properly so they look like Ps. The reindeer ornament my sister made has lost its pipe cleaner antlers somewhere along the way.
So each year, when the time comes to decorate the tree. We all have to do it together. Even as we started getting older and having more obligations, we made sure that a time was found that worked for everyone.
We spend those couple hours listening to Christmas music and laughing at our poorly made ornaments. Judging the ornament I made in 1998 out of a green cake ice cream cone that has somehow not deteriorated in the slightest. Remembering bad haircuts or good teachers. Sometimes even repairing the old crafts in the hopes they can live a few more years.
It’s a simple day. No Christmas outfits. No Christmas treats to eat while we decorate. Sometimes we even forget to put on the Christmas music, because we’re so busy talking over it. With the exception of the ornaments gifted to us by my grandmother each year, we’ve stopped putting “normal” ornaments on the tree to spruce it up. We even stopped hiding the tree upstairs so guests don’t see it. We let our handmade ornaments tell our story.
And to this day, we still all get together to decorate the tree. 24-year-old ice cream cone and all.
Scripture: Luke 2: 19-20Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.
PrayerGod of us all, who weaves together our stories with yours. May we never hide from the truth, beauty and grace you bring each time you enter the world. Amen.
A Charlie Brown and Andy Williams Christmasby Megan OttoSince I moved to Texas I’ve had to rely on things other than weather to signal that the holiday season is approaching. In my family that other thing has always been music – specifically Charlie Brown and Andy Williams. My mother has been known to start listening to Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas when the first chill in the air begins in Kansas, usually in September. I also have fond memories of the Andy Williams Christmas Album echoing throughout the living room when I was a child. What is it about this music that is so joyful and puts us in the right mood?
I wonder what helps you move from the ordinary mood of the year to a holiday mood?
Sometimes that transition is easy – it’s exciting and something to look forward to. Sometimes those transitions can be difficult. We might not feel the joy we need to move into a season or feel sadness to move out of another. As you transition and navigate your way into this advent season I hope that you can find moments of joy and hope. You might find those moments in the tangible details or they might just happen when you get to spend time with people you care about.
Remember that if the seasonal transition is hard for you for one reason or another, it’s ok to feel what you are feeling. People struggle during holiday seasons for a plethora of reasons and you are not alone. If all else fails try my method and turn on some Charlie or Andy to lighten your mood. You might find yourself humming along with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.
Scripture: John 1:14The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
PrayerGod, be with me now as I seek to be comfortable with where I am physically, spiritually, and emotionally this holiday season. Give me grace to be patient with myself, and those around me as I navigate all that is before me. Amen
Hands and Heartsby Lee Alice PabloHands to work, Hearts to God. -Shaker motto
If there was a southern workshop for Santa in the nineties, it was in South Louisiana where my grandparents once lived and worked with their hands most days. Growing up, I spent a lot of weekends with them. Time spent with them was like going to a creative workshop. I would sketch an idea for a wooden trunk for my doll and then
I would ask my grandfather (PaPa) if we could go build it in the shop, which we would! My grandmother (MeMe) would let me pick out fabrics and try to teach me how to sew. There was always something fun and creative to appreciate at their home. On most Sundays with them, MeMe would get up early to prepare a roast for the oven before we headed to First Methodist. Once we returned, PaPa would make sure the home improvement show This Old House was recorded on the VCR. While we were getting ready for the rest of the family to join us for Sunday dinner, there was the background sound of Bob Vila’s voice speaking of woodworking projects.
Christmas eve was when most of my mom’s family would gather at their home and it was always something I looked forward to because it was when they would reveal what they had been working on. There are so many treasured gifts, but the one that stands out the most to me is a project they collaborated on. It was a tudor style bed for my doll complete with curtains and coordinating linens. PaPa built the wood frame and MeMe sewed the lovely fabrics. Their faces are what I remember most because of their joy to share their gifts. Those toys were built with love.
Scripture: Mark 10:16And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
PrayerCreator God, strengthen our hands to create and work for good. Soften our hearts to see others as you see them. Slow us down to find joy in the doing. Amen.
Home Depot and Eartha Kittby Lauren HanksWhen I think of Christmas, I often think of Home Depot and Eartha Kitt. Let me explain.
Every year, as soon as my older sister and I can make it home to Dallas, the entire family piles into the suburban, equipped with rope and clothes we don’t mind getting sap on, and we drive a lazy six miles to our local Home Depot. Upon exiting the car, we can always follow the scent of pine and wood and make our way to the rows and rows of magnificent Christmas trees – Fraser and Balsam and Douglas fir.
After a painstaking review of what’s available, we take turns holding up no less than three different options. Our ideal tree is taller than me, offers 360° of fullness, and boasts branches strong enough to hold some of our heavier ornaments. The entire process can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90, but we’ve never left without a tree.
With the aid of a few choice swear words, we tie the tree down, drive home, unload, and turn on … you guessed it, Eartha Kitt’s Santa Baby.
It’s important to note that the decorating of the actual tree starts with
just me and my sister putting on the lights. Now, what that entails is me standing with a cup of cocoa (or red wine) and doing exactly what my sister tells me to do. Her thoroughness and attention to detail in placing the lights just so knows no bounds. If the tree’s tall enough, I’m responsible for moving the ladder about as we go round and round the tree. Otherwise, I occupy the irreplaceable position of holding the excess string of lights and singing loudly and off key.
While I can’t count on snow in Texas or finding my terribly unmaterialistic father a good gift, I can always count on Home Depot and Eartha Kitt for ostensibly mundane yet absolutely magical Christmas moments.
Scripture: Luke 1:50He shows mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors him as God.
PrayerGod, give us eyes to see your beauty and ears to hear your glory in the secular and the holy and when the two become one. Amen.
A Christmas Miracleby Sydney HarkriderIn 2018, I started here at University UMC and it was the first time in 5 years that I could actually see my family on Christmas Day. Before working in the church, I worked in different movie theaters, and the busiest day is Christmas Day. Whether I was an usher, server, or even a manager, I remember working nearly 12 hours almost every Christmas.
That year I texted my sister and brother-in-law, Alyssa and Matt, a week prior and they were able to get Christmas off as well! We knew our dad was sad that we couldn’t all be together for the holiday, but he expected as much since that was normal. This was our chance to provide a Christmas miracle for our dad!
My husband, Dee, and I met up with Alyssa and Matt down the road from my parent’s house. My mom knew to open the front door at 9am to let us in without the dogs hearing any knocking. We all pull up with anticipation and wonder how he will react. Would he be excited? Would he be shocked?
We all tiptoe into the house and mom points that he’s in the kitchen. The four of us slowly get behind him and I say, “hey, whatcha doing?” He turns around with eyebrows raised and says, “oh!” and smiles so big. We realize he is making eggs for breakfast and he says in a regretful voice, “I don’t have enough eggs.” Even in a moment of surprise for him, he was still thinking of us.
To this day, this is one of the most genuine moments that showcases who he truly is. It was a Christmas moment I’ll never forget and it makes up for the years lost to make those memories then and now.
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5: 16-18So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards. Even though we used to know Christ by human standards, that isn’t how we know him now. So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
PrayerGod of the big and small moments, teach us to pause and be present wherever this Advent season finds us. At work, at home, with friends or family. May we continue to show up and show others your love. Amen.
The Day Is Near—Sing Now!by Jan HamesMy family grew up in church choirs, preparing for Advent and Christmas as soon as September rehearsals began. When folks complain about Christmas music before Halloween, it’s odd. By Thanksgiving, we’ve sung carols hundreds of times.
In 1999, Rebecca, Charlie, and I all sang Lessons and Carols. So much to learn! Carols included “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”; “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”; “Comfort, Comfort Ye, My People”; “Ye Who Claim the Faith of Jesus”; “Huron Carol”; “Go Tell It on the Mountain”; “Jesus, Jesus, Rest your Head”; “People Look East”; “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”; “Before the Marvel of this Night”; “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.”
Paul says (Romans 13:11), “…you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith.” So, sing carols now. As Carl Schalk reminds us: “The love that we have always known, our constant joy and endless light, now to the loveless world be shown, now break upon its deathly night. Into one song compress the love that rules our universe above: Sing love, sing love, sing God is love, sing love, sing God is love!”
Scripture: Romans 13:11-12As you do all this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith. The night is almost over, and the day is near. So let’s get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light.
PrayerGod of love, give us courage to sing of your love from every mountain and rooftop, every sanctuary and shelter. May we sing of your love forever. Amen.
The Light (Phos)by Earl KimMy wife and I have kept a sort of secular Christmas tradition for many years. It is to watch one of the three movie series—The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. And Star Wars is the one we are going to watch this December. I love the saga of the Jedi knights fighting against the evil Galactic Empire to liberate people in the
galaxy. In this fictional universe, the Jedi use a mysterious power called “the Force.” And this Force is described as a ubiquitous power inherent in every creature, and an energy field bounding the universe in harmony. “May the Force be with you!” The Jedi always bid farewell to each other with this famous phrase.
When I hear the word “the Force” from the movie, it brings to my mind a Greek word with similar pronunciation, “the phōs (Φώς),” which means “the light.” This particular word is frequently used in the Gospel of John:
“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light (phōs) of all people. The light (phōs) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:3-5
How wonderful! Jesus is the life-giving light, the phōs, for all people. This phōs is the force of love given to every Christian to overcome injustice and transform the world with its radiance of grace and peace. And the season of Advent is the time we remember this ever-glowing light within us and let it shine not only in us but on others. Faithful friends in Christ, thus, it is my prayer that the light of Jesus Christ inside us may illuminate our minds, warm our hearts, and enkindle everlasting hope in new life, always. May “the phōs” be with you!
Scripture: John 1:3-5What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light (phōs) of all people. The light (phōs) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
PrayerHoly God, light of the world, we give you thanks for guiding our way. Remind us that the light is not beyond us but within us. Helping us shine, love, and transform the world. Amen.
Creating Giftsby Davis RoeGrowing up in Austin, I have been very fortunate to have my aunt (my mother’s sister) and her five children, all relatively close to my age, only minutes away from me and my family. This geographic proximity facilitated playdates, sleepovers, birthdays and holidays shared together.
Christmas is one holiday our families rarely spend apart. For as long as I can remember, Christmas with the cousins has involved our tradition of a gift exchange between all of the kids–seven of us in total, including myself and my sister. To begin the process, my mom writes each person’s name on a slip of paper. We then go around drawing the name of the person to whom we will give our gift. With our designated recipient in mind, we create a craft to give to that person. The craft can be anything, but each year my mom and aunt either purchase supplies or take us to a venue to create our gifts. One year we made lego ornaments, another year it was Bob Ross-inspired paintings. We have gone to a pottery studio, a jewelry-making store and various other craft studios. As we have gotten older, the projects have taken on surprising complexity, and I am constantly amazed at the beautiful works of art my sister and cousins create.
I love this tradition. It is fun and rewarding to spend time working creatively, something I rarely find myself doing unprompted. I also love the idea of creating with the intent of giving your work to someone else. There is something so special about receiving the thought, effort, and intention that is encapsulated in the art from another person. Lastly, I cherish the meaningful connection to my cousins this tradition engenders, and I am excited to continue it between our children in the future.
Scripture: Revelation 21:5Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
PrayerCreator God, inspire, ignite, and energize us to make this Advent season new. Holding on to what we love dear while creating space for the divine spark to surprise and amaze us. O Come, O Come, Emanuael. Amen.
Longing, Learning, and Adjustingby Stephanie MolnarI enjoy Advent—the gatherings, the inescapable rotation of holiday hits, decorating my home. But the concept of “Christmas tradition” often fills me with longing and loss. What was important to me 10 or 12 or 48 years ago no longer applies. Or, more heart-achingly, people connected to certain traditions in my memory have moved on or died.
Particularly after I got sober, a quest to improve our health, reduce our environmental impact, and limit animal suffering has also led my husband and I to let go of longstanding food traditions. My doctor even got me off gluten, so once-a-year treats like my mom’s peanut butter cookies have had to be adjusted or replaced. (Happy to report my vegan, gluten-free treats pass muster with Mom!)
The process can be difficult. But new traditions spring up! My mom, widowed 12 years, comes to our house because our fireplace reminds her of her grandparents’. We have adopted Christmas Eve tamales—bean, of course—from our Mexican neighbors. We donate to organizations working for what we feel is helpful in the world. Even so, tears still flow when I think of my dad, my grandparents, my big brother Roger, and animals now buried in our backyard instead of running through it.
One tradition I hold onto? Choosing Advent as a time to review the year and remember that, as Julian of Norwich said, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” All things including traditions evolve, and that’s okay.
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 6For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
PrayerMothering God, help us keep open minds and hearts as we let go of traditions that no longer work, adopt ones better suited to our present, and seek to serve You in an ever-changing world. Amen.
Joy to the World by Alicia VillarrealThere is no joy equivalent to a room of people preparing to go out and carol. I dart through the crowd of merry adults, on a hunt for the kid friendly eggnog. A loud voice from the front of the house announces that it’s time to leave, time to sing for people! Someone hands me a battered booklet of carol lyrics, with new additions stapled onto the old, and the roomfulls of choir singers and their families bundle up to head out into the winter chill. It’s December in New Jersey, and snow crunches beneath my boots. I shake my ankle to make the jingle bells ring and to warm myself up. We get to the first house, and as the family opens the door my dad hoists me up onto his shoulders so that I can see, and then we sing! Everyone is singing! I watch the faces of the family in the doorway go from surprised, to delighted, and then they’re singing too!
We didn’t have to practice, and no one is listening to critique, and everyone is glad that everyone else is here. No one is worried their voice isn’t strong enough, or good enough, and every song is familiar and filled with the warmth of hundreds of Christmases past.
Every year I bring out these familiar songs, I feel the warmth of my first church family wrapped around me, and every church family since. I remember that no matter how hard things get, every year Christmas still comes. Every year Jesus is born, every year humans look out into the coldest and longest nights and participate in the happiest of traditions: holding the dark at bay and ushering in the light through song.
Today I invite you to gather your people, knock on a neighbor’s door, and share a song with them. Here’s the word’s to “Joy to the World!” to get you started, let Heaven and Nature Sing!
Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!
Scripture: Luke 2:13-14Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
PrayerAlmighty God, may we have the courage to lift up our voices in song and our hearts with joy to prepare room for the coming Christ. Amen.
A Child is Born by Beth KelleyAfter his mother’s hard sweaty work,
The smells of the barn, the messiness
And confusion of life greeted him.
Shepherds came, and wise ones
Followed a star. In awe of what they saw,
Did they also consider the common miracle:
the wondrous spark of life
given to us all as air pushes breath
into lungs, igniting life.
He was born to change the world,
To bring the message of peace, to be
the embodiment of God’s love.
And beneath the surface shines
Another simple graceful truth:
We are ALL children of God.
So, child of here and now, know this:
However your life unfolds, whatever dreams
And dances you may embrace,
You, too, are a miracle,
You, too, are a child of God,
Beloved.
Scripture: Luke 2:6-7While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.
PrayerGod of all life, of things past, present, and things to come, be with us this season and remind us that we too, are a child of God. Amen.
On the Road by Richard BatesFor my family, Corpus Christi was ground zero. To be more precise, it was my grandparents’ home (my mother’s parents). Except for two years to my recollection, my family and the families of two cousins gathered at my grandparents home every year for Christmas day. My grandmother prepared the turkey, dressing, gravy, rolls and ambrosia (yum!) The other families filled in with everything else....veggies, other salads and desserts. The aromas and the beauty of the different foods still remain in my mind today.
Following my grandfather’s beautiful prayer and then our eating, everyone gathered in the living room for lively discussion. As I recall, one older female cousin usually led the conversation. Today, there would probably be divisions of thought but back then it was all entertaining and fun. I always looked forward to these moments.
So in the early 80s, Joe and I were traveling down to Corpus on Interstate 37. Joe was driving, I was in the passenger seat and Shadrach, our Afghan hound, was stretched out in the back seat. These were the early days of I 37 and there was a minimum of traffic. Between San Antonio and Corpus there was a desert of radio stations....only country and western...no NPR or classical stations within miles. So the radio was off. It was quiet as we made our way south. And I was keenly aware at that moment that probably most other cars were headed to their ground zero destinations...their families and hometowns, perhaps, where they grew up.
At that moment I remembered the Luke story of Joseph and Mary returning to their town of origin. All the pieces came together and tied all of our stories into the one from long ago.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-5In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant.
PrayerHoly God, may this time of Advent bring recollections from times past as we usher in the rebirth of the Christ child, the Redeemer, the Prince of Peace and Reconciliation. Amen.
The Christmas Card by Nancy Mossman When I first met David, I learned that one of his unique characteristics was his ability to write and draw cartoons, mostly in humorous ways that incorporated lots of silly puns. David used this talent to create personalized birthday and holiday cards. For years, many in our family received hand made birthday cards. I remember how tickled my father was when he received his first hand made birthday card from David. No one in our family exhibited that kind of artistic flair.
As the years passed, our family grew as well as our commitments and obligations to others. David simply was unable to continue his practice of providing hand-made cards to his friends and family. However, there was one card that he never gave up on. He continues to create his own Christmas card for our family each year.
Our Christmas card list is lengthy. Close to 100 friends and family receive David’s hand drawn card and Christmas letter describing the highlights of our year. But, it’s not a typical Christmas letter. The Mossman Christmas epistle is usually a quiz with multiple choice answers, all of which make you smile if not out right laugh.
Since the birth of our grandchildren, David has incorporated their names into the Christmas card design. So another test of our readers is to locate each grandchild’s name which is hidden in the lines and squiggles of the drawings. Also, it’s fun to see what each year’s “punny” logo will be.
These cards are very special to our family. They not only highlight David’s creativity, but they are a record of our family’s life together. Each year, we place one card and one letter into a plastic sleeve and insert it into our Mossman Family Christmas Card Album. As I look upon each year’s card and letter, I am reminded of all the milestones in our family and recall the many memories of our life together.
Scripture: Isaiah 61: 1-4aThe Lord God’s spirit is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for captives, and liberation for prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and a day of vindication for our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for Zion’s mourners, to give them a crown in place of ashes, oil of joy in place of mourning, a mantle of praise in place of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
PrayerMeet us in these moments God, of writing Christmas cards and reflecting on our year. The moments of joy, sorrow, peace, laughter. The moments that become memories that become stories that we tell from generation to generation. Amen.
The Joy of Getting Ready by Eun Joo FierroSince I can remember, my whole life has been involved in church. Especially, when it comes to special seasons like Christmas, my whole family would “camp out” in the church (or so it seemed) to get ready for a series of events. My sister and I were in the children’s choir so participating in the Christmas cantata and pageant was a must. My dad, being a youth director, was in charge of youth events and helped out my mom who was in charge of all the set designs and posters. It was physically and mentally demanding and exhausting but the joy of ‘getting ready’ was something that would sustain us until next Christmas.
Moving forward to the 2000s, my parents retired from the ‘Christmas season camp out’ but mine still continues. Slowly, I found myself dreading the stress and pressure from getting ready and ended many Christmases with the longest sigh of relief! I realized that it was no longer my childhood Christmas. It had become ‘work.’
One year after another day of Lessons and Carols rehearsal, a line from John Rutter’s Star Carol, “Hurry to Bethlehem and to see the son of Mary,” got stuck in my brain and I couldn’t stop humming. I decided to look up its lyrics and it offered profound insights of the true meaning of Christmas,” Christ is come, bringing promise of salvation.”
What are we getting ready for? Are we getting ready for the coming Christ? Let’s hurry to Bethlehem and to see the son of Mary!
Scripture: Isaiah 64:4From ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any god but you who acts on behalf of those who wait for him!
PrayerO God, the waiting and getting ready sometimes consumes the Advent season. May we always remember what we are getting ready for. The birth of a savior. Amen.
Just in time for the Advent season, we've compiled a collection of Christmas stories from the UUMC Community. Each day, you'll be able to listen to a Christmas memory and spend a little time in prayer.