Pastor’s Blog

Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells Ringing

Ah yes, the holidays. A time when families gather together at the old homestead, take sleigh rides, sip cocoa before the fire. This is a season when every boy and girl is at their best behavior and mother and father spend each idle moment in warm embraces and pleasant exchanges.

Okay, who am I kidding? Life is not that way and neither are the holidays. In fact, I have never been on a sleigh ride and have rarely seen one of my children, or my nieces or nephews (even the ones not in jail) at their best behavior. What usually transpires are cryptic threats to the children like, “If you don’t get this room clean Santa Clause is going to leave you underwear - do you understand me?!” Or how about when all of the extended families come together and secretly everyone is assessing each other to see who has gained weight, whose kids are the brightest (mine are, by the way), and who is having trouble at work.

We rush from home dragging our children in tow, along with our casseroles, sweet potato pie and some new recipe from Southern Living. Why do we do it? Why do families do this every year from coast to coast, sea to shining sea? I believe at the heart of the matter it is because we need one another. We really do not need our accomplishments or failures; we do not need our insightful ideas, inspirations or bragging rights. We just need each other. Christian Morgenstern wrote: “Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.” Well, I am sure there are times that our families back home may not always understand us. But that’s okay – we are family after all.

And so we are as God’s people. We are family here too. A spiritual home. A place where we make and cherish memories. As Christmas is now upon us, may you and yours be at peace and find your welcome in this home of God.

Amy, the boys and I want to thank you for being “home” to us in this community and especially within this church family.

Grace and peace,
Greg

Let’s see, in October we were carving pumpkins, in November Amy was picking out a 17 pound turkey of which we are still eating and now in December we removed and displayed from the attic most all of our dusty, Christmas decorations. Every family has their own routine and the DeLoaches are no different. Let’s see how we are doing on our holiday checklist:

• Good old fashion Christmas tree lovingly selected from the thousands sold at Lowes.
• Thought about constructing a ginger bread house, but remembered that the last time we made one I had eaten half of it by the next day.
• Picked up pine needles from last year’s tree.
• Baked hundreds of cookies and completed all shopping – okay, that one is not true, but we are committed to finishing up this year by the 23rd, 24th tops.
• Had pictures made with Santa Clause. St. Nick, however, did complain a bit that I was a little too heavy to sit on his lap and insisted I sit beside him this time. It just wasn’t the same. The boys, of course, were nowhere to be found.

Well, that is what we have completed, or at least started. You should see the list that so far has no checks beside it. Staggering.

‘Tis the season to feel overwhelmed I suppose. Has it always been this way? In truth, yes. Think of Joseph and Mary. And then there is the tiny village of Bethlehem flooded with “immigrants” for the census. Can you imagine the shepherds out in the fields surrounded by a whole heavenly host? Overwhelmed.

As we sink beneath the flood of expectations and obligations and gasp for air think of those first participants in the Christmas story. They came to discover that they were overwhelmed, but by grace. May this season find us deluged by God’s presence. The lights, the gifts, and even the gingerbread will all pass away. But God remains with us and for us.

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” (NRS Matthew 1:23)

Grace and Peace,
Greg DeLoach

Rum Balls

Are you ready for Christmas? I have fond recollections from childhood of my grandmother readying for Christmas by weeks and weeks of baking, boiling and kneading her way to December 25th. The kitchen and spare bedroom of her simple house would be stacked high with Tupperware containers filled with high calorie treats. Each year we could expect lady fingers, date nut balls, divinity, and peanut butter fudge. Just before Christmas day she would buy a few coconuts (we never could grow any in Putnam County) and grate them for a homemade coconut cake. One year my brothers and I decided to help grate the coconuts but failed to properly wash up before plunging into the task at hand. Instead of a pearly white color, the cake looked more like a mud hut on the side of the creek. Needless to say the cake never made it to the table.

Another year my grandmother was inspired to try something new. She had read a recipe in a magazine for rum balls. Like any good southern lady of her time, my grandmother was a staunch tee-totaler, but she had always heard you can cook the alcohol out. She dispatched my father to go in the dark of night, so no one would see, and purchase a bottle of rum to make rum balls. Like most grandmothers, she did not always work with measurements so she added rum to the mixture according to what she thought looked right. Take my word for it; minors had no business eating those rum balls! When we took the lid off of the container of rum balls, eyes would water and the elderly would wheeze.

Nowadays it would appear folks have been getting ready for Christmas since August. What I suspect most people are readying themselves is to be over Christmas. And that is too bad. I believe that part of the joy of Christmas is getting prepared, getting ready.

John the Baptist may not be the first name to come to mind when we think of those important people concerning the birth of Christ, but the Gospel of Mark reminds us that John is essential to the Advent story. Why? Because John echoed the message of Isaiah: Prepare the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3; Mark 1:3).

My prayer for you and your family is that you get ready, be prepared for this great season now upon us. We prepare by being attentive to those around us, keeping the main thing the main thing, and reminding ourselves what this season is all about. It is easy to get distracted and even get disturbed. The prophets and others are here to remind us that God is doing something in our midst – get ready and celebrate.

It is joy to prepare with you for what God is doing through this congregation that we call family.

Peace to you this season and all our days,
Greg