Friday, December 27, 2024
Third Day of Christmas
Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Three French hens
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
We played Christmas Jeopardy, and I buzzed in on the question, “How many piping pipers are there in the Twelve Days of Christmas?”
But then, I had no idea. My mind went blank. Most of the other gifts came to mind, but the pipers were lost in space. I was lost in space.
Andi gave us the answer. Eleven! OK! She went on with the questions. “What kind of tree is mentioned in the Twelve Days of Christmas?” Jasper buzzed in on this one. “PEACH!” he said quietly, realizing he’d beeped without having any idea himself.
No, not peach.
Miles beeped. PEAR! Miles had been singing the song all day on Christmas Eve, and he hummed it over and over on the afternoon of Christmas Day. He knew his tree, but even he didn’t remember where the pipers were.
Beloved, what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of Life.
John is speaking of Jesus. He might be remembering how much love Jesus poured out on his disciples. He calls himself the “disciple whom Jesus loved” over and over in his gospel. And in his first letter he writes about how love changes everything. Jesus changes everything, now and forever, he says.
The Life was made visible! We have seen it and testify to it and proclaim it to you – the eternal life that was with the Father (Jesus) and was made visible to us.
Andi and Aki have been training their boys in the Jesus-first way of doing Christmas morning. They are 8 and 5, and each year they absorb more of what their parents know is the One Thing about Christmas. The gifts are piled high on every side of the tree, all four grandparents are here, and even though it’s only 8 am, Miles and Jasper have been up for a long time already!
A giant pile of pigs-in-a-blanket is dwindling, coffee cake is in the oven, sliced-open croissants are ready for bacon and eggs, and a crockpot full of hot chocolate is waiting, with marshmallows and crushed peppermint toppings beside it.
All of this is wonderful on Christmas morning.
But first comes prayer. Then after a family picture we all have parts in the Christmas pageant, when we tell the story from Luke 2 to each other. Jasper is getting a little big for this, but he’s baby Jesus for one more year, curling up in Andi’s pregnant lap (her third boy is due March 3) and stretching into Joseph’s. Jasper has to be a shepherd too, though, so it’s a little tricky.
Now after the wise men have given Jesus their gifts, we’re ready for ours. We opened some, then played a game and got some food, opened some more, played another game … it all went very well. None of the toys got opened till afternoon. Sort of.
Jasper and Miles built Lego sets, and the rest of us took naps. I woke up to the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. As usual, I wept with joy. And then we were off to Aki’s parents’ home for a beautiful Christmas dinner.
Let us fellowship together, for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
 (1 John 1, Psalm 97, John 20)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
#
