St. Luke's Blogs

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

If you were asked, “What business are you in?” – how would you answer? The word business has come to mean different things. For example, the answer to the above question might produce specific, vague, or even sarcastic responses:

“I’m a kindergarten teacher at Harrah Elementary.”

“I’m an entrepreneur.”

“It’s none of your business!”

However, by our baptism we are entering into the family business of our Heavenly Father. We are assured an apprenticeship with the Holy Spirit who is with us to guide and instruct us. The “business” of course, is the way we live our lives. We are to live in such a way as to reflect God’s love in all we say and do…

“Who will console you after I’m gone?”

Kim Hoffman never wanted to ask her husband that question, but she had just started hospice care after a four-year battle with cancer.  She was more concerned with her family’s future than her limited time on Earth.  Kim told her sons she would be their guardian angel.  Her husband, Daniel, told her that she was the only person who could console him.  But he promised Kim that he would dedicate his life to raising their sons.  That’s how he would honor her…

Of all the churches we’ve visited on our trips to the Holy Land, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is my absolute favorite. Our first trip in early January 1998 happened to coincide with the Orthodox celebration of Christmas. Seeing the homes of Palestinian Christians decorated with a string of lights helped get me into the Christmas spirit. I stepped inside the basilica and was immediately struck by a sense of the ancient: the worn columns on both sides, the chancel covered by tarnished gold lamps and iconography, and the smell of incense. Directly underneath the chancel’s altar is the Grotto of the Nativity, under the church’s main altar. There are short staircases on either side of the chancel, and there you are. A 14-point star set in the marble flooring marks the traditional spot of Jesus’ birth…

At times for my family, Advent has lost its true meaning. When my family hears Advent is beginning, we hear that a busy season is among us. We focus on all the other stuff: classroom parties for our kids, multiple family celebrations, Christmas programs, gift buying for all the people we love in our lives, and so much more. It becomes a scheduling nightmare because we get bogged down with everything else.

But that is not the true meaning of Advent. Advent is not a time to feel so incredibly overwhelmed due to extracurricular activities…

When I think about the wonderful time leading up to the great celebration of Christmas, I cannot help but think about my mom. We affectionately referred to my mom as “Mrs. Christmas.” She started working on Christmas day in September. She made a plan and worked so hard to make that day special for everyone in my family, and I have a big family! The plan for Christmas was kept on a small, yellow legal pad. She would keep her to-do-list, adding to her chores daily, and marking off items often. She worked so hard to make it perfect.

By the time Christmas day arrived, my mother was, well… exhausted…

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Ghost of Christmas future shows Scrooge what would happen without change.

THE LAST OF THE SPIRITS

The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently, approached. When it came near him, Scrooge bent down upon his knee; for in the very air throughwhich this Spirit moved it seemed to scatter gloom and mystery.

It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand. But for this it would have been difficult

to detach its figure from the night, and separate it from the darkness by which it was surrounded.

He felt that it was tall and stately when it came beside him, and that its mysterious presence filled him with a solemn dread. He knew no more, for the Spirit neither spoke nor moved.

“I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come?” said Scrooge.

The Spirit answered not, but pointed downward with its hand.

“You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us,” Scrooge pursued. “Is that so, Spirit?”

My past is something that I used to struggle with a lot. I have made many mistakes. I made mistakes in my personal and professional life. I have always been a hard worker and have a good work ethic, but the one thing I struggled with was friendships. I wanted lots of friends, and always wanted to be out and about having fun. I wanted to be part of a group of “in” girls. I tried way too hard!

One day, a friend of my mother’s saw the inward struggles I was having, and I will never forget the words she said to me that day…

When delivering a Meals on Wheels meal to one of our clients recently, I was greeted by a very gentle message from the recipient – she said, “God bless you” as I handed over the meal. I paused, and smiled and responded with emphasis, “No, God bless you.” Then she stopped and said, “Well, God can bless us both!” We had a chuckle, and both nodded in agreement, and I went on my merry way to the next delivery.

Throughout that day and many times since, I have noticed that many clients greet us or say thank you with the simple words, “God bless you” or “Bless you.” Sometimes, I am sure it may just be an easy response…