Monthly Archives: December 2008

Casting Wreaths

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Christmas is everywhere!

Even this morning as I was reading about how Solomon was building the Temple for the reknown and glory of the Name of the Lord and to establish his own house, I read this, surely a precursor to our Christmas ornamentation:

“He made wreaths of [gold] chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and put them on the wreaths of chainwork.”  2 Chronicles 3.16

I sigh wearily of hearing Christians who attribute all the symbols of Christmas to ancient pagan traditions.  The tree, my brothers and sisters (created in the Garden where God walked first), the lights (Jesus IS the Light of the World, after all), the gift-giving (must I mention John 3.16 and the inspiration to all-gift-giving ever for all times based on this, THE most amazing gift ever?), and all the rest seem to be up for scrutiny every year.  If I act a wee bit too joyous they remind me, like the father-in-law at Clark Griswold’s Christmas Vacation, “The little lights aren’t twinkling.”  The bah-humbuggers want to drop-kick the joy and the meaning we have tried with our little human efforts to capture right out the door.

I don’t think the Advent wreath on which I light a candle is some all-holy-get-me-into-heaven thing.  Nor do I believe God is displeased that I annually string lights and drag out the Nativity set and wrap gifts for the people I love.

What is a wreath after all?  It is something woven into a circular shape and hung purely for its beauty.  Or placed on the head of some one royal.  It is part of my Christmas, my Christ Mass, my worship of the Christ (Christmas=Christ worship).  While I am living to proclaim the reknown of the Name of the Lord on the earth, I am also establishing and decorating my home at Christmas.  Solomon did it for the love of God. And so do I.  His were real gold, heavy in richness.  Mine are simple branches woven and beribboned.

Someday, the wreath of my life, the things I have feebly woven together in honor to God will be the crown on my head.  But like the twenty-four Elders in Revelation

“[they] fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives until the Ages of the Ages and they cast their wreaths down in front of the throne…” Rev. 4.10 wey

The traditions we keep aren’t sacred.  They are just our ways of celebrating and enjoying the story of our redemption, God’s plan, a Savior!  They just mark our deliverance from darkness into His marvelous light.  They are only the symbols we use to try to depict a God so great that even our words fail us.

Let me have my wreath and worship with it, too…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Weave golden moments and bejeweled treasures together into love-wreaths for people all around-even and especially the bah-humbuggers.

pictured: the front door one night last year…

I Need a Silent Night

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Thanks to Amy Grant for my favorite new Christmas song this year.   I DO need one!  How about you?

I’ve made the same mistake before
Too many malls, too many stores
December traffic, Christmas rush
It breaks me till I push and shove

Children are crying while mothers are trying
To photograph Santa and sleigh
The shopping and buying and standing forever in line
What can I say?

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night

December comes then disappears
Faster and faster every year
Did my own mother keep this pace
Or was the world a different place?

Where people stayed home wishing for snow
Watching three channels on their TV
Look at us now rushing around
Trying to buy Christmas peace

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night

What was it like back there in Bethlehem
With peace on earth, good will toward men?

Every shepherd’s out in the field
Keeping watch over their clock by night
And the glory of the Lord shone around them
And they were so afraid

And the angels said fear not for behold
I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all people
For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
To end this crazy day with a silent night

Re-purposed artificial trees, some cereal boxes and fence posts, and a few thousand twinkling lights

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Two years ago I was sitting in the “Garage” at church (the “edgier” venue at Northern Hills) and suddenly envisioned a very cool silhouette, “crystally” bright Bethlehem scene with a giant star hanging from the middle of the 30-some-feet-high ceiling.  Didn’t have the time nor $$ to do anything with it, but filed it away into my thinking.  Couldn’t work it out last year, either, but this year, Scott, the Worship Arts pastor asked me to decorate both venues, The Garage and The Celebration Center.

 

Last week we decorated the Celebration Center.  We put out a call for old, artificial trees in the church bulletin to be recycled.  I got some there and picked up a few via Craigslist.  With 8 old trees in hand, we cut the branches off and created, on wooden fence-post 1 x 6s, 3 large wreath forms and wired on the tree branches.  The middle wreath is actually over 7 feet in diameter.  The two flanking wreaths are 5 1/2 feet.  There are about 4000 lights on the three wreaths combined.

Three red damask tablecloths sewn together for a combined size of 5 feet x 25 1/2 feet were draped over the wreaths.

The rest of the tree beanches were wired to create 50 feet of ”garland” across the front of the stage.  We wrapped it with over-sized 24″ wide sparkly red floral wrap and lit it up.  Next, we placed foil-wrapped and beribboned cereal and pop-tart boxes into the garland as “gift ornaments.”

The 9-foot pre-lit tree was lit some more (seriously, people: lights are key!) and a giant bow placed at the top, swirling down the branches in a carefree manner, tucked in here and there amongst giant glittery ornaments.

One of my “helpers” loaned me a beautiful 2-ft Nativity set to display at the baptistry opening, which is stone-lined and just looked “Bethlehem” to me and voila!  Done.  Simple.  To the point.  Well-there will be a couple of new touches this next Sunday….

Think large bank or mall-sized stuff.  Simple lines, giant ornaments, basic Christmas shapes, twinkling lights-everything way over-sized, but not looking over-sized because they are in such a large room.  They just fit.

And it turned out nice.  It turned out festive and maybe even a bit elegant, but if nothing else: green!  Everything was recycled! 

Now all the women’s teas and homeschool kids programs and packed-out Christmas Eve services will have a beautiful backdrop.

On to The Garage!  Just wait!!…Jeanie

MY DEEPEST THANKS TO: my long-suffering, and very talented husband, Dave; Stormie, Rocky & Jovan, Tredessa, Laura Frye, Pearl and Bryan-the amazings!; my nephew Zach; the patient and helpful maintenance staff (Mike, Sebastian and Charles) and all the people who donated their old trees for the celebration!

pictured-Dave got a few shots Sunday…I’ll be adding more!  Click on thumbnails for bigger image.  Obviously, btw, the sermon series changes this week!  Ha!

Surrender

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In WWM staff prayer yesterday, s-i-l, Dave, prayed a prayer of yieldedness.  We pondered for a few moments on what it means to yield our hearts, our lives, our thoughts, opinions and desires to God.  “Here I am, “ many people in the Bible responded to God.

As Dave restated that phrase: Here I am, I suddenly saw it and heard it differently.

Here, I Am.

I caught a fleeting glimpse of the meaning of yieldedness.  To say Here I am is to say You be here, Great I Am.

Here, God (I AM) be in this circumstance.  Here in our home, I Am, reign.  Be here, I AM, in this hour of indecision, these times of heartbreak, this uncertain future.  Here, I Am.  I surrender to You.  Be here.  Be here…

Heard on High

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A large, loudly-squawking flock of geese flew over the backyard early this morning, heading south with a fury.  There is a snow moving in on us from the north today, I hear (even though it was nearly 70-degrees yesterday).  Apparently they had missed the announcement that 22 days before Christmas is kinda late for the travel plans they should have made.

   

Another “free gift” for you: fun times in December with the kiddos!

 

A downloadable book with teaching and cut-out decorations for creating a tree that teaches the true meaning of Christmas:

www.jesustreedecorations.com

Crafts and fun times with the kids and advent activities:

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/christmas_crafts.htm, http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/christmas_advent.htm

A cool teacher’s site:

www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/christmas/christmas-symbols/index.html

This is one of the most fun websites ever: 

www.familyfun.go.com!  Check out the Christmas page and the Arts and Crafts page.  Great card-making ideas and how-to videos.

I don’t know how I ever raised my children without all these great resources.  Aren’t you excited about all the free gifts I am giving out? *smile…

Hope you’re having a holly jolly day…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Tomorrow is grandkid day…plan fun stuff!  And…this is post #400, odd as it is.

pictured: last year’s hand and foot prints (before Averi was born).  I may have to subject them to this annually, hehehehe…

What Started in a Manger…

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The first time I ever remember crying over simple words strung together in a book was as I was reading a selection aloud to Dave from Max Lucado’s God Came Down back in the 80′s.  I think I was reading the chapter written as Mary, the mother of Jesus, sort of pondering and praying in her heart about her newborn son, and, being a young mother myself, was impacted deeply.

Parts of “Mary’s Prayer”  by Max Lucado

GOD. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with

our disgrace. Sleep well…

Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:

to touch a leper’s open wound,

to wipe a widow’s weary tear,

to claw the ground of Gethsemane.

Your hands, so tiny, so white-clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross…

O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince . . . sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.

Lie still, tiny mouth. Lie still, mouth from which eternity will speak.

Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our foolishness.

Rosebud lips-upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you-lie still… 

That Max has a way with words (www.maxlucado.com) and you can access a special, downloadable selection of Christmas writings put together as “It Began in a Manger” right here.  It is a 15-page gathering of writings he has done in various books with 6 short, but thought-provoking and inspirational “chapters” including “The Arrival, ” the above-mentioned “Mary’s Prayer” and “Gabriel’s Questions.”

I love to read this every year as I “prepare Him room”…again.  Check it out!  Enjoy “my” (Max’s) FREE gift to you on this first day of December!

He came as a baby to save me, even me!  I’ll be contemplating that and celebrating my deliverance from the law of sin and death for the next 24+ days!…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  God loves to see us celebrate and rejoice.  Spread the word!  JOY!  To the whole world!  Repeat as needed!