This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Just two more days and then my Christmas tree can come down. In truth, I can not bring myself to take down the tree until the Feast of the Epiphany, when we celebrate the coming of the wise men to visit the newborn Jesus.

I know my house looks silly as the neighbor's decorations come down and mine remain, but I just can't do it. I really love the idea of the 12 days of Christmas. To me, the 12 days of Christmas are more than a song. They represent a period of time in which we can choose to celebrate the Christ Child, to pray for peace, to look for hope, and to celebrate grace.

Traditionally, the church used to be very intentional about this. Christmas was a 12-day celebration with the service of Lessons and Carols celebrated on the last Sunday of Advent, at Christmas, and on Epiphany. However, over time, the tradition of the 12 days started to fade from both American life and church life.

I find it puzzling. On one hand, we are very serious about the 25 days of Advent and "preparing". We are also very serious about the 40 days of Lent and "confessing". I wonder why a season of celebration just 12 days long has slipped away. Perhaps it is because with all the hard things going on in the world, celebration feels strange. Perhaps it's because our Puritan ancestors thought celebration broke with traditions of modesty. Perhaps it's because the holiday ends and too soon we feel the need to return to our normal life and work. I really don't know. What I do know is that each of us can choose to stay in celebration. We can choose Joy. We can choose to look for God, God's blessing, and God's peace in the midst of our daily lives.

For me, making this choice means being intentional, which is not to say it is always easy. In the midst of suffering, finding joy may be hard, but I do not think it is impossible. I've seen it with my own eyes in hospital rooms, hospice care centers, memory units, and even trauma units. What I have noticed, though, is the folks who can choose joy in these places, have years of practice choosing it in other settings.

This brings me back to the 12 days. There are just a few days left in this Christmas season, choose to celebrate it. Have cake tonight. Eat a candy cane. Watch a love story on TV. Do your homework and then play a game of fetch with your dog. Call a friend and wish them well and a Merry Christmas. Be intentional about your joy and your walk with God. It's healthy and good. In the same spirit of celebration, I also invite you to come to church this Sunday. It will be special, because on the 13th day after Christmas we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. This Sunday we'll have the chance to renew our baptismal vows while also baptizing three new persons into the family of faith. It's cause for celebration, and it's a cause for joy.

We are intentional about our confession. Let's be intentional about our joy.

In Christ,

Mitch