Christmas Joy

There is nothing quite like Christmas, is there? While the hype and the craziness that surround the season can overwhelm us, there is something about Christmas that draws us all in. We sing the songs and hear the stories as we've done for years and years. We trudge through the snow to spend time with family and friends.

Christmas. We gather together all over the world to celebrate the birth of Christ, the coming of a savior into a world that so desperately needs saving. We sing the hymns, old and new, that tell the story we know so well. Christmas.

There is something almost magic about Christmas. The festiveness, the gatherings, the food, the music, the laughter, the joy. It is truly a time to celebrate.

But at Christmastime, we remember as well that the story doesn't end in the manger. It begins in the manger. Jesus comes as a child at Christmas but the Nativity is only the beginning. Christmas is a time to celebrate what we know is coming. We've come through Advent, full of anticipation and waiting and now we've arrived at Christmas. The wait for the savior is over. But the wait for his return still continues. Christmas reminds us that Christ came into the world and lives among us, even as we live in the promise of his return one day.

My family lives in a parsonage that's on almost 60 acres of land out in the Iowa country. One of my favorite Christmas traditions, perhaps my favorite, is something simple that happens on our farm each Christmas eve. Growing up, my brother, dad and I would go out to the barn after Christmas dinner to bed down the animals and give them some extra food, all in preparation for what would happen later in the night.

The story is that on Christmas Eve, the animals in the barn can talk. They gather together to tell the story, The Story, of what happened on the first Christmas so long ago. The animals remember the part those first animals played in the Nativity and they tell the story to each other. As I've gotten older and the logical part of my brain has grown, I've learned a lot about the world and about how things work. This logical part of my brain tells me that such a thing is not possible and that this is just a story told to children. But another part of me wants to sneak down to the barn on Christmas Eve and put my ear up to the door and hear the soft voices of the goats, whispering to each other the story of the One who came to earth and slept in a manger so long ago.

Blessed Christmas.

Soli Deo Gloria!
Amy

Postville, Iowa

If you haven't heard about what's happening in Postville, IA take a few minutes and Google it. You'll have more than enough information. For now, however, here's story about the power of human kindess, even in the midst of impossible situations.

http://community.icontact.com/p/decorahevents/newsletters/oct15/posts/decorahevents-a-story


My sister is the acting local volunteer coordinator in Postville. As I like to say, she's saving Postville. And saving may be just what is needed.

Please pray for the people of Postville and all those who are doing everything humanly possible (and impossible) to help those in need. Soon I'll blog about the issue in general, but for now, let us be thankful for the kindness and generosity of people who care.

Soli Deo Gloria
Amy

Winter

It snowed a lot in the past day here in Iowa. My friends Cadence and Olam and I went Christmas shopping this afternoon. We got to witness firsthand the beauty of the snow. The snow fell so beautifully straight down and covered the ground, making everything shockingly white. I was reminded again and again of how amazing the earth around us is. The simplest things can remind us of this day after day- a beautiful sunrise, a baby animal being born, a snowfall. The most beautiful things in our lives can't be made up; these things can only be witnessed and enjoyed.

My friend Olam hails from a less snowy part of the country and it was fun to be with him in the midst of the snow and exchange knowing looks with Cadence when we replied to his snow-joyfulness with "You haven't seen REAL winter yet, boo."

Snow, however, can also remind us of how fragile we are. The snow and ice make driving and sometimes even walking a challenge. There is nothing more humbling than realizing that we have so little control over the winter weather.

There was a guy in my church, Henry, who always used to remind people of this fact. "You pick the day, not the weather," he'd say. How true. We can plan and plan, but sometimes to no avail. Sometimes all we can do is put aside our plans and pick up a sled.

Soli Deo Gloria.
Amy

A Confession of Confessions

Ok, the time has come for a true "Confession," I think. I survived another semester of seminary...no, that's not my confession. But the fact that I survived is a milestone of some sort. So, here's my post-semester confession.

One of my classes this fall was Ethics. I took it as a requirement. My friend Cadence was in the class with me and we sat by each other all semester. I think we provided some humor to the class since we sort of play off each other and just generally have a good time together. The class was taught by a faculty member from the Presbyterian seminary in town. Calvin, the professor, was absolutely amazing. My friend and I weren't sure what the class (or the teacher) would be like at first, but we quickly decided it was probably our favorite class all semester. We discussed ethical issues using the ELCA's social statements, draft statements and messages. The class divided up into groups and we each chose a statement (etc) to present. My group- Cadence and Gianna (another friend in the class) and I- presented last. I really wanted to talk about the ELCA's draft statement on human sexuality. While it wasn't on the original list that Calvin had us choose from, he was willing to let us do this one- perhaps because I was so excited and animated about it. I am so grateful that my friends were willing to go along with me on this. Our group was the last to present in the semester. The draft statement (http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements-in-Process/JTF-Human-Sexuality.aspx) is long and intense so we decided to narrow it down to one issue-- the issue that seems to be the ELCA's "hot topic" issue. As Cadence so nicely put it: gayness.

Ok, time out. Now's the time for the confession. I am gay. I came out of the closet last spring (March 17, 2008). I am still working on defining who I am in light of this but I know this much for certain: I am gay and I'm ok with that. My family knows and are ok with it for the most part I think. My friends know (or are learning) and particularly my seminary friends and my college roommate have been amazing. Who knew how many gay jokes seminarians could make? Anyway, I am who I am and I know that God loves me the way I am. I know that may sound a bit shallow and cliche but that's the truth. Being gay is not all of who I am, but it is certainly a large part of who I am.

As can be imagined, this reality makes my call to be a pastor a bit more difficult. Because the ELCA is still in "conversation" over the issue, I am in a bit of a tough situation. I've run into a bit of difficulty already but I am still working at it...even if the process doesn't turn out to be as..."straight forward" as I originally thought. I love my church and I have no intention of leaving. Because I love my church, I am willing to fight and struggle along with the people of God that surround me and my fellow GLBTQ people called to serve the church. I am not out to be a crusader or a poster child, but I am out to be who I am and who God made me to be.

I pray that the church will find an answer and not practice exclusion, but I know that this will be a process and can't happen overnight. In light of this, I am willing to be more open and stand up and speak instead of just letting other people doing the hard work themselves.

Ah, that felt good. Confessing the truth has a bit of freedom, don't you think?

Soli Deo Gloria.

Amy