Merry Christmas

This will be the last post for a few days. There is this big commercial happening called Christmas going on this week, one somewhat connected with the religious holiday of the same name.

As you may know from reading these entries and/or my bio, I am a Christian in the sense that I belong to a church which has as its premise the birth and death of Jesus Christ. This is as opposed to the death-centered, abortion obsessed, gay-rights denying, death-penalty supporting self-identified Christians who are followers of modern day prophets like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Pope Bendict XVI, some of whose beliefs wander far from the Christ-centered social justice teachings one can find in the New Testament of the Bible, if one takes the time to look.

As both a Christian and a book-lover, I have read much if not all of the Bible, partly for religious teaching, sometimes for leisure, and often as literature. The liturgical readings which are used for some services tomorrow night and Christmas Day combine religious beliefs with beautiful literature. From Isaiah in the Old Testament comes the preparation, the words announcing a Peacemaker. Then there are Psalms, another reading from Titus, and then a second reading, a story from Luke of the Birth of Jesus. Whether one is a Jesus-believer or not, the imagery is wonderful, the setting so well described by the lyricist that one cannot but picture in fulness the Holy Family, the manger scene, the angelic host, the Magi, and all the other component parts of the story. It is a consummate literative rendering.

Now, if you are anywhere near my age, which is 47, you were probably first introduced to this second reading, the story of Jesus' birth as told in the Second Chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, not from a Sunday School teacher, nor from a priest or preacher, nor from a parent or guardian. For any kid raised in the television era of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the quintessential reading of Birth of Jesus was given in a child's voice similar in age to me, as a character named Linus - Linus Van Pelt.

Linus Van Pelt was a character in A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired on December 9, 1965, the year I started first grade at Blue Lick Elementary. Christopher Shea played the part in an animated comic-strip rendering on the secularism of Christmas and the story of Jesus' birth. At that point in my life, I was only sporadically attending church services of any kind. With a Baptist mother, a Catholic father, and being raised by non-church-going members of the Christian Church, the religious lives of me and my brother were hit-and-miss affairs. But one staple in that life was the voice of Linus in his role telling the biblical part of the story of Christmas.

And to this day, when I hear the priest reading from the Second Chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, it is the voice of Christopher Shea and the character of Linus Van Pelt that comes to mind.

Thank you, Linus. Merry Christmas to those of you for whom that is important, and to the rest of you, Season's Greetings. (And, at some point in the future, there wull be a discussion of Congressman John Yarmuth's votes respecting religious celebrations, whether by a Yes vote or by a Present vote. John told me on the phone Thursday he is saying Merry Christmas to everyone).

Isaiah 9:1 and following

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!

Gospel of Saint Luke, 2:1 and following

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”