Today is a good day – for many reasons. Best of all is that my eldest son with his new wife (who we recently found out are expecting) and her parents have joined my mom and our family in our home for Christmas dinner. Son #2 is in London (on a church plant team), so, we will put my laptop at his place at the dinner table and Skype him in for dinner. We are blessed.
We’re at the Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in Asheville, NC, waiting for Christmas dinner at 1:30, watching the snow from our 3rd floor apartment. This morning we drove to north Asheville for breakfast and more present opening with our daughter, son-in-law and his parents and sister, and our 2 year old grandaughter. We had lunch yesterday and more present opening at our daughter’s with our son from Knoxville and our cousin from Canton and his children. We moved to Deerfield in July and like it.
Am taking a break from the cacophony of a house full of grandchildren (who are here with their parents -my sons and daughters and their spouses. We all went to Christmas Mass and then came here to have a giant Christmas Brunch. Present opening to follow. Merry Christmas to all and to all a Holy Day.
I’m having a great time with my family in Battle Ground, Washington. Last night I went with my parents and two younger bros to the 11PM service at my parent’s United Methodist church where my mom’s choir director. Today I’ll have Christmas supper with the family. Merry Christmas to all!
Quiet morning — all the children and grandchildren in their various locations around the globe. The text, pictures and videos began arriving early from Orlando, Atlanta and California. Most of the day in the kitchen finishing up preparations for Christmas Dinner at 5PM. The house is filled with the smells of yeast rising and ham baking. At 5 we will be joined by our daughter, son-in-law; granddaughter and her new husband. We’ll all by skyping around 7PM to visit with our grandson in China and his bride. Hopefully (if road conditions allow) we will travel to our north Georgia mountain place tomorrow where a white Christmas awaits us.
Greetings from a cold, grey London, where snow still lingers on the ground and it is – 4 C, though a modest wind chill effect makes it feel colder. I thought the cold would affect attendances at Mass but the parishioners were intrepid and defied the cold, although the coughing and hacking showed lots of people with seasonal infections. The children’s 6 pm Christmas Eve Mass was packed; Midnight (the choir sang Charpentier, Messe de Minuit) comfortably full. 8.30 am very quiet, 10 am with hymns full, and 11.30 am (choir sang Gabrieli) perhaps two-thirds full. Excuse this reckoning with attendances, folks, but it is typical of a pastor to think this way. After the 11.30 am I took communion to a young mother who has just given birth.
Interesting to see the mentions of Skype above, because in my homilies I referred to our physical presence as essential to our deepest and truest relationships. You can call long-distance, or send an email, or even make a video call via Skype, but there is nothing like being present to the other. Just as God in his gracious love chose to be present to us through the body of Christ, whose coming among us we remember this and every Christmas. In our own time we the baptised faithful are incorporated into the mystical body of Christ (Col 1.18, 2.19), one of the ways that God in Christ is present still in our world.
Afterwards I drove through the unusually silent streets of west London to join four other priests for a leisurely dinner where alas I overindulged in the delicious roast potatoes. Also enjoyed the brussel sprouts cooked with chestnuts but now, back home, am beginning to reckon with the famous flatulence effect of the sprouts …
It was a day on call for my partners. Delivered a baby at 1 a.m. Christmas morning and another Christmas evening. Had a lovely morning with my not-so-little ones (all teens now) and my wife fixing a fritatta and baking bread, opening presents, followed by an invited visit to the home of a wonderful RC family hosting their extended family (in which we were surprised to be included) for brunch and visitation. Our section of Montana was crisp with clear skies and snow on the ground. We are so very blessed to freely celebrate God’s unfathomable love for us.
Today is a good day – for many reasons. Best of all is that my eldest son with his new wife (who we recently found out are expecting) and her parents have joined my mom and our family in our home for Christmas dinner. Son #2 is in London (on a church plant team), so, we will put my laptop at his place at the dinner table and Skype him in for dinner. We are blessed.
A quiet day, semi-snowed in, listening to the Robert Shaw version of the Messiah, enjoying the fragrance of pot roast in the slow cooker.
We’re at the Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in Asheville, NC, waiting for Christmas dinner at 1:30, watching the snow from our 3rd floor apartment. This morning we drove to north Asheville for breakfast and more present opening with our daughter, son-in-law and his parents and sister, and our 2 year old grandaughter. We had lunch yesterday and more present opening at our daughter’s with our son from Knoxville and our cousin from Canton and his children. We moved to Deerfield in July and like it.
Am taking a break from the cacophony of a house full of grandchildren (who are here with their parents -my sons and daughters and their spouses. We all went to Christmas Mass and then came here to have a giant Christmas Brunch. Present opening to follow. Merry Christmas to all and to all a Holy Day.
I’m having a great time with my family in Battle Ground, Washington. Last night I went with my parents and two younger bros to the 11PM service at my parent’s United Methodist church where my mom’s choir director. Today I’ll have Christmas supper with the family. Merry Christmas to all!
Quiet morning — all the children and grandchildren in their various locations around the globe. The text, pictures and videos began arriving early from Orlando, Atlanta and California. Most of the day in the kitchen finishing up preparations for Christmas Dinner at 5PM. The house is filled with the smells of yeast rising and ham baking. At 5 we will be joined by our daughter, son-in-law; granddaughter and her new husband. We’ll all by skyping around 7PM to visit with our grandson in China and his bride. Hopefully (if road conditions allow) we will travel to our north Georgia mountain place tomorrow where a white Christmas awaits us.
Greetings from a cold, grey London, where snow still lingers on the ground and it is – 4 C, though a modest wind chill effect makes it feel colder. I thought the cold would affect attendances at Mass but the parishioners were intrepid and defied the cold, although the coughing and hacking showed lots of people with seasonal infections. The children’s 6 pm Christmas Eve Mass was packed; Midnight (the choir sang Charpentier, Messe de Minuit) comfortably full. 8.30 am very quiet, 10 am with hymns full, and 11.30 am (choir sang Gabrieli) perhaps two-thirds full. Excuse this reckoning with attendances, folks, but it is typical of a pastor to think this way. After the 11.30 am I took communion to a young mother who has just given birth.
Interesting to see the mentions of Skype above, because in my homilies I referred to our physical presence as essential to our deepest and truest relationships. You can call long-distance, or send an email, or even make a video call via Skype, but there is nothing like being present to the other. Just as God in his gracious love chose to be present to us through the body of Christ, whose coming among us we remember this and every Christmas. In our own time we the baptised faithful are incorporated into the mystical body of Christ (Col 1.18, 2.19), one of the ways that God in Christ is present still in our world.
Afterwards I drove through the unusually silent streets of west London to join four other priests for a leisurely dinner where alas I overindulged in the delicious roast potatoes. Also enjoyed the brussel sprouts cooked with chestnuts but now, back home, am beginning to reckon with the famous flatulence effect of the sprouts …
Circulating between church, family, and neighbors, walking the dog, and trying to spread a little Good News.
Snug and cozy in the rectory here in snowy South Dakota.
It was a day on call for my partners. Delivered a baby at 1 a.m. Christmas morning and another Christmas evening. Had a lovely morning with my not-so-little ones (all teens now) and my wife fixing a fritatta and baking bread, opening presents, followed by an invited visit to the home of a wonderful RC family hosting their extended family (in which we were surprised to be included) for brunch and visitation. Our section of Montana was crisp with clear skies and snow on the ground. We are so very blessed to freely celebrate God’s unfathomable love for us.