Christmas

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Birth Pangs and Waiting

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Mark 13:8

As an Anglican clergy, I know that I should wait…until Advent is over to celebrate the Christmas season. However, I am not going to do it. I am going to shake the dust off my Christmas Carols cds and listen to them next week onwards. This is my favorite time of the year and I am going to take every opportunity to enjoy it. However, the general environment here in Brazil is not festive this year. There is a sense of hopelessness and hateful discourses are heard everywhere. There are rumors of dark times ahead. There are hopeful sentiments but they are not based on anything that deserves our confidence. No one really knows for sure what will unfold. The Christmas decorations are up but there is still an uneasy feeling in the air. Nevertheless, it is the perfect environment for us to celebrate the season.

The conversation from the gospel text above was about the temple. The apostles were impressed by its beauty and magnificence. It was the symbol of the identity and spiritual vocation of the Jewish people. The disciples highlighted its splendor to Jesus hoping that He would say something of its future glory. Instead Jesus spoke of its destruction. It was the last thing anyone wanted to hear. It seemed so contrary to Jesus’ central message. He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was here. It was obvious in everyone’s mind that the temple would be in the center of this Kingdom. Now, Jesus spoke of its inevitable end. They were not ready for this. Jesus spoke about war and natural disasters and desperate times. It sounds like the local news of any given country. While listening to all these devastating events, I wonder if the apostles ever questioned what happened to the Kingdom of God Jesus promised.

War and rumors of war, famine, desolations, earthquakes..all these are just the beginning. They are not the end. It seems like we have been stagnant in this phase for almost two thousand years. Only someone ignorant of the past would dare to say that this present time is the worst time in the history of humanity. My parents suffered through the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. My father’s older brother was crushed to death by debris from a bombing while mu father was sleeping next to him. Both my parents witnessed people being tortured and killed during the war for stealing a piece of bread. They shared these stories with us daily before we ruined these valuable moments by buying a TV. If they were alive today, they would say that things have gotten better. However, it seems like things get worse and then a little better and then worse again, just like birth pangs. We shouldn’t think that these are the signs of the end. It is just the beginning of the end. We still have a long time to wait.

I am beginning to learn that the essential part of our spirituality is learning to wait. We can wait by bemoaning the bad things happening all around us or we can hopefully wait with joyful expectation. The former creates an attitude of judgment in us. It makes us blame the “others”. Then we begin this downward spiral of finding the scapegoat for all the problems. In the end, our souls get contaminated with hatred and we forget that we are actually waiting for Someone who has no room for hatred in His heart. I have to admit that this is the easy way of waiting because it gives us something to talk about among people who share our convictions. We can be united in our pontificating about the causes of the grave situation in which we find ourselves. Fortunately, the Christmas season can rescue us, at least it is true in my case. It gives me a break from the news of dismay and stirs in our hearts the remembrance for whom we are waiting. The Christmas Carols remind me that it is the Prince of Peace that we await. Therefore, I cannot condone anything that provokes dissension and anger in my heart. Christmas helps me even for a short time to focus not on the rumors of war and famine but in the hope that all these things cannot hinder the Good Shepherd from establishing His reign in the hearts of all people.

The real question is how do we wait for the Kingdom. Maybe a better way to phrase it would be how to wait in hope when everything is falling apart. I ask myself this question all the time, sometimes in prayer and sometimes while I am reading the Bible. I only get a somewhat clear answer when we go to the streets. Everything is clearer when we are in the streets. There is no magic involved here or some deep meaningful insights from an unlikely source. There are just the children and teens. They are there whether there is a war or famine. Their situation doesn’t change. They are always there waiting and most of them don’t realize that they are waiting for something.

Kelly came up to us and asked our help to go to a place to resolve an issue. She was afraid and intimidated to go alone. Suddenly everything seemed clear and simple to me. Wars, famine, earthquake and genocide…all these things will happen despite our ardent protests, however, we have the power to be with Kelly and help her do the thing that intimidates her.

We walked with her to the place and waited an hour in a large empty room that was quite menacing. While we waited, we talked with Kelly and slowly she become a more genuine person to us. She was abandoned in an orphanage because her mother was incapable of taking care of her. She spent her whole life in an insecure environment. She ran away from the orphanage before yurning 18 because she knew that they would have to send her away by then. She has a fear of being rejected. She ran away and they reported her as a missing person. Now she is an adult and we were sitting in a Police station trying to prove that she is not a missing person. Her identity card would not be issued until she resolved this particular problem. She has a fear of being buried in an unknown grave. She doesn’t fear death but she fears being forgotten and abandoned in an unmarked grave. The problem was resolved and she hugged and kissed us before we said goodbye. We went home richer than before because now we have someone new and special in our hearts. Somehow feeling assured that the Kingdom of God does not cease to establish itself despite rumors of…

Jesus foretold all the dire things that will occur not to frighten us333. Jesus never used fear as a didactic tool unlike the rest of the world. He wanted to ensure us that none of these things will change the role of those who await for the Kingdom. We are not to be impressed by the wicked things that unfold around us. Instead, we need to keep our focus on the One who will bring people to help us understand the true nature of the Kingdom of God.

I never grew up in a tradition where presents were exchanged. I never believed that a jolly fat man in red suit came around giving presents to children. As a child, I loved Christmas because it was a time where our homes would be filled with people. It was a time where our Muslim and Hindu and Buddhist friends would come to our house because they wanted to celebrate Jesus with us. Their religions did not make room for this celebration. They came to our household to commemorate the day with us. Our home became the place for people to celebrate Christ even if they did not know Him exactly. Now, I realize that our lives and homes are an opportunity for people to celebrate Christ. It is easy to forget this. I was blinded by the news of wars and famine but thankfully the season of Christmas is here and I reminded once again that the baby Jesus is the reason why I am here. He remains the same despite all the devastating changes that occur around us. Our task is quite simple really. We need to wait for Him while celebrating His life by ensuring that people can see Him in our own lives. Wars, famine, earthquakes and even imprisonment cannot stop us from doing this because this is the Kingdom of God. God comes into this world to live in Us.

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Eternal Moments : The Christmas Season

I have been quiet since Thanksgiving. My thoughts have been on Christmas. For a while there, it appeared to be too early to talk about Christmas. I know that as an Anglican clergy that the season of Advent precedes Christmas. However, everywhere around us, there are lights and decorations. The music everywhere sings of the joys of the season. It is impossible to pretend that Christmas is not here yet. Personally, I don’t want to wait. I love Christmas. It’s the most wonderful…..no, I won’t succumb to that. However, it doesn’t change the fact that it is indeed an amazing time of the year. People are thinking about others for a change. They are shopping for others. They even consider giving gifts to people that they don’t normally think about. Perhaps they are influenced by sentimentalism and commercialization. Nevertheless, there is something that occurs deep within the souls of the people which inspires charitable attitudes. People tend to be more generous. Money doesn’t seem to be a concern. People are giving money to our children and teens in the streets. They, on other hand, are more reflective. This year, in particular, they seem to be open with us about their sentiments about Christmas. One even suggested that we do secret Santa with them. It is not going to happen because it would take planning and organization. These two things are not in the general vocabulary of our children and teens. However, the invitation itself is special. They want us to be part of their Christmas celebration. Every year, for a short period, we are given an opportunity to stop and reflect on something wonderful that happened to humanity. It disrupts our hustle and bustle of daily strife and makes us reflect. Some, perhaps, only reflect for a very brief moment. Others take a step closer to discover the Truth presented to us in the Person of Jesus. This is the best we can do really. Each season, we take a step closer in understanding the mystery of the God who became Man.

The first Christmas disrupted our cycle of life, work and death. Eternity entered into the conversation of life. The peaceful night of the shepherds were disturbed by an angelic choir pronouncing a new beginning. Noble wisemen were forced to go into places reserved for lowly servants and bow their knees on the soiled floor of a stable. The peaceful daily routine of life was disrupted because the Eternal One came into our reality. Interestingly, none of the first celebrants of Christmas questioned the inappropriateness of the birthplace. They were not scandalized that the Hope of the world could not even afford a nice room. The first Christmas was an invitation to reflect beyond the limitation of our reality. All the material wealth of this world failed to give the King of Kings a decent room. It failed to honor the One who deserves the utmost. However, this did not stop the Eternal One from transforming this humble abode into a glorious temple of hope.Today we complain about commercialization and trivialization of Christmas. We forget that all this cannot destroy its meaning. We don’t give the season its worth. It is our Eternal King that makes this time special. He presents Himself in the most unlikely places. The joy of Christmas is not a mere celebration of an event that took place in Bethlehem but, as the beautiful hymn* proclaims, it is an event that continuously occurs in those who would listen to the gentle beckoning of this humble child. Christ enters into our humble reality.

“How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.”

Jesus came into this world to call us to stop and turn our eyes to Him. He brings a new dimension into our souls. He presents the Eternity to our limited world of time and space. It changes everything. It gives us hope to overcome the pain and suffering that our reality brings upon us. It reminds us that there is more to life than just what is presented here. It may sound like a “pie in the sky” theology. Well, it sounds like it because it is exactly this that is being presented in the coming of the King. He brought an eternal pie but it is not in the sky. It is here and now in the person of Jesus. He came to dwell among us and He is still present among us. It is easy to forget this Truth. We spend most of our time thinking about Jesus and sometimes defending doctrines about Him. However, Christmas makes us go beyond the “about Him”. It challenges us to meet Him who is eternally present in our time and space. We are taken away from our busy schedules and transported to a moment where all time-tables and datelines become irrelevant. We reminded that there is an eternal reality. This is the universal appeal of the season. God introduces His reality into this temporal world through Jesus. We don’t make Christmas special. Therefore, nothing we can do can jeopardize and banalize it. It belongs to God. It is His gift to us. However, those who are too busy might just miss it. Sometimes the most unlikely people might appreciate it.

Just like the first Christmas, we cannot choose the place and time where the Eternal One presents Himself to us. We go to the streets everyday trying to discern His presence. Some days are easier than others. Our minds are not always aware of His presence. It is easy for us to be distracted. Some days, when we least expect it, the Eternal One appears to us in the most unlikely places. It is moments like these that give a glimpse of what the first Christmas was like. God came into our reality in an unexpected way. He came and opened our eyes to see the joy of living and filled our hearts with peace that the world cannot comprehend. These moments are a glimpse of the eternal reality that dwells among us. We hope in the coming days to share some brief encounters with the Eternal One with you in our posts. Perhaps in some small way, we can contribute to your reflection on this special time of the year.

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Our Eternal Address

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” -John 1:47-51

We saw an older man talking to Dreyson as we approached the steps of the cathedral. We were naturally curious. The children are diehard gossips and we knew someone would eventually let us know what was happening. Sure enough, one of them blurted out that the man was Dreyson’s father before we could even sit down on the steps. It was then that we were formally introduced. The father must have been in his late forties but his hard life made him look older. The father was visibly upset. He had come to convince Dreyson to go home today but it was obvious that it wasn’t going to happen.

We met Dreyson about two years ago. I remember the day clearly. On his first day in the streets, he came up to me and told me his name. Then he asked me not to forget it. I made it a point to write it down. The next day he came up and asked if I remembered his name which I did. He smiled and then went away. He has been streets ever since and for two years no one has come looking for him. Today was the first time we saw anyone from his household here. Dreyson made up his mind that he wasn’t going home today. His father could not understand why his son would prefer to sleep in the streets. He kept telling us that in his house he has internet and video games and even cable TV. He saw no reason why Dreyson would not want to go home. I told the father that the only person who knows the answer is his son. The father thought that it was drug addiction. His son sniffs paint thinner in the streets. This was something he started using in the streets. It did not him bring here. His father kept insisting that Dreyson return to his home but his son started closing up and finally he just walked away.

I took the father aside and suggested that he try a different approach. I suggested that he come once a week to the streets and just take his son out for a snack and just spend time with him. He could talk about what is going on at home and his brothers and sisters. Perhaps bit by bit his son would open up to him. I was little taken aback when his father said that he wasn’t going to do this. He wanted his son to just return home today. Unfortunately, things do not work this way. He could force Dreyson to go with him but he knows that his son will just turn and around and return to the street. I was a little disappointed that his father did not want to take the time to rebuild his son’s confidence.

His father eventually gave up and left. The other children and teens were upset with Dreyson that he did not return home as well. They said that if any of their parents came looking for them they would go home. It was actually quite a sad revelation. None of the parents have come looking for their sons and daughters. Many have spent many Christmases in the streets. No one has ever come to see them during this time. I think this must be the biggest blow to them. They are forgotten even by their families. Dreyson was thirteen when he came to the streets. It took two years for his father to come to the streets. Apparently, it was a bit too late.

We were reading the above biblical text for our team’s meditation. We usually read a passage from the gospel of John before going out into the streets. It is part of our work ritual. I have heard preachers put a mystical spin about Jesus seeing Nathaniel sitting under the tree. The text itself does not say that Jesus had a vision of Nathaniel but it implies that Jesus literally saw the young man and noticed him. Jesus was able to see something in this young man that perhaps others had just ignored. Jesus saw a young person who was honest and sincere. The whole incident had an tremendous effect on Nathanael. He immediately recognized something divine about Jesus. It did not take much to impress this young man. Even Jesus was surprised by Nathanael’s reaction. His reaction reveals something about the culture of the period. It is not much different from today. Most people, then and now, go through life without ever being noticed. In the land of Jesus, it wouldn’t be unusual to sit under a fig tree. In fact, it seems like a most rational thing to do in a hot climate. Nathanael was one of the many but Jesus noticed him and now he is remembered after two thousand years.

Dreyson can appreciate what Nathanael felt. He wants to be noticed. He does not want to be lost in the crowd. All the children know his name. He is one of the few children without a nickname. Nicknames are common in Brazilian culture. I am known as the longed haired guy among the homeless adults. It is not usually offensive. It is something cultural. However, Dreyson wants everyone to know his actual name. It is not just Dreyson. All the children and teens want us to address them by their given names. They feel special when we remember their names. It means that they are somebody to us. They will respond positively to anyone who recognizes their personhood. As good and special as this seems, we cannot stop here. This is not why we are here.

The gospel is more than this. If we stop at just recognizing the personhood of Dreyson or any of the children, then we are doing a great disservice to them. There is something greater. Jesus thought that Nathanael was setting his standards too low. He did not just come here to notice forgotten people. He came to connect us to another reality, a reality that is going to give us a firm footing in this transitory world.

The image of angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man is a reference to an Old Testament story of Jacob. Jacob lost his home and family and was forced into exile. It was at this moment when he was completely lost and alone that he saw this vision. This vision was a message of hope for a man who thought that his situation was hopeless. Jacob was disconnected from the world but God connected him to a reality that is permanent and non-transitory. Our children in the streets live a transitory life. Everything changes on a daily basis. Their friends come and go. Their families don’t seem to be able to provide the sense of belonging that they desire. They want to belong to someone or something. They want to be part of something special. They are vulnerable. They are willing to give themselves away to anything that would guarantee some sort of permanence. This is why we have to be clear in our purpose. We are not here to just give a sense of personhood. There is something greater and deeper than our self-esteem. It is a new identity in the eternal reality and Jesus is the One who is going to connect us. The children need to discover through faith. It is faith that will help them see this new reality. The first step is recognizing that they are individuals. They have to know that they are not mistakes. Their names mean something special to God. The next step is help them draw closer to discovering this eternal ladder that connects them to an eternal address. Our children and teens, just like us, are looking for a place where their souls will feel at peace. This is the promise of the gospel. Jesus wants to connect them to a reality where they can feel secure and grow into the person God has created them to become. Our task is to help them move in this direction. This is why we are here.

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