Jim Bortell emailed me to
tell me that Vaughn Hoffman had used the anecdote below in his sermon at Wesley
UMC in Bloomington, IL last Sunday. I like Vaughn a lot; he was called to
preach out of the UMC in Hoopeston, IL, where I pastored. I like Jim a lot,
too, but it really was not necessary for him to say that when Vaughn
mentioned my name as the author, the congregation did NOT stand and cheer.
Nonetheless, here is my annual repeat of the prescient wisdom of my
granddaughter.
This is a repost from
12-25-14.
CHRIST IN WINTER:
Reflections on Faith from a Place of Winter for the Years of Winter… ©
One way or another, I tell
this story every Christmas…
As Christmas approached
when granddaughter Brigid was about four year old, she said to her mother, “You
know, Santa and Grandpa are a lot alike. Santa has a bald head, and Grandpa has
a bald head. Santa has a white beard, and Grandpa has a white beard. Santa
brings toys, and Grandpa brings toys. But Grandpa is better, because he stays
and plays.”
That is the message of
Christmas. God is not just some Santa, making a quick stop on the roof to throw
some toys down the chimney and then hurrying on.
In Jesus, the Christ, God
stays and plays.
John Robert McFarland
johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com
The “place of winter”
mentioned in the title line is Iron Mountain, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,
where life is defined by winter even in the summer! [This phrase is explained
in the post for March 20, 2014.]
I tweet as yooper1721.
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