Friends in the Tidal Wave? I hope not…

This earthquake and tidal wave is so overwhelming to think about. It is really almost unimaginable to me as I read the stories and look at the pictures. My mind cannot conceive of what these people are going through. Meanwhile I’m on edge because a wonderful family of new friends from my new church are over in Thailand right now. The husband does a lot of business in Asia and was over there for business. The wife and daughter joined him a few days ago and they were scheduled to be there through January 2nd. I’m a little sick with fear for their welfare. I haven’t known them long, just since August, but in that time I’ve come to really admire and enjoy them. She hosts the bi-weekly Bible Study in her home and I just went to the last one and found her so gracious and welcoming. I would hate to think of anything bad happening to this family. Plus her daughter has been very nice to my son, inviting him to join in the fun with the youth group and being friendly. I’m just really concerned. I’ve said a few prayers for them and the whole church said a prayer on their behalf this morning. I certainly hope God is watching over them and will bring them home safe and sound and without incident.

Of course there are many who are already dead. Over 10,000 dead, the news reports. Doesn’t just seem impossible to even comprehend when it gets that high. I can’t even imagine it. They say bodies are on the beach and in the trees and all over the streets from the tsunamis. People’s homes and families all washed away, their dreams and futures, their dear children, wiped out in a matter of hours. It seems almost impossible for one who was born and raised here, in America, to fathom. We had 9-11, and so I sort of step into that to try to step into the shoes of these people overseas, but still the magnitude is unbelievable. Plus 9-11 was brought to us by humans, terrorists that hate us. Sometimes it feels like these natural disasters are brought by God… tornadoes and earthquakes and tsunamis, and that makes it even more painful. Almost like a betrayal from our Father who is supposed to love us. How could He do that, you wonder. When the destruction comes from evil people, like terrorists, I feel like God just didn’t get in the way for some reason. All juvenile trains of thought, I know, but I never claimed to be mature.

Well, on another note, (which seems almost inappropriate when I think about the ravaged society overseas right now) Christmas was wonderful. Church was wonderful both yesterday and today (and Christmas Eve as well). So many wonderful hymns and carols sung. I really loved that part almost more than anything. And on Christmas Eve we had a candle lighting ceremony where they turned off all the lights and then we all lit candles from each others and sang Silent Night in candle light. It was indescribable. I love a Christmas that really includes Christ. I’ve had so many that just celebrated Santa Claus, family, and the Christmas Spirit… which isn’t bad (the Christmas Spirit and family, I mean… Santa Claus can sometimes be the personification of greed satisfied), but a Christmas that celebrates Christ seems so much more full of joy and serenity… something that you can carry with you into the New Year, whereas if you just have the other stuff, you feel badly as it slips through your fingers when the decorations come down and the season of “goodwill toward men” ends. I remember that as a kid too… I remember sitting in a big comfy chair in our darkened living room and just watching our Christmas tree and having Christmas season dreams about people scurrying about their shopping with smiles and greetings for each other, even if they were strangers… willing to help their fellow man and loving each other for the season. I dreamt of Christmas miracles and how the season would bring out the good in people. I heard stories of how, on Christmas Eve, the soldiers stopped fighting and sang Silent Night together in their respective languages from across the foxholes. Somewhere, in my heart, I believed that anything was possible on Christmas. I didn’t know that people still went hungry, got drunk, died, got beaten, etc. on Christmas eve. I thought bad relationships always got reconciled on Christmas eve, that miracles happened, that hearts opened and minds softened… I saw a LOT of shows and read a LOT of stories to that effect. I only found out differently when I grew up. But even as a kid I knew that somewhere around December 27th, and no later than January 3rd, the magic would disappear and people would be uncaring and mean again. The Christmas spirit would be gone and no one would care or hold on to it through the year even though everybody always said we should (and I, for one, was willing).

Christ, however, and the Holy Spirit is something to which we can cling every day and, for me, that brings the joy and serenity of true Christmas into my heart every time I take communion or really comprehend the edges of the immense gift He gave to us when He took on all of our sins. Just my sins alone astound me. When I think about the fact that I’m off the hook on the stuff I’ve done, it brings tears to my eyes (because I’ve done a LOT). I have to say that the Lutheran church has been very helpful in really helping me to more fully understand this concept. I’ve been so busy running around trying to please God and been so obsessed with all the ways I DISplease Him that I forgot His business was about justification in the first place. I feel so much of Christ in Christmas this year that I think it’s probably the best Christmas I’ve had in years!