26 December, 2008

Boxing Day

It's Boxing Day for our British friends and British-influenced friends up north; or, as we say in the Estados Unidos - After-Christmas-Sales Day. You know, 'cause we just can't buy enough stuff.

As a pastor, I don't let my church sing Christmas carols until, ummm, Christmas. We sing Advent hymns (there's a dearth of them in the world - someone write some good Advent songs, please! Anything with grandma and reindeer doesn't count...) in church during Advent and then sing carols during the 12 days of Christmas. (Weirdly, Christmas is actually 12 days - it's not just a song about turtledoves, et. al.)

It just seems to me that the Church went to the trouble of setting the Christian year, so we could at least try to follow it a little bit. And, as a bonus, if you don't start getting Christmas-y in mid-October, then you're not really tired of Christmas when it actually gets here.

So, since Christmas is just starting, and I'm not tired of it yet, here's a lovely/sappy story for you. It's about Texas high school football and doesn't involve academic scandals, guns or anything you might have seen on Friday Night Lights.

I hope your Christmas was at least as good as mine - family, a lovely sausage-intensive breakfast, a long nap, great steaks and good wine, and sledding with friends and family until late in the night. Also, I got a gold medal in Nintendo DS Olympics for the trampoline event!

much peace, much love, etc.
Clay

4 comments:

  1. you weren't kidding....that's an awesome story. and lovely/sappy = teary.

    and Christmas was awesome!! most especially the part where a certain god-niece spent time genuinely caring for the least of us.

    Christmas miracles rock.

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  2. What a fantastic story..and for folks who understand Texas high school football it is even more impressive...
    What a blessed Christmas:All of family together and healthy, wonderful Christmas Eve services, a special Communion seervice served by our son-- traditional family breakfast, serving others with near anonymity, seeing the god-granddaughter make someones Christmas, an incredible family dinner and then as Clay said sledding for a long time.. We are blessed beyond our wildest imagination.. Thanks to God and his gifts to us..our son, our DIL, our daughter, her god-daughter and her boyfriend.

    And we are still enjoying the time called Christmas.. for even more days....

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  3. Thanks for a great story on encouragement. Also brought back great memories traveling from game to game on the pep squad for Dallas Christian High School.- AND Amen to more Advent songs..
    C. Wesley did so much but who since then?
    Blessings and peace as we anticipate the Epiphany.

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  4. Jeff and David have a great advent song up on the UMC worship website:) It might also be on jefflowerymusic.com. Just a tip for next year. It's called prepare the way of the lord.

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