IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS - 3

 

Celebrate the third day of Christmas with me, if you don't mind the gift of two roosters instead of three French hens.  The roosters were intended to be laying hens by my daughter and her family, but the donors made it clear that they guaranteed nothing when they gave away the chicks.  By the time the family found out both chicks were roosters, they had fallen in love.

 

The roosters compete with each other to eat the dog's food.  It's obvious that the birds are familiar with humans, because they are gentle.  The pictures do a poor job of showing off their handsome colors.

 

There were humans at the Christmas gathering, too, but everyone was entranced by the birds.

We were under a tornado warning all afternoon, but, although it rained some, and strong winds blew, and scary-looking low clouds were all around, the weather never became dangerous.

FEAST OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST

Today is the feast of St John the Evangelist, the patron of my church. The Fathers of the Church believed John the Evangelist was the author of the Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation, and the same person as John the Apostle and John of Patmos.  Later scholars suggest rather that a disciple of John the Apostle wrote the Gospel and three Epistles and that John of Patmos was a different person, because the writing style of the Book of Revelation is too different from the Gospel and Epistles.

Pictured above is the stained glass window at St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux. If you click on the picture, you see (somewhat blurred) the detail in the glass which shows a snake coming out of the goblet in John's hand. According to legend, the emperor Domitian offered poisoned wine to John, but he blessed the wine and the poison came out of the goblet in the form of a snake.  A painting by El Greco illustrates the same legend.

Collect of the day

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light; that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

PEDRO AND HIS DATE

One beautiful December evening Pedro and his
girlfriend Rosita were sitting by the side of the ocean.

It was a romantic full moon, when Pedro said, "Hey, mamacita, let's do Weeweechu."

"Oh no, not now, let's look at the moon!" said Rosita.

"Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I do Weeweechu.
I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.

"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the
moon." replied Rosita.

"Please, corazoncito, just once, do Weeweechu with me."

  
Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time,
we'll do Weeweechu."

 Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang....

"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,
Weeweechu a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

(NOW GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER)

UPDATE: Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS - 2

 

A favorite passage from one of my favorite books is the quote below from Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte, two young Englishmen, meet at Oxford in the period between the two world wars. Charles is not a believer, and Sebastian is from an aristocratic Roman Catholic family. After they've been friends for a while, Sebastian brings up the subject of his faith and Catholicism. What follows is the dialogue between the two:

(Sebastian) “Oh dear, it’s very difficult being a Catholic!”

(Charles) “Does it make much difference to you?”

(Sebastian:) “Of course. All the time.”

(Charles) “Well, I can’t say I’ve noticed it. Are you struggling against temptation? You don’t seem much more virtuous than me.”

(Sebastian) “I’m very, very much wickeder,” said Sebastian indignantly.

(Charles) “… I suppose they try to make you believe an awful lot of nonsense?”

(Sebastian) “Is it nonsense? I wish it were. It sometimes sounds terribly sensible to me.”

(Charles) “But my dear Sebastian, you can’t seriously believe it all.”

(Sebastian) “Can’t I?”

(Charles) “I mean about Christmas and the star and the three kings and the ox and the ass.”

(Sebastian) “Oh yes. I believe that. It’s a lovely idea.”

(Charles) “But you can’t believe things because they’re a lovely idea.”

(Sebastian) “But I do. That’s how I believe.”

I love the passage, because Sebastian describes how I believe, too. It's very much the stories, the myths (not myths in the sense of something that's not true - myths in the sense of universal truths) that draw me into Christianity.

(Edited and reposted from 2007.)

IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS AT OCICBW...

The song may seem a little late, but you never know; Santa may still have a surprise or two waiting for you. The song, "Sittin' On Top 'a the Roof (Waitin' On Santa)", is by Paul Lemire and is included in MadPriest's super after-Christmas rockin' music mix, which is well worth a listen for this and other songs to keep you in the spirit of a rockin' Christmas.  MadPriest has a knack for finding little-known musicians whose work is deserving of a wider audience.

Paul Lemire performs live in the Los Angeles, California, area.

FOR YOUR OWN GOOD

 

From someecards.com

ARCHBISHOP ROWAN WILLIAMS TO BECOME BARON WILLIAMS OF OYSTERMOUTH

The Queen has been pleased to confer a peerage of the United Kingdom for Life on the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams Lord Archbishop of Canterbury upon his retirement from the See of Canterbury.
....

Rowan Williams will be created a Baron for Life by the style and title of Baron Williams of Oystermouth in the City and County of Swansea.

--------------------------------------------------

 Oystermouth (a corruption of the Welsh name Ystum Llwynarth or Ystumllwynarth) is an electoral ward and a village in the Mumbles community and also the City and County of Swansea, Wales.

Thanks to a Facebook friend for the link to the announcement of the conferring of the peerage.

CHRIST CANDLE ALIGHT

 

Collect for the Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

"The First Nowell"

A BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

  Santos Nativity - Puerto Rico
Late 19th century - Unidentified artist,
     Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Jesus Dear

One glorious night in stable cold
A Babe is born in days of old.
O Mother Mary, do you hear
The angels sing of Jesus Dear?

As Jesus Dear your arms embrace,
You see His face so full of grace.
Your overflowing love abounds,
Hearkening to the angels' sounds.

Your arms around Him keep Him warm.
You vow He'll never come to harm.
Yet in your heart there dwells a fear
Of hurt to come to Jesus Dear.

A shadow of a cross falls o'er
To pierce your loving heart well sore.
O Mother Mary, what distress
To mar the blessed happiness!

He'll grow in wisdom and in grace,
A Babe no more in form and face.
Sweet Mary, do I see a tear?
Weep not; He's yet your Jesus Dear.

(From Luke: 2)

June Butler  - 12-24-09

Quite by accident, I found the poem above that I wrote three years ago, which was not in the short list of my poetry on the sidebar.  I'd completely forgotten about it, and I'm a bit puzzled, because I rarely write in regular rhyme or meter.  So here's the bit of verse, for better or for worse.  When the muse visits, which is not often, I write.  Whether the effort is worthwhile, is not for me to say.

Below is one of my favorite folk singers, Kate Rusby, the lovely woman with the lovely voice, singing an English Christmas carol.

English folk singer and songwriter Kate Rusby singing traditional English Christmas song Sweet Bells (arr. Kate Rusby and Damien O'Kane; words by Nahum Tate, 1652 - 1715)

ST JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH - THIBODAUX LA

 

ST JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
718 Jackson Street 
Thibodaux, LA 70301
(985-447-2910)

* Christmas Eve Services - Dec. 24  
St. John’s  -  5:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. 
St. Joseph’s Manor Chapel -  2:00 p.m.

St. John’s parishioners are not only friendly with one another but are truly welcoming to the newcomer.  So, on behalf of the people of God here at St. John’s Episcopal, WELCOME!

UPDATE: St John's dressed for Christmas Eve.