Brown's Daily Word 12/23/16

 

    Praise the Lord for the beauty of the earth and for the glory of the sky.  He blessed us with a beautiful and almost magical day yesterday.  The hills and the dales, meadows and fields are all clad with snow.  It snowed with gentleness and friendliness almost all day in our area yesterday.  Alice I walked in the early evening - it was almost dark - on the snow clad fields.  We put on our winter garb and walked.  It was a silent night, beautiful and peaceful.  We walked over one mile through the fields and lanes.

     On this day, on December 23, 1973, my dad died and entered into the presence of Jesus our Lord.  My dad was 48 years old.  He was a  farmer, hunter, and outdoors man.  He was fearless, courageous, generous, and kind.  My dad looked forward to and anticipated to celebrate Christmas every year.  He exuded the spirit of " Bishop St Nicholas"  in our home and in our village.  In anticipation of Christmas he took measurements of us - all the children.  He would go to town and buy fabrics and give to the best tailor in town and get our Christmas clothing tailored for us. We, his seven children, would get really excited for Christmas, for we would get to wear new clothing for Christmas.  That is the only gift we got for Christmas every year.  Those clothing were never wrapped. 

    On Christmas day may dad was the main cook. Just before Christmas day  he  went to town to the market for Christmas grocery shopping.  He was so excited  for Christmas.  It was also harvest time.  There was plenty of grain and winter vegetables, along with  free range roosters and capons raised at home for Christmas.  My dad would get up early in the morning before first rooster crow.  We did not have any clocks or watches to keep time so we relied on roosters and our shadows.   He would start cooking making the very special Christmas cakes, traditional, pastries made from rice flower, all home grown.  He made Christmas dinner with chicken as the main meat.  After the food was all prepped, we had Family Christmas worship time with  hymns and reading from Luke 2.  Then we all took baths in the cold water and got dressed up with new clothes and go to church for main service where all Christians from the village gathered for worship.  The worship service was spirited, energetic and anointed. Following the Christmas worship service we went home and shared Christmas dinner.  My dad also served dinner to the villagers who just showed  up without any invitation.  He and my mom would serve them the full meal complete with Christmas cakes and cookies.   The going and coming lasted all afternoon.  It was all festive and celebrative.  My dad and mom and my grand parents who lived with us made Christmas very special, festive.  There was a great spirit of generosity. The more  the merrier was our family motto. 

     I am also thinking this morning of a beautiful and sweet singer of Jesus.  Donna Netherton , She was part of our ministry team.  During every Christmas Eve Service she sang, "All Is Well".  Just before Christmas few years ago she came to visit us.  She spent some time praying with Alice.  A few days after that encounter she died very unexpectedly.  She was in her thirties.  She was a great blessing to the church and to us.  Alice will sing "All Is Well" tomorrow during our Christmas Eve Candle light service at 6:.00 PM.  Please plan to be in the Lord's House wherever you might be celebrating, dancing, rejoicing, giving and receiving. "Joy to the world the Savior is born"'.

      It is going to be a brilliant day here in Central New York.  It is going  to be  sunny and stunning.  The sunlight will make the snow glistening and sparkling.  Alice is having Christmas luncheon with her faculty members today.  She is making one of her signature  dishes for the dinner.  I am making some authentic Indian curries of Chicken and the "Other white Meat".  There is a curry lovers society here in Marathon.  Praise the Lord for all the simple gifts the Lord has blessed us with that we can enjoy them and celebrate with friends and family.  These simple gifts remind us if the Inexpressible Gift that the Lord gave of on Christmas morning.

    I am thanking the Lord for four daughters who love Christmas like their mother does.  They are transmitting those gifts of love, grace, holy imagination, and creativity.  Our oldest, Janice, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas,where the weather is like Orissa India - warm, sunny, and gorgeous in December.  We celebrated her first birthday in Texas.  She is going to celebrate this Christmas with her family in Boston this year.  Sunita, Andy, Gabe, Addie, Asha are driving to New York today.  Jessie, Tom, and Lindy are coming to New York today.  Laureen is also coming to New York today . We all be together for Christmas and for almost a week together.  This will be my last blog for the year possibly.  I will be busy being fabulous grandpa for next week.

    Alice I praise the Lord for you all.  May Jesus bless our gatherings, celebrations, feasting's, sharing, worship, and adoration.  Many of us may be experiencing grief and loss.  May Jesus sanctify and beautify our memories and magnify and intensify our Hope  that we have in Christ.  May He infuse us with Christmas "Comfort and Joy".

    I am enclosing the Nativity story penned down by Dr Luke, who I belive was an OBGYN Specialist.  He records the birth of Jesus with  detailed clarity.  The Nativity Story is so mundane yer so divine.  It is earthy and yet it so divine.  It is  so ordinay and yet so extraordinary and ethereal.

                

Luke 2:1-20King James Version (KJV)

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. ² (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) ³ And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) ⁵ To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ⁶ And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. ¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Man Shall live for evermore because of Christmas day.

  Brown

https://youtu.be/LFBIJgkj_-g

Brown's Daily Word - Christmas Letter 2016

     Merry Christmas to all our friends and family, both far and near!  Yes, indeed!  The season of Advent and Christmas is here once again.  Advent is the season of waiting and we are all eagerly anticipating the celebrations and reunions of this Christmastide.  It is a wondrous, delightful time that brings out the child-like wonder even in adults like us.  When we stroll along the streets of our small village, Brown and I delight in the light displays in “city-center” or along “Candy Cane Lane”.  It is a season of light, which is especially meaningful as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world.

When I was young I wondered how my mother had enough to do to fill all of her December days.  After all, she was not in school every day as I was.  I had not the faintest idea of how much time it took to shop and wrap, let alone accomplish the day to day chores of a very busy mother of five.  Now, however, I look at my long list of to-do’s and wonder if I could accomplish them all even if I had more wisely started my projects earlier.  How frail the nature of human procrastinators!

My childhood, like many of yours, was so much simpler in so many ways . . . paper chains, trekking outside to pick a 7 ½ blue spruce from the back lot, lights in all the windows and over the dining room archway, bubble lights on the Christmas tree (and figuring out which bulb had fused so that the set could be lit once more), secrets to be kept from everyone, shopping trips to Norwich, the Sears & Roebuck catalog, hiding away to work on sewing projects, going sledding down the big hill, tobogganing over the fields, batches of fresh fudge, making popcorn balls with the ladies of the missionary guild, the church’s Christmas program (I still remember the sock monkey that they made for me when I was on “cradle roll”), the charged atmosphere everywhere . . . and so much more.  It was also a family time, as all joined together in the many events.  The month before Christmas was all this and more – it was a time of great joy, excitation, and expectation.

Advent and Christmas in India, for Brown, was more different still.  There were no Christmas trees, no Santa Claus, yet it was filled with great expectation and sweet anticipation of the best that the Lord Jesus brought down to earth on Christmas day.  Though there were no malls for shopping there were small shops in the town, where tailors made new clothing for the families for Christmas.  The weather was warm, the skies sunny.  The hedges and fences were filled with poinsettias.  It was the season of harvest – both rice and winter vegetables – so there was more than plenty of good food for everyone to celebrate with and to share with others.  On Christmas Eve there would be a Watch-night service, and Christmas morning was filled with making Christmas cakes and cookies with flour from the new crops.  The main service on Christmas morning was before noon, and everyone came on Christmas morning dressed in their best.  The main course for Christmas dinner was capons that had been raised by the family and saved especially for that day. 

How things change though much remains remarkably the same.  This year so much has happened in our small Marathon family.  One of the things that impacted our lives the most is that Brown has had two major surgeries this year.  Strangely similar, both involved an area close to his spine and both surgeries were performed in Boston.  We discovered, in the course of our health adventures this year, the Hope Lodge in Boston (and the one in Worcester, MA).  In both we found a supportive community and established new friendships.  The one benefit in it all was that we were able to spend much time with our grandchildren from Boston.  Micah, (who is becoming a very fine fiddler), instinctively knows how to “work a room” and charm the adults she meets.  Simeon, not so unexpectedly, is a natural with a pool cue or at a foosball table.  Ada loves doing everything the older siblings do – especially Simeon – but especially loves role-playing, puzzles, and making patterns.  Simeon adores his grandpa, while the girls are extra close with their grandmom.  Our dear Janice has been our navigator through the healthcare system in Boston.  Janice, Jeremy, and the whole family have offered a wonderful support system to us in our times of need.  Sunita and Asha, Laureen, and Tom, Jess, and Lindy all came to Boston to help us out.  We are so very grateful.

Last May, as the school year was drawing to a close, Laureen and Sunita came home for Mothers’ Day – well, a week after Mothers’ Day, to be exact.  They came (with two darling little girls tagging along) to help honor me at school, as I was the yearbook honoree for 2015-2016.  That was, quite literally, just about the last thing in the world that I would have expected.  In fact, I had not even planned to go to the auditorium for the ranking ceremony/yearbook dedication. 

When school came to a close in June I headed off to Washington, DC and Brown prepared to journey to India on a short-term mission trip.  “Adventure” struck once again; Brown missed his flight and then suddenly got too sick to make the trip, so he joined me in Washington, DC.  We were there through the Fourth of July, getting plenty of grandchild love and helping Sunita with her three while Andy and Laureen were in India on the mission trip.  The team was able to do some very effective ministry – speaking, singing, and praying in the strong name of Jesus.  All returned blessed, enthused, and eager to serve the Lord in this capacity once again.  We had wonderful days in DC with both Laureen and Sunita. 

We have been able to spend time with each of our daughters in their homes this year, and even went twice to visit Tom, Jess, and Rosalind at their Abington, PA home.  (I think that may be a record for us).  When we next visit we may not even recognize the place, as Tom and Jess are taking on some renovations to three rooms of their house. 

Whether in their homes or ours it is always an incredible joy to be able to spend time with our daughters.  Truly the Lord has blessed us in bringing each one into our lives.  We especially enjoyed some golden days of summer all together in New Berlin, making the walls of the old house ring with laughter. 

At the end of September we flew to Grand Junction, Colorado for our nephew’s wedding.  We had never seen such scenery, with mesas to the North from every viewpoint.  The wedding was a country classic event, with chamber music for the ceremony and line dancing at the reception, with a backdrop of Colorado mesas.  While we were in Colorado we took time to drive the local wine trail.  We also spent a day at Colorado Monument, which is like a mini Grand Canyon, on a day that there were a thousand bicyclists riding through the park, and a day at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.  It was only a little over an hour away with the 80 mph speed limit on the highway there.  We absolutely loved getting to know another part of our great country first-hand. 

The year 2016 has for us been paved with momentary afflictions, temporary detours, and miniscule setbacks,  yet accompanied with tremendous blessings, surrounded by His amazing grace, surprised by His joy that surpasses human understanding, and propelled by the Holy Spirit.  The Lord has poured upon us His grace to run the race, looking unto Jesus, the pioneer and the finisher of our faith.  He has given us the grace and strength to serve Him in season and out of season in Jesus.  Along this journey He has been more than wonderful.  His grace has been more than sufficient.  His mercy has been marvelous.  Praise the Lord Christmas.  As one of the carols says, “Man shall live forevermore because of Christmas Day.” 

As we walk with Jesus, we begin to realize that what He has said is in fact true, that there is strength in weakness, blessing in brokenness, exaltation in humility, comfort in affliction, and even life in the midst of death.  This is all because of Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor.  Though it is counterintuitive it is full of deep and lasting joy.

         

          “For men are homesick in their homes,

          And strangers under the sun,

          And they lay on their heads in a foreign land

          Whenever the day is done.

          Here we have battle and blazing eyes,

          And chance and honour and high surprise,

          But our homes are under miraculous skies

          Where the Yule tale was begun.

         

          “A Child in a foul stable,

          Where the beasts feed and foam;

          Only where He was homeless

          Are you and I at home;

          We have hands that fashion and heads that know,

          But our hearts we lost – how long ago!

          In a place no chart nor ship can show

          Under the sky’s dome.

          This world is wild as an old wives’ tale,

          And strange the plain things are,

          The earth is enough and the air is enough

          For our wonder and our war;

          But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings

          And our peace is put in impossible things

          Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings

          Round an incredible star.

          To an open house in the evening

          Home shall men come,

          To an older place than Eden

          And a taller town than Rome.

          To the end of the way of the wandering star,

          To the things that cannot be and that are,

          To the place where God was homeless

          And all men are at home.”  - G. K. Chesterton

Love,

Brown and Alice

https://youtu.be/KH9cSGPUjSU