Out of Place and Time


Imagine my surprise at walking up to a discarded artificial Christmas tree today. It is a long time past Christmas; in fact, why would the owner not just leave it up for the next Holiday season which begins again at the end of next month? Even were it a Mardi Gras tree, that celebration was over long ago as well. Why now? Has it long been down and disassembled and just not put out at the curb or was it standing on its spot for all this time? I wonder.
Somehow this out of time Christmas tree represents this year of 2020 rather well. When we see such things out of place and out of time, our brains don’t compute. The dots don’t connect. We lose our bearings for a beat or two. This pretty much sums up 2020 for me. I, in all seriousness, have to ask someone from time to time to clarify the day of the week. Starting in March, with the pandemic closing churches, I would video a service on Saturday to be seen on-line on Sunday. So Saturday became Sunday and Sunday became Monday and the rest of the week was always a day off. As we added an in-person option for worship on Sunday morning, the recording moved to Thursday evening. I now record a service on a Thursday and then lead the same service live on Sunday. I often don’t know where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing on any given day. I have to admit that some people seem to enjoy my confusion! I am grateful for a sense of humor.
The encouraging thing is that everything still happens. The work gets done and life goes on. People somehow get their families to the right places at the right times. Somehow there is still laughter and joy. Love still finds us and flourishes on its own schedule. Like the Christmas tree thrown out in October, we may be a bit off our regular game, but we are still playing. And, ultimately, that is what matters. If we keep going, we will be ready when things settle in and get more in sync. And they will.
And, strange as it may seem, I enjoyed my little private moment of Christmas as the sun rose on this October day. Sometimes something out of place and out of time is just what we need. Sometimes, In some strange way, such moments end up a blessing. Merry Christmas!
Peace.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God is at Work

Image
In the early morning I was struck with this image. It seems to have it all. Green leaves. Red leaves. Clouds. Blue sky. The cross high and lifted up to the sky. It seemed to me that there was the stuff of several good photos in this one place and at one time. So I took the picture. Life is like that more often than not, isn't it? Good and bad. Happy and sad. Calm and chaos. Peace and turmoil. The season of Advent and the celebration of Christmas acknowledges this reality. The people of old resigned to their fate, yet hoping in the future. John the Baptist bringing the good news that the time had come, yet thundering away at one and all. Mary afraid, yet faithful. A baby is born that changes everything, yet the world remains still weary and violent. But, in the midst of all this, in the midst of the whiplash of everyday life, God is at work. God is present. God is calling. In all of it. In every bit of it. Through it all, God is with us. During these holidays, when joy can be mixed
Read more

Quiet Surprises

Image
This little friend decided to pause and stare at me as long as I was willing to pause and stare at him. It was a beautiful moment of silence and calm and peace. I'm not sure how long we enjoyed each other's presence, but it seemed like quite a good while. I sensed no fear at all in this deer. Of course, I was on his turf and was armed with only my phone. I was driving when I spotted him, so I pulled over and parked. I thought he would rush back into the woods before I could take a photograph. What a pleasant surprise it was. Sometimes surprises burst into our life loud and big, like a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" at a surprise party or in a humming crowd at some huge event. But at other times, surprises slip into our consciousness, subtle and understated. A deer at the edge of the woods. A card with words of love when you need it most. The smile of a friend long missed. A feeling of peace when life is anything but peaceful. In fact, it may be that those quiet
Read more

Live Out Loud

Image
This is one big Woodpecker! I was visiting some friends who live in the mountains and saw this bird right outside the window as I sat in my chair and read. It is a Pileated Woodpecker, a bird that grows to be up to 19 inches long with a wing span of 30 inches, weighing 14 pounds. I still feel the same excitement when I see one today as I did as a boy. They are spectacular creatures. I'm sure that one reason I like them so much is that they remind me of Woody Woodpecker, a favorite cartoon of my boyhood. But another reason they catch my eye is they seem so strong and self-assured. They carry themselves with a sense of confidence. When they go to work on a tree, they are loud and proud. When they swoop in and out through the woods, they own the airspace. These beautiful birds live out loud. I have a feeling that when we live out loud, we might exude that same kind of confidence. When we know who we are, and more importantly, who we want to be, it shows. Not in bravado or arrogance, b
Read more