EATING CRUSHED DRAGON

Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy might; thou didst break the heads of the dragons on the w aters. Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan, thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

Psalms 74:12-14

Dragon meat is expensive, and it has a “grown up” sorta flavor, too. If for no other reasons than these, we only serve it twice a year. You can be sure that if dragon is on the menu, something big is going on at the James’ house.

Michaelmas is marked with a roasted tongue of the defeated foe. And a few months later Theophany makes stewed Dragon Jowl an appropriate celebration. We like ours over rice- preferably Jasmine.

Seeing that in Christ’s baptism the serpents, leviathans and dragons of the deep had their heads crushed, we will glory in the victory by consuming the vanquished enemy. There is very little that is edible on the head of the dragon- too much bony plate and grizzle. But the jowl muscles are plentiful and quite good. There are of course the brains- usually service scrambled in eggs, but I don’t like ‘em and they’re really bad for you. The jowls, on the other hand, are just the thing.

I’ve ordered a single slab of jowl from our Romanian source. There are cheaper sources, but bottom line: I trust their butchering.

Skill, experience and a concern for those who will be eating your work are necessary when preparing Dragon Jowl. Years spent next to the creature’s fire gland guarantee an intensely hot and spicy dish, but you don’t want any (and I mean any!) of the gland itself. Oh no! A particularly painful death, there. The point being that you need to know your Dragon monger.

I know a good one, if anyone is interested.

THEOPHANY: WHY WE BLESS THE WATERS

I can remember a particular afternoon. I was walking with my son towards the pond; we had fishing on our minds. He was grinning up at me because I was singing St. Patrick’s breastplate, and he thought that was funny.

I'm sure it was.

The connection with this older brother seemed precious at that point in my journey, so I was making the effort to learn the hymn that bears his name. I had the lyrics in my pocket and needed to refer to them often. I can still see the muddy “worm dirt” of our bait smeared on the white sheet.

Fishing poles, afternoon warmth, St. Patrick, and my boy . It's a special memory.

Anyway, I can remember meditating on the words of the first cycle. Everything made wonderful sense- chiefly for the catholic (and so evangelical) concern of the prayer. Everything clicked with one exception- the line where I claimed Christ’s Baptism as my own. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that. Perhaps, you can see what I mean. Leave it out and what is lost?

My upbringing and then current religious tradition had prepared me for claiming our Lord’s incarnation (though inadequately, for sure), his death and burial and triumphant ascension and glorious return, but baptism in the Jordan river….?

The answer lay in a full and firm affirmation of the third cycle of the hymn. Starlight, sun’s ray, moon’s luminance, wind’s deep howling, lightning’s flash, rocks of earth and salty seas are each included in my blessing for the sake of the mystery of the Christian gospel. I read this as poetic…fluff. It was a colorful way of saying that God works all things together for my good- even using stuff to do it.

Of course that is true, but I think it makes a smaller utilitarian point about something that is much more grandly the case. God loved the cosmos! He loved it enough to dream it up and call it into existence. He loved it enough to put it on. He loved it enough to take it into himself for all eternity. The gospel is more than a proposal to be hawked to the mere acceptance of individuals. The gospel is a proclamation to be shared with every creature. Rocks, worms, stars and mankind are radically affected by the truth it proclaims. Jesus, the crucified and risen king of Israel, now sits on the throne of all of creation.

This matters for you and me and our families. That's for sure.

But it also has meaning for the lawn outside, the animals in our homes that we call by name and those outside, who are made strangers to us by Eden's curse. The farthest nebula and deepest oceanic ravine have a Sovereign, and this champion has promised their final perfection and deliverance.

The feast of Epiphany/Theophany completes the declaration of Christmas morning’s promise: No more let sins nor sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found!

The early church saw Christ’s baptism as the beginning of the undoing of the triumph of the curse. Water was the most basic element of creation. The story in Genesis affirms that everything was called forth from its depths. In the curse of the great flood, God unmade all that he had made, and returned creation to a formless and void expanse of water. It was an anti-creation occasioned by the sin of men and women. With mankind’s rebellion came the sting of death, and the water over which God had hovered in creative love, became a symbol of chaos, destruction and the very enemies of God and his people.

It was with this context in mind that God stepped down into the dirty waters of the Jordan. Through the primordial element, God himself entered into our afflicted and bent world. From this point on we read of demonic opposition in the ministry of our savior. Apparently, the dangerous proclamation of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan was understood by the demonic forces that had usurped heavens rule in the good creation that began in our God’s prodigal mind.

So often we see the gospel accounts of Christ’s healings and provisions as simple instances of compassion towards hurting individuals, and they were certainly that. But there's a greater fullness in seeing them as a working out of his baptism. The rule of chaos, evil, disease and pain was being rolled back. A shock wave of purity was issuing from the ripples that his holy toes caused in the muddy water. A miracle was occurring…and continues to occur. The kingdom of God was advancing. Satan’s kingdom must make way.

This transformation was otherworldly and not according to the principles of this world. In the land of Adam, corruption was the contagion. Like my dirty fingers on the whiteness of St. Patrick' hymn, filth contaminates purity. Lay a clean cloth in the mud and the cloth becomes dirty. Touch a putrid piece of rotten meat to a table and the table becomes unclean. But with the coming of the kingdom, this was stood on its head. An unclean woman touches the hem of the Lord’s garment and his cleanness washes over her defilement. How can this be? Purity as contagion. Health and life flowing into the heart of darkness and death. What must it mean that our Lord descended into the depths of creation? Satan and his demons knew, it is our responsibility to make sure our children know.

This is why we will bless the waters this coming Sunday…Lord willing. We will fulfill the charge given to us by St Mark to preach the gospel to every creature. By speaking clearly to the foundations of the world, the entire cosmos will hear the good news of Christ’s victory.

CHALKING THE DOOR: A JAMES' FAMILY EPIPHANY HOW TO-

All: + In the Name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen!

Leader: Peace be to this house!

All: And to all who enter it in this jubilee year of God's favor and grace!

Reader: A reading from the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All: Glory to you Lord Christ

Reader reads Matthew 2:1-12

All: Praise to you Lord Christ!

Leader: The Wise Ones came from the East to worship the Lord Jesus.

All: And falling at his feet and beholding the radiance of his glory, the glory he had with the Father before the world began, they gave him precious gifts of mystic meaning.

Leader: They presented him with gold because he is the world's only true King, the one merciful Lord worthy of our gifts, our service and our vows! They blessed him with incense that sweet-smelling smoke might evermore rise up from our altars to the Throne of his majesty, worshipping and blessing and magnifying him, the one, true God! They offered him myrrh because it would soon anoint his immaculate body, preparing it for his burial.

All: Our Father, who art in heaven....

Leader: Gracious God, you revealed your Son to the nations by the brilliant Star of Bethlehem! O Uncreated Light, Morning-Star of Epiphany and the world's New Dawn, lead us, warm our hearts, fortify our wills, enkindle our devotion to you, enlighten and illumine our inward vision! Lead us, guide us all the days of our earthly pilgrimage until we are received into your glory. We implore your great mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord!

All: Amen

BLESSING OF CHALK

Bean Queen or King: Lord Jesus, through your Incarnation and birth in true human form, you have made all the earth holy. We now ask your blessing upon this simple gift of your creation — chalk. We use it as a tool to teach our children, and they use it as a tool in their play and games. Now, with your blessing, may it become a tool for us to mark the doors of our home with the symbols of your wise servants who, so long ago, came to worship and adore you in your first home.

BLESSING OF DOORWAY

With chalk, the Bean King or Queen makes this inscription on the lintel: 20+C+M+B+01. The letters stand for both the traditional names of the Magi- Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar- and "Christus Mansionem Benedicat," meaning "May Christ bless this dwelling." The numbers are for the year of our Lord.

BLESSING OF WATER

Leader: Eternal God, + bless this home. + We thank you for the gift of water. Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation. Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt into the land of promise. In it your son received the baptism of John and was anointed by the holy spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into everlasting life. Sanctify this water to be a sign of our baptism, a token of our consecration to Christ's service. May this water + made holy on this Day by the baptism of Christ + drive far from this house and all who enter it all snares and assaults of the enemy. Wherever this water is sprinkled may safety be guarded and hospitality be made manifest. Grant that faith, charity, and good health triumph over evil in this house. May your Word always be cherished and obeyed here. We give praise and thanksgiving to you, and to your Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen

The leader blesses him/herself with the Epiphany water and then all who are present. Exchange the sign of peace. All move through the other rooms of the house, sprinkling the rooms, blessing God, and singing the very Anglican “We three Kings of Orient Are.”

JAMES' FAMILY EPIPHANY HOW TO:

Christmas is drawing to a close. It’s always a bit sad, but I’m so thankful for the extended period the church has provided for this celebration. I need to remember that it’s not over yet, and it ends with a bang. Twelfth Night and Epiphany morning are approaching. Theophany will follow days later, and we’ll get to bless the waters beneath which crushed dragons lie! There is still much to look forward to before life returns to its normal pace and tenor. Though not part of Christmas.

Epiphany forms the bookend to this side of Christmastide. It is a celebration of God’s revelation of the gospel to those who were once afar off- the Magi. It’s the proper time to place the wise men around the manger. More ancient than Christmas, this celebration is known as Theophany by our Eastern brothers and sisters. It commemorates three “in your face” revelations of Jesus as Christ and Lord: the magi’s worship, Christ’s Baptism and the miraculous transformation of water into wine by our Savior’s thought. This feast day brings to fruition the awesome gift of the Nativity by making manifest the word made flesh.

There is simply too much to squeeze into a single day, and so our family celebrates the Magi’s worship on Epiphany morning and our Saviors baptism on the following Sunday.

I’ll try to give you a heads up on what we do on Theophany Sunday so that you can play along with us, if you want, but there is plenty to prepare for this coming Epiphany morning.

This is how we do it: Christmas ends on it’s twelfth day-January 5th. This is called Twelfth Night and was once the biggest party of the year. We’ve often talked of planning such a party, but it’s never materialized. Anyway, this means that Epiphany morning (January 6th) falls one day outside of Christmas. Doesn’t bother us, though. We have saved gifts for opening on this blessed morning. Our way of doing this has been to open stockings on Christmas morning and any gifts from the grandparents that may have arrived. Gifts from brother and sisters are opened throughout Christmastide. For example, Bekah has an evening to distribute her gifts, Hannah has another, etc. This makes the season truly exciting for the children and keeps the generosity of the giver from being swallowed up in everyone else’s giving.

We’ve always kept the children home from school to celebrate on January 6th, and they’re up early for the gifts under the tree on Three Kings Day. Later in the day, we’ll have a celebratory meal (though not as large as Christmas. We’ll save that for next Sunday and the celebration of our Lord’s baptism) where the significance of the day is discussed. The one requirement for the meal in our home is that we finish it off with a Bean Cake. This is a cake into which Sandi has baked a bean. Whoever finds that bean in his or her slice is crowned Bean King or Queen for the year. Their services are required through the coming year’s celebrations in various ways. Basically the rule is that whenever someone has an honored role in a family celebration, it goes to the Bean Queen to preside or appoint. But we don’t have to wait for later in the year; there is an immediate task to perform. This is the traditional time to bless our homes. We do this by chalking our doors. By that I mean we write a blessing in chalk above the door of the house. Gathering by the front door we look at last year’s visible blessing, still smeared across the lintel. We then recount the blessings and protections God has provided in answer to the chalky prayer. The blessing is then erased by last year’s monarch, and a new one is drawn by the newly crowned bean king. Hear is a suggested liturgy for chalking your doors; you might wish to create your own. Here is another. This is getting a bit long for a post, so I’ll put the liturgy we’ll use up as a separate post

The blessing itself takes this form- 20 + C + M + B + 08. The year for which we are asking God’s blessing (in this case, 2008) is interrupted by crosses and the letters C, M and B. These letters bring to mind both the traditional names of the three Magi- Caspar, Melchior and Belthazar- and the request that we are making- “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” Christ bless this dwelling.

Some people might have trouble with the likely fictitious names (dating from the 9th century), but I believe this is part of the heritage that belong to my children. Every people has their own legends and yarns. Think of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree. Whether his axe ever hit wood isn’t the point of telling the tale. It’s simply a story every American child should know; and its knowing helps form them into Americans. The same is true of our kingdom’s stories.

The blessing of homes used to be commonplace and more elaborate. I’ve read of Epiphany being called a smoke night because incense was carried through the house and every room blessed. Seems like a cool idea. We might try it this year. I think the kids would remember me going through the house with a smoking shovel of incense. Here is a liturgy for those who would like to ask for God’s blessing on their home in this explicit way,

Here is a family tradition I’ve recently heard about. I’m sure our children would enjoy it. I’ll post it just as I found it on this site:

“About an hour ago I celebrated the second annual 'placing of three cards' on our front sidewalk.

On the front of the card: A picture of the Magi and 'To you who pass by our house: Please take one—just one'. There's a quarter taped on each card and each is sealed in its own clear zip-locking small plastic bag.

Inside the card: 'There's an old Pennsylvania Dutch custom that on the eve of the new year, three silver coins are placed outside the house where the Magi can find them and cast their blessings as they travel toward Bethlehem seeking the Babe. The blessings of the Magi are peace, love, and health to all who live therein. Please take one of the quarters. It's unlikely that the magi will be coming through Winston-Salem on their way to Bethlehem, and maybe you can spread the blessings of peace, love and health in your life, at home or work or wherever. And by your taking the coin, the Magi will leave their blessing at our house, too'.

I just peeked out the front door. They're all three still there. That's the way it was last year, but when I got up (customarily late) on New Year's morning, one was gone, and by the time I had fixed us a celebratory breakfast and eaten it, the other two had gone. The blessing of the Magi had been spread abroad."

Like I said, this is getting way too long. Let me encourage you to get your bean, cake mix and chalk ready, because the Word was made flesh and we beheld his glory- the glory of the only begotten of the Father!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We're two days into the celebration of the incarnation of our God, and this year's feasting has been particularly poignant and enjoyable at our home.

The first three days of Christmastide- after Christmas day- are spent in honoring the Comites Christi or Companions of Christ. Yesterday was devoted to the first Christian martyr- St. Stephen. His story is found in the book of Acts. You might remember this feast being mentioned in the Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas. We spent it together at home and dedicated the evening meal to this murdered deacon.

Today is the day of the beloved disciple-St. John. Sandi and the girls are going to an English tea room for lunch. They have a small gift exchange among themselves. Tommy and I will have a “boy’s afternoon out.” It’s traditional to bless wine on this day. That’s the plan for this evening- here is the blessing we will use.

The Blessing of Wine on St. John's Day

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou didst call Thyself the vine and Thy holy Apostles the branches; and out of all those who love Thee, Thou didst desire to make a good vineyard. Bless this wine and pour into it the might of Thy benediction. Grant that every one who drinks of it may, through the intercession of Thy beloved disciple the holy Apostle and Evangelist John, find courage and strength to pursue the Way, be renewed in the Truth of the Word made flesh, and at the last enter into Life everlasting, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

A glass of wine is then passed around the table. As it is passed, the giver says:

"Drink to the love of St. John."

And the recipient answers:

"For where love is, there is God."


In addition to the Merlot, I’ve started fermenting six gallons of pepper wine this Christmas season. It's only four days into the primary fermentation stage- an appropriate time to ask for God’s blessing on it, me thinks.

Tomorrow those children who were murdered by King Herod will be remembered. On Holy Innocents Day we hope to thank God for each of our children, blessing them:

"O God our Father, whose Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, once embraced the little children who were brought to him, saying, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and their angels always see the face of my Father;" Look now, we beseech thee, on the innocence of these children: Bless them and protect them this night and throughout their lives; (the parent makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of each child) in thy grace and goodness let them advance continually, longing for thee, knowing thee, and loving thee, that they may at the last come to their destined home and behold thee face to face; through Jesus Christ, the Holy Child of Bethlehem, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

Then, taking the head of each child in both hands, a parent says to each one: May God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit bless you and keep you both now and for evermore. Amen.

Here is a wonderful resource for those who wish to keep the fullness of the Christmas Feast.

HAVE A BLESSED ST. NICHOLAS DAY!

Loving God,
we thank you for
the example of St Nicholas,
who fed the hungry,
brought hope to the imprisoned,
gave comfort to the lost,
and taught the truth to all.
May we strive to imitate him
by putting you first in all we do.
Give us the courage, love and strength of St Nicholas, so that, like him, we may serve you through loving our brothers and sisters.
Amen.

—by Amy Welborn

JAMES' FAMILY ADVENT HOW TO- ADVENT WREATH

Advent is about waiting, anticipation and longing, and most of the season’s traditions cut right to the chase. They’re about counting down the days.

This is the case for three of our four family traditions. The Advent Calendar swallows time in big chunks, marking each week as it passes by. “The floor banging liturgy” begins its “ticking” as the expectation becomes more intense- sixteen days before the feast arrives.

The two together might be just the thing for most families. I say this because we count with a Jessie tree, too, and this serves the same function as “the floor banging liturgy.” Both mark off individual days (although “the liturgy” begins deep in the season as an outgrowth of the O Antiphon tradition), and both rehearse the story from creation to the birth of Christ. I can see why some people might find this too much. Why two traditions that do the exact same thing? For us the answer is that we enjoy both of them. But it might be wise to pick one or the other, if you are new to either- Jessie Tree or “Floor banging liturgy.”

But which ever way you decide to go, you’re going to need an Advent Wreath. This is a simple Christmas wreath with four candles placed equidistant around it. These are lit consecutively on each of the Sundays in Advent. A fifth candle is placed in the middle for lighting on Christmas morning. As the season progresses, more and more light shines into our darkness. This is one of the lessons the kids shouldn’t be allowed to miss.

Advent wreaths have taken countless shapes. Until last year, when Sandi purchased us an attractive one, we scavenged the house for the needed items. We’ve even done the wreath without the wreath- creating a “circle” of four candles.

The liturgies are as varied as the possible wreath configurations. We like to bless the wreath and candles when we put them out the Saturday before Advent begins. I hope you don’t skip that part. The children need to know what tree branches are for. They need to understand that evergreen branches are God’s love made fragrant and botanical. This is why we bless stuff. We ask our God to allow us to see things for what they were created to be- his love to us and a means of communing with him.

"O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ our Lord."

The Father then sprinkles the wreath with holy water

Ok, you’ve created, procured or simulated a wreath complete with five candles. We’ve blessed it and are ready to go. In case I’ve not been clear, let me spell out what that “going” actually consists of. We are going to count down the weeks ‘til Christmas arrives. The children can see its approaching- his approaching. On the first Sunday we light one candle. On the second Sunday we light a second…so that by the fourth Sunday we’ll have four candles blazing. Some people only use the wreath on Sundays. We light it every evening before dinner, and blow it out before we go to bed.

Like I said, liturgies vary from simple to elaborate- requiring a prayer book for participation. I’d recommend the simpler variety. Here’s the one we use.

O God, as light comes from this candle, may the blessing of Jesus Christ come to us, warming our hearts and brightening our way. May Christ our Savior bring life into the darkness of this world, and to us, as we wait for his coming.

This site has some others that might be appreciated by families with small children. If you’d like other ideas, a quick Google search for Advent Wreath will provide plenty.

JAMES' FAMILY ADVENT HOW TO- THE FLOOR BANGING LITURGY

Something for fathers and mothers to think about- Christmas has a darker side, and without an appreciation of this we won’t be able to grasp the joy of Christmas morning.

Wilfred McClay has written on the need to keep Satan in Christmas. It’s a short read; I hope you take a moment to consider it.

Advent is the time to set the stage. In our home it’s been difficult to adequately convey the sense of darkness and cold that a world without Christ must experience. We’re too comfortable, well fed and warm.

Dante envisioned the deepest level of hell as frozen. Intuitively that feels right. Perhaps those of us who live with winter cold can grasp a small part of what our ancestors must have felt looking out on months of barren, frozen, lightless days. It’s no accident that Christmas falls in winter. Explaining to our children the appropriateness of that timing is part of our Advent calling.

The symbols are ready at hand, if we grasp the presence of the wolf and dragon that’s always implied. Candles, light, and warmth aren’t treasured on a tropical sun-drenched beach.

Every match struck and every bundling against winter’s chill gives opportunity to point out Satan’s role in Christmas. The single most helpful ritual we’ve discovered to point out the before and after of Christmas is a liturgy created by Douglas Jones.

This has become one of our favorite traditions. I want to invite you to play along with us. Be forewarned: neighbors glancing through the window will imagine strange occultic ceremonies. We sit without chairs in a circle. We bang on the floor with “bones." We taste sand and touch tongue to vinegar…which is to say, the kids love it.

It’s hard to keep a straight face. There’s not much point in trying. Have a good time in reminding your children what “long lay the world in sin and error pining” means. We live on this side of Christmas, after all.

When the time comes, I’ll post some pictures. If anyone else plays, I’d love to see yours, too.

WHY ADVENT- A BRIEF AND INADEQUATE EXPLANATION

The weeks that are approaching are among the busiest of the year. My family ends up being swept away by the hurry that characterizes everyone else. We’re busy, yet accomplish nothing distinctively Christian. Our home tends to look like every other home- both believing and unbelieving.

This can’t be right… at any time of the year. It’s especially sad at Christmastide because we are those who are formed by the story of the God who dared to put on his own creation. And this is the season where that clothing is celebrated. The Word became flesh! God and Creation were united together, distinctly yet without division. God and world together…and yet we can travel through the coming weeks while barely thinking of God at all.

I've done it, and I suspect you have, too.

We don’t mean to leave God out; we simply make no preparation to include him. Without an intentional incarnation, our best motives and ideals end up being about something other than what we intended. They just do...almost everytime. That’s the point of the Christian understanding of time. We don’t follow our Lord in a vague, general way. We follow him actually and concretely by tracing his steps (regardless of where we happen to be) across our planet, each and every year.

The season of Advent and its traditions can help our families overcome the constant tendency to distraction. It provides a focus- daily, if we’ll let it- of the truth of Christmas morning: Emmanuel, God is with us.

Mother church is so very wise. It’s not simply that Advent helps with the happenstance indifference that can creep into our busy days; rather Advent is about that inevitable worldy indifference that constantly soaks into the fabric of our lives from the puddles of unbelief we are called to walk through.

Israel became distracted and unprepared for the first coming of her Messiah; today’s world is busy buying and selling, and so ill prepared for her King’s return. These two periods of time are the focal points of Advent. We, however, are to be different. We inhabit the same chronological time as our distracted brothers and neighbors, but we make a different use of it. We do this by living in a different liturgical time.

Everyone makes ready for something, but we make ready for Christ. Everyone looks forward, but we look forward to his coming. We prepare and long for the time when his blessings will flow “far as the curse is found.” In other words, we keep Advent.

Four distinct traditions go into keeping Advent in the James house:
1. The Advent Wreath
2. A Jessie Tree
3. St. Nicholas Day
4. and what Essie calls our “floor banging” liturgy

We’ve already described what St. Nicholas Day looks like around here. If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, let me encourage you start simply this year by adding an Advent Wreath to your evening dinners.

Here’s another suggestion: for every intentionally Christian tradition you add, drop a secular one.

I’ll post some resources on each of our four traditions. We’re adding something new with our manger scene this year, or that’s the plan, anyway. I’ll let you know how that goes, too.

Would love to hear your ideas…and if this is helpful or a waste of time. Leave me a comment.

ST NICHOLAS DAY: JAMES' FAMILY HOW TO- PART TWO

St Nicholas Day Breakfast

Generally the children wake up early from the excitement. It’s amazing how little “out of the ordinary” celebration it takes to get the kids anticipation going. But there’s another reason for the early rising. We’re going to eat a large breakfast together. This might require that we pass on the school bus this morning.

Southerners know how to do breakfast, and it’s the sort of culinary offering that will kill you. Anything less is hardly worthy of a Saint’s memory. Biscuits, bacon, gravy…

I would love to have a statue of the bishop to serve as a centerpiece for the table. Occasionally I see figures of St. Nicholas that include clerical items- crosier, mitre, etc. Here’s an example that I’ve had my eye on for a while. Something like this would be great as a focal point. We have a special Christmas table setting. This morning it will make its first appearance since the end of last year’s Christmas season.

The point is to make the meal special. Every home has unique items to bring into play. In our case, simply eating a large breakfast together on a school morning makes the occasion stand out.

The one breakfast item that seems out of place (in our home, at least) is a bowl of clementines or oranges. These are blessed and distributed with the following prayer- this is a great way to send the family out into the world with a tangible memorial in hand:

Loving God, you ask us to show kindness and care to everyone. Thank you for good Saint Nicholas who shows us how to give gifts and care to others, especially children.

Bless these oranges that they may remind us of Saint Nicholas' gifts to people in need. Help us to love and care, like Saint Nicholas, for those who need helpand children everywhere.

Amen

Including our God in these times is natural. Talking to him and asking his participation is the least we would do for any guest. A thanksgiving for Nicholas is usually included in the blessing of the food. Here are a number of examples.

Nothing fancy or undoable here. Just an intentional time of good food.

Telling the Story of Nicholas

This portion of our tradition is the most variable. Now that the children have heard the story for a while, it’s easy to ask for them to take turns telling their favorite bits. Asking about the origin of the various symbols is another good way of doing this.

The St. Nicholas Center provides some exceptional story resources. This method might be great with younger children after the meal is finished. In fact, I might give it a try this year.

We’re not talking about prepping for an exam. This ought to be light and fun. Year after year of celebration will reinforce the fact that Nicholas is our children’s brother.

ST NICHOLAS DAY: JAMES' FAMILY HOW TO- PART ONE

It helps to remind myself what I’m up to as a Father on the feast days of the Saints. Off the cuff it seems to me that I’m wanting to 1) provide an opportunity for my family to be together as a family 2) Reinforce my children’s self identity as being a part of a distinct and alien people with distinct and alien views of reality 3) through distinctive rituals 4) and stories 5) Provide positive examples of lives lived in fulfillment of that Christian identity 6) Center all of this in the God who calls us his own through acts of worship and prayer.

Our celebration of the life of our elder brother St. Nicholas provides an opportunity to do each of these things. In our home the festivity involves three distinctive elements:

1) Pretending about St Nicholas’s visitation during the night before December 6th
2) A special breakfast
3) The telling of stories about this blessed saint with a prayer of thanksgiving for his example.

There’s a central yarn that’s told about this generous man that seems to work its way into most of the day’s symbols. It’s the origin of our tradition of hanging stockings on the mantle, and it’s important enough to briefly tell now. This version is taken from the St. Nicholas center:

One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver.

Okay. Let’s take a look at what St. Nicholas Day looks like at our home.

1) St. Nicholas Visitation

On the evening of December 5th each of the children put their shoes just outside of their bedroom doors. Each child places a carrot in one of their shoes. To understand this you need to know that St. Nicholas Day is huge in many European countries. Each year TV coverage is given to the ancient Bishop coming ashore on horseback- complete with Mitre and Crosier. The carrots are a sort of Old World version of milk and cookies, but instead of being for jolly 'ole St. Nick, they are a treat for the Bishop’s horse.

The next morning everyone in our house gets up earlier than normal. Esther usually starts the commotion. She peeks out her bedroom door to find that each carrot has been nibbled down to a stub, and every pair of shoes contains a very small and inexpensive gift. Along with the small gift (or during particularly tight years this item is the small gift) there is always a bag of golden wrapped chocolate coins. These coins are meant to remind us of the story of the three daughters and the importance of generous giving.

Items needed:
1) Our Children’s shoes
2) Carrots
3) Chocolate Coins. I’ve been able to find these every year at Dollar type stores- Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc.

I’ll pick up the other two elements of food and story in the next post.

ST NICHOLAS DAY- WORTH CELEBRATING

I made three suggestions for those who are new to following the story of Christ’s life throughout the year- 1. Observe Advent as a preparation for Christmas. 2. Add St. Nicholas Day to your celebration 3. Observe Christmas as a Season.

It makes sense to begin with the first, because Advent arrives before the others (Dec. 2nd in 2007). So of course, I’m not going to start there. I’m thinking that most people will have some familiarity with Advent and Christmas, but the St. Nicholas Day thing…well, that’s part of Shoppingmas. Right?

Of course not! St. Nicholas is a wonderful, glorious and important brother of our Lord Jesus. As such, he belongs to us. Our children need to know that. Enough of the Egyptian’s plundering our treasures. The biblical precedent is the other way around.

St. Nicholas served as a bishop in what is now modern day Turkey. There are wonderful legends and stories swirling around this dear man. Many of them will sound very familiar- stories of gift giving and stockings, for example.

My personal favorite involves his role at the Council of Nicea. A minister named Arius was telling the story of Jesus in a way that departed significantly from how the apostles had related the tale. Specifically, Arius denied that Jesus was truly God. That’s a big plot change…and a huge deal. The fathers of the church were called together because this competing tale was spreading. Common Christians were beginning to tell the story in this deviant way. One of those summoned t0 this important council was St. Nicholas. When Arius rose to speak and began to deny the divinity of our Lord, the good bishop just couldn’t take it. Apparently he sprang from his seat and lit into the startled speaker…literally. The other bishops and presbyters pulled Nicholas off of Arius and reprimanded Nicholas strongly…although I’m sure they were secretly pleased. (Maybe that’s just me projecting my own redneck persona, though.) It tickles me to think of Santa Claus rolling around on the floor with another fella over the language of the Nicene Creed.

Anyway, every time I recite those precious words, “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,” I think of good St. Nicholas.

There is a wonderful resource available online: The St. Nicholas Center. Please check it out. There is a great deal of information- including ideas for celebration. If nothing else, check out Who Is St. Nicholas and click around on the links to the left. His connection to our modern Santa Claus is explained. Our children ought to know. This is their heritage.

I’ll post the details of how we celebrate at the James’ house. The amount of enjoyment the children seem to get out of it far exceeds the simple preparation that is necessary. There is plenty of time to make ready....and not much involved. St. Nicholas Day always falls on December 6th. I hope you’ll consider adding this to your family’s Advent celebration.

FOLLOWING CHRIST IN OUR YEAR- A PRACTICAL PROPOSAL

I’ve enjoyed sharing pictures of my family’s celebrations of the Christian Year. I’ve been told that they have encouraged others to join in the fun the next time around; I’m so excited about that. But I’m sure it would be better if the ideas and reminders were posted before the date arrived. That way everyone could begin now…this year.

I want to try to do just that. These preparatory posts will be gathered under Labels for each Season/Holy day and grouped together under a Label entitled Calendar Practical Ideas.

Please contribute to the discussion with ideas, questions, etc. This could be a wonderful resource with your participation.

The most fully packed segment of the year (with the exception of Holy Week) is only a few weeks away. I want to give an overview of the seasons immediately before us- from November 30th- Jan 6th. It can seem a bit overwhelming. With a “heads-up” maybe we can select those things that might be most helpful for our families. Of course there is much more or other that can be done; this is all from the perspective of our home’s traditions.

We have an amazing array of Saint Days during this time. Nov 30th marks the death of St. Andrew, the brother of St. Peter. December 6th is St. Nicholas Day. Dec 21 marks St Thomas’ death; December 26th the martyrdom of St Stephen, and December 28th the killing of the “Holy Innocents” by King Herod.

The Season’s involved are Advent, Christmas and the beginning of Epiphany. The focal points are Dec. 25th and Jan 6th.

Whew!

Our family began small. We added things after the newest addition had become comfortable. A little each year. Remember, the point is to make the passing of time intentional and meaningful by incarnating the story of our Lord and his people into the life of our family... and to do this in a way that is joyful and fun. The Christmas season is too busy already. I know we ended up doing some “weeding.”

If you are new to this, let me suggest that you focus on three things. I think all three are doable for many, but perhaps you would want to tackle one at a time:

1. Observing Advent as a preparation for Christmas.
2. Adding St. Nicholas Day to your celebration
3. Observing Christmas as a Season. There are twelve days to Christmas. I know you knew that, though.

One and three are foundational; the second is just a lot of fun- especially if you have younger children. It is also a powerful time to teach your children the truth that Christ is truly God and perfectly Man, but we'll have more about that in a St. Nicholas Day post(s).

I’ll share with you how our family does each of these three. I hope you’ll do the same with ideas, recipes, etc.

Remember, I'll be posting about a much fuller calendar. Please only bite off what is enjoyable for you at this point of your family's life, and begin with the three suggestions above.