December 2019 - Profoundly Simple

Nutcracker ballet and Christmas Eve traditions

I hadn’t been to ballet in months. After an absence, coming back to ballet was a welcome return in this season of Christmas traditions.

Back to ballet

I went back to ballet class for the first time in three months. I had been intending to go back much earlier, but every time class time rolled around I was either in the middle of something else or just didn’t feel like going. I knew I should go. I also knew I would enjoy it once I did go. I just couldn’t bring myself to go back.

The Nutcracker

This is a big season in the ballet world. The poster with the Nutcracker Prince advertises upcoming performances. The Nutcracker ballet is the one ballet people tend to go to even if they don’t attend ballet shows year round.

Christmas is the season for special attendance.

The Nativity story

The nativity story is another seasonal occurrence. One that brings many people inside the church for the first time all year.

What is it about this season that draws us back in?

Coming back

Once I arrived at ballet, everything started to come back. Sure some of it was a bit clunky, or rather I was moving a bit clumsily, but I was so glad to be there. Once in the swing of the steps, I realized how much I had missed it and how much I was enjoying this class, these ballet moves in this moment.

Are you thinking about attending a Christmas Eve service?

Or coming back to the story of the birth of Jesus with the shepherds and the angels?

Welcome back. ‘Tis the season for returning.

The Christmas story and the missing manger part 2

In the last post we saw no sign of the manger, but we did discover the wise men and what Jesus did in ministry. Like the wise men, we are searching for the Christ Child in the manger. Let’s see what the other two Gospels contain.

The Gospel of Luke

Birth stories

Let’s look at the Gospel of Luke. The first chapter is filled with baby stories. Here we read early childhood stories of John the Baptist and Jesus, even stories from before they were born.

Mary

In Luke we hear from Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Matthew we heard about Joseph.

Joseph and Mary

Check out chapter two. Do you see Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem?

We’ve found the manger!

Keep reading. Look who else is arriving.

The shepherds and the angels.

We’ve located the rest of them in Luke.

The manger

So how do we remember that the manger is in Luke’s gospel?

Well, when I was a kid, every year we would watch a Christmas Special. Near the end of the special, a boy with a blanket would walk onto the stage of a Christmas Pageant and tell the story of the birth of Jesus, the nativity story.

You might have seen it too.

The story told by Linus is in Luke.

The Gospel of John

If we’ve found the manger in Luke, do we need to keep looking?

Yes. We’ve come this far. Join me as we glance at the Gospel of John.

In the beginning was the Word

The first chapter of John starts very differently from the rest of the Gospels. When I first started reading the Bible, John’s gospel was confusing to me. I didn’t understand what he meant by the Word. I liked the words “life” and “light” but the rest didn’t make much sense to me.

John the Baptist

The first name we see is John. John the Baptist, not John, the author of the book or Gospel of John. Jesus doesn’t arrive in chapter one until John’s testimony. Or does He?

Jesus

Did you notice verse 14?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” John 1:14a NIV

That’s Jesus. Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the light.

We may have located the manger in Luke, but here we see the gift revealed. Jesus come to earth in the flesh to dwell among us.

John’s gospel reveals the gift. John reveals Jesus.

The Christmas story and the missing manger part 1

Where’s the manger?

Ever wonder where the Christmas story manger scene is in the Bible? You know, the story with the shepherds and the angels. I heard it read so many times as a child, but when I started reading out of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I couldn’t always find it.

When I read through the Bible with some friends and we reached the Gospels, those first four books of the New Testament, I made some observations that have helped me remember how they each start and where to find the nativity story with Jesus in the manger.

The Gospel of Matthew

Genealogy

Matthew’s gospel starts with a list of names that many people skip. Just FYI, that’s the genealogy of Jesus. Those names may mean nothing to you now, but if you stick with it, you might just be surprised at how many names you do recognize. That’s what happened for us.

Joseph

Just after the list, Joseph arrives on the scene. We hear about the coming Messiah, but we don’t find the Christmas story here. We’ll move on for now, after all, we’re in search of the nativity story. Don’t worry, we’ll come back to Matthew’s gospel in more detail in another post. Although we don’t find the manger here, we do find some treasure besides the gifts that were brought for the Christ Child.

Wise men

Speaking of searching, did you notice the wise men searching for the Christ Child? Some translations refer to them as Magi. Many of us grew up hearing about the three kings mentioned in the hymn, present in the Christmas pageant, and gathered around the nativity set. Although they show up in many places around Christmas time, they are only found in one gospel, the Gospel of Matthew.

My method to memorize utilizes Magi. Matthew’s gospel mentions the Magi.

The Gospel of Mark

Messenger

Moving on to Mark, we first hear about a messenger, John the Baptist.

Good information, but where’s the manger?

The first real mention of Jesus is of him in the middle of ministry.

Where are the wise men? Where are the shepherds? What about the angels?

Ministry

Mark’s gospel, full of many stories of Jesus, begins with a messenger, then moves quickly to Jesus in ministry. This is a wonderful gospel to learn about what Jesus did, but with no manger here, we’ll keep moving.

What to memorize? Mark’s gospel moves from messenger to ministry.

Two more Gospels to go. We’ll take a look at Luke and John in the next post.

Piano books and Bible books – an easy way to learn

Starting with simple arrangements was an easy way to learn Christmas songs on the piano. What if understanding the Bible were just a matter of repetition?

Piano books

When I was growing up, I wanted to learn how to play the piano. Well, actually, I don’t know that I wanted to learn as much as I wanted to already know how to play. Whenever I walked past the church piano I’d plunk a few notes, not knowing the names of the keys, just wishing I could play.

I eventually took piano lessons as an adult and really enjoyed learning Christmas songs. The melodies were familiar and piano books full of Christmas music abound at every level. From simple melodies played one note at a time to chord accompaniments and artful arrangements, you can find music that matches whatever skill you have.

Increasing skill – start with the easy versions

This was such a wonderful discovery for me. I could start with the easy versions, then gradually move to more challenging arrangements. This process didn’t feel like work because I could find something easy to play and enjoy playing as I slowly increased my skill for the next layer of difficulty or challenge.

Playing Christmas carols

One year as I sat at the piano playing the Christmas carols I had learned the year before, I realized they were easy! What I had initially struggled with and worked hard to learn was now within my ability.

When had that happened?

A strategy

I engaged this as a strategy for playing. I would start the holiday season with the songs I had learned the previous year, which gave me a great boost of confidence. Then I started learning a slightly more difficult arrangement or song that required a little more technical skill.

The gradual increase in challenge kept the process from feeling tedious and I still enjoyed playing the Christmas music, which was kind of the whole point, right?

Learn gradually

So now, every year, I start with the songs and arrangements I already know, then move on to the next degree of mastery. I learn gradually and the process doesn’t feel tedious.

I am rewarded with finding deeper layers of richness in the music.

Each year I see how far I’ve come, what all I have accomplished in the interim, and discover what new skills I’ve acquired.

Bible books

Reading the Bible can be like that too.

Start with a children’s version of a story, picture books are best, then seek out the scripture passage in the Bible. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the Bible version on the first read. Or if it feels boring to read.

If you keep coming back to it you’ll probably discover something new you didn’t notice before.

You’ll also acquire observation and study skills over time drawing out more of the treasure of what you are reading.

Keep coming back to the Bible. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Through the tunnel and into the light

This was the view that awaited me after the long dark tunnel at the start of the bike ride.

waterfall view after tunnel — The peaceful view just outside of the 1.661 mile long tunnel.

Catching my breath. A place to pause.

Did you follow the journey through the long dark tunnel on the Hiawatha bike ride? The Hiawatha bike trail is a 15-mile trek along an old train route which starts in a pitch black tunnel. A tunnel 1.661 miles long.

Daylight

After a very rocky ride through this darkness, we finally emerged into daylight. This waterfall awaited us at the entrance. Thank you, Jesus.

Waterfall

I stopped, a bit awkwardly, but managed to find my footing. I stepped off my bike and walked right up to the waterfall. Pausing. Breathing. Soaking in the peaceful view in the middle of the chaos with my feet firmly planted on the ground.

After the rocky start, the shaky ride, the turbulent trek, I took a moment to stand and be still.

Confidence to keep going

We were, after all, still at the beginning of our journey. We had barely started our trip. This glimpse of refreshment gave me a way to gear up for the next phase. I had made it through the dreaded tunnel, which gave me a boost of confidence to keep going.

First five books of the Bible

Did you make it through the first five books of the Bible?

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

If you did, wonderful. If you didn’t, just note the names of them as we continue looking through our Bibles.

Rest

We have more ground to cover, but for now let’s take a moment to rest and enjoy the view.