A star

A star
Broke the darkness
One night
Over 2000 years ago.
The light
Ushered in the arrival
Of God’s Son,
God’s love
For everyone.
He came
Despite the darkness
Of our sin.
He came
To set us free
And show us
How to live.
He came,
And we
Are forever changed.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Tribute to Heroes

Folks along the River Road are working hard building this year's bonfires. There is a truck and a tugboat. A few miles up river from those, there is a blackhawk helicopter. I don't know the reason why this bonfire was built in the shape of a blackhawk helicopter. But, I believe it was built as a fitting tribute to our military men and women. ...For our military men and women serving in the Middle East. ....And for the heroes and heroines of Hurricane Katrina. These are the men and women of the Coast Guard and National Guard. They rescued so many people in the aftermath of the hurricane. So many from New Orleans and St. Bernard parishes are alive today because of their heroic rescues. Hovering helicopters overhead must have been a wondrous sight for those who were stranded on rooftops.

Thinking back to the days right after the storm, there were so many helicopters flying overhead. We almost became accustomed to their presence. We eventually could identify the type of helicopter by their distinctive sound.

I pray for those heroes and those heroines who rescued so many. The people whom they rescued will live another day and live to celebrate another Christmas with their families. And, I pray for the men and women who are fighting in a war on foreign soil. I pray that they will come home soon to be welcomed by the loving embrace of family and friends.

That time of year

Silhouetted hawks stand sentinel gazing at sugar cane fields below. Sugarcane trucks go whizzing up and down the River Road. Night begins earlier with sunlight dwindling around 4:30 pm. Cold fronts bring frost blankets that settle on rooftops and lawns. It is late fall in my part of the world, St James Parish in southeast Louisiana. Winter is just a few weeks away. Christmas is almost here, too.

A part of Christmas for folks in my area is a ritual that has been around for decades. The ritual and family tradition of building bonfires on the levee along the River Road brings young and old together. Weaved into each bonfire structure are sacred family stories of shared time working together. The task of sawing, chopping, hauling and building is a labor of love for family and friends. This custom is culminated on Christmas Eve when all bonfires are lit at 7PM. The levee is outlined by fires equally spaced for several miles. The same family and friends who worked so hard constructing the bonfires gather around the fires, share gumbo and welcome visiting relatives and friends.

Reflecting on this custom, I see God in the middle of all of these gatherings. I see God strengthening relationships when family and friends gather to work and to celebrate this Christmas bonfire tradition.

May God and God’s son, Jesus be at the center of your Christmas gathering.
Merry Christmas!