Praying over Christmas cards

We kicked off what has become a really nice holiday tradition last night. We got this idea from a former parishioner of mine whose family saved all their Christmas cards and then prayed for a person/family every day after Christmas until they ran out of cards.

It's nice for many reasons, including, of course, that it's always a good thing to pray for people and it gives our kids a sense of what petitionary/intercessory prayer is and isn't. In the midst of receiving these cards, of course, I rarely take the time to really sit down with the cards and this gives me a chance to read through them and give thanks for a wide array of people and organizations...including those we barely know!

Suburban seduction

One of the things that used to surprise me about Urban Village is the number of people who live in the suburbs who come to worship with us. But when I think about it, someone driving in from Oak Park on a Sunday morning has a much quicker commute than someone taking the train from a North side neighborhood. A family of six has been coming from Elmhurst for the last three months or so and it's been a joy to have them attend. They invited my family to their home last night for dinner and we had a great time.

As we were driving around Elmhurst, it struck me that it had been a long time since I'd been in a suburb. As I looked around at the single-family homes with their Christmas lights and cozy streets, it was easy to be seduced by the desire to move back. We really do enjoy living in the city, but there's also something...I don't know...kind of desirable about going back.

I also know that while we enjoyed living in Highland Park and serving in Deerfield, there are issues with living in suburbia, too. There is no such thing as the perfect place to live. I'll take where we are.

I was reading Colossians 3:1-10 this morning and the phrase "seek the things that are above, where Christ is..." stuck with me. I've been working on being detached lately; that is, seeking God's leading and desires before my own (though I know they sometimes can be the same). I know where the author of Colossians is coming from, but on this day, it also strikes me that before we seek the things that are above, we must first look down below, about manger high.

Closer and closer

My column for the Urban Village eNews today: I was trekking up to Evanston yesterday on the Red Line when I noticed a woman board the train with a child attached to her. At least the child looked like he was attached. He was actually in a sling facing his mother and was fast asleep, which I always find a minor miracle considering loud the train can get around North & Clybourn. Despite the surrounding noise, it was a peaceful scene to behold. Mother and son. Winter wear notwithstanding, they were as close as they could be. I see a lot of images of the baby Jesus in the manger, but not as many of Mary holding Jesus, looking into his eyes, talking baby talk, nursing him. And yet these are the images that captivate me. This closeness between mother and son. I yearn to be ever closer to Jesus. Christmas reminds me that it's possible. If God can make up the gap between divinity and humanity through the birth of this child, surely that means it is always possible for you and I to draw closer, too. This is God's desire for all of us, I think. Like a mother feeling the weight of her son upon her, God desires to feel our weight and nearness. May be it be so this season and into the new year. Merry Christmas from all of us at Urban Village.

Candy cane give-away

We're all out.

Eight of us teamed up over the last few days to hand out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night at 7 p.m. at 637 S. Dearborn). We probably handed out 1,500 of them all over the city on street corners and near L stops. Some observations:

**I was surprised that more people didn't take them. Maybe it was because I got better at it, but on Sunday when I went out only about a third of the people took them. On Tuesday, that went up a bit and then yesterday, it went to about half.

**There were very generally four types of people. First were the people who had their heads down and weren't going to look at me even if I was giving away $100 bills. Second were the people who were polite enough, made eye contact, but said no thank you. Third were the people who took the candy canes without breaking stride, like I was handing out water and they were running a marathon. Fourth were the people who were vocally appreciative, took the candy, and gave me a smile. Those folks were in the minority, but it still made me feel good.

**A few interesting stories, too. One woman asked me if this church was that "expatriate Methodist church." One man took a look at the card, read the phrase that said, "Love all," and said, "A church that loves all? I'll believe it when I see it." One other man looked at me and grudgingly took the candy cane as if to say, "Oh, alright, if it will make you feel better." A few folks were shocked that they were free.

**I have no idea how effective this will be--I guess we'll find out (hopefully) on Sunday, but the more I did it, the more I kind of enjoyed it. Even in the frigid weather we had yesterday.