THE BLOG by Pastor Ken Rickett

While I was pastor in Winchester, IN, at Main Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from 1994-2009, there came a time when the church sought an organist. An application came from a lady named Harriett McGrath for the position of pipe organist. Her son Harold James McGrath (1943-2017) often drove her back and forth from their home in Union City, IN; both were in retirement years.

The son, Harold McGrath, was a quiet man, not given to much conversation. Both he and his mother, for privacy purposes, asked that we not use their name in public articles or promotions in the newspaper. During choir practice, I was often “somewhere in the church” so Harold and I had a few conversations. Bit by bit, his life’s story came into focus. I learned that he played “a little bit of guitar”. Little did I know! I later learned that he was known by the stage name “Suni McGrath”, a famed, innovative 12 string guitar player, who was nominated for “Guitarist of the Year” in 1971. Because of his wide mix of tunes on the guitar, he was well-known in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

His major albums were Cornflower Suite (1969), The Call of the Mourning Dove (1971) which featured religious songs including “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”, Kyrie”, “The King Is Coming” among others. In 1972 he recorded the album “Childgrove”. These 3 albums were produced by Adelphi Records, and in 2005 Tompkins Square recorded “Seven Stars.” 

At Main Street Christian Church the congregation was occasionally privileged to hear Suni McGrath play the guitar for special music. Perhaps the last recorded performance of Suni was in a worship service in which a person in attendance videoed him, and that video is now on YouTube–as are several of his earlier recordings.

I suppose I could say that in knowing Suni McGrath over a couple of years, I rubbed elbows with history. Of course, I did. But I could also say that during my ministerial career, I have always been amazed at the quiet, humble, innovative persons who have made major achievements in life, but like Suni, one must literally “drag his life story out of him” over several conversations. Eventually, he allowed me to listen to his recordings on his own personal CDS which he loaned to me. But the truth remains: there is something special about people who can lay aside their ego and fame as they share their faith stories.

And thus I am reminded of another story, also in Winchester, Indiana. On North Street was a small, one-story house, well-kept, with lots of flowering shrubs; this abode was surrounded by two story buildings, including the town library, a church, and some other residences. I learned from the “old-timers” at Main Street Christian Church that the man who lived out his retirement in that house was a man who had spoken from the pulpit several times in local churches, including Main Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where I served. His name was Earl Bowman Marlatt.

Earl was born 24 March 1892 in Columbus, Indiana, the son of a Methodist minister. He graduated from High School at Connersville, IN and then graduated from DePauw University. Serving in World War I, he then entered Boston University in Boston, MA where he graduated in 1922 from Boston School of Theology with a bachelor’s degree of Sacred Theology. By 1925 he taught philosophy at Boston University and held this position until 1938 when he became Dean of the School of Theology at Boston College. In 1945, after WW II, Earl Marlatt taught Philosophy of Religion and Religious Literature at Southern Methodist University and held this position until he retired in 1957. He chose Winchester, Randolph County, Indiana, as his retired home and settled into this quaint little one-story house on North Street where he lived until his death 13 June 1976.

Earl Marlatt was a poet, writing 4 books. In fact, in 1970-1971 he was named Poet Laureate of the State of Indiana. Early in his career, in the year 1926, Earl wrote what may be his best-known poem to be

used in a service of consecration for graduates of Boston University School of Religious Education. That poem, entitled “Are Ye Able?” based on Mark 10:35-40 and Luke 23:39-43, was set to music by Harry Mason and sung for the first time. This song is found in numerous hymnals, including our Chalice Hymnal. He considered Katherine Lee Bates, author of “America the Beautiful” as one of his closest friends.

While living in Winchester, I heard many, many stories of a humble little man who often walked the streets of Winchester, greeting people with a cheery smile and often a chit-chat. Perhaps one of the greatest stories was that, if Dr. Earl Marlatt was expected to visit a particular congregation, whether he was speaking or not, extra effort went into tidying up the vestibule, putting vases of fresh flowers in the sanctuary, and dusting the pews and choir loft. In this instance, Earl Marlatt was well known before he moved to Winchester, but the people especially appreciated his humble and gracious personality. He always, graciously, thanked the congregation for its beauty!

Sometimes “greatness” in others is made all the sweeter because their humbleness as persons of faith is the greatest attribute of all.

Thinking of last week, and February 2^nd – I am remembering several years ago, when a good friend of mine accepted a Music Director’s position at a church in Punxsutawney, PA (yes, THAT Punxsutawney – home of “Phil the Groundhog”).  He had asked me to come up one autumn weekend and lead a choral workshop, as his choir prepared for the upcoming church year. I had been to Pennsylvania before and so was looking forward to seeing its beauty in the fall – and it didn’t disappoint.

The weekend was filled with laughter, music, singing, and much, much eating (those people know how to cook!).  One morning, after our session and before our evening event, my friend asked if I’d like to meet “Punxsutawney Phil”.  What? See face-to-face the most famous groundhog in the U.S., and perhaps the world?!  Of course.

Now before we go further, I want to let you know that the town of Punxsutawney doesn’t look like the Punxsutawney in the famous (and favorite) film, “GROUNDHOGS DAY”.  That film was shot in: Woodstock, Illinois, Carey, Illinois, and Hollywood, CA.  The truth is, the actual Punxsutawney is a little isolated and not quite filled with the “character” which was needed for the film. In the real Punxsutawney, “Gobblers Knob” (where Phil is taken to see or not see his shadow) is a field out in the middle of nowhere (as opposed to the Town Square in the film) and when not performing his duties, Phil lives in the town library.

We went to the library to see Phil.  Phil lived in luxury in a large pen with a picture window looking out (and so that humans could look in, when the library was closed).  He shared this beautiful home with his wife, Philomena, and he was, quite possibly, the largest, slowest, groundhog I had ever seen.

Born in captivity (and descended from former “Phils”) he had known nothing of the outside world, he had been generously fed things that tasted good but weren’t necessarily nutritious: the children of the town were given marshmallows to feed him, and his wife, when visiting. And he had very little exercise.  Not surprisingly, he had to be kept inside because he wouldn’t have survived in the outside world…which was, ironically, his natural habitat. 

As my friend and I observed this “lumbering king-sized pillow of fur” slowly make his way through a human-made habitat of water, foliage, and concrete rocks, my buddy turned to me and said something very significant: “It reminds you of some Christians, doesn’t it?” 

Knows nothing of the outside world.

Generously fed things that taste good,
but aren’t necessarily nutritious.

Very little exercise.

 When it comes to “the world” Jesus reminds us that we (as newly created in Him) we are “not formed from the world/or OF the world” (JOHN 17:14-16) but that we have connection to the world by loving our neighbors as ourselves (MARK 12:31), which infers that we actually know them.  We provide what is needed and by BEING AWARE of what is needed in the world.  Each time Jesus’ disciples, or the leaders of the church, tried to get Jesus to speak about the age-to-come, He brought them right back to the age in which they live, and the people that surrounded them, telling them they should concentrate on the “here and now”. 

Some people see the community of faith, in whatever form their “church” exists (traditional, contemporary, house-church, etc.) as a place where “they are fed”.  In fact, we hear that phrase all the time.  You and I also hear from people who have left their communities of faith because they are “being fed” things that don’t taste good to them…they want “good-tasting food” (sometimes marshmallows). At times that “good tasting” food they crave is a lie, and if one has marshmallows as a steady diet, then salad isn’t going to taste so good to them, even though that’s what they need. So there are also times when THE TRUTH doesn’t taste so good to them, and they deem it ”bad”.  Sometimes people WANT to hear/digest only what they agree with, whether it is the Truth or not.  Sometimes people just want to relax in the oasis of love and good teaching/food – be fed and “fat and happy” in their Church.

But the entire POINT of “feeding” (teaching from the scripture and the Spirit) is like that of the human body.  Food that comes into our bodies is there to work with the oxygen which also comes into our bodies (like the breath of The Spirit in our communities of faith) so that we can MOVE, so that we can SHARE, so that we can EXERCISE our faith with the work that brings joy: lifting the fallen, speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, a cup of water for the thirsty, clothes, visits, hugs…love-in-action to those Jesus has placed in our paths.

Like Punxsutawney Phil, some Christians aren’t able to function outside their communities of faith. But be reminded: The Church’s role is not to sequester and hide people away from the world but to prepare, and yes FEED, them to be IN the world.  We should be knowledgeable about the needs of the world, connected to those around us, and help people to see the differences of a life “conformed to this time & place” and a life “transformed by Jesus” (ROMANS 12:2).

The point of reading scripture, of listening to the voice of God through the Spirit, and of continuous prayer is NOT so that we get overweight with the “good food”, but so that our “food”, combined with the breath of the Spirit, will give us a strength we don’t have on our own…to live the glorious life of service to others, love to others, that Jesus wants us to live…so that we will be happy, it’s what we were created to be. 

The ”Phil” I saw passed on, and another took his place.  He just passed, his heart, surrounded by fat, just stopped.  He never knew the joy of his natural habitat, the joy of providing for himself and those he loved…he lived in a “church” that separated him from the “Phil” he was created to be.

That should be a lesson to us all: is the meaning of our lives simply to be aware of our own shadows, or is it to “live” as Jesus created us to live? 

ARE WE THERE YET?!

Well, tomorrow I have a 15-hour drive, back to Indiana, after 30 days working in Florida (and a few vacation days in the Caribbean).  I’ll be back to the “COLD REALITY” of the Midwest. “Cold”, of course, is all “relative”.  When we were down south, you could identify the native Floridians: they were bundled up like Alaskans some days, when it was “down” to 55 degrees.  It still felt warm to us.

In any case, thinking about the all-day drive down and the all-day drive back up, I have been reminded of the fact that I don’t like to be IN BETWEEN.  As much as I might enjoy “journeys”, if I have a goal or a place to be I want to be there.  If I have a vacation that begins on, say, Monday – then I would like to be there on Monday – without taking any IN BETWEEN TIME to travel. I’m reminded of that flaw of mine, especially when standing (for more than a few minutes) in a TSA line at the airport, or driving, or waiting…etc.

IN BETWEEN is not my favorite place to be.

When I received the call to come work in Indiana, some 29 years ago, there was that period – sometimes known as “lame duck” – when I was still at my Seattle church AND I knew when my last day there and my first day in my Indiana church would be.  I didn’t enjoy that IN BETWEEN time either.  I’m a fast page turner, and I don’t like being IN BETWEEN times.

How about winter…talk about IN BETWEEN.  I’m ready for SPRING and I don’t want to be IN BETWEEN waiting for it to happen.

On the other hand…

John Lennon’s great quote, “LIFE is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” hints at the importance of IN BETWEEN time.  On a tombstone, it’s not the dates but the “dash” that carries all of life.

When preparing to drive down to Florida (for the first time) I was actually unprepared for how relaxing it actually would be.

First, I prepared myself, mentally.  I told myself (almost as a mantra) I would be sitting if a very comfortable chair, sipping coffee, nibbling on snacks, watching the wonderful world go by, and listening to my favorite music…along with the voice from my phone-connected-to-my-car, the woman I call, “Google Girl”, who tells me how far and when to turn.

Second, I kept the goal in mind, but in shorter steps: a couple hours at a time, rather than looking at the WHOLE trip.

Third, I relaxed.  I knew that if I needed to stop, even overnight, I could…though I didn’t want to.  As I said before: I’d like to just get there.

Fourth, I realized that my piddly little trip isn’t the center of the universe, I can just be a “leaf on the wind” for this one…and see what happens.

That is a big lesson for me: No matter how important I believe my life and agenda to be, it isn’t the KINGDOM agenda, it is just one line of one instrument, in the entire symphony of the KINGDOM song.

This Sunday’s lesson contains a story about Jesus, an agenda, and what happened when His “agenda” was interrupted, when quite suddenly His “journey” became a miracle.

2023 is a big birthday year for me – and it is probably time I should realize that IN BETWEEN is what life is all about, so that I can relax, and enjoy the trip.

WHAT??!!  I have to learn a NEW song?!  Don’t get me wrong, I like new things, especially songs…but as much as a learning-lover as I am, starting with something completely new, foreign, and unfamiliar and trying to LEARN it gets less easy as time goes by.

So, one time, as a guest singer in our local community, at a retirement home, I arrived without any knowledge of what the music or worship plan was.  On that day there was, for the first time in my memory, a hymn chosen that I was COMPLETELY unfamiliar with.  I stood to lead and asked if anyone there knew the song…blank stares and shaking heads.  I turned to the pianist, she also said she did not know it either.  I turned back to the congregation looking at me, searching for leadership.

“Let’s embark on a journey together,” I said, “and see how well we do…it’s always good to sing a new song.”

Now, I can read music but do NOT have perfect pitch, NOR do I have perfect eyesight.  To get the notes with the words (both being new to me) and assuming leadership (along with the pianist) to lead a group…all of whom are relying on the two of us to teach and lead…well, let’s just say it was a fun time.   We finished all four verses, getting louder and more confident with each repetition.  We, (deservedly) applauded ourselves afterward.  Then everyone settled in for a short nap…as I preached.

Seriously…as I was singing, I thought of the wonderful lesson the Spirit was teaching in the process: singing a new song (starting a new way of life, beginning a new job, etc.) may be joyful…but there are things to observe about the process and NOT take for granted.

1. Sometimes it’s good to start slowly and carefully. I find myself, at times, leading a group of actor/singers as we rehearse music, dance and drama for an up-coming production of some sort. Some people are familiar with the music (they’ve HEARD it before), and a few people usually have performed the show before…but all together, this is NEW stuff and we all need to start slowly. As BELIEVERS & FOLLOWERS, the Spirit is leading/teaching us into all truth constantly.  We don’t need to SEEK to learn.  Our daily lives, if we indeed are “following”, will present us with scenarios where our behavior and choices will “teach” us; life itself becomes both the lesson and the test.  We never cease to learn, no matter how old we are or how long we have been endeavoring to BELIEVE & FOLLOW.  So, when a “new thing” happens (a new leadership position or life-situation for us, etc.) sometimes we need to take it slowly the first time, and step carefully.  It’s that way with relationships at first, and with jobs at first.  No wise person steps into a new position, pulpit, or relationship, believing that they already know everything they need to about that “new song.”  Or, perhaps they do, and learn very quickly that they don’t.

2. Over-confidence leads to mistakes. The one thing every musician/artist wants to do is learn it the right way/practice the right way. If one learns a song with wrong notes and keeps practicing the wrong notes instead of the right ones, then the song is still being played or sung inaccurately. One way to avoid that, at the beginning of the learning process, is to proceed with caution even the second and third repetition.  I noticed that the second verse of that new hymn I was leading yesterday sounded a bit louder, more confident.  As I approached musical phrases I had sung in the verse before, I didn’t look as closely, I relaxed…and I made mistakes.  And as I made mistakes, I led the congregation into those same mistakes. Any new endeavor we try, any new thing/truth the Spirit leads us to, needs practice and attention.  Just because it’s going well doesn’t mean we can let our guard down TOO much.  My piano teacher always taught me that if I played a piece perfectly once, then instead of moving on to something else, I needed to play it perfectly twice more…three times through, without mistakes, was needed to get it into my head and hands.

3. The journey IS the joy. We didn’t sing that new hymn perfectly, that day, but we sure sang the fourth verse better than the first. And the JOY wasn’t that we got to the end, but that we sang the whole thing together, wrong notes/words and all, and arrived at the end together. And when all was done, we had learned a new song.  The youngest person there was in their forties, and the oldest was one-hundred-and-one…and it was new for all of us.  The “journey” transcended our ages and bound us together.  

Learning/doing something new takes individual fortitude and concentration.  But when the Spirit leads us to Truth, and to that “new thing” together, the entire community (the Church) is made stronger, more joyful, and progressive.

“Singing a new song” isn’t always easy, nor is it something that is required of us every day…but it would be ridiculous to think that the “God who makes all things new” would have us going along the same paths, to the same places in the same ways as we’ve always gone. 

So, be prepared, whether we want to or not, if we are BELIEVERS & FOLLOWERS, we will all be learning “new songs”.

A BLOG by Pastor Ken Rickett

One of the images that I recall from a movie (whose title I have long forgotten) is a person who went to a seer who would look into her big crystal ball and “see” the future for this client. Unfortunately, the crystal ball became cloudy. . .and murky. . . and impossible to read the future. And if you are wondering what 2023 and beyond will bring to our lives, I can tell you that the crystal ball seems so cloudy. . .and murky!

Well, we all know that seeing into the future has always been sort of cloudy and murky, but nowadays, perhaps the future seems more cloudier and murkier. This is not to imply pessimism and despair, but that the future a’rushin’ at us has not yet developed a focus. I beg to differ. The emerging future IS taking a very clear focus.

First, the social media world and its constant flood of new gadgets with new features, growing access (legally or not) to the privacy of both people and corporations, and the vast freedoms to express thoughts without regard for facts, and likelihood of even greater inventions ahead is a very definite focus for 2023 and beyond. The question is whether the wise and sensible use of social media can hold up to its still-glowing promise of bringing a “better life” to all of us. As one who knows firsthand the effort it takes to deal with personal data in the hands of the wrong people, the good of the electronic world is in the best interests of all of us and that has indeed become a needed focus.

Second, the decades-long warnings of climate change has exposed us to those who, on the one hand, do not see these dangers emerging, and those who not only see the climate shifts, but have become fearful of what could happen if the climate continues to shift toward global warming, While I am tempted to say that each person is free to evaluate for themselves, I feel COMPELLED to say that this issue is one in which we cannot afford to be wrong. The emerging future HAS a very clear focus on a warming globe, and it matters not whether “our side” in this issue is correct, but whether our God-created world is an inhabitable place for “all creatures great and small” for generations to come. Surely this, despite varying viewpoints, will demand a clearer and sharper focus for 2023 and beyond.

Make no mistake about it, present trends have other definite implications for 2023 and beyond, and I will mention a few of them. One is population shifts that are already occurring. In 2022 the birth rate in the United States fell to a low of 1.64 children per family, lower than China. Granted, it will probably vary quite a bit but if one looks at generations in our nation, just 12 years from now, those aged 65 and older will outnumber those aged 18 and under. Since the baby boom generation of 1945-1965, no generation since then has reached anywhere near the magnitude of the size of this one generation….and the present-day generation with very young children looks to become the smallest generation of all. Frankly, the implications are immense for future health care, economic well-being, supporting a viable infrastructure (including education as well as highways, etc.), providing services (particularly mental and emotional), and a myriad of other issues as population falls gradually and as the government continues to be paralyzed in its attention to these trends.

Another event that has been decades in the making is the decline of religious attendance and institutions. How did the Church Universal, let alone other religions, get into this obvious decline? As a retired minister I have a few insights. One, the Church in America adopted the corporate model for organization in the pre-1950 years and enshrined that model in congregational governing documents, leading to the natural and predictable demand that things be done “through proper channels,” allowing the Church to become labeled as “organized church.” That image has been costly as the Church has been and is ineffective in its development of a more positive public image. Two, I recall the days when the Church had a viable public voice when condemning environmental pollution or racial injustice or a tragic and senseless act of violence and tragedy, but no more. In the 1960s the first significant loss of membership and attendance came from the activists who became weary of the negativism from some elements of the Church and the general public. Thus, the Church became silent in such matters and other voices in the Church are heard today that further harms the image of the Church.

Yes, there are very clear indications of what lies ahead in 2023 and beyond. I don’t know of an era that was more “on the cusp of change” than the years of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus spent a lifetime laying the foundation for a deeper and more profound understanding of the Nature and Being of God whom He called, “Father”. Prior to the time of Jesus, the general idea of the children of Israel was that the goal of life was to strive to become holy, but Jesus taught that the Father in Heaven wanted his people to love one another. Jesus taught that we would never be alone, that the Holy Spirit would be our Counselor and Guide, a companion throughout all our days. Jesus taught that He would be with us always…

…and 2023 and beyond will be met with faith, prayer, and acts of love! And the crystal ball is not cloudy or murky, for the future still belongs to God. 

Amen!

I saw an interesting “post” on the internet a while back: “The 38 Most Haunting, Abandoned Places On Earth”.  I decided to scroll through these beautiful (and yes, haunting) photos of everything from abandoned asylums (creepy), to old subway stations, churches (one with the chairs still standing in rows and an infant’s coffin still in its place next to the altar).  All in all, each photo begged for a story.  Then I came to Photo number 22…an old ocean liner, wrecked, beached and rusted…but still somehow beautiful with the waves crashing near it.

Then I read the caption: “Wreck of the SS AMERICA – Fuerteventura, Canary Islands”.  The SS AMERICA was an American ocean-liner that, in the 50’s, sailed from New York to Europe and back, as part of the old “United States Lines”.

A few months after I was born (1958) my father returned to Frankfurt, Germany, where he was a part of the Army Band.  My mother and I stayed in Richland, Washington until the end of July 1959 when we boarded a train from Washington State to New York City…Pier 86 on West 46th Street, to be exact.  And there we boarded the SS AMERICA and sailed to Bremerhaven.  We sailed Tourist Class, sharing a stateroom with another mother and her young daughter.  My Mom kept a bit of the memorabilia and so I’ve always known about this ship, and our time aboard.  We sailed (as opposed to flying) because of my Mom’s fear of flying (she only flew once, that I know of, and that was our return trip to the States…because there was no room on the liner when we were to depart…they drugged her up).

It was on board this ship that I learned to walk…with the aid of the Cabin Steward and some of the crew.  This ship holds a special place in my life and my heart…now a shipwreck at the Canary Islands, home to fish and a beautiful photographer’s model of “haunted abandonment”.

We have recently sung: “Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?…”  And the question might be: What is the good of “remembering”, when those significant things of our past have become nothing but skeletons and memories? 

There IS some good to looking back, and like everything, there is some bad as well.  I’m a bit sad to see the hull of what was once a “majestic lady on the seas”, and one that had a place in MY history, abandoned and decaying.

On the other hand, God speaks of “memories” in terms of strengthening the present day.  And in those terms I can look on this photo and remember that Mom had a great time aboard, and I learned how to walk (undoubtedly fostering my love of cruising in the Caribbean).  I can thank God that we traveled alone across the country on train and then across the Atlantic without trouble, and in fact MADE new friends along the way.  I can thank God that the SS AMERICA gave 54 years of splendid service to families like mine.  There should be nothing bitter about those kinds of memories…and God understands that some things are best forgotten…and that is why He promises, when we ask, to forget the times we hurt Him, abandoned Him, made stupid, stupid mistakes, and turned our backs on Him and our birthrights.

God REMEMBERS His promises/covenants even when we forget, and He asks us to remember the times when He rescued, saved, healed, fought…for us. (EX 13:3…example) When we remember THOSE times, we can feel the power of faith surging back through our needy limbs.  God will never forget us or our His love for us (IS 49:14-16).

How then should WE live?  The answer is obvious and simple.  (PHIL 4:8) Don’t expect to be happy if you constantly think of the “sad” and the ”bad”. Don’t expect to be at peace if you dwell on discontent.  “Think on…” and remember the things that give you strength TODAY.  Life moves on, the universe is expanding daily, people change…God, in His own way, has “moved forward” so that He can meet us where those things that are new to us exist.  This is a new year, and yet ANOTHER CHANCE to turn and walk in a different direction…let the good things of the past empower you to walk forward.

The flip side, and the difficult side, is to do with ourselves what God does by forgiving our imperfections and sin (PS 103:12).  God forgives and forgets…sometimes we don’t.  We don’t forgive others and more often, we don’t forgive ourselves.  Remembering all of the wrong things one did, all of the mistakes one made makes one depressed, cynical and angry…often filled and motivated by regret.  This is where the new year raises her head again…turn around, walk forward…you are not who you were, and YOU and GOD define how your past dictates your future…God won’t force the issue.  Don’t expect your sins and indiscretions to be forgiven if you don’t ask Him, and don’t expect God to take care of any “repair work” that you need to make in your relationships with others, just because HE’s forgiven you.  But you CAN move forward.

No one sails on the SS AMERICA now…but it is obvious to me that many people go nowhere because they’ve “stayed aboard the shipwreck”…thinking their past defines their future.

Whatever it is in 2023 that you need to do…do it.  God has promised His power, through the “Breath of God” to strengthen you in any Godly purpose…and His people are standing beside you almost every week, at least.  And in case you need a little reminder of exactly what CAN be done…remember the good things, the true things, the beautiful things that God has already done.

I began playing the piano regularly, around 62 years ago this year.  Not only is that number astounding to me, as is looking in the mirror these days, but I’m thinking about how the piano (and music in general) have become such a natural part of my personality – and how that all began.  I’m starting to take some memories from the back of the “filing cabinet” of my mind…and I thought today about my first “RECITAL”.

Probably one of the most colorful figures to enter my world (and this is saying a lot) was my first piano teacher.  She was larger than life, a chronic smoker with the voice and cough to prove it, fingers crippled with arthritis (though she could still play amazingly well) and everything in her house was pink.  At Christmas she had an aluminum tree with pink ornaments, and a rotating color wheel on the floor…going to my piano lessons during Christmas was like a trip to Vegas.

After about a year of lessons, or a little less, she introduced me to a new word, “recital”. She explained what it was and chose a piece for me to play.  I still have the sheet music. It is framed and sitting in beside my piano, to this day.  The piece was prophetically titled, “IN CHURCH” (by June Weybright), and it was published the year I was born. 

We worked hard on it, she coached me on every “nuance” and reminded me that simply playing every note correctly was not enough – I needed to convey feeling and emotion that my little brain had yet to experience.

Then one day, knowing this was my first recital (and I was undoubtedly her favorite student), she packed me in her Eisenhower-era car and took me to the venue where the recital would take place; appropriately, a church.

It didn’t look like the church I went to, it was a bit fancier, as I remember, and larger.  Maybe a little intimidating.  There were dark open beams in the ceiling, there where stained-glass windows with pictures of Bible stories.  There was brass and there were candles everywhere…I had never actually been in a place like it before. She showed me where I would sit, prior to playing.  She led me along the path to the piano and told me to take my time getting comfortable on the bench, then take a deep, slow, breath, and place my fingers to begin.  She taught me how to bow, one hand on the piano, facing the audience.  Then she stood there and asked me to play the piece.  I did.

Then she said, “I’m going to ask you to play it again.  But this time I’m going to the back of the room to make sure I can hear you.”

She moved to the back of the sanctuary and asked me to play it again.  She clapped when I was finished and reminded me to stand and bow. 

Then she asked me to play it again.  This time, she warned, she was going to try to distract me, but no matter what she did, or what sounds I heard, I was to continue to play – “Imagine it’s just you and the piano alone in the church.” She said.  I sat down, took my deep breath, placed my fingers on the keys, and started playing. 

Suddenly, a cacophony of hideous sounds came out of her mouth.  Having a smoker’s voice, and a loud one, the sounds were almost inhuman.  Had the movie been made at that point (and had I been allowed to see it) I would’ve compared the sounds to the voice of the demon in little Regan’s body – in the film “THE EXORIST”.  I concentrated as she screamed, I closed my eyes and played as she pounded on the back of the pews in back and stomped her feet.  I endured, shutting it all out.  And in the end, she applauded (and whistled) and I bowed…and then we both burst out laughing. 

I had never seen an adult of her variety behave like that, in all my short years of life to that point.  It was incredible.  But she reiterated, “There will be many people here.  Some will be here to hear you specifically; some won’t want to be here.  Some people may be here for THEIR first recital. You will hear all sorts of sounds: people coughing, shuffling, children, babies crying, people whispering…you just listen for the music and play like you’re the only one in the room.” 

It’s a lesson I’ve held on to through a lifetime of recitals, concerts, performances, and public speaking events.  And it is a lesson I’ve applied to life.

Some people will always be present to cheer you on.
Some will be there to hope you fail.
Some don’t want to be there.
Some have no idea where they are.
But you: set your course.  Look to the goal. Take it all in, but don’t let it distract you from your purpose. 

The Bible says it this way: “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne. HEBREWS 12:1-2 

What is “your recital” piece? What is your purpose and goal? This is the perfect time of year to figure out who you are and why. Once you do, once you know who you are and what your purpose is in this time and place. And once God puts His hand on your shoulder, smiles, and “leads you to the piano”, get comfortable, take a deep breath, put your fingers on the keys… 

…and play your song.

I am, as I do every Christmas season, reading my favorite Christmas book, Charles Dickens’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”.  Through the years I’ve had several copies of this story, one is in a collection of Dickens’ classics, one is in a collection of other Christmas stories, one is on my IPad (backlit with big letters…yeah!), and one (the one I’m reading THIS year) is a beautiful limited-edition leatherbound volume with the 1915 illustrations from English illustrator Arthur Rackham.

No matter what the setting or context, this story continues to amaze and inspire me.  And next December (2023) THE ALLEY THEATRE will present the production of my script and music once more!

Now, unfortunately, I’m feeling a bit more like Scrooge this season, than I am Cratchit.  The grinding busy-ness of the season, being kind in the face of a few downright mean, or foolish, people, the aging of my body (which does NOT enjoy the cold), and now an impending storm threatening our beautiful weekend of CHRISTMAS EVE and CHRISTMAS DAY at Central…bah! Humbug! And yet, no matter what kind of season I’m having, Dickens uses his words to reach into my heart and  soul to communicates the best of all messages to the “child still hiding inside” this old shell of mine.

The great question of the story for me is how can Scrooge, with all the resources his world can offer, completely miss the “JOY” – while Tim Cratchit, sick, poor and facing a certain and early death, seems to not only understand, but “embodies” the “JOY”?   

And what is that “JOY of Christmas”?

In the story, maybe it’s easier to see what the “JOY of Christmas” is NOT.  When watching Scrooge, one realizes JOY does not come from wealth, or power.  Scrooge has an abundance of both and neither has given him JOY.  You can also see that “memories of Christmas”, though fond and perhaps filled with warmth, love and kindness, are more often a reminder that Christmastime now does not fulfill the memories of what it used to be.  For Scrooge, his past memories of Christmas only filled him with despair at all he had lost or cast aside.

So, what is “The JOY of Christmas”?  At its core, it is the knowledge that our Great God cared enough to love us, and connect to us, through such elaborate and sacrificial means as placing His own Son in this “God-forsaken” world. His Son then “put on our skin”, felt our pain, walked our path – so that we would see God for who He truly is, and trust Him, and follow Him.  We no longer need to fear the grave, we no longer are victims of our circumstance, we are no longer prisoners of our past, our present, or our future.

Tim Cratchit “embodies” that idea: Despite our circumstances, Christmas and its JOY transcends everything.  “Life” is not totally defined by this time and place, but lives beyond this time and place. “Life” is not defined solely by heartbeat and breath.  And JOY is greater than the sum of our surroundings, our memories, and our hopes.  

What finally makes Scrooge happy, what fills him with a JOY that sets him dancing?  GIVING, not just his money, but his time, his presence, his heart.  Because Christmas JOY is “outside” of ourselves, we find the physical manifestation of that JOY is also outside of ourselves.

Isn’t that just like God?  We must GIVE to GAIN.  The percentages will always remain the same, in the Kingdom of God; the more JOY you give, the more JOY you receive, whether it’s smiles, time, talent, cash or love.

“I have come that you might have life…and have it more abundantly”!
JOHN 10:10 

“God bless us, everyone.”
TINY TIM

As a growing lad, I enjoyed going to the mailbox on our rural route, especially just before Christmas. Why? I was the first to see the Christmas cards that were delivered by the postman. From the return address in the upper left corner, I could eagerly announce, upon entering the house, who had sent a card to us! I didn’t dare open any card unless it was specifically addressed to me; the honor of opening the cards belonged to my grandmother who opened them in her slow, methodical manner while the family waited patiently. Then she would read any handwritten notes in the card for the whole family to hear. 

To this day Christmas cards hold a fascination for me, both in their colorful designs and messages: From manger scenes to singing angels, from wise men on camels to shepherds resting in the field, from “city sidewalks” to idyllic farmhouses, from Santa Claus to flying sleighs led by reindeer, from Christmas trees to boughs of holly, from cute animals to snowmen topped with a black hat, I am mesmerized by the uniqueness of the cards my family receive. Christmas cards play a major role in ushering in the delightful spirit of the season along with hearing carols sung by choirs and bells ringing! 

In 1997, 25 years ago, a member of the church staff gave me a colorfully wrapped gift. Filled with that mysterious expectation that surrounds gifts with unknown contents, I opened the package. Inside was a Christmas postcard enclosed in an 8 X 10 picture frame and the card was centered amid white and lace matting with a narrow green border. This was no ordinary Christmas postcard; in fact, it was an antique postcard with a picture of Santa Claus dressed in a green (not red!) suit. Holly with red berries were at the base of Santa’s picture. The postmark cancellation of the stamp was dated December 13, 1913. Everywhere that I have lived, this photo is always visible all year; it is never put away until next Christmas. 

I did some research on the origin of Christmas cards. The first known Christmas card was sent in Europe in the year 1843, but it never became a custom. So, several decades flew by and in the 1890s the sending of Christmas cards became sporadic. After all, Christmas cards were not produced in bulk, and they were not items found in the stores. Of course, the tradition in those days was to send letters, not postcards, and in writing to family and friends far and these usually included best wishes for the holidays.

By 1910, three inventions were literally beginning to transform the world: namely, electricity, the automobile and the airplane. And there were simply too many families and friends for a person to send letters to all of them at Christmastime. So, the Christmas postcard began to gain traction as a marketable item, and some companies would print a few postcards, but it was not until 1915 that an industry began printing Christmas cards in mass production. In those days, I might add, it was common to find Santa Claus dressed in a blue, green, or red suit.

So, my gift of a Christmas postcard postmarked in 1913 is indeed a relic or prototype of a new era of the American Christmas experience. 

Today Christmas cards are mailed, or exchanged at churches and clubs, or even used as a “tag” or label on a gift! I have observed, whether Christmas cards are religious themed or merely “holiday” in

their messages, the basic form of the message is still a prayer. Imagine that! Here’s some samples:

“Wishing you the joys of the season!”

“May peace and love fill your heart”

“May your Christmas be bright with God’s love”

“May the holidays fill you with the delights of the season!”

“Warmest wishes for you and yours!”

And one of my favorites is a snowman skiing down a hill, and the card reads: “I’m flying by to wish you a Merry Christmas” which sums up our busyness at this time of the year and our hopes that folks can hear “as we fly by” our prayers for the wellbeing of all people!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Pastor Ken Rickett