The Road to Bethlehem – Set Apart this Night

Merry Christmas Dear Reader,

Businesses will be closing early today.   Travelers are arriving at destinations.  We do not know the night of Christ’s birth.   We set apart this night to commemorate the advent.

Please ponder what it means to see the worth of a soul and do whatever is needed to reclaim it.   See what it means to give hope to all humans.  Understand that tomorrow heralds the anniversary of the incarnation of our redemption.

Our world feels more weary to me every year.  The star, the stable, and sacrifice are all real.  We set aside this time to share in the celebration.  I will spend some time on my knees remembering the divinity of this night.

Oh, Holy Night – Josh Groban

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.

Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;

O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!

O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,

Now come the Wise Men from out of the Orient land.

The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friends.

He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.

And in his name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

With all our hearts we praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,

His power and glory ever more proclaim!

His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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The Road to Bethlehem – Old City Bar

Merry Christmas Dear Reader,

After he had heard the prayer

The angel gently set it free

And followed it to the father's child

In a faraway city

And there the girl in desperation

Was searching through the sky

For a star that she could wish upon

But stars were in short supply

And the only light that she could see

There shining all alone

Was a neon sign on an old bar

And so on this, she wished she was home

The idea of home is one that it took me a long time to define.  Growing up my abode never felt like home.  There was no fun in the dysfunction.  I live alone now and the place I live is an abode but not a home. 

It is not lost on me that we call those who live in our parks and bus stops homeless.  Those people have great need for shelter and care but there are many who have shelter who are still homeless.  There is something about being “home” that holds promise.  There is something about not feeling at home that is always present.

The needs of those without a home is vital to our participation in Christmas.  We can help those in need if we choose to do so.  We can help neighbors and strangers.  We can keep the promise of Christmas as we are meant to do.  We can change this world even though it is not our home.

The other piece of this is that we think too much of this world as home.  We are sojourners.  We are strangers passing through on our way back to God.  We have something in us that constantly seeks home.   Home is only with God.  It is, therefore, reasonable that Christmas is when we yearn for home the most.  It is in this day that God is the most with us.

Se today we share the story of the subject of the father’s prayer.  The lost “ornament” wants to go home.  It is Christmas Eve.  Inside of this night it is easier to believe. 

Old City Bar - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Now every light can be a star

Just depends on where you are

And the distance that you're looking

Past the places you have been

And the dreams you’ve left behind

And the dreams you’ve left within

In an old city bar

That is never too far

From the places that gather

The dreams that have been

In the safety of night

With its old neon light

It beckons to strangers

And they always come in

And the snow it was falling

The neon was calling

The music was low

And the night

Christmas Eve

And here was the danger

That even with strangers

Inside of this night

It's easier to believe

Then the door opened wide

And a child came inside

That no one in the bar

Had seen there before

And he asked did we know

That outside in the snow

That someone was lost

Standing outside our door

Then the bartender gazed

Through the smoke and the haze

Through the window and ice

To a corner streetlight

Where standing alone

By a broken pay phone

Was a girl the child said

Could no longer get home

And the snow it was falling

The neon was calling

The bartender turned

And said, “Not that I care

But how would you know this?”

The child said “I've noticed

If one could be home

They'd be all ready there”

Then the bartender came out from behind the bar

And in all of his life he was never that far

And he did something else that he thought no one saw

When he took all the cash from the register draw

Then he followed the child to the girl ‘cross the street

And we watched from the bar as they started to speak

Then he called for a cab and he said, “J.F.K.”

Put the girl in the cab and the cab drove away

And we saw in his hand

That the cash was all gone

From the light that she had

Wished upon

If you want to arrange it

This world you can change it

If we could somehow make this

Christmas thing last

By helping a neighbor

Or even a stranger

And to know who needs help

You need only just ask

Then he looked for the child

But the child wasn't there

Just the wind and the snow

Waltzing dreams through the air

So he walked back inside

Somehow different I think

For the rest of the night

No one paid for a drink

And the cynics will say

That some neighborhood kid

Wandered in on some bums

In the world where they hid

But they weren't there

So they couldn't see

By an old neon star

On that, night, Christmas Eve

When the snow it was falling

The neon was calling

And in case you should wonder

In case you should care

Why we're on our own

Never went home

On that night of all nights

We were already there

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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The Road to Bethlehem – An Angel Came Down

Merry Christmas Dear Reader,

So many stories within the story clamor for my attention.  I even have the boldness to craft a few of my own.  Those will hopefully be available by Christmas next.   One of my favorites of the modern era is that of the Angle of Christmas Eve as told by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  Christmas Eve and Other Stories is the first of several works that asks us to look at Christmas in our modern world and still see the magic in it.

This music tells the story of an angel assigned by God to discover what man has done with the gift given on the first Christmas Eve.  Since God is omniscient it is obvious from the outset that part of the learning is for the angel.   In the opening narration the story is set in an old city bar and as it unfolds we are reminded that contained in the music of Christmas is the story of hope that we all need to embrace.

In an old city bar, that is never too far

From the places that gather the dreams that have been

In the safety of night with its old neon light

It beckons to strangers and they always come in

And the snow it was falling, the neon was calling

The music was low, and the night Christmas Eve

And here was the danger that even with strangers

Inside of this night it was easier to believe

For it was into this bar that I happened to wander

To stare into a glass and my universe ponder

So I walked up to the counter shook the snow off my coat

Then I ordered a whiskey that I used like a moat

But an old man soon joined me and asked if I knew the time

One word led to another and somehow I didn't mind

Then he offered a drink from a bottle 'neath his coat

And he smiled a little smile as it trickled down my throat

And I felt myself relaxing here among the ghosts that failed

Then the old man topped my glass off and began this little tale

In the moments of our lives both the joyous and the tragic

If the truth is to be told, we are all pursuing magic

And the magic that we seek as we're sure you have discovered

Can be found in certain places far more easily than others

In the sand beneath the Sphinx in the dreams of candlelight

But the surest place of all is in the forgiving world of night

And of all the nights throughout the year that come and gently leave

None hold the dream of magic like the evening, Christmas Eve

And so, it's on this night with its promise deep within

As the snow now starts to fall our story does begin

This story is worth the hour to hear it.  We need reminding that in sight and inside of this night there is always hope.  There is always a way to find the life and love that is Christmas.  We are a short ten days out from Christmas eve.  I will share further parts of this story as we draw closer to the night. 

For now Dear Reader, please remember that whether you believe or not it is possible if we are honest that we are all seeking a little magic. 

An Angle Came Down – Trans-Siberian Orchestra

An angel came down

One night to the Earth

A mission from God

To find out the worth

Of everything that

His children had done

Since that winter night

The birth of His son

And then a sound filled the night

In the cold winter air

And in the midst of his flight

It was holding him there

And as he looked toward the Earth

For the source of this sound

On that cold winter night

It was pulling him down

To bring something back

This angel was told

That no one could touch

But angels could hold

So on that night

When the sky had cleared

Among all the stars

An angel appeared

And then a sound filled the night

In the cold winter air

And in the midst of his flight

It was holding him there

And as he looked towards the Earth

For the source of this sound

On that cold winter night

It was pulling him down

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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Opening the Year – Putting Away Christmas – Part the first:

Greetings Dear Reader,

It always seems to come and go too quickly for me. 

Photo by Natalie Foley

I must say that I have enjoyed my Christmas decorations immensely this year.  My Daughter Christmas did all the decorating and the house is beautiful.  Her natural artistic ability has shown through the decorating this year.  The time that I have spent simply enjoying the beauty must be credited to this lovely young lady.  This is the week that we sequester the ornaments, trees, bubble lights, and trapping until next Thanksgiving. 

This always evokes a sadness in me that is not deep but is troublesome.  When I was younger it was much worse.  As I have said several times over the last month I now have something to remind me of Christmas out year round.   This year I added a beautiful porcelain nativity that will remain in my sleeping room.

The trees will be divested of their decorations and put in the Christmas room with care.  The bubble lights will be stored in a way that assures their vitality for next year.  We will need to retire one of the trees I think as it seems a little ragged. 

Carefully sequestering the decorations is a first step in preparing for Christmas yet to come.  It is an act of faith that the seasons will roll through their course and bring me back to that moment when Christmas carols are welcome someplace besides in my head.  It is belief that the celebration will return and there will be another time of public wishes for peace on earth and good will to men.

There are other ways I will exercise this faith.  We can discuss that tomorrow.  For now I am going to pour a cup of coffee and spend a little quiet time admiring the beautiful bubble lights and the artistry of my daughter.   After all moments spent meditating on the gift of Christ and yearning to celebrate him are never wasted moments.

The Lost Christmas Eve – Trans Siberian Orchestra

On a street in the night

In the cold winter’s light

A child stands alone and she’s waiting

And the light that’s out there

It just hangs in the air

As if it was just hesitating

And the snow it comes down

And it muffles the sound

Of dreams on their way to tomorrow

And when they appear

This night will hold them near

For where they will lead

She will follow

For here in this city of lights

This evening awakens

The dreams that it might

The winter it conjures

The spells it will weave

The snow gently covers the ground

Christmas Eve

In this scene

On this night

There’s an ancient hotel

Where shadows they do tend to wander

And the ghosts that live here

Hold each moment so dear

For time’s not a thing one should squander

And they recount their sand

As it runs through their hand

And examine each moment for meaning

It can be wished upon

Till the moment it’s gone

Like day disappears into evening

For here in this city of lights

This evening awakens

The dreams that it might

The winter it conjures

The moment is seized

The snow gently covers the ground

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Christmas

Christmas

Christmas

Christmas

Through this night

The dream still wanders

As it was meant to be

And every year this night grows fonder

Of children and circumstance

Caught in this childhood dance

As the world turns around

Keeping dreams on the ground

Windows of frosted ice

Prisming candlelight

And somehow we

Start to believe

In the night and the dream

As it cuts through the noise

With the whisper of snow

As it starts to deploy

In the depths of a night

That’s about to begin

With the feeling of snow

As it melts on your skin

And it covers the land

With a dream so intense

That it returns us all

To a child’s innocence

And then what you’d thought lost

And could never retrieve

Is suddenly there to be found

On Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve

On Christmas…

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store." 

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