Refill with Randy – Christmas Traditions and Fun!

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!

As I am writing this Christmas is only a couple of weeks away and I am eagerly looking forward to starting the day off with worship and then getting to spend the day with my family, including my oldest daughter Ashlyn and her husband Carson who will be traveling up from Kentucky.

I already have my Christmas Mix playlist going, which features songs by Burl Ives and Ella Fitzgerald as well as classics like “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC and “O Come All Ye Faithful” as performed by Twisted Sister (Don’t Judge Me), and as a family we have watched Elf and other essential Yuletide Classics.

Our tree is up, though most of the ornaments are down thanks to our curious new kitty Georgie, and at least some of the gifts have been purchased though most won’t be wrapped until 11:59 p.m. on December 24th.

As an adult I don’t get into the gift giving as much as I used to, or rather the gift getting, but there was a time when the anticipation of finding out what was under the tree seemed almost unbearable to me. One of those times was back in December 1980 when I was 6 years old. I was at that age where I wanted to be just like my dad who just happened be one heck of a harmonica player. I can still hear it now, the melodious sound coming out of the kitchen where my dad would often spend hours going back and forth strumming his guitar and playing the mouth organ.

One of our family traditions at the time was having all of the gifts, except for Santa’s of course, wrapped and placed under the tree in early December so that you had a chance to try and guess what you were getting. You were allowed to pick them up, shake them, smell them, etc. The only rule was that you were not allowed to open them or try to peek inside.

That year in particular I had done an excellent job of dropping hints for what I wanted, just picture Ralphie from A Christmas Story but replace BB Gun with harmonica, so I was not too surprised to look under the tree and see a small rectangular shaped box with my name on it. I picked it up and felt the weight and then I shifted the box back and forth and felt the object slide back in forth. It was definitely a harmonica!!! 

For the next few weeks I would come home from school, pick it up, and gently run it across my pursed lips as I imagined what sounds would soon be flowing from it. Finally, Christmas morning came and I eagerly grabbed my gift, opened it, and held out my new, shiny… jackknife. Don’t get me wrong, a jackknife was a great gift for a 6 year old boy but after all of the anticipation I’m sure that my disappointment showed. After the rest of the presents were unwrapped, and I had managed to get over my initial let down, my dad pulled out one more present which turned out to be, you guessed it, a harmonica. In less than an hour I had gone from excited anticipation to deep disappointment to utter joy. It was a Christmas miracle! Well, not quite but it did make me think about a real pre-Christmas miracle.

In the book of Luke chapter 1 we learn that an older couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were considered upright and blameless. We also learn that they were unable to have children and that it really weighed on Elizabeth in particular. One day when Zechariah, who was a priest, was chosen by lot to go into the Temple to burn incense he encountered an angel who told him that he would not only have a son but that the boy would be a blessing and a joy to him and his wife and that many would rejoice because of his birth. Zechariah doubted at first, and lost his voice for 9 months because of it, but when Elizabeth eventually had the baby Zechariah sang out because of the joy in his heart. The baby of course was John the Baptist, who went on to prepare the way for his cousin Jesus fulfilling everything that the angel had prophesied about him.

I share both of these stories with you because perhaps you too are experiencing disappointment this holiday season and are feeling stuck. The good news is that what you may be feeling in this moment is not the end of the story, what you long for might be just around the corner. It may not be what you thought you needed, I ended up using the jack knife a lot more than I ever did the harmonica, or it may not come when you wanted but don’t give up hope. After all, hope is what Christmas is all about.

Speaking of Christmas, I would like to invite you to join me December 25th @7 a.m. at New Hope Community Church (203 W. Center St. Medina) for a time of celebration followed a free breakfast. All are welcome!

See you in 2 weeks!

Pastor Randy