Hello Wonderful Parents and Friends,
I have had lots of thoughts this past
week, as our first semester is coming to an end. Before it does, we have the
joy of the Christmas season all around us. This time of year, many Christians
like to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas. In the words of Luke,
Christmas is about good
news of great joy for all the people…for to you is born a Savior.
There is a lot on my mind this holiday
season, and I feel I must share my thoughts with you all. I have long believed
that we must acknowledge what is killing us before we can know what will help
and save us. Once we figure it out, we can see the big picture, and this time
of year, the big picture is Jesus, God's son that was born to us.
So I am challenging you all to ask
yourself, “What is killing me today?” Of course, some of our students’ first
response may likely be “FINAL EXAMS! That’s what’s killing me today!!” Perhaps
your anxiety is killing you, or your fear of failure. Perhaps what’s killing
you is the idea that “real life” and the “real world” comes later and today’s
actions don’t really count. Maybe it's your anger that you struggle to keep in
check, or a deep insecurity that tells you you’re no good. Or perhaps what’s
killing you is the feeling that you are completely out of control, that the
world is conspiring against you, and that there is nothing you can do about it.
(Come on now, we've all had this feeling for a minute.)
I imagine this out-of-control feeling
was what was killing Mary and Joseph when they were told that the emperor’s
census would force them to travel all the way back to Bethlehem. Traveling in the
third trimester is painful enough; just imagine traveling by donkey. When the
couple arrived in Bethlehem, what did they find? There was no room for them in
the inn. All we have to do is imagine our connecting flight being cancelled,
leaving us to spend Christmas Eve at BNA, to understand a small portion of how
frustrated, and tired, and upset Mary and Joseph must have been. I imagine they
felt completely out of control, and it was killing them.
These were the circumstances into which
Jesus was born. The Christian birth narrative tells of God entering human life
precisely at that moment when we realize that we are not enough, that we cannot
do it all, that we are not in control, and that we cannot save ourselves.
That’s when Jesus enters the picture – a beautiful, precious, newborn baby with
his whole life ahead of him, born into all of this mess? Why? Well, perhaps to
let us know that the mess is not all there is.
I needed to remind myself of this,
because in three days my child, Laney, will be having surgery. Yes, it is a
normal procedure that a lot of children have, with tonsils and adenoids being
removed and tubes being placed in her ears, but she won’t understand what is
happening. I think the biggest fear as a mom is watching your child be in pain
or anticipating their pain and knowing you can’t remove it from them or even
explain it to them. Laney is autistic, does not eat normal food, and
unfortunately has a tendency to get dehydrated, so naturally, I am FREAKING
OUT. The doctors are concerned and have anticipated problems that may occur and
are keeping her overnight. Here is the thing: though I am uneasy about it, I know
with complete certainty that God is in control. The birth of Jesus reminds me
that God’s planning is perfect and just when it looked like our situation way
beyond our control; our Savior was there to rescue us.
Luke invites us to reorient our focus
and transform our lives around the saving hope that the darkness, the mess, and
all that is killing us today, is not all there is. Christmas reminds all of us
that there is something more. Christmas reminds us of the good news of great joy
for all the people…for to us is born a Savior.
Now to this Savior, be all honor and
glory, thanksgiving and power, now and forevermore. And we all said, “Amen.”
Well, that was a lot to take in from me this week, so here is what you need to know for the last four half days of school.
·
Tomorrow:
PK dismisses at 10:45 and K-4 at 11:00
All
students may wear a Christmas shirt instead of an EHCS T-shirt
·
Monday:
Polor Express Day (Dismissal is same as above)
Students
may wear their pajamas to school
·
Tuesday
and Wednesday: (Dismissal is the same as above)
Students
may wear jeans and an Ezell or Christmas themed T-shirt
At this special time of year, may your home be filled with happiness and laughter where memories are made. And, stories will be passed down from generation to generation. Stories to amaze the children and make the adults smile. Good times, good memories and the love of family is one of the best stories that can be shared.
ü When we come back from
break. I will add some photos of our wonderful production of "A Christmas
Carol," our Holiday Recital, our PreK4 and K field trips.
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