Remember

I was listening to a song tonight that brought back quite a few memories.  It's a famous song, sung by a famous man and a group of equally famous (if not even more famous) back-up singers.

In the middle of the song, while the music still plays, the singer tells the story of the origins of the song:

On December 24, 1818, the curate of a parish in Oberndorf, Austria, Josef Mohr,gave a poem that he written to a friend of his, Hans Gruber, who was also the choir master and organist in that church. He asked Mister Gruber if he would write music for his poem and that he might write it for two solo voices and guitar accompaniment. Because the organ being broken, he desperately wanted music being part of their Christmas Eve service. Mr. Gruber wrote the melody to a song which has become the most beloved of all Christmas carols. Stille Nacht, in English, Silent Night. Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh. Sleep in heavenly peace.

 The singer was John Denver and his "back-up" was the Muppets.

The speech in this live broadcast is slightly different than on the album.

I was reminded of a Christmas as a child.  One year, our church decided to have each family do something during the Christmas Eve service.  Some performed skits, others sang.  My mother, myself and a friend decided to sing Silent Night, with me quoting this speech in the middle.

I was no older than 10 years old, but this was not my first time speaking in front of this congregation.  I'd starred in many Christmas plays by this time and had played in the band each Sunday.  (It was the Salvation Army, after all.  They get you playing second cornet at birth.)

It was my first time that I remember speaking German.  I'm sure I massacred the pronunciations, especially since we were just copying what we thought we'd heard on the record.  I didn't actually read the German lyrics until I was in high school German class, at least 5 years later.

I remember a few other things about that night.  I remember setting my hair on fire when I held a candle a little too close when I turned around.  I remember one older member of the church, which we called "Anna Blue" (I can't remember if that was her real name or not, but that's what I remember calling her.).  She used to play tambourine at every service.  (Again, it's an Army thing.)  Imagine Silent Night with a tambourine.

Christmas is about remembering.  Sure, you can remember the great food you ate each year at Grandma's house or the cool KISS guitar you got one year or how you had to tie the tree to the wall to keep the cat from knocking it over.  It's good to remember all of that.

But also remember the baby in the manger.  The One of whom the angels sang "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men." The One who grew up and taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves and taught us that everyone, even our enemies, were our neighbors.  The One who gave up His life so that we could live with Him forever.

Christmas is about lights.  It's about food, family, and memories.  It's about carols and gifts.  Remember the gift that Christ gave to us: Himself.

The Eyes of the Enemy

The disgustingly holy light had finally faded.  Unblessed darkness returned and shadows fell across the field.  The pitiful ones to whom the message had been given had all gone.  Only I had remained.  I had stayed in the corner of the field, hidden in those shadows.  I had to think this out.

I thought I knew how my Enemy worked.  This war had gone on long enough and the plans were always the same.  But this message was something different.  Uncertain, I began to walk toward the place, the little town referred to in the message.  It wasn't far.

How was this time going to be different?  What was His plan this time?

Up ahead, I saw the place.  It was just a cave, used to keep the animals out of the weather.  A dirty, wet cave.  Could I have heard the message wrong?  No, I could see the guard standing next to the cave's mouth.  This was definitely the place.  Inside that cave was the One the Enemy had promised so long ago that He would send.  At least, that's what the message had stated.  I left the shadows and walked toward the cave.  Immediately, the guard saw me.  He chuckled as he said, "I was wondering if you would show up.  Go on in."

This had to be a joke.  The One that I had been warned about for millennia was in this cave and now I was being invited in to see him, as if I was there to enjoy a cup of coffee with my neighbor.  I must have had an incredulous look on my face, because the guard laughed.

"We have no worries about you any more.  You have no power here.  There's nothing you can do."

We'll see about that.  I knew I still had my power.  I've had it since the beginning of time.  I will always have it.

I walked into the cave and the stench of animal dung hit me in the face like a brick wall.  Again, I thought this had to be a joke.  Why would the Enemy send His warrior here?  A smelly, dirty animal pen.  And send him as a human baby?  Ridiculous!  I'd kill him before he could take his first step.  I'd kill him tonight.  They never should have allowed me to find out where he was.  Making that announcement in public was a big mistake.

My eyes adjusted to the dark and I looked around.  I saw them at the back of the cave.  There were two more guards, unseen by the others, standing next to the trough where the animals would feed.  In front of them knelt a number of people, the shepherds that had been in the field I had just left.  Also, there was a man and a woman, obviously the brat's parents.

I entered, unseen by the humans, but noticed by the guards.  They looked at each other, grinned as if enjoying a joke, and looked back to me.  One nodded, acknowledging my presence, and invited me closer.

I approached and saw the baby.  He was asleep.  He looked just like any other child of a human.  Nothing spectacular.  Extremely fragile.  This was going to be easy.  None of the guards had any weapons that could harm me.  I knew this as fact.  I was once one of them, the greatest of their number.  Only the Enemy alone could defeat me.  He couldn't stand the fact that I wanted and deserved to have a share of the glory and power.  So I was banished, myself and my followers, a third of His army.

"We were told you might show up.", said one of the guards.  "Come and see.  You'll be surprised."

"I am surprised.", I said.  "I'm surprised that He's done this.  I thought He didn't make mistakes.  No human can beat me.  Not even Michael, the greatest of your warriors could.  If I wanted to destroy that baby, there's nothing either of you could do to stop me.  That's why I'm here.  Stand back."

I reached down into the feeding trough to grab the child when he awoke.  Good.  I wanted to hear his cries when I allowed him to see me.  But he didn't cry.  The child actually laughed when he saw me.  It was then that I looked into his eyes and saw my doom.  I looked and saw the eyes of the One who had banished me, the eyes of the only One who could defeat me.  I knew then what my Enemy's plan was.  I had no way of stopping Him.

My scream could be heard from my realm all the way to the Enemy's throne.

*****

Merry Christmas

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It's that time of year again. No, not Christmas. Time to buy cereal. A certain special cereal.

Yeah, Count Chocula's open.  I couldn't help myself.

It's become a tradition around my home to buy a box of each of the Monster cereals each year.  When my daughter went off to college, we bought her a box of each and shipped them off to her dorm.  She later told me she used a measuring cup to ration out servings to each of her friends.

That was also the year the decided to rerelease two other Monster cereals: Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute.

I hadn't heard of them before, either.

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  You get to dress up as something completely different, eat candy until you barf and then, for food that's good for you (relatively), you have the Monster cereals.

I've already sent three boxes to my son, who is now in college himself.

Now, my daughter tells me she mixes all three flavors together and eats them all at once.  I think I hear my cereal bowl calling me...