I am grateful for Topsy’s popcorn – mmmmm, the cheese kind, the caramel kind, the cinnamon kind. I love big tins of popcorn at Christmas time. So did my Mom. Between the two of us, I’m sure we could eat an entire tin in one sitting.

I am grateful for ice, in a glass of tea, not on a sloped driveway. It was a scary slide this morning.

I am grateful for green bananas that have just a little tartness to them. When the tartness is gone, so is the banana, from my diet.

I am grateful for great scenes from Christmas movies. Two of my favorites:

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

 Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra

I am grateful for Friday the 13^th, and grateful that I am not superstitious. Good things happen on this day, too.

I am grateful for children. They make me smile inside when I watch their antics and listen to their little voices.

I am grateful for Christmas at Resurrection week, and grateful for Emma who was amazed last night when Fabien played the piano, and grateful for Jack who made me laugh out loud because he was so annoyed by a little boy and his antics, and grateful for Sam who rescued Jack and the youth choir by occupying that little boy while we rehearsed backstage, and grateful for the 300+ church members who volunteer so much of their Christmas season to make beautiful music and put everyone else in the Christmas spirit.

Christmas at Resurrection Promo Video

I am grateful for a Christmas tree in the window this year.

I am grateful for childhood memories of Christmas caroling and baking cookies afterwards with Lowell and Josephine, and their silver tree with the colored light wheel thingy, and getting paper sacks filled with ribbon candy and chocolate peanut clusters and candy canes and orange slice candy and an apple and an orange after the church Christmas program, and for the excitement of opening presents on Christmas Eve and being “Santa Claus,” and for the fun of going to Granddaddy and Grandmommy Fergusons’ to see the family on Christmas Day and eat at big tables in the garage or going to the Better Book Room for the Johnson Reunion and watching the gag gifts get opened and then going down to the store to shop afterwards, and setting up the babyfood jar tree on the cedar chest and watching the colored lights blink in the darkness of the “front room”, and the Rudolph that said “Hi!” with his upper body on one side of the door and “Bye!” with his lower body on the other side of the door, and the Readers’ Digest Christmas albums that had the BEST music that we played all of the time in December…

And I am grateful for this devotion from church this morning that coincides with Adam’s message from Sunday:

¹⁴ “Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them. ¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. ¹⁶ Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart. ¹⁷ Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.

¹⁸ If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people. ¹⁹ Don’t try to get revenge for yourselves, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. It is written, Revenge belongs to me; I will pay it back, says the Lord. ²⁰ Instead, If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. By doing this, you will pile burning coals of fire upon his head. ²¹ Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.” – Romans 12:14-21

Eventually, we all find ourselves dealing with a “grinch.” When that happens, we’re tempted to “give them a dose of their own medicine,” to be as mean (or meaner) to them as they’ve been to us. But, like the Whos’ who sang their joyous song rather than ranting and raging at the Grinch, Paul knew that in the end, it works out best to defeat evil with good.

• When the Grinch heard a glad sound, rather than a sad one, he puzzled and puzzled. Then he had a new thought, wrote Dr. Seuss. “‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more.'” In what ways do Paul’s words remind you of the true meaning of Christmas? Can you identify one way you’ll honor Christmas differently, to better live out Paul’s counsel?
   
• Paul cited ancient Hebrew wisdom: “If your enemies are starving, feed them some bread; if they are thirsty, give them water to drink. By doing this, you will heap burning coals on their heads, and the Lord will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22). When have you seen enemies brought together, in your own life or in world affairs, because one side acted with kindness rather than hatred or contempt? What does it take to build trust so that people become receptive to even kind, generous overtures?

Lord Jesus, you are the supreme example of overcoming evil with good. Your gentle, generous life is the pivot point of history. Enable me to live more and more in your goodness and grace. Amen.