Stranger In This Land

A Christmas Letter…

Dec 23, 2009 reflecting

The Holiday Season leading up to Christmas is full of mythical diverse characters and well seasoned stories that are designed to remind us of what this time of the year is about.  I think that is my favorite part of Christmas and the surrounding Holiday Season is the vintage memoirs and stories that still serve to make this time of the year magical – even in our adult years when we feel the magic we felt as kids, is now beyond us.  One of those well reminding seasoned stories full of a diverse of mythical characters is Charles Dickens; “A Christmas Carol”.  It has become our family tradition to reflect on the story but to watch the classic George C. Scott movie based on the book.  When Charles Dickens first published his enriched child fairytale book, “A Christmas Carol” in 1843, I wonder if that he knew what a timeless inspiration it would become or that it would inspire many other movies, stories and tales based on his beloved writing.  One of the reflections that stuck out to me this year in this classic piece is the opening interaction between Scrooge (Uncle) and his nephew.

“Don’t be cross, uncle!” said the nephew.  “What else can I be,” returned the uncle, “when I live in such a world of fools as this?  Merry Christmas!  Out upon merry Christmas!  What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in ‘em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you?  If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.  He should!”

At one point, we have all identified with Scrooge.  It is easy to wonder how we can happy in a world of fools.  This time of the year is meant to be magical and cheerful, but often is haunting with the hardships we face, finances, the troubles in the world and memoirs of loved ones lost, only to mix the routine of buying presents, finding the rare and perfect gifts, sending Christmas cards and baking cookies!  In a time that is meant to be joyful, more people every year find themselves depressed or feeling alone. The situation only worsens with a failing economy and corporate businesses uprooting (and negatively redefining) communities and putting independent business owners out of business.  Scrooge is right, Christmas as it is now is a time to pay bills, get more bills and all without money.  Though, what Scrooge has missed out on is the hope of the season, a hope that simplicity, peace and community will be recognized as needing to be lived out and joy with companionship will overcome all obstacles in our path.  Christmas and the holiday season, bears testimony to this hope and joy.  For under all the wrapping and the decoration; before the gifts and shopping sprees was just the gifts given to us – peace and simplicity.  Christmas has manifested its testimony again and again, such as when German Soldiers laid down their weapons in WWII and with their enemies reflected on Christ’s birth.  Though, we celebrate Christmas and the story it hold’s within of our savior’s birth I believe we, like the German Soldiers, never let it totally change us.  For if the soldiers of WWII would have let the story change them and not just “celebrate” it, who knows the change it could have had.  For us too, let us not celebrate Christmas – but let us allow the gifts and story to redefine our lives and how we live them.  For Christmas shall remind us that we aren’t another penny richer, but in our poverty and brokenness we find holistic healing and togetherness.

This time of the year it is really easy to make malls, stores and online vendors “our houses of worship” and in doing some we pay respect to a God of consumption who promises a grace of “Buy Now, Pay Later”.  I have heard it stated that every man, woman and child in North America, South America and Europe could fit inside the United States Malls and Strip Centers all at one time.  We truly have become a nation of consumers.  in 2006, Americans spent $455 Billion dollars during the Holiday season, Consumer Credit Debt has climbed over 2 Trillion – however on the other side it would only take $1 Billion dollars to fix the World’s Water Problems. More and more people become addicted to shopping as it is said that over 26 Million Americans are addicted to Shopping. A season of Peace has led to hurt feelings, insulting gifting exchanges, Black Friday fights.  We have focused on giving when we are meant to focus on receiving!  We have focused on elaboration when we were meant to focus on simplicity. Something is wrong.  As much as we have celebrated Christmas, Christmas hasn’t changed us.  This is our “new year resolution” this year; to allow Christmas to change us with the following formula outline many years ago.  Please see Luke 2:8-14 and Romans 12:9-21

We moved in June of 2009 to Spotsylvania Virginia.  Though be it, that we are only a little over a few hours from where we lived in Lancaster Pennsylvania, the move has proven to be a harder adjustment then we had thought.  Though Katie is originally from Huntington Beach California, she had made home well in Lancaster and being that my roots are there, it was always home for me.  We truly do miss our Lancaster friends, our downtown community project (www.friendsofcrystalpark.com) our church and fellow leadership team (www.lancastervineyard.com) and the many downtown neighborhood bars, restaurants, concert venue and markets we had come to know.  We have been busy with our new community here.  Together right after moving we did an 8 week coast to coast tour to festivals and events to set up a booth for Jeff’s job and to speak with youth.  We had an amazing chance to see a lot of the United States.  Currently, Jeff is in the office working on producing an 18 Track CD of various artists called “Playlist 2010” which will be mass produced of 5,000+ copies.

Jeff continues to help mentor, manage, market, book and develop artists and musicians through his side project “North Coast Agency”. (www.northcoastagency.com)  He host a 2nd Annual “The Skyline District” (www.thskylinedistrict.com) showcase this year in Nashville in April.  Also we are working on producing a CD to raise money for reconciliation work in Ethiopia our Senior Pastor from the Lancaster Vineyard has started since he moved his family to Ethiopia. (www.musicforethiopia.com). Also he is still doing concert promotions in this area, off to a smaller scale then where we were in Pennsylvania.  You can find out a current listing and archives of his projects and involvements online at www.jeffmclain.com. Also find his Anabaptist themed blogs online at www.strangerinthisland.com.

Katie is working at Kindercare in Stafford Virginia with 4 year olds.  She also has become the webmaster of our newest website; “www.jeffandkatiemclain.com” where she keeps the news section up to date with what is happening in our family, as well as puts all our pictures and videos online for our widespread friends and family, as well as try to put up inspiring ways to “Return to Simplicity”. Katie’s parents just had the time to come out and visit us for a few days which was a good time.  Katie enjoys playing hostess to our visiting friends and family, and now that we have a spare guest room we expect to see more of you here!

Together, we have found a new church home, Dayspring Mennonite Church (dayspringmennonite.org); where we have found a match for our goals of community, justice, peace and theology.  So far it has been our friends and family here in Virginia.  Jeff has developed a Sermon Podcast of the Church’s sermons you can find online on iTunes.

No matter how old or how small you are, the magic of the season is still here to be experience and really it is more accessible and peaceful then we have ever had, but just like we have always envisioned.  So brew some hot spiced seasonal tea and light some candles only to turn off all the lights in the house and pull a classic book up next to someone you love as a classic Christmas song from Dean Martin or Bing Crosby plays. {As a side note for Christmas soundtracks I suggest Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Martinis and Mistletoe, John Denver and the Muppets and the new “Christmas in the Heart” CD from Bob Dylan}.  Also, find time to be with friends and family in the vintage way, together or a good meal with no expectations.

As we enjoy and reflect on the gifts of peace and simplicity in this holiday season I leave with you the ringing words Charles Dickens prefaced his “A Christmas Carol” with in 1843. “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay in it.”

Tags: A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, Christmas Letter, Consumer Debt, Credit Debt, Dayspring Mennonite Church, Friends of Crystal Park, God of Consumption, Jeff and Katie McLain, Lancaster Vineyard, Malls, Music for Ethiopia, Norht Coast Agency, Peace, Playlist 2010, Podcast, Scrooge, Simplicity, Stranger In This Land, Strip Centers, The Skyline District