Stones and Locks

The stone is sinking.

Christmas Eve I went to the cemetery to take my annual beating by my own memories.

I found my grandmother’s grave in good shape—for a grave that is. But the tombstone over my father and mother’s grave is sinking below ground level. Next week I’ll call the cemetery office to see how much it will cost to have it raised and leveled again.

I don’t know why I put myself through this ordeal every year. Just something I do. Must love guilt trips, I suppose.

The above cartoon, by David Farley at the site of Dr. Fun, speaks to me. I identify with it because most of my adult live I have worked alone on most holidays—as a long-distance truck driver, in the newsroom, at the old folks’ home, as a caregiver for terminally ill patients—all occupations needing individual attention by one man alone. God bless the poor bastards working alone as Christmas music plays over the company’s automated intercom system.

On a happier note, for this afternoon (Dec. 25^th) I’m all prepared, physically at least, for my annual patriarchal devotional talk at the family get-together. I’ve constructed all my silly little visuals for the talk. The kids asked that I do my “Ugliest Virgin” demonstration again this year.

Essentially my presentation is a one-man Christmas pageant in which I play all parts, including the Virgin—hence the title, The Ugliest Virgin. The high point comes when I demonstrate how to diaper a teddy bear amid clouds of baby powder.

After that tomfoolery, God willing, my serious focus this afternoon will turn to stones and locks:

God was locked out of Bethlehem’s inn; He came into our world anyhow, born in the inn’s parking garage.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born , not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

That’s Christmas.

After Jesus rose from the dead the disciples had locked themselves securely in a safe-room fearing the same enemies who crucified Him. Jesus walked through the locked door into that room and spoke with Thomas:

The other disciples therefore said unto Thomas, “We have seen the Lord”.

But he said unto them, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe”.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut , and stood in the midst, and said , “Peace be unto you”.

Then saith He to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing”.

And Thomas answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God”.

Jesus saith unto him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen , and yet have believed”.

Of course, eight days before this, Jesus had already walked out of His sealed tomb. He could walk through locked doors and a sealed tomb because God is more solid than flimsy physical things like stone or locked doors. Our physical world is vapor compared to the substantial presence of God—think of yourself walking through the bathroom stream of your shower. The angel had rolled the tombstone away to let the women and disciples into the tomb to see it was empty, not to let Jesus out.

That’s Easter.

The third locked door of Christmas is a little different; it is the door of the human heart. God does not kick the door and stomp on in. He knocks on our locked door to gain entrance. He respects our wishes in the matter.

In the last book of the Bible Jesus says, “Behold , I stand at the door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”.

That’s salvation.

If we refuse to open the door, He remains outside.

You can let Him in—it is your heart, after all—to your own eternal delight.

Or you can keep Him locked out—it is your heart, after all—to your own eternal regret.

Well, I wrote the above this morning… my presentation went ok.

The downside is that afterwards I learned that my daughter Eve had prepared a presentation she intended to give—but I hogged the show and she did not get to give the one she’d prepared. Bummer. I feel really bad about that; I’ve had that sort of thing happen to me and I know it hurts.

Johnny drove down from Maryland to celebrate with the rest of the family; great to see him again.

Patricia called. We will not see her and Clint till the day of the wedding next week.

Ginny gave me a pack of pipe cleaners for Christmas, much needed, and I gave her a calendar.

Somebody had a laptop at the party and everyone passed it around to read my blog entry for yesterday and got a laugh.

Oh yes, some of the kids made a video on that Ugly Virgin talk and are fixing it up to go on U-Tube; I’ll post a link if they do.