A couple of days ago I got a brief email from son Isaac who is planning his first Christmas Eve service as an ordained minister. His congregation is in Quebec's picture postcard Eastern Townships, not far from the Vermont border. The message read "Hi Dad, Do you have a copy of the touch hands blessing that I could use?"
It refers to a reading I have used throughout my ministry as an inheritance from my father, also a United Church minister. My dad was a singularly unsentimental guy except for Christmas Eve. He had a collection of readings he used every year but it was this one which stuck with me, and I have incorporated it in services for lo these three decades. It sounds as though Ike plans to use it as well. Perhaps he will translate all or part of it into French for his francophone members.
In every congregation I have served folk have asked me for copies and come to expect that I will use it. It is both corny and meaningful, at least from my perspective.
TOUCH HANDS -- anonymous
Ah friends, dear friends
as years grow on
and heads get grey
how fast the guests do go.
Touch hands.
Touch hands with those that stay.
strong hands to weak
old hands to young
around the Christmas board.
Touch hands.
The false forget
the foe forgive.
for every guest will go
and every fire burn low
and empty cabin stand.
Forget!...Forgive!
for who may say that Christmas Day
may never come
to host or guest again.
Touch hands.
Ah friends, dear friends
as years grow on
and heads get grey
how fast the guests do go.
Touch hands.
Touch hands with those that stay.
strong hands to weak
old hands to young
around the Christmas board.
Touch hands.
The false forget
the foe forgive.
for every guest will go
and every fire burn low
and empty cabin stand.
Forget!...Forgive!
for who may say that Christmas Day
may never come
to host or guest again.
Touch hands.
Thoughts about Christmas worship traditions?
7 comments:
It doesn't matter where you are, Christmas worship can take many forms. We will be away this Christmas with family in a sunny hot climate, however on Christmas morning, we will gather 14 of us in my parents' room, one of my parents will read the Christmas story and then we will sing a Christmas Carol. I think this year it will be "A Huron Carol" since our daughter now knows it quite well and her Nana asked her to sing it. Hearing the Christmas story has always been a tradition in our house and has continued no matter where we are.
The other tradition which we had growing up, was Christmas Eve my mother would make "snowballs". They were balls of icecream rolled in coconut and decorated with holly and a candle in the centre of each ball. We then sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" around the table before eating the "snowballs". A wonderful memory and tradition.
Nancy, that sounds wonderful. What a great tradition.
David, I don't think your text is corny in the least. It's a good reminder of how each year rolls into the next, and how we need to take time for one another.
It's also quite cool that Ike's keeping this tradition alive. Nicely played.
Hi David, I really like the touch hands blessing. In my home I am the only one who acknowledges the birth of Jesus, so it's a bit of a lonely enterprise, but each year I put out the creche that belonged to my mother and that makes me feel a little better. All of the orignal pieces are there and it is getting quite old. For the last few years my boys have come to the Christmas Eve service as a kind of gift to me and this too means a lot One other thing I always do is string the last remnent of a chain my grandmother made out of bits of tin foil across the front of the tree. There isn't very much of it left. It was made in the late 40s or early 50s, my mother wasn't sure when she gave me what was left of it. [actually Grandma made it from the foil in cigeratte packages, so it's a recycled product which makes it easier to ovrelook the bad for your health aspect of its origins]I never met my grandmother, so the fact that she made it with her hands means a great deal.
I love the reading of Touch Hands. For me it puts words to the thoughts of my heart each Christmas. Neat to know that the Mundy tradition spreads to another province, and generation this Christmas with Isaac.
Just so you know, David, you have started another "tradition",although Christmas has to fall on Sunday for this one, as our girls are excited to go to church in their pj's on Christmas Day. They have pajama days at school, and when they heard you say pj day at church, they asked to go. Our 15 year old declared that she wished everyday was "pajama day".
All together now..."we will not be jealous of Nancy's clan, we will not be..."
Thanks to all of you for responding.
Okay Laura, I decided that I am getting too old to come in my pyjamas even though I have done so on earlier Christmas Sundays in my ministry. But your girls appear to have put out the Jammy Challenge so I will come dressed appropriately!
David, as long as you are not walking along Church street in only your pajamas, you should be okay. I know it's a short walk to church, but please wear a jacket.
Hi David....
It's been a while since I logged into your blog.
At St. Andrew's we have been invited to wear 'jammies' for the first time....I am not, but others will.
God speed for 2012.
sdt
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