Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Advent is the time when Christians prepare to greet Christ—who came as a babe in a manger, who comes into our lives each day, and who will come again at the end of time. Advent is the time when people of faith are most at odds with the culture. The church calls people to focus on getting ready to receive Christ—preparing hearts and lives to make room for Jesus, to live as he would have us live. It is a time of longing, not fulfillment. Quiet reflection, not celebration. The culture, however, is already in a time of festivity, unable or unwilling, to wait and contemplate and prepare for the real festival. It is not easy to observe Advent without being pulled prematurely into Christmas.
How does St. Nicholas fit into all of this? He is an Advent saint because his December 6th feast day always falls in early Advent (Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas between November 27 and December 3). However, Nicholas is a good Advent saint for more important reasons than the date of his special day. Whatever he did, and it is said that he did many kinds of amazing things, may not be as important as the way he did it. Nicholas became so popular because he was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. His life clearly reflected the way each one of us is called to show God's love to others, especially those in need.
Celebrating St. Nicholas on his day in Advent brings a bit of fun and festivity into homes, churches, and schools. His small treats and surprises help keep the spirit of good St. Nicholas, especially when stories of his goodness and kind deeds are told and ways to express his care for those in need are sought. Saint Nicholas helps us remember Christmas is a feast of love, hope, kindness and generosity. Yes, Nicholas is a good Advent saint.

You are invited. Invite your friends!

St. Brigid of Ireland

To be honest, I don't keep track of that many saints' festival days. I remember the feast day of St. Michael and All Angels on September 29th (because it's my birthday). And, like most Americans, I remember St. Valentine's and St. Patrick's Days, since they're pretty hard to miss. Today is one of the few saint's days that I remember without all the trappings of commerciality: February 1st is the feast day of St. Brigid of Ireland.

There are lots of great legends about her - a Christian in pagan Ireland in the 5th century, she founded abbeys and was known for her extreme generosity to the poor. One story tells of how she wove a cross out of rushes from the floor while sitting at the death bed of a pagan chieftan. When he asked what she was doing, she explained the cross and life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The chieftan then converted and was baptized before he died.

I wear a silver Brigid's cross most days- it was a gift from Grant while we honeymooned in Ireland. It reminds me not only of what Jesus has done for me and for the world, but also reminds me of my time and friends in Ireland, and that I need to be ready to explain my faith, even to unlikely people. Brigid's cross has sparked more than one conversation, when folks have commented on the "different-ness" of my necklace, which has given me opportunities to talk about Jesus when I would have least expected it.

Who could you share your faith with today?

Hope over hatred and despair

Remember Pearl Harbor!

Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4c

Sixty-nine years ago today the naval air forces of Japan launched a devastating surprise attack on United States naval ships and other military targets on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It was the worst defeat recorded for the United States Navy. Over 2700 lives were lost that December morning. Over 1100 men were killed when the battleship U.S.S. Arizona took a direct hit in its black powder magazines.

The attack was a complete success in the eyes of the Japanese airmen who flew in the raid, lead by Imperial Japanese Navy Commander Mitsuo Fuchida.

The attack by Japan forced the United States to declare war on the Japanese empire, as well as her allies Germany and Italy.

The battle cry “Remember Pearl Harbor” sent Americans by the millions to enlist in the war effort and support it with their flesh, blood, and treasure. The war was fought until August 1945 when Japan surrendered unconditionally to the United States and her allies.

The war in the Pacific was especially brutal, fueled by racism on both sides that dehumanized the foe and traumatized the combatants.

America would suffer a string of defeats from December 1941 until April 1942, when a retaliatory raid was launched against Japan by U.S. Army Air Corps bombers flown off a naval carrier.

An air man on that raid was Sgt. Jake DeShazer, who flew as a bombardier on Plane No. 16 that launched from the U.S.S. Hornet.

After the war, Commander Fuchida was despondent and out of work. He represented many of his fellow Japanese, a thoroughly defeated foe.

In 1950 Mr. Fuchida went to hear Mr. DeShazer speak at an evangelism rally in Japan. Mr. DeShazer had made a promise on April 18th, 1942 as he was bombing the empire of Japan, that if he survived the Doolittle Raid he would return to Japan as a Christian missionary.

Two old foes had a chance to meet, and Jake DeShazer brought Mitsuo Fuchida to accept Jesus Christ as his savior.

Both men endured ridicule and outright rejection by their former comrades in arms for befriending the enemy.

Later in his life, exactly twenty-five years after leading the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mitsuo Fuchida presented the Pearl Harbor survivors association with a bible.

Fuchida and DeShazer remained close friends for the rest of their lives.

It is a miracle, that in the cauldron of human conflict played out in the Pacific Theater of Operations during WW2, two old foes found a common identity in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.