Thanksgiving with its time of reflecting on our many blessings has come and gone. Now we have entered into Advent. We come with anticipation as we prepare ourselves to welcome the Christ Child. Last Sunday we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath. Christmas is coming. As I reflect on what gifts will be given this Christmas, I remember some interesting ones from Christmases past. When Suzanne was about the age of our grandson Eben (almost two) Jon asked her what she wanted to get me for Christmas. Without hesitation, she replied, “Orange juice!” So off they went to the grocery store to get a special gift for the momma. Her delight was only slightly dampened when she realized that her gift could not be put under the Christmas tree until Christmas morning but had to be kept in the refrigerator. It was strange to find a brightly wrapped gift when I opened the refrigerator door.

Another interesting gift we received in Christmases past was a very large container of peanut butter. For several years someone left a box on Jon's desk with the peanut butter and other food items in it. We finally found out that it was given by an elderly farmer who explained that when his children were young and money was tight, it was a relief to know that they had plenty of peanut butter to feed their family. Jon was not well paid at the time by that small church, and the peanut butter was certainly enjoyed by our young children.

But no matter how thoughtful or expensive the gifts we give or receive,
none can compare to the amazing gift of the God who loved us so much
that he gave his only son to die for our sins. That is what Christmas is
really about after all. Come Lord Jesus, we welcome you this Christmas!

Can the summer really be coming to an end? It seems like it just started.

It has been a real summer of contrasts for my family. For example, Hurricane Irene is bringing rain to a saturated New England while my family in Louisiana is thankful for whatever little rain comes their way.

We spent a quiet peaceful week in Maine enjoying the coolness and beauty of Winter Harbor. And we spent a wonderful week in Louisiana visiting with family and enjoying the rolling farm lands which included a farm pond with an alligator in it. Jon nicknamed him "Cousin Al." The heat was well over 100 degrees while we were there. But the warmth and love of family is what we came away with. It's what brings us to family reunions year after year.

This summer has been a time of "Hello" and "Goodbye" as our family has welcomed a new member, five-year-old Angelina, daughter of our niece Monica. But on a sad note, we have lost two beloved pets, our gentle white cat, Leo, who moved here with us from Kansas, and our son Nathanael's beautiful red and white Husky, Maija, who did suddenly leaving a big void in our lives.

All this reminds me of the scripture that tells us that everything has a season. And a new season is upon us. The kids are returning to school. Some here in Arlington will be wearing back packs that the church has provided them. Our new fall programming is taking shape. What will this season bring us? Certainly both good and bad will happen, but over all we have the assurance that our God will be with us through whatever happens.

This I Believe... MEMORIES
Suzanne Hevelone

Lee and I love to walk through Mt. Feake cemetery in Waltham. It’s a
serene place with beautiful trees, and some of the paths wander along
the Charles. But truthfully, what draws us there are the tombstones.
While we were waiting for Isaac to be born, we used to pour over the
names on the graves. Would our son be a Henry or a Nehemiah or a
Alastair? It is a bit mind-boggling to think that all the dead lying
there had also once been hidden inside their mother, that they had
been born to prosper and suffer, to love and lose, and ultimately to
die. And little Isaac Dale of all our hopes and dreams and prayers
will die too.

The stories of the dead buried in Waltham are largely lost. Lee and I
can tell from their gravestones that Alice was married to John or that
Margaret and Richard lost a baby girl, but the signifiers on the
markers are so limited: names, dates, sometimes familial connections,
a military marking, a Bible verse, a cross or a beautifully carved
flower. That is all the casual observer in the graveyard knows of a
life with all its complexity and depth. The sorrows and triumphs are
lost. We don’t know who was kind or cruel or thoughtful or
thoughtless. History records only the smallest fraction, and that from
a limited perspective, of human experiences.

This Memorial Day we honor the men and women who have died while in the service of the United States. Their graves are there too. Rows of
people who died in the World Wars, Korea or Vietnam sometimes have
American flags flying next to their tombstones. We haven’t seen graves
there from Iraq or Afghanistan, but perhaps they’re hiding in some yet
unexplored corner. But the crux of all of this for Christians is that the dead are not dead and gone. Not only are the most private, hidden components of their lives while on earth known by God, but he has also called home those who belong to him. And in the most unimaginable turn of events, they are alive in Christ. They are living as full and complete people in relationship with him. We can’t even understand what that means totally, but we claim it.

We claim a loving God, who cared about every Henry, Nehemiah or
Alastair ever born, anywhere. We claim a God who will not forget the
details of our lives, be they significant or insignificant. We claim a
God who calls us to himself and makes us whole. A God who wants to
live with us and love us and be known to us.

And that is our prayer too for Isaac. Much more important than who his
mother or father are or the day he was born is his relationship with
God. One day strangers may wander by his grave and maybe even briefly consider his name for their unborn child. And perhaps one day, they too will glorify God alongside him. May we be there too by God’s
grace.

_____
Suzanne is the daughter of Pastor Jon and Nell Hevelone. She holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from Boston College, and she and her husband Lee are parents of a much loved and very active baby boy.

Easter 2011
Dear First Baptist Family

I write this to you right in the middle of Holy Week, just before this sacred time crescendos into the two days that changed everything. Those two days -- the day Jesus died and the day he was raised from the dead are the hinges upon which all history swings. Those two days have secured the implementation of God’s kingdom and the salvation of all who believe.

We have heard the story of Good Friday -- how Jesus was crucified on an old rugged cross, dying for the sins of humans. Unfortunately, many of us have heard the story over and over again until it has lost its wallop. It is crucial for us of faith to hear it clearly -- this is God who died, this is God who died so we might live. There is no other news that is as startling as the straightforward announcement of the death of God. There is no other news that is as personally jarring as the matter of fact statement that God’s death was for my redemption. Think about it. Do you believe this? Do you really believe this?

We have heard the story of Easter -- how Jesus the Son was raised from the dead to life by God the Father. Again, most of us have heard this since our childhood, and have accordingly learned to categorize it neatly into our lives. We try many approaches to make this blend into our lives.

Resurrection? “Why yes, I believe, but I haven’t thought about it much lately.”

Resurrection? “Of course, but don’t bother me with it right now, since I have family coming and Easter dinner to fix.”

Resurrection? I sure hope so, but you can’t actually expect me to buy it hook, line and sinker, can you? After all, we’re educated adults.”

The basic problem is resurrection can not be accommodated into the natural flow of our lives. There is no blending in with resurrection. If it’s true, it changes everything. If it’s false, it changes everything. We do not have the option of taking God risen from the dead for granted. The risen God is to be worshipped. The risen God is to be obeyed. The risen God is to be enjoyed. The risen God is to be proclaimed. The risen God is to be our heart and soul and life.

I invite you to First Baptist Arlington this Easter Sunday to hear afresh the startling good news of the Savior risen and alive. Good Friday. Easter Sunday. These two days have changed night into day, evil into good, death into life. They can even change you and me, and make our lives come alive with the passion of faith.

Easter Blessings