Article Posted in the Orillia Packet & Times December.2008
Finding your Ebenezer this Christmas
There is comfort to be found in the holidays and you do not have to look very far to find it. I was reminded of this as I was watching the latest "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie released last year.
As the first note is played something happens to me; my heart is warmed as the song plays and you hear David Seville call out to the trio of Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
The same can be said about other elements or traditions that are found during this time of year. Whether you are making gingerbread houses or sitting down as a family to watch Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey make his journey to discover his 'Wonderful Life' for the umpteenth time. There is something about Christmas that warms even the coldest heart.
Yet the busyness that enthralls our life leading up to December 25 can be overwhelming and, for some, catastrophic. As we stress about getting everyone together under one roof or travelling afar to visit the in-laws, the season that was once bright and vibrant can become cold, grey and lifeless.
This past week as I shoveled my driveway multiple times and the snow banks started to approach chin level, I came close to shouting those famous words of Ebenezer Scrooge "Bah! Humbug!".What I realized is that those words would hurt no one but myself as I rob myself from the joys that sur-round my life.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, a popular hymn speaks of raising your Ebenezer. This is not a reference to Charles Dickens, but a Hebrew word found in the Bible. It can be translated as "stone of help."
Take a moment to search for it on Bible Gateway or Wiki it if you would like.
An Ebenezer was a symbol of hope and help; it was a marker of a relationship with God, the true stone of help.
Moments that warm our hearts and souls are not unlike an Ebenezer.
They point us to something that is connected to memories and gives us the chance to build new ones.
For some, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. It brings memories of arguments and unpleasantness to the surface; they will grow cranky and irritable and become short with those that are close to them.
There will be others, even in our small town that will not have a roof over their head or a big family dinner. Take a moment this season to find a way to offer a new memory to those who need one.
If I could offer one suggestion this Christmas it would be this, take a chance on a church. There is no greater time for you to go as you will know the songs and can choose to join or listen. Whether or not the Christmas story is familiar to you, you will hear about what I consider to be the greatest Ebenezer; a stone of help that will never fail to warm your heart. Maybe this Christmas you will build a new tradition that will change your life forever.