Posted: 12/05/03

Even Baptists light a candle for Advent

By Christina Denny

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Evangelical Christians, including Baptists, are increasingly jumping on the Advent bandwagon, according to an Oklahoma man who provides educational resources for observing the church year.

“Many of the letters (I get) are from traditions that are just now discovering the liturgical dimensions of Christianity,” explained Dennis Bratcher, who operates the website www.cresourcei.org. Bratcher is director of the Christian Resource Institute in Oklahoma City. His mission is to provide non-denominational biblical and theological resources.

An ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene, Bratcher said he has noticed a surge of interest in Advent–and all things liturgical–among evangelicals.

Related Article: • Advent Traditions

Last year, almost 3 million spiritual surfers visited his Advent pages during December alone, he said.

Part of the church year's appeal for evangelicals, he believes, is its mystical journey. “The church year takes people beyond longing and expectation before Christmas to reflection and repentance in Lent to the celebration of hope at Easter.”

And for Christians who bemoan the hijacking of their holiday, Advent has a special bonus, he said. “The recovery of Advent, or the institution of Advent, is a way to counter the commercialization of Christmas. It's a way to be deliberately spiritual. … Advent is really a way to recover Christmas.”

Rooted in the Latin word “adventus,” meaning “coming” or “arrival,” Advent is a season of spiritual preparation both for Christmas, when Christians mark Jesus' birth, and for his Second Coming on Judgment Day. Its theological reach thus spans from the messianic prophesies and longings of the ancient Israelites to the end of the world.

Not as old as the feast of Christmas itself, Advent may have originated in fourth and fifth century Gaul and Spain, where a pre-Epiphany time of prayer and fasting was observed–likely to prepare for baptisms held on the feast commemorating the baptism of Jesus.

By the fifth century, another custom had arisen of giving sermons exhorting the faithful to prepare for the feast of Christmas. The observances spread; in 567 the Second Council of Tours called on local monks to fast from the beginning of December until Christmas. It was later expanded to 40 days to mirror the Lenten fast, and the laity were encouraged to join in. In the 11th century, Advent was shortened, and it now starts four Sundays before Christmas.

This year, Nov. 30 was the first Sunday in Advent.

Through Scripture, ritual and song, Christians who observe the reflective four-week season will, at home and at church, prepare to celebrate the nativity of Jesus and look forward to his Second Coming.

“We usually associate Advent just with Christmas,” Bratcher said, “but it really has a double sense on a theological, spiritual level, as it articulates that sense of hope, of anticipation, that God has worked in history and will continue to work in history.”

As evangelical Christians venture into the church year, however, they encounter a new set of cultural dilemmas that have faced their more high-church brethren for years. Not least among them is what to do with Christmas carols during Advent.

Since Advent is a time of anticipation, purists find it inappropriate to sing Christmas carols until Christmas Eve or Christmas day.

“Many churches struggle with the issue of singing Advent hymns instead of going with the larger culture which is, by Thanksgiving, already playing Christmas songs in the stores,” said Daniel Benedict, worship resources director for the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.

Congregations now have a rich repertoire of Advent music, including the perennial favorites “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Soon and Very Soon,” a more contemporary piece by Andre Crouch, he added.

Cultural tensions aside, Advent has a special texture–and a resilience–all its own, according to Michael Burk, director for worship of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

“It's one of the seasons of the church year that people really get, that's a season unto itself,” Burk said. “There's a simplicity to Advent. … There's a kind of solemnity and sacred quality to it when everything around seems busy and hurried.”

Posted: 12/05/03

Advent traditions

Advent wreath

Perhaps the most popular Advent institution, the Advent wreath is a tradition shared by Catholics and Protestants. Made of evergreens to symbolize eternal life in Christ, the wreath has four candles that count down the four Sundays until Christmas. An additional candle is lit each week–traditionally three purple candles and one pink candle, lit on the third Sunday of Advent. A fifth white candle may be used in the center to represent Jesus.

Liturgical colors

The sanctuary color of the Advent season has traditionally been purple. Associated with royalty, it signals a longing for Jesus, the “king of kings.” Since purple also is the liturgical color for Lent, its use during Advent provides Christians with a visual link between Jesus' birth and death. Blue is an increasingly popular Advent color in Protestant churches, according to Dennis Bratcher of the Christian Resource Institute. While some congregations use royal blue to signify royalty, others use bright blue to symbolize the night sky or the waters of creation in Genesis 1.

Hanging of the greens

In the first week of Advent, many churches hold a service of the hanging of the greens to prepare the sanctuary for Christmas. The service is usually offered on a Sunday or weekday evening and involves Scripture readings and music. Volunteers hang wreaths on the church doors and place the Advent wreath and other evergreens in the sanctuary while congregants hear the religious symbols explained. In some congregations, Chrismons, symbols of Christ, are hung on fir trees as decorations.

Advent calendars and the Jesse tree

Originally a German tradition, Advent calendars are a popular way for children to count down the days until Christmas. Most calendars are small posters or cards with windows that can be opened for each day, usually beginning with Dec. 1. While secular Advent calendars might proffer a chocolate a day, religious versions often give a picture or verse from the Old Testament. The Jesse Tree is a specialized Advent calendar to introduce stories and ideas from the Old Testament that Christians believe foreshadowed the birth of Jesus as the Messiah.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

Around the State

Appointments

Shad and Michelle Spannagel recently were appointed as apprentice missionaries to Fulani people of West Africa as church starters. Both are graduates of Hardin-Simmons University. She is the daughter of Southern Baptist missionaries Marvin and La-Nette Thompson, currently serving in Mali. The couple has a daughter, Hannah, who will celebrate her first birthday next month.

Shad & Michelle Spannagel

Anniversaries

First Church in Chappell Hill, 20th, Nov. 2. The church held a tent revival to commemorate the occassion. The church also dedicated 16 acres of land for future use. David Beckworth is pastor.

Steve Johnson, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Caldwell.

David Beckworth, 15th, as pastor of First Church in Chappell Hill.

Dewayne Beaty, 30th, at First Church in Longview. The first three years, he served the church as youth director; then his title changed to minister of recreation and senior adults. In 1998, he was named associate pastor and senior adult minister, his current title.

Retiring

Mario Rios has retired as pastor of Iglesia Hispana in Brookshire.

Deaths

George West, 75, Nov. 12 in Amarillo. He was ordained to the ministry in 1952 at Calvary Church in Amarillo and retired from full-time ministry in 1993. He was the pastor of churches in Parker and Palo Pinto counties and the San Angelo area. He was a member of First Southern Church in Fritch. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marvanetta, and two sons, David and James. He is survived by his daughters, Charlotte Todd and Rita Grimsley; brothers, Orville and W.J.; sisters, Thelma Yalch, Bessie Davis, Vaudine Vaughn and Faye Sadberry; and two grandchildren.

Luther Holcomb, 91, Nov. 19 in Cedar Creek. Holcomb was a religious and civic leader who met President John F. Kennedy at the airport on Nov. 22, 1963, and later announced to a luncheon audience waiting to hear Kennedy speak that the president had been shot. He then led the stunned crowd at the Dallas Trade Mart in prayer. He also ministered to the wounded John Connally and his family the next several days. He began his ministerial career as a traveling evangelist and later held three pastorates–First Church in Durant, Okla., Luther Rice Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., and Lakewood Church in Dallas. From 1958 until 1965, he was executive director of the Greater Dallas Council of Churches. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elaine; son, Henry; daughter, Jan Flowers; sister, Louise Layden; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Gale Sadler, 68, Nov. 22 in Dimmitt. An emeritus Southern Baptist missionary to Tanzania, he and his wife, Verna, were appointed by the Foreign Mission Board in 1987. He ran a bookstore and managed a literature distribution center in Moshi until 1990, when he became the financial administrator for the organization of Southern Baptist missionaries in the country. The couple retired in 2001. He is survived by his wife; daughters,

Paul Stripling, executive director of Waco Association 21 years, was honored at his retirement with, among other things, an endowed scholarship given on behalf of Stripling and his wife to the ministry guidance program of Baylor University. The presentation was made by associational moderator Mike Patterson. Now executive director emeritus, Stripling is an adjunct teacher at Baylor in the religion department.

Cynthia Clatt and Susan Harmon; and eight grandchildren.

Silverio Linares, 95, Nov. 23 in Houston. He pioneered Hispanic Baptist work in Houston and other Texas towns in the early 1930s. He preached for 65 years, starting many missions and churches along the way. His last pastorate was at El Calvario Church in Houston, where he served 25 years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rafaela, and two daughters, both named Ester. He is survived by his daughters, Rosa Trujillo, Lydia Herrera, Olivia Diaz and Phoebe Aranda; 15 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth McBride, 70, Dec. 1 in San Angelo. She was the wife of longtime Texas pastor Jerold McBride, 31 years the pastor of First Church in San Angelo. She taught kindergarten there eight years. She also led conferences for pastors' wives in Brazil and was a member of board of directors of Baptist Memorials Retirement Center. She is survived by her husband of 49 years; daughters Renee and Charlotte; and son, Todd.

Virginia Ball, 84, Dec. 1 in Miami, Fla. A longtime benefactor of Baylor University, she was a 1940 graduate of the school. She then worked two years on the alumni affairs and public relations staff. In addition to serving on many philanthropic boards and serving as a patron of the arts and sciences, she endowed the Beall-Russell lecture series in 1982 to honor her mother, DeLouise Beall and Lily Russell, former dean of women at Baylor. She also established the Beall Poetry Festival in 1994 to honor her parents. She also served on the board of advisors of the College of Arts and Sciences, was a life member of the Baylor Alumni Association, a patron of Armstrong-Browning Library and a charter member of the Old Main Society. In 1989, she was named a distinguished alumna, and in 2003 she was presented an honorary doctor of humane letters.

Events

Sounds of Christmas, First Church in Lewisville's annual pageant, will be presented Dec. 12-14 at 7 p.m. by the church's choir, orchestra and drama team. “The Perfect Christmas Letter” will be the theme for this year's pageant. Tickets are free, but necessary. To order, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope and the number of tickets needed to the church, 1251 W. Valley Ridge Boulevard, Lewisville 75077. Stephen Hatfield is pastor.

The fourth annual Waco Christmas Celebration will be presented at 3:30 and 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14 at Columbus Avenue Church. There is no cost, and tickets are not needed. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the performance. Ron Durham is pastor.

Recording artist Luke Garrett will join the choir and orchestra of First Church in Nacogdoches for “Celebrate the Joy” Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. The program is free. For more information, call (936) 564-7379. Allen Reed is pastor.

Brentwood Church in Houston will present a free Christmas music celebration Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. For more information, call (713) 852-1400. Joe Ratliff is pastor.

Hildegard Lewis recently was honored for 40 years of perfect Sunday School attendance at First Church in Burton. She had perfect attendance from March 1963 through March 2003, much of that time while a member of Colonial Church in Dallas. She was active in all facets of church life, also serving for a time as her church's Woman Missionary Union president.

Oak View Church in Irving hosted a community Thanksgiving service Oct. 23 attended by members of churches who support Baptist Benevolence Ministries of Irving. Dennis Webb of Bear Creek Community Church preached the sermon.

Drew and Suzanne Thornell were commissioned as Mission Service Corps volunteers Oct. 26 at Wildwood Church in Wildwood. Jimmy Linn is pastor.

Ordained

Matt Hill to the ministry at First Church in Eula.

John Jones Jr. to the ministry at Jade Avenue Mission in Port Arthur.

Jim Callahan as a deacon at First Church in Hico.

Forrest Blanton, Preston Blanton, Jerry Callaway and Bob McClain as deacons at Calvary Church in Brownwood.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

Baylor seeks to pamper president's papers

WACO–Baylor University has named a national steering committee for its proposed George W. Bush Presidential Library Center.

The committee's primary objectives are to oversee the university's formal presidential library planning committee and to direct fund-raising efforts for the library.

While the White House has not announced any decision on the location of the future presidential library, Baylor and Southern Methodist University are widely considered top contenders. The library of the current president's father, George Bush, is located at Texas A&M University in College Station.

In selling Waco as a location, Robert Sloan noted that 80 percent of the state's population lives within 200 miles of Baylor.

First Lady Laura Bush is a graduate of SMU, and the Bushes have several close ties there. However, the Baylor committee is comprised of prominent individuals who have close ties to Baylor and the Bush administration as well. And Baylor is located within close proximity to the Bushes' ranch in Crawford.

Baylor President Robert Sloan has appointed Baylor regents chairman and Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. as chair of the library committee.

“While we realize that a decision on the site of the George W. Bush Presidential Library is likely several years away, we feel it is important to formalize our process so we are in a position to deliver a well-conceived, well-constructed and financially certain proposal,” Sloan said.

In selling Waco as a location, Sloan noted that 80 percent of the state's population lives within 200 miles of Baylor. With the George Bush Library in College Station and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, a George W. Bush Presidential Library at Baylor would create a triangle of presidential libraries within 90 miles of each other, positioning the region as the most important area in the country for presidential research, he declared.

In addition to appointing the national steering committee, Baylor has retained three outside consultants to help guide its process and prepare its formal proposal. The consultants are:

Don Wilson, former archivist of the United States with the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration; former director of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center; and director of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center Foundation.

John Fawcett, former director of the Office of the Presidential Library System at the National Archives and Records Administration and former archivist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson and Herbert Hoover presidential libraries.

Terry Sullivan, former director of White House Transitions Project and a professor of political science on sabbatical from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sullivan also will be teaching several courses in political science at Baylor.

Members of the national steering committee, in addition to McLane, are:

Joe Allbritton, chairman of Allbritton Communications and vice chairman of Riggs National Corporation in Washington, D.C.; Barby Allbritton of Washington, D.C.; Joe Allen, a partner in the law firm Allen Boone Humphries in Houston; Gaylord Armstrong, senior partner in the law firm McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore of Austin; Kip Averitt, state senator from Waco; Bill Bailey, chairman of Bailey Insurance & Financial Services in Waco; Bob Beaudine, president of Eastman & Beaudine in Plano; Tom Bond, a partner in the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in Austin; Bob Brewton, president of Brewton Investment Corp. in Houston; Spencer Brown, chairman of Extraco Banks in Waco; Mrs. Spencer Brown, Waco civic leader; Robert Burns, president of Robert Burns Financial Group and former mayor of Midland; Harold Cunningham, Baylor regent and retired chief financial officer for the university; Will Davis, partner in the law firm Heath, Davis & McCalla in Austin;

Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas; Jack Fields, CEO of Twenty-First Century Group in Washington, D.C.; Ted Getterman, retired business executive from Waco; Earl Grinols, distinguished professor of economics at Baylor; Gerald Haddock, a Fort Worth investor; Jim Hawkins, chairman of FirstCity Financial Corp. in Waco; Gary Heavin, founder of Curves International in Waco; Larry Heard, president of Transwestern Commercial Services in Houston; Thomas Hibbs, dean of Baylor's Honors College; Byron Johnson, a fellow with the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton University and visiting professor of sociology at Baylor; Buddy Jones, partner in HillCo Partners of Austin; Dale Jones, retired vice chairman of the Halliburton Co. in Dallas; Ed Kinkeade, U.S. district judge based in Irving; Jeff Leach, student body president at Baylor; Keet Lewis, a Dallas business consultant; Mrs. Adair Margo, a civic leader in El Paso; Skip McBride partner in the law firm Bracewell & Patterson of Houston;

Elizabeth McLane, civic leader from Temple; Martin Medhurst, distinguished professor of rhetoric and communication at Baylor; Louise Ornelas, civic leader from Tyler; Laree Perez, Baylor regent and managing partner for the Medallion Co. in Albuquerque, N.M.; Bob Perry, chairman of Perry Homes in Houston; Thomas Phillips, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas; Clifton Robinson, co-chairman of National Lloyds Insurance Co. in Waco; Stan Schlueter of Austin; David Sibley, former state senator from Waco; Pam Sibley, civic leader in Waco; Mike Singletary, linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens; Patsy Smith, president of the Herman Smith & Co. in Colleyville;

Ned Snyder, professor of medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston; Dary Stone, vice chairman of Cousins Properties in Irving; former Baylor football coach Grant Teaff; Jim Turner, president of the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group in Dallas; Don Willett, deputy attorney general for legal counsel with the Texas attorney general; Don Wills of Adams-Wills Oil in Dallas; Ms. Kathy Wills of Washington, D.C.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

Baptist Briefs

ABP names Norton. Associated Baptist Press has named Tim Norton of Atlanta director of development for the independent news service. Norton will provide leadership in developing new sources of annual revenue for ABP and will direct its fund-raising campaign. Norton, 41, comes to ABP from the Lord's Day Alliance of the U.S., where he serves as executive director. Norton also owns Crux Communication, a communications, marketing and development consulting firm based in Atlanta.

Southwestern names Gonzales, McQuitty. Rudy Gonzalez, former director of interfaith evangelism with the North American Mission Board, has been named vice president for student services at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. At the same time, longtime seminary staff member David McQuitty has been named associate vice president for student services. Gonzalez is a San Antonio native who holds advanced degrees from Southwestern and Baylor University. He first met President Paige Patterson while a student at Criswell College. McQuitty earned two master's degrees and later a doctor of philosophy degree from Southwestern. He most recently has been dean of students.

Maryland-Delaware opens BF&M parameters. Messengers to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware's annual meeting approved an operating document affirming churches that adopt either the 1963 or 2000 versions of the Baptist Faith & Message "or other similar statement in accord with the beliefs expressed in those Southern Baptist documents." One messenger proposed an amendment to strike the words "or similar statement" from the document. The amendment was debated and defeated.

California reduces budget and SBC allocation. Messengers to the California Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting approved a reduced 2004 budget that reallocates 3 percent of receipts from Southern Baptist Convention ministries to state ministries. The 2004 budget of $10.66 million projects $1.99 million in gifts to the SBC. This year, the state convention sends 30 percent of undesignated gifts to the SBC. Next year, it will send 27 percent. The change was necessary, convention leaders said, to balance a budget deficit. However, the change drew extensive debate. Ultimately, messengers agreeed the first $220,000 received over the Cooperative Program goal will be sent directly to the SBC.

Dakotans go conventional. Dakota Baptists celebrated their 50th anniversary in Southern Baptist life by unanimously approving a move to state convention status and a name change from the Dakota Southern Baptist Fellowship to the Dakota Baptist Convention. Southern Baptist work in the Dakotas began 50 years ago with two churches in North Dakota, First Baptist in Dickinson and First Baptist in Williston. The convention's executive board also elected Jim Hamilton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Sellersburg, Ind., as their new executive director.

Oklahoma CBF hires Thomas. Veteran missionary Charles "T" Thomas was expected to be named coordinator of the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma Dec. 6. Thomas, currently missions coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida, was to be recommended to the Oklahoma organization's coordinating council. Thomas would replace Rick McClatchy, who left to become coordinator for CBF Texas. In 1992, Thomas and his wife, Kathie, were among the first four global missionaries appointed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Previously they were missionaries assigned for the Southern Baptist Convention, serving first in France and later in Romania.

Habitat founder honored. Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity, has been named 2003 Executive of the Year by the NonProfit Times. The semi-monthly publication acknowledged Fuller's entrepreneurial savvy, marketing abilities and innovation. Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliates in more than 3,000 communities in 92 nations have built and sold more than 150,000 homes to partner families with no-profit, zero-interest mortgages.

Retreat offered for married couples in ministry. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will sponsor its first retreat for married couples in ministry Feb. 2-3 in Atlanta. Conference leaders will be Bo and Gail Prosser, who have led marriage retreats for 20 years. The cost is $50 per couple. For more information, e-mail jandtvickery@aol.com.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

Bell Baptists send kids shopping for clothing

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Children's Home & Family Services

ROUND ROCK–Jason's eyes were wide with anticipation as he sat on the edge of the sofa at Texas Baptist Children's Home in Round Rock, listening to instructions from his house mom. The entire cottage was going on a shopping spree, and he was to get $80 to spend on whatever clothes he wanted.

A resident of Texas Baptist Children's Home in Round Rock shows off one of his finds during a donor-sponsored shoppring spree this fall.

This was a special day made possible by special people.

What Jason, whose real name is not used for security, didn't know until just before leaving was the money, given to each child on campus for clothes shopping, was made possible by churches in Bell Baptist Association. Six individuals, 10 churches and two Sunday School classes contributed more than $6,000.

Churches within the association have been sponsoring an annual project for the children's home for the past six years. Centered around its annual meeting, the project is meant to inspire pastors and church members to “do something special,” according to Richard Mangum, director of missions.

In years past, the association has collected school supplies, jeans and even food for the ministry.

“We have always had a strong relationship and communication between the churches and the children's home,” he said. “And, many times, staff will bring children to churches in the area to participate in a special event. Our churches have definitely been thanked.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 12/05/03

ANOTHER VIEW:
Nativity statuettes prompt questions of Christmas

By Dale Hanson Bourke

They are known collectively as The Nativity Scene, statuettes we take out this time of year and position around the baby Jesus figure to commemorate his birth.

But this year, as I opened the box and lifted each from its Styrofoam bed, I stopped to look at them individually,

wondering what came before and after. What made each of these men so wise? What moved a lowly shepherd to pursue such a lofty vision?

Dale Hanson Bourke

They are permanently bowed in reverence and awe, faithful to the call they each received to come to Bethlehem. But when they arrived, were they surprised or even disappointed?

Somehow these gathered strangers knew that God had asked them to witness a moment like no other. Yet they were fully human themselves. They traveled evasively to avoid a jealous king. They left family and vocations. They set off to pursue something they probably couldn't explain.

Did they hope their journey of faith would end in a massive display of glory? Did they expect they would witness something so significant their apparently foolish mission would be vindicated?

The Bible tells us they worshipped the baby. Somehow, they knew that even if he was crying or cooing or being very baby-like, this child was different. But how could they explain it?

According to the Scriptures, Jesus performed no miracles until he was an adult. The characters in the nativity scene, other than Mary and Joseph, probably never saw him turn water to wine or heal the sick. They had to take their experience for what it was. They had to be faithful even without proof.

And then they probably appeared foolish when they returned to their lives. “So what was that all about?” friends and family asked. How did they explain the incredible contradiction of seeing a baby in a manger and somehow knowing that his birth changed everything?

Did they keep it to themselves? Did they, years later, begin to doubt what they had really seen and felt?

Each year I set up this little tableau with the notion that I am spotlighting something holy and divine. But this year, as I look at the gathered porcelain figures, I am struck by the humanity of most of the statues.

I am reminded of times when I have felt God's presence or witnessed something that seemed utterly miraculous. I am struck by the fact that my glimpses of the holy are easily obscured by the mundane.

What if I had been called to witness this sacred event? Could I have suspended my human disbelief long enough to experience holiness? And then what? Would I have returned to family and friends filled with the news? Or would I have hesitated to talk about something so implausible?

Years later, would I have wondered if I had been too easily impressed, too caught up in the flurry of it all to use my analytical skills? Would I have wished for more proof, more explanation?

As the years passed and the baby became a seemingly ordinary child, would I have been disappointed? Would I have cried out to God when I saw suffering and asked him why he did not use his son to fix the world he had come to save?

I suspect I would have done all these things. I am a human being who occasionally glimpses the divine. In those holy moments, my reality is shaken, my identity re-defined. I return to my ordinary life, untethered for a time by all that once kept me grounded. And yet I eventually go back to the world I know, weighted down by reality.

The older I grow, the more I realize that a life of faith often looks like foolishness. It includes experiences that are not definable and choices that seem counter-intuitive. It means suspending disbelief and refusing to accept the mundane. It means bowing in awe and then, perhaps, having others wonder why you have lost your grip on reality.

But it also means having a tenacious hold on those moments even after they have become a distant memory. It means building tableaux of our own, commemorating those times when God became so real in our lives that nothing would ever be the same.

Dale Hanson Bourke is a consultant to non-profit organizations. Her column is distributed by Religion News Service, which she formerly served as editor

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.