soon upon us from coast to coast
those downunder are first to toast
past year to introspect and roast
clean out the ledger, new year to post

what to delete, what to store
what do u want less, what do u want more
what remains as festering sore
what resolutions to create galore
how to better and strengthen inner core
brokenness to restore
each other further bore
release the spirit to greater heights soar
row harder towards lighthouse, don’t drop the oar
get rid of that bad habit or apnea snore
what drumbeat to follow or ignore

robert burns marks every hogmanay, new year’s day
glasses clinked, voices bray and bodies sway
reviving and reveling friendships, times of “old long since”
the future lived out in present become memoirs minced

should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne

einen guten rutsch to slide into neujahr to start and cheer
prost to each other with a cup of kindness beer
for a good beginning, a rosh hashanah
rid the blah, usher instead rah-rah
fa-lalalala, patati patata
obladi oblada
life goes on
till dawn is gone

so this is Christ’s mass
and what have u done
another year over
flip the hourglass
and a new one just begun

’tis date set aside to celebrate hope
for a rope binding our Source and us to grope
for some, things come to focus to mope
for others, head to aruba to elope
for some, escape to a world of chosen dope
for others, consume and ski down debt slope
for some, ’tis time to deck out in fancy robe
for others, meditate for peace around the globe

singing…..

and so this is christmas
for weak and for strong
for rich and the poor ones
the road is so long
and so happy christmas
for black and for white
for yellow and red ones
let’s stop all the fight
seek respite
bask in His light
live and give gloria in excelsis Deo might

to everything – discern, concern, turn
there is a season – burn, learn, churn
and a time for every purpose, under heaven

weihnachten is time for rejoicing
to celebrate life He enriched, a season of giving
a time to plant, a time to reap
a time to laugh, egg nog to sip, waistline to slip
friendships renewed and memories keep
a time to foster shalom deep

and so happy christmas
i hope u have fun
with near and dear ones
whether at home, under tuscany sun or on the run

don’t let grinch steal your christmas
allow me to arm u with my heart verses

joan’s resting in a better place
no pain, no bitterness, no malaise
she left us with plenty of tender memories
to brave our own temporal life journeys

so let not your heart be troubled
instead, in God and each other, comfort and strength doubled

what better place to take a fraud detection class
on illuminating deception, none other than las vegas
a faux world of sounds abound, sights and lights to conceive
bellagio, venice, paris, rome, rio, you-name-it, to make believe
a shakespearean world of actors onstage
take in what u like or turn the page

let me take you down, cos i’m going to strawberry fields
nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about
fluff city feel forever
cirque soleil “beatles love” at mirage was indeed clever

eiffel tower, provencal eats under parisien blue skies
picture newlyweds on gondola with mist in their eyes
4 ex-hp pals gather in venice caneletto for lunch
entree delights of memories to munch and crunch

caesar’s palace beckons u to shop in the forum chic
dance with bellagio’s fountains, take your pick

check out polar bears cast from 18000 carnations

gawk at stunning glass flower art constellations

colorful clouds towering over your head
have petrussian caviar dreams and bollinger wishes in bed

las vegas is in my ears and in my eyes
there beneath the fake blue suburban skies
i sit, and meanwhile back
lost in the sea of slots and black jack

vegas in the sky with diamonds
vegas in the sky with diamonds
aaaahhhhh…
follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
where rocking horse people eat marshmellow pies
everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
that grow so incredibly high
taxis appear on the north or south shore
waiting to take you away
climb in the back with your head in the clouds
and you’re gone

aaaahhhhh….
look at all the lonely people
where do they all come from?
all the lonely people
where do they all belong?

as we live a life of ease
everyone of us has all we need
sky of blue and sea of green
in our yellow submarine

at sahara, no mirage
the platters sing, someday you’ll find
all who love are blind
oh, when your heart’s on fire
you must realize
smoke gets in your eyes

today bears great significance
of earthly and spiritual relevance
allow me to spin the yarn and splice
a steinback patch on my quilt of men and mice

first canticle to sing to mother dear
82 years of life to clear

without whom, my siblings and i would not be here
to make our separate journeys but bound together by her, far and near
she taught us not to fear but now fear has taken over her
now out-of-step with life, all is a slur and blur
alice peered through her looking glass and wonderland
this phase of life never planned
our wish for thee is not try so hard
instead let go, make the most of your dealt card
“in the days of my youth,” as father williams decreed
“i remember’d that youth could not last
i thought of the future whatever i did,
that i never might grieve for the past.”

at today’s worship, the magnificat reminded us the reason for the season
magnificat is latin for “to magnify Him”
recorded in luke 1:46-55, also called the canticle of mary responding to cousin, a song lesson
when mary learned she was to be mother of the Messiah, here goes her joyous prayer praise hymn

my soul doth magnify the Lord.
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
because He that is mighty, hath done great things for me; and holy is His name.
and His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him.
He hath shewed might in His arm:
He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath received israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy:
as He spoke to our fathers, to abraham and his seed for ever.

today also marks “advent” which means “arrival” or “coming”
advent is the beginning of the church year, symbolized by candle-lighting
it begins on the fourth sunday before christmas day
and ends on christmas eve, december 24 before His birthday
the focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus in His first advent
and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in His second advent, a fallen babylon event

bernard bell’s askesis today is which city – babylon or new jerusalem – will your earthly life be spent?