Christmas at the Mall

Well, Thanksgiving is behind us and the frenzy of serious Christmas shopping has begun.  Let's take a deep breath and think about the true meaning of Christmas and not allow the "busyness" of the season to steal our wonder, peace and joy...

CHRISTMAS AT THE MALL

Day after Thanksgiving, at the mall, what is this I see…

Santas sledding in the air and a tinseled Christmas tree,

a roly-poly Frosty, red-nosed Rudolph with some elves,

glittery garlands, balls and bows, bedazzling on the shelves?

The shops are alive with music, “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells;”

there are “ho, ho, hos,” “let it snows” and cinnamony smells.

It certainly all seems festive, so cheery and so bright,

but what oh what does it have to do with that Holy night?

I cannot find a manger scene, an angel or a star,

I do not see the wisemen…wonder where the shepherds are.

I do not hear a carol or the story of the birth

of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who dwelled right here on Earth.

Many, it seems, have cast aside the things that matter most.

By replacing them with fairy-tales, the Treasure became lost.

My heart fills up with sorrow, and I feel the need to prod

the waning faith of restless souls who live apart from God.

We all need to remember the virgin and the Child…

Revive, O Lord, the rock of faith that’s been so long exiled.

Maude Carolan Pych

Announcement:

I will be the featured poet at a special holiday program of poetry & music at The Ant Bookstore, 345 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ, Friday, December 19th at 7 p.m. Holiday music will be provided by Vicki Warne. Come, enjoy and say hello!

Would you like information about ordering my booklet of Christmas poems and cookie recipes? Just scroll all the way to the bottom of this blog to find it.

DINNER WITH THE HOMELESS

The following poem was written several years ago, following a Christmas dinner for the homeless, at Beth Israel Worship Center, then located in Garfield, NJ. Well, I think Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to share it.

Let me take this opportunity to wish each of you a blessed and thankful Thanksgiving Day.

Photo credit: lilesnet.com

THE HOMELESS DINNER

Beth Israel Messianic Center

Long ago, periodic collect calls

came from various cities around the country

from Brad, down on his luck

desperate for quick cash

Tried tough-love

Get a job

Get it together

Go to a mission

His sinister response to that last suggestion

still burns in my ears…

Before I sit through a sermon

for a bowl of soup

I'll stick a gun in my mouth

That catapulted me out the door

to the Western Union desk

one more time

Every winter

my congregation sponsors a dinner

for the homeless

We circulate fliers at shelters

and Penn Station in Newark, the week prior

and arrange for buses and vans

to pick up all who want to come

We cook up our best dishes

bake our most sumptuous treats

and set each table with linen

and a fragrant pink rose in a bud vase

We donate warm coats

and scarves and gloves

soap, toothbrushes and paste

This year there were even

plenty of new eyeglasses

Gary Selman has been emceeing

the event for years

in faded jeans and red muffler

He tells jokes, makes wisecracks

and strums his guitar

An avid collector of Elvis memorabilia,

Gary humorously strikes a "You Ain't Nothin'

But a Hound Dog," pose and asks

Who wants to sing an Elvis song?

The Sanctuary bulges

with a few hundred people

who appear street-wise and unchurched, so

their quick reply takes me by surprise

especially in light of the long ago words

that still smolder like gunpowder

No! they exclaim

No! We want to sing about Jesus!

Gladly, Gary sets himself to strumming

songs to the King of Kings, the Rock of Ages

instead of the long dead King of Rock

One enthusiastic young man

with a Baptist choir voice

takes the mic and sings

"What a Friend We Have in Jesus"

another, a victim of AIDS

comes forward and gives his testimony

Then homeless and congregants

break bread together

in white linen circles of brotherly love

I can see a lot of TLC

went into the cooking, says one

I hope I can get a pair of glasses, says another

Do you think there'll be a coat in my size?

The lining of this one is torn. See?

Twenty-six people accept Jesus

No sermon for soup

Just love in action

That's what serving Jesus

is really all about

 Maude Carolan

Baptisms at the Jordan River

Baptism, Jordan River

AT THE JORDAN RIVER

Israel Pilgrimage—1987

The pilgrims line up

at the popular baptismal site

on the banks of the Jordan

donned in flowing white robes

rented from a vendor

on the way in

One by one our rabbi

listens to words of testimony

and dips each believer backwards

as their brothers and sisters

sing softly on the shore

After they emerge

washed clean in that murky old river

they shed their rented robes

and are funneled through

a narrow aisle

where souvenir bottles

of Jordan River water

where olive wood sheep

and olive wood shepherds

tee shirts and postcards

and holy this and blessed that

are offered—

for a price

Our driver hurries us along

beckons us to the bus

The motor’s running

Quick! Or you’ll miss the camel ride

through the wilderness tonight!

And despite renting and hawking

despite murky water

and tight tour agendas, we know

the sincere emersion

of each contrite sinner

has filled the heavens

with hallelujahs

this glorious day

Maude Carolan Pych

The pilgrims from my congregation, Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ, continue their Holy Land pilgrimage with our pastor/rabbi, Jonathan Cahn.

The above poem is from a pilgrimage I took in 1987. It is included in my chapbook, A Pilgrim's Quest--A Poet Visits the Holy Land. For ordering information, scroll to the end of this website.

A PILGRIMAGE TO ISRAEL

Mt. Arbel    Photo: peakery.com

MOUNT ARBEL IN THE MOONLIGHT

Israel Pilgrimage--2006

Traveling in the tour bus from Tel Aviv

we arrive at the base of Mount Arbel

before twilight turns to dusk

The prudent would

postpone this venture

till daybreak, but

the zealous are rarely prudent

so seventy of us

imprudent zealous pilgrims

hastily begin an uphill trek

dodging rocky obstacles

Spritely pilgrim feet

shuffle, sprint and stumble

up the mount

right to the cliff edge

at the pinnacle

The last vestiges of twilight

reveal the Galilee

flowing below us, darkly

like a great well of ink

Thousands of twinkling pin-lights

emanate from across the lake

…the city of Tiberius

The full moon

makes shadows of us all

as our guide teaches

and our rabbi ministers

We sing

O how we sing—

We are standing

on holy ground and we know

that there are angels all around…

and song after song of praise

unconcerned about hour or nightfall

Our exhilarated spirits mellow

and we lapse into solemn silence

except for muffled adoration

by a few and gentle weeping

by those bearing weighty burdens

then one by one

we make our way

…sure-footedly

down the steep, stony path

as the Lamp Unto Our Feet

God’s great October orb

casts His holy beacon

upon what otherwise would be

a treacherous, dark descent

Maude Carolan Pych

Jonathan Cahn, pastor/rabbi of Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ, is currently leading a pilgrimage to Israel. May the Lord bless it in every way and may all of the pilgrims return from this amazing trip with an ever deepening love for Messiah, the Bible and the land.

The above poem appears in my poetry booklet entitled, A Pilgrim's Quest--A Poet Visits the Holy Land. For information about how to place an order, scroll all the way to the end of this blog.

Pilgrimage Pending

The City of Jerusalem     Photo: thedesertreview.com

A GOOD LAND

“For the Lord your God is bringing

you into a good land.” Deuteronomy 8:7-9

Israel Pilgrimage—2006

My children, siblings

and friends are quick to say:

What’s so good about it?

Suicide bombers

blow themselves up

in the marketplace

and take as many with them

as possible

Palestinians and Israelis

throw rocks at one another

Bombs fly from Lebanon

Enemies surround

and yearn to shove Israel

into the Mediterranean Sea

Who needs the Middle East?

And yet

this is the land

where the virgin gave birth to Jesus

where Lazarus emerged

alive! from the tomb

where Peter walked on water

and lepers were healed

where my Savior

was crucified, rose

and promises to return

where the roots

of the olive tree

that I’m grafted into

reach down deep

into good soil

It’s a good land—

nourishing me with milk

of the living Word

and sweet honey hope

that thrives

in the center of my being

How can I not love it?

Maude Carolan Pych

Jonathan Cahn, pastor/rabbi of Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ, is preparing to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, this month. I will not be going this time. I've been blessed to make three pilgrimages to Israel and have written a chapbook of poetry about my experiences. The above poem appears in that chapbook, titled "A Pilgrim's Quest". Scroll to the end of this blog for ordering information.