Here is an interesting question that popped in my mind the other day: "How many trips does Santa have to make to the post office in order to pick up all the letters addressed to him with,
Dear Santa"? A lot! The post office in the city of North Pole, Alaska reports that estimated half a million mails addressed to 'Santa in North Pole' arrive there. I estimate that to be around 31,250 lbs or 15 tons. Those reindeers have much work to pull all those mail back to Santa's home. St. Nicholas,
aka Santa, then has to forward all those letters to Jesus. Lately St. Nicholas wanted to put the power of Internet to work, so he has been giving out his email address,
www.emailsanta.com. (In fact, I wrote him and got a reply back, which I posted) And St. Nicholas has been reporting over half a million emails to him this year. An 8 year old named Nichole from Tucson, Arizona has this to say about the new way to contact Santa via Internet. "I was at the mall today and I was waiting forever in line to tell you what I want for Christmas. So I really like that I can e-mail you right away without lining up."
At the heart of the Christmas is the arrival of baby Jesus to two proud parents, Joseph and Mary. And for this Christmas, I wondered what it was like for St. Joseph to wait and finally see his baby son. Many of the dads here in the church know what it was like to wait for their first-born, but I don’t. So when I came across the story of Eliot and his dad, Matt Mooney, I was fascinated because their story reflects the mystery of Christmas. Thankfully Eliot's dad kept
a daily blog on the internet to record his thoughts and experiences with his son. The first blog entry says, "We are excited to have our first baby! We could not express how important it is for you to understand that we are not in despair. Rather, we are excited to have this baby at this time. This is our first child, and we cannot wait. Of course, we would do anything in order for this baby to be healthy, and we have cried enough to last a while; but we feel the Lord is sovereign and, therefore, this is the baby for us. And we anxiously await our gift."
We know that the circumstance surrounding how Jesus was conceived was not at all positive from St. Joseph's point of view. Here was a woman he was about to marry, yet she was already pregnant! Could he trust her story? Could he trust what the dream told him? In the dream an angel told Joseph, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." In the case of Matt Mooney and his wife Ginny, the doctors told them that their child had Edwards Syndrome or Trisomy 18 which is an anomaly in the chromosome 18 which affects how every cells develop. They were told that it's fatal--most babies die before birth or live only few days after birth. And so in the blog, Matt wrote, "We're praying for a miracle. We are praying for healing and life for this baby. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our God is able to heal our child. And, in the same breath, we know that He is worthy no matter the outcome. Please pray that God would equip us for the days ahead & give us the strength to say, 'not our will, but your will be done.'"
The next entry was a joyful one. "Eliot Hartman Mooney, born July 20th, 2006 4:59pm,
6lb 18 ½ inches. God has answered our (and your) prayers. Eliot is a 4 day old miracle thanks to all our friends and family for their help and support!" Each day, Eliot's parents decided to have a birthday party for him at 4:59PM, the time he was born. They believed that each day, Eliot's life was a gift, a miracle from God, and it needed to be celebrated. But that miraculous gift was a delicate one that needed much care. Every 3 hours, Eliot's parents took turns feeding Eliot through feeding tubes, a task which took an hour and a half. His dad took the night shift, feeding Eliot from 11PM until 4:45AM. Yet Eliot's dad commented, "11PM is when my best part of the day begins."
Can we imagine how worried was St. Joseph being caught in Bethelehem, a town unfamiliar to him, without lodging and a secure place for his wife and his unborn baby? What husband and father would not be worried and disappointed when he could not provide for his expecting wife a decent place to rest other than a place where animals are kept. I think much of that inner drama of St. Joseph is hidden from us in the gospel. Just looking at what Eliot's daddy went through, we can guess what it was like for St. Joseph at the birth of his son. I'm certain that the birth of Jesus taught St. Joseph many important lessons about life and faith, just as Eliot did for his dad. At Eliot's funeral, his mom and dad and friends released 99 balloons--one balloon for each birthday Eliot celebrated. On 99th day of life on earth, Eliot went to the arms of Heavenly Father. Eliot's dad reflected about lessons he learned:
"Eliot's life is always teaching. Ever instructing. Gently nudging observers to truth.
Our world is one in which we all strive for control. Everyone possesses a plan. Sure, some hang on more tightly than others, but, to some extent, we all desire to influence our circumstances. Early on, one learns that his actions can determine the outcome.
[Yet] Everyone is afraid to admit that they do not have a plan. I love asking college freshman what their plans are. They've got it all mapped out. We crave control; and at the least we desire the appearance of being in control.
Eliot has managed to shatter our illusion of control. We can do nothing. Our utter dependence on the Lord is glaring. He's sick...so we take him to the doctor. They can do nothing. It's a helpless, powerless place that we are in. But, truth be known, this reality is where we have always dwelled. Eliot just helped us realize.
I am thankful that we know the one that controls. This is not always comforting. For His ways are not my ways, and I want my way. All I can do is trust Him. And with Eliot I've begun to see that His ways are better and He is worthy of trust."
