Weekend Parting Shot: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,

I shall not be with you on Christmas Eve. It is a Sunday and a holiday. It is also the anniversary of the day I proposed to my wife almost 16 years ago. I proposed to her in a single-engine aircraft flown by a friend. Our flight plan took us over Dinosaur National Monument. I thought it would be romantic. And it also severely limited my wife's choices when it came time to pop the question. Don't worry. She assured me that she would have said yes anyway.

I think I have enough years under my belt to say that this is one of the Christmases with the least potential to be merry that I have seen in a while. You read the same headlines I do, so you know of what I speak. That being the case, you still have reason to rejoice.

I remember my first Christmas as a newly divorced bachelor, long before I met the Mrs. Brown of today. I was broke. And when I say I was broke, I mean broke. You know those stale hotdogs on the rollers at convenience stores? I had almost enough money to put one of those on layaway. I was alone, I had no tree, no lights, no one gave me any presents, and I had no one to whom I could give presents. Other than the lights on my neighbors' homes, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were no different than any others. That is, except for one detail. In the absence of the usual trappings that accompany Christmas, I had no choice but to view the holiday through the lens for which it was created: the birth of Our Lord. It was a learning experience and the best thing that could have happened to me. 

By way of example, before the last of our children and grandchildren moved away, it was a tradition that they would come over and help us decorate. Several years ago, my granddaughter, who was seven years old at the time, asked my wife if she could put up the Nativity scene that we purchased in Haiti while on a mission trip. My wife agreed, reminding my granddaughter that when she put the figures in place, everyone needed to be looking at Jesus. This was the result, which is the photograph below that I have kept since then:

Obviously, the kid nailed it in more ways than one. Yes, she followed directions. Almost too well. But she also hit upon what we should all be doing this time of the year: looking at Jesus. The hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" is not normally associated with Christmas. It is a very ancient hymn that encapsulates the enormity of the Nativity:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for, with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood.
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav'nly food.

And that, gentle readers, is the meaning of Christmas. 

Ask a Christian which holiday is more important—Easter or Christmas. Most, if not all, will say Easter. And with good reason. But consider this: for Christ to be resurrected, he must have first died. To die, he must have first been born. In Christianity alone, we find not a God taking on an earthly form or merely pretending or playing at being human. Instead, we have God becoming human. He became human to laugh, weep, love, suffer, live, and ultimately die just as we do and to rise again and bid us to do the same. 

In the Nativity, we find a mystery as deep and as great as the Resurrection. God becomes one of us —it is a moment in which the gulf between Heaven and Earth is breached, and the Word becomes flesh. And that moment renders the wickedness of the world useless. A corrupt bureaucracy, sexuality run amuck, and the terror and crime that dominate the headlines all become vapor in the presence of the Incarnate God. The ragings of the heathens become less than whispers. 

And we cannot say to God, "You don't know what I am going through." Indeed, He does. He loved us enough to not only take on human form but to take on our lives. To become one of us, not just someone who looks and sounds like us. And that, in turn, underscores the sacrifice at the cross. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The demons cowered at the Nativity just as much as they did at the Resurrection. The Nativity is a moment of great celebration. But it is also a moment of solemnity and awe when one realizes what God did at that very moment. Not only did He come to save us, but He came to walk with us as one of us.

I am a former Episcopalian. Be that as it may, there is a prayer that I still say every Christmas. You may want to add this "collect" to your blessing for your dinner or gathering on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. From the Book of Common Prayer:

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the
brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known
the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him
perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he
lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Wine Recommendation: Yes, we were going to get around to that eventually. What did you think I would do? I admit that I kept holding out for a bottle of Laphroaig scotch. Alas, perhaps next year.

Christmas seems to be a good time for reds. Don't ask me why. A good red wine goes with the season unless you are celebrating with a sparkling wine or champagne. You may want to give the 2021 Underwood Pinot Noir a go while roasting chestnuts, hosting wassailers, or sitting down to a Christmas ham. 

I found this particular bottle robust and, quite frankly, fun to drink. It's crisp and strong and leans slightly toward the high end for acidity and tannins, but it isn't too jarring.  Overall, it is a very smooth wine. A good fireside wine. You can sense a little cedar and just the right touch of wood smoke. There is a berry taste to it, including a little strawberry. There is also a dash of spice, but nothing that overwhelms the senses. It would go well with a dark chocolate dessert. One person suggested pairing it with a latte. Whatever... some people's children. It might even appeal to those who can't stand reds. Maybe. I would call it "pleasantly agreeable and surprisingly relaxed." How's that for pretentiousness?

If nothing else, if you are on your way to a Christmas gathering and realize you forgot a gift for someone, grab a bottle of Underwood and slap a bow on it. It retails anywhere from $12 to $15. Your gift problem is solved.

Finally, as 2023 sputters to an ignominious close, let me say "thank you" to each and every one of you, my readers. I do not publish as often as I should these days, but I appreciate everyone who reads my columns and leaves a comment. Especially those who challenge me or who share their own wine preferences and recommendations! Thank you for taking the time to read my columns. And, of course, Merry Christmas. "Love and joy come to you, and to you, your wassail too, and God bless you and send you a Happy New Year!"

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Your Friend,

Lincoln