AWAY IN A MANGER

                   (Rev. Walbear's parents with their first store at Balcolm's Corners, NY circa 1930's)

                                                              

                                                              AWAY IN A MANGER

     NO! This is not another Christmas story! This is a New Year's message, and you'll have to wait later on in the story to discover the connection about the manger. So...Have patience.

   

  Many New Year's celebrations have always been boisterous, loud, and merry. That's true the world over. Costumes such as those in China are magnificent, and most countries and cultures observe meaningful

celebrations. In many instances, the holiday has serious religious implications.

   The celebrations in most rural communities during the 1930s and early 1940s were rather muted. This was the era of the Great Depression and World War II. For many families the new year was a time to be

thankful they made it this far in tough times. In the 40s, people were concerned about the war. The early years of the war didn't go well for the Allies, and husbands and sons were away, serving their country.

   

  My family operated a general store that was a sort of hub for a rural, mostly farming community. This was the day before the supermarket and big box stores. The general store was the place most people purchased

everything except for rare specialties. Besides a full line of groceries, you could buy shoes, clothing, household goods, hardware, tires, auto parts, gas and oil, and many other items. Except, during the war years, almost everything was rationed.

    Certain items such as sugar, tires and gasoline were of short supply because of the war effort. The need of butter for our troops spawned the development of oleo for us back home. We were limited to two pair of

shoes per year, and some things like silk hose were not available. Gas was in short supply, so there wasn't much travel. It was needed for emergency vehicles and farms.

    A mild type of black market sprang up, but it was nothing like black markets of later years. There was a control on ALL prices, so there was no price gouging, even in black market items. People really cared for each other, and families helped families. This was especially true where one or more family member was away in military service. I have not seen such an attitude since the 1950s.

     So, what does this have to do with New Years? It explains to us that there is more to the observance than partying and getting soused. Things were very serious and somber during this time. Hope and opportunity brought to us by the holiday made us more aware of our shortcomings and the need to retool our lives. This could be survival.

   

  While there was still a holiday mood, an emphasis was placed on new resolutions. What bad habits we needed to try and eliminate, and what we could do improve ourselves. My parents, like most of the local people, observed the holiday with a few friends and a special meal. My Dad always "shot" the old year out and the new year in by firing a round or two with his shotgun. That had long been a tradition.

    Near the end of the war, we moved to a dairy farm. I had not yet reached by teen years, so I viewed stories I was told as possibilities, but not necessarily accurate. This is when I heard the manger story. My Dad had been raised on a farm, and he told me tradition had it that the animals in the barn would talk at midnight on New Year's Eve. Why not check it out?

    

We went to the barn an hour or so before midnight. Although it was a cold night, the weather was clear. I had often "propped" myself right behind the front leg of a cow to get warmth from her body heat. This

night the barn was comfortable. I didn't really believe the animals could talk to me, but I still waited in anticipation. Our animals were people friendly, and they were contentedly eating hay, chewing their cud or

taking a nap. No sign of talk.

   

  Then Dad pointed out that the animals were not talking in English or any people language. They were speaking their approval and enjoyment of their feed, comfort, and home. It was talk, all right, but in their own

language. They were happy, and so was I. Later in life, I sometimes continued to fire off a round at midnight, but my wife and I always preferred to be with the animals. They munched at their hay--in mangers, of course-- and that reminded us of our Savior. The manger with fresh hay made a very comfortable and nice bed.

  

  Giving it a bit more thought in the relative quiet of the barn, I realized how perfectly God had lined up the series of holidays to remind us of His teaching. In late October we observe Halloween, a time for the things

we need to avoid--witches, goblins, the devil, etc. Then, in November, we have Thanksgiving. This is the time to appreciate the food and creature blessings He has bestowed upon us.

  

  Following Thanksgiving is Christmas, the observance of God's great gift to mankind, Jesus, our Savior. New Year's Day provides us with the Hope and Opportunity that we can erase the bad things in our life and move ahead for blessings in the future. As salvation gives us a new birth, we have the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us to overcome bad spots in the pathway of life. We experience the Trinity in these three special days following a warning. What a perfect plan, and most of us probably never understood the whole story of the special days.

 Happy blessed New Year, folks!

Rev. Walbear

Christmas at Arkwright

                                            Christmas at Arkwright

    Thanksgiving and Christmas have always turned my thoughts to the warmth and joy of family and scenes such as "Over the River and Through the Woods to  Grandmother's House We Go." Few of us make trips like that now, but the cozy thoughts and excitement still are associated with the poem. I associate that
poem with a Christmas experience I had over 70 years ago when some families took a sleigh to grandma's house. We didn't take a sleigh to the Christmas gathering. The snow was so deep and side roads not plowed out yet, so we traveled by car with chains on the rear tires as far as the main road was cleared.

    Then we turned onto a gravel side road where the plow had been able to clear a distance of about 100 yards. From there it was almost two miles to my aunt's house and farm. It was also the end of that road that became a field road from that point on.

    There was a small farm where the plow had managed to open the road, and we left our cars there and went inside the warm house where that family welcomed us to get warm. They had a large wood stove, and the entire house was cheerful and Christmasy. Did I mention we had about two feet of snow and the temperature was in the single digits?

    This was a typical winter occurrence for the area in western New York labeled the Grape Belt in the summer and the Snow Belt in the winter. While the land along Lake Erie produced wonderful grape, fruit and vegetable crops, the range of hills behind this fertile area served as the collector of moisture from the lake as the wind carried the clouds directly over the hills in the form of snow. The westerly wind then built huge drifts.

    My aunt's farm was really located in what a townie would describe as the "sticks." This was rural western New York, and a great place to raise a family as long as you didn't mind the harsh winters. The side road to my aunt's home was at an intersection known as Arkwright. It wasn't even a village, but was known for a huge building fondly named the Chicken Tavern. If you mentioned either name, people knew exactly what you were talking about.

    So far, this part of our journey was the easy part. We had arrived at this location without dreaded broken links on the chains. Remember, these were the days before four wheel drive and winter tires. When links on the chains broke, they would hit the undersides of the fenders and create a great deal of noise. You would usually have to stop and try to repair the breakage wherever you happened to be under whatever weather conditions. To plow the heavily drifted roads, highway departments had developed rotary plows that were the ancestors of today's snow blowers. They were huge machines and fascinating for us to watch.

     Now we had to trek the nearly two miles up the drifted road to my aunt's house. This was on foot. There were no tracks, just the ribbon of white through the trees and curving slightly uphill. With no snow, this wouldn't have been a difficult trip for a couple of five-- year olds. There were four adults and the two of us. We kids could not have gone 10 yards up that road without someone "breaking trail" because the snow was generally chest deep for us. So, the four adults broke trail, with the men going first, the women following, and us bringing up a very exhausted rear. We had to stop and rest often, because we all got pretty played out.

    You'd think we should have called the whole gathering off due to the terrible conditions. In those days, country people were hardy folks, and they were used to handing tough situations. This had been planned for quite a while, and we weren't about to be disappointed. While my cousin and her parents lived in a small town, they weren't what we call townies today. Small town life in that area was almost the same as living in the country.

    After what seemed like a week wading through that snow uphill, we at last saw the second story of the farm house and roof. The snow had drifted so deep up this high on  the hill that it actually reached the second floor of the house on the west and north sides. This is what it must feel like when you are traveling across the
desert and find an oasis.

    This was a big farm house, and few homes had central heat or furnaces in those days. They had a large kitchen and what normally served as a dining room, but was the living room in the winter. The regular living room was closed off for the winter, except for this Christmas gathering. It was opened up, and the large Christmas tree was right where the two rooms were usually joined together by double doors. There was no heat upstairs, so you had to snuggle in under featherticks. They were unbelievably warm, and the forerunner of sleeping bags.

    There was a wood stove for cooking and a kerosene stove to heat the other two rooms. These three rooms were very comfortable. Although most people along the main roads and well-traveled side roads had electricity, there was no electricity on this road. The lights were actually kerosene lamps you may have seen in old movies. They worked pretty well. This really was the only improvement most people had that was missing here. They had no telephone, but many country people had yet to get "wired." Bathrooms, especially on farms, were yet to become reality, but most towns and villages had them. "Outhouses" still were common.

    This house had an "inhouse" outhouse. That is to say, the toilet was a room inside a woodshed attached to the house. They had intended to put a floor in the woodshed, but only got as far as placing the support beams. On these, they placed a series of planks to the inhouse. If you needed to use the facility, you didn't waste any time because it was really COLD.

    We had a great Christmas dinner  and then it was time for the opening of gifts under the tree. There were lots of gifts for children and adults alike. This was really a special time, because we were still coming out of the Great Depression. Rural folks had a rough time then, and gifts were rare except for Christmas and birthdays. We always ate well, because much of what we needed came from our land and animals.

    In the excitement of opening the gifts and holiday atmosphere, I don't believe any of us gave any thought of the difficult journey to be there. In a small way, it was sort of like the feeling those gathered in Bethlehem a couple of thousand years ago must have had. It had been a hard journey for a mother-to-be to get to Bethlehem, with no reservation at the Ritz or Holiday Inn. But the final chapter was beyond glory with the birth of our Savior. 

    Friends, always remember God is in control of everything. He did not make life on earth easy for His son.  If your road is difficult, you can make the trip as long as you follow His directions. Christ gave us the Spirit of Christmas, which was love, peace and compassion. He repeated the warnings of the Old Testament
about material  desires which lead us to believe we can prepare for a "rainy" day. 

    I recall so many "teaching" stories which give us a good feeling, but actually are entirely misleading and cause us to make serious judgment decisions. One that is appropriate for the Christmas season is the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The ant is a hard worker and prepares for winter while the grasshopper does not prepare for winter, and dies when cold weather comes. Contrary to this teaching, the grasshopper is not lazy and is not to prepare for winter. God created him for a purpose, and he fulfills that purpose during
his lifespan in the warm weather. God is in control, and both species fulfill their purpose.

    When we use the ant and grasshopper as an example to separate people through material possessions or occupations, we are falling into a trap designed to make us feel superior to others. It is not a Christian story and leads us away from compassion. We need to understand John, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved". This is total compassion because no limits were placed on who you were or what you did or didn't do, EXCEPT you must accept Christ as your Savior. We must share Christ's compassion for our fellow men/women whether they are rich or poor, pretty or not, workers or not, healthy or not, and same race or not. We are all sinners. If you really want to understand the Christmas story, carefully read the Four Gospels, taking notes not about Christ's birth, but about what He taught. He is the message of Christmas.

    As a final word, I want to thank all of you who prayed for my recovery and health. I had a very uplifting learning experience that I could not have received any other way. I have been blessed by this experience and gained much knowledge and understanding that could come no other way. I also was privileged to observe and recall the fruit of some of my previous work. Just never forget that God is always in control of everything. No matter how bad anything appears to be, it is according to His will. If you accept Christ, you will have a purpose, and that purpose will be Christ-like, not a self-centered goal. I wish you a merry Christ-
centered Christmas.

Rev. Walbear