…down for 36 hours. So, after napping, reading for fun, and catching up on correspondence, I finally decided it was time to tackle that task I had been successfully avoiding: sermon planning. My usual practice is to have the latest televised news of mayhem and pandemonium playing in the background; few things motivate Good News as well as bad news. But since I had no internet to stream the news, I decided to listen to my favorite Christmas album: “John Denver and the Muppets – A Christmas Together.” Released in 1979. (Surprised?)

     When my children were small, I would put a pot of chili on the stove, and we would listen to this album while we decorated the tree. As you might expect, some of the songs are hilarious. For example, Miss Piggy’s reaction when she’s told that figgy (she had heard piggy) pudding is made with figs – and bacon. The Muppet rendition of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” is another. (I always tried to watch Sesame Street with my kids, the humor was in good taste and surprisingly sophisticated at times.) There are some songs that are well-known, but others that are less familiar.

     But there are also songs on this album that brought me to tears: “The Christmas Wish” sung by Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) and John Denver’s soliloquy entitled “Alfie and the Christmas Tree” followed by a medley of less familiar carols. I don’t know if it’s the time of year, or my age, or the condition of the world, or just the memories it evoked but this album moved me on this day, in this place.

     John Denver died in 1997. Jim Henson died in 1990. Jesus Christ died 2000 years ago. But their music, their WORDS remain, so they still speak – to those who are willing to listen. Merry Christmas. aaahhhh…….

 

Dr. Ann Hitt