Monday, December 22, 2025
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Tent in the living room
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.
We do this often for our children. Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, godparents, teachers and neighbors pray and pray, then wait and wait, while God takes care of business. It takes a village. There are clouds of witnesses watching, human and angelic, and so we are free to be free.
Grandparenting is so good, someone said, “I wish I’d started sooner.” We were married in 1979 and Chris was born in 1980. Last week he turned 45. Marc is 43, and Andi 39. Can that be right? We look at each, skeptical but also in awe/wonder/joy/gratitude.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
Miles and Jasper made an overnight retreat with us Saturday and Sunday, sandwiched between family trips to see Elf and the new Angel animation David.
 We started a fire and played a short unfinished game of Sorry. The boys put on their safety glasses and whacked away at a pallet Scott our maintenance genius left us last week.
We made brownies and ate Margaret’s lasagna (great and gluten-free with zucchini slices), and then popcorn that the boys took turns stirring. The boys set up their tent almost on their own, with its 14 foot poles and see-through side aimed carefully so they could watch the Bears/Packers game, at least until they fell asleep. Sunday morning I showed them highlights from the last few seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime. Bears win!
In the morning we read Have You Seen My Dinosaur? and sliced up a loaf of Italian panettone to make French toast, along with Li’l Smokies, apple cider and egg nog. Aki and Andi whisked them off to church (across the street) and after dropping off Finn, who will be one year old in March, the rest of us sat together, just as we will on Christmas Eve and also next Sunday, when there will be just one service. The Christmas music was beautiful. The boys were enthusiastic. We were happy.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
We talked about family generations this weekend. Last weekend a TableTalk question generated stories about how we appreciated our moms. Margaret has been studying Ezra and now Esther with her Bible Study Fellowship group. Reading through Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus sparked thoughts about our own history. We share the DNA of those folks. And we thought, a little awestruck, about where our kids and grandkids and then their kids and grandkids are going.
As Pastor Matt testified yesterday in his sermon, we have always been and will always be surrounded by angelic beings sent to guide and protect us, and we all have stories about them. We might attribute those experiences to luck, but we will not do that. The Sandels and Tomitas will be getting together on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the day after Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Along with the family-created Christmas pageant, opening presents, playing games and eating great food, we will be sharing stories about our angels.
He remembers his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
(1 Samuel 1, 1 Samuel 2, Luke 1)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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