Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Advent Wreath Lighting for Christmas Eve in Year B
Christmas Eve Year B (based on Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 by Rev. Martha Spong)
Reader One: Hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined…For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Reader Two: “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
Reader One: We stand on the brink of God’s time and light again the candles of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
Reader Two: We light the Christ Candle to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus, the light coming into the world.
(Please pause as we light the candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Reader One: Hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined…For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Reader Two: “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
Reader One: We stand on the brink of God’s time and light again the candles of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
Reader Two: We light the Christ Candle to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus, the light coming into the world.
(Please pause as we light the candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Gospel Lesson for Advent week four
Luke 1:26-38
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
A Family Christmas
Photo by Jimmy Allen
Shepherds and angels together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. A precious evening of worship with Heritage Baptist Church of Wake Forest.
Never underestimate the power of a child leading a worship service. Such is the Kingdom of God.
Advent Wreath Lighting for the Fourth Week in Year B
Advent 4B (based on Psalm 89:19-23 by Rev. Martha Spong)
Reader One: The Psalmist received a vision from God, who said, I have put a crown on the head of a new king, a mighty one chosen and anointed with oil.
Reader Two: My hand will always be with him; my arm will strengthen him.
Reader One: My faithfulness and steadfast love will be with the one I’ve chosen.
Reader Two: We wait for God’s love coming to us. The day of God’s joy is soon coming. We live in God’s peace and hope as we light these candles.
(Please pause as we light four candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Reader One: The Psalmist received a vision from God, who said, I have put a crown on the head of a new king, a mighty one chosen and anointed with oil.
Reader Two: My hand will always be with him; my arm will strengthen him.
Reader One: My faithfulness and steadfast love will be with the one I’ve chosen.
Reader Two: We wait for God’s love coming to us. The day of God’s joy is soon coming. We live in God’s peace and hope as we light these candles.
(Please pause as we light four candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Friday, December 19, 2014
"From the Lectionary, Advent 3: Living Jubilee" by Rachel Held Evans
I’m blogging through the lectionary this year, with an emphasis on the prophets this Advent season (See Advent 1, Advent 2), and today’s reading comes from Isaiah 61:
Blogging with the lectionary has given me a new appreciation for pastors, let me tell you.
If I’m struggling to make sense of the lectionary text, if I get to the end of the week and I’m “just not feeling it,” I can simply skip a post and few people will notice, even fewer care. But a pastor can’t exactly approach the lectern on a Sunday morning, shrug her shoulders, and declare to the congregation, “You know what guys? I’m just not feeling this one.” (Well, I suppose she could but someone might throw a hymnal in response.)
...Nor can she wait until the following Tuesday afternoon to share her insights, as I have done here.
So thanks, pastors, for your faithfulness in listening to, learning from, and preaching the Word, even when it’s hard. Those of us sitting in the pews can never really know what that’s like to heed that call and we have no business demanding rapturous rhetoric week to week when, if put in your position, we would likely resort to showing Veggie Tale movies.
Isaiah 61 threw me for a loop last week, not because of its poverty but because of its riches. There were just too many facets to this diamond, too many dazzling angles. I didn’t know where to start. The poetry (“give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit”), the theology, the call for social justice and the Christological implications—a thousand sermons live in these verses, a million possible reflections.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes Scripture silences me with awe. Even as my theology, my hermeneutics, and my understanding of the nature of the Bible have shifted and changed, this fact remains. I am caught in these words as in a current. I may struggle at times, but they will never let me go.
So I surrender....
Jesus preached a sermon on this passage once.
His listeners responded by trying to shove him off a cliff.
According to my copy of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, this was not because the Jews gathered hated the Gentiles Jesus referenced in his sermon, but because they felt left out. “The rejection of Jesus is not prompted by xenophobia,” says the entry on Luke 4:16-30, “it is prompted by Jesus’ refusal to provide his hometown with messianic blessing.”
Indeed, like the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, this passage reveals God’s special deference toward the poor and marginalized and can make the relatively privileged—the rich and the religious, the free and the full— feel a bit left out when the good news is delivered first to the perceived outsiders. It seems this tendency to equate justice and dignity for the marginalized with persecution of the privileged is an old one. But in this sermon and throughout his ministry, Jesus does not simply advocate for equality. He advocates for a complete reversal of priorities that blesses the poor, the outsiders, and the oppressed first and warns that those most in danger of missing the gospel are those who benefit from the world’s economy.
Jesus, invoking the words of Isaiah and sharing God’s dreams for the world, announces the inauguration of a new Kingdom in which the Year of Jubilee—when debts are forgiven, slaves set free, land and its abundance shared—is celebrated perpetually.
“At the center of biblical faith,” says Walter Brueggemann in a sermon on this passage, “is a command from God that curbs economic transactions by an act of communal sanity that restores everyone to proper place in the economy, because life in the community of faith does not consist of getting more but in sharing well.”
This is good news for those in desperate need of a fresh start. It’s bad news for those who kinda like things the way they are, those who buy the lie that all that extra stuff and power and prestige they won in the rat race make them more important, more worthy, more good.
…Which, let’s face it, is most of us.
Jesus
reads Isaiah 61 from a scroll, rolls it up with dramatic flare, and
declares that “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing.”
It’s an exciting moment in the text.
But here’s the thing that tripped me up more than any other: I don’t see this Scripture fulfilled. I don’t see any Year of Jubilee.
Jesus purportedly rose from the dead more than 2,000 years ago and yet inequities still persist. Injustice remains. Slavery, in the words of songwriter Brett Dennen, is “stitched into fabric of my clothes” and more than 140 Pakistani children were gunned down for going to school today. Eric Garner is still dead, our prisons are still overcrowded, and I can’t seem to let go of that stupid grudge or my excess stuff or my idolatrous conviction that the most important thing in the whole world is to be right, to stay on top. The Empire economy doesn’t seem to be budging one bit...in the world or in my heart.
I suppose this is all part of the here-but-not-yet, inaugurated-but-not-consummated nature of the Kingdom, which we talk about a lot during Advent but which, let’s face it, doesn’t seem like enough for Ferguson right now, or for Sandy Hook and Peshawar.
Here’s Brueggeman’s take on things:
“…That vision of God will only become reality when there is enough human obedience.”
Obedience.
As Liz Lemon might say, “Oh, that word bums me out.”
Obedience sounds hard. It sounds like work. It sounds like sacrifice.
The words we like best for Advent are words like wait and prepare. But paying attention to the prophets in this season reminds us that the sort of waiting and preparing that God calls us to as citizens of this upside-down Kingdom is the active kind that demolishes obstructions and levels the playing field, that binds the brokenhearted and liberates the imprisoned, that beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, and bets it all by going all in on this irrational and seemingly impossible vision of peace on earth.
“From the outset of the Bible, certainly in God’s command of Sinai and surely in the ministry of Jesus,” writes Brueggemann, “signals of neighborliness are endlessly enacted. That finally is what is odd and true and demanding and glorious about the Gospel, that God wills and acts toward a neighborliness that curbs greed, vetoes fear, and removes the causes of violence. We baptized people are the ones who have singed on for this vision and act toward it.”
To listen to the prophets is to share God’s dreams for the world and to live into those dreams, to bet it all on that vision for the future. Jesus is our example for exactly how to do this. That’s what he meant when he said Scripture had been fulfilled with his presence among us. He was saying: Watch me; this is how it’s done. This is what Jubilee—God’s Kingdom— looks like in action.
In the last Advent reflection, I fretted that when it came to making a way for God and leveling the uneven ground, I wasn’t sure where to start. But that’s not true. I know exactly where to start. I start with Jesus.
If Jesus embodies God’s dreams for the world, then citizens of the Kingdom start by imitating him—by eating with the people he ate with, by telling the sort of stories he told, by healing and forgiving, by serving and praying, by resisting the temptations of power and money and violence, by breaking down religious barriers, by loving enemies, by showing humility and grace, by overturning some tables and dining at others, by being obedient to the point of death.
The good news we declare at Advent is that, in Jesus, God has given us everything we need for peace on earth. God has shown us the way. The question is: will we believe enough to obey, to live Jubilee?
...Lord, help me in my unbelief.
The Brueggemann quotes come from Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann, which I cannot recommend enough.
‘The
spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he
has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the
prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who
mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint
spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord, to display his glory…
…I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me
with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a
garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth
brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to
spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring
up before all the nations.”
If I’m struggling to make sense of the lectionary text, if I get to the end of the week and I’m “just not feeling it,” I can simply skip a post and few people will notice, even fewer care. But a pastor can’t exactly approach the lectern on a Sunday morning, shrug her shoulders, and declare to the congregation, “You know what guys? I’m just not feeling this one.” (Well, I suppose she could but someone might throw a hymnal in response.)
...Nor can she wait until the following Tuesday afternoon to share her insights, as I have done here.
So thanks, pastors, for your faithfulness in listening to, learning from, and preaching the Word, even when it’s hard. Those of us sitting in the pews can never really know what that’s like to heed that call and we have no business demanding rapturous rhetoric week to week when, if put in your position, we would likely resort to showing Veggie Tale movies.
Isaiah 61 threw me for a loop last week, not because of its poverty but because of its riches. There were just too many facets to this diamond, too many dazzling angles. I didn’t know where to start. The poetry (“give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit”), the theology, the call for social justice and the Christological implications—a thousand sermons live in these verses, a million possible reflections.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes Scripture silences me with awe. Even as my theology, my hermeneutics, and my understanding of the nature of the Bible have shifted and changed, this fact remains. I am caught in these words as in a current. I may struggle at times, but they will never let me go.
So I surrender....
***
His listeners responded by trying to shove him off a cliff.
According to my copy of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, this was not because the Jews gathered hated the Gentiles Jesus referenced in his sermon, but because they felt left out. “The rejection of Jesus is not prompted by xenophobia,” says the entry on Luke 4:16-30, “it is prompted by Jesus’ refusal to provide his hometown with messianic blessing.”
Indeed, like the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, this passage reveals God’s special deference toward the poor and marginalized and can make the relatively privileged—the rich and the religious, the free and the full— feel a bit left out when the good news is delivered first to the perceived outsiders. It seems this tendency to equate justice and dignity for the marginalized with persecution of the privileged is an old one. But in this sermon and throughout his ministry, Jesus does not simply advocate for equality. He advocates for a complete reversal of priorities that blesses the poor, the outsiders, and the oppressed first and warns that those most in danger of missing the gospel are those who benefit from the world’s economy.
Jesus, invoking the words of Isaiah and sharing God’s dreams for the world, announces the inauguration of a new Kingdom in which the Year of Jubilee—when debts are forgiven, slaves set free, land and its abundance shared—is celebrated perpetually.
“At the center of biblical faith,” says Walter Brueggemann in a sermon on this passage, “is a command from God that curbs economic transactions by an act of communal sanity that restores everyone to proper place in the economy, because life in the community of faith does not consist of getting more but in sharing well.”
This is good news for those in desperate need of a fresh start. It’s bad news for those who kinda like things the way they are, those who buy the lie that all that extra stuff and power and prestige they won in the rat race make them more important, more worthy, more good.
…Which, let’s face it, is most of us.
***
It’s an exciting moment in the text.
But here’s the thing that tripped me up more than any other: I don’t see this Scripture fulfilled. I don’t see any Year of Jubilee.
Jesus purportedly rose from the dead more than 2,000 years ago and yet inequities still persist. Injustice remains. Slavery, in the words of songwriter Brett Dennen, is “stitched into fabric of my clothes” and more than 140 Pakistani children were gunned down for going to school today. Eric Garner is still dead, our prisons are still overcrowded, and I can’t seem to let go of that stupid grudge or my excess stuff or my idolatrous conviction that the most important thing in the whole world is to be right, to stay on top. The Empire economy doesn’t seem to be budging one bit...in the world or in my heart.
I suppose this is all part of the here-but-not-yet, inaugurated-but-not-consummated nature of the Kingdom, which we talk about a lot during Advent but which, let’s face it, doesn’t seem like enough for Ferguson right now, or for Sandy Hook and Peshawar.
Here’s Brueggeman’s take on things:
“What
[Jesus] meant was, ‘I am Jubilee. Isaiah wrote about it. I am going to
enact it.’ And he set about giving social power and social access and
social goods to the poor and excluded. And says Luke, ‘They were filled
with rage.’…They did not want to hear about the Jubilee that would curb
their accumulation, not even for Jesus. It is a hard command…
….The
only reason one might obey such a hard command that is concrete
material, and economic divestment is that we have a different, larger
vision of the future. We know what is promised and what will be, by the
power of God. The command is to serve the great social vision of the
Gospel, because that vision of God will only become reality when there
is enough human obedience. This vision of God is not a vision of
accumulation and monopoly so that those who have the most when they die
win. This vision of God’s future is not about angels who have gone to
heaven floating around in the sky with their loved ones. This vision,
rather, is about God’s kingdom coming on earth as it already is in
heaven. God’s rule where the practices of justice and mercy and kindness
and peaceableness are every day the order of the day. It is a vision of
the world as a peaceable neighborliness in which no one is under
threat, no one is at risk, no one is in danger, because all are safe,
all are valued, all are honored, all are cared for. And this community
of peaceableness will come only when the vicious cycles of violent
accumulation are broken.”*
Obedience.
As Liz Lemon might say, “Oh, that word bums me out.”
Obedience sounds hard. It sounds like work. It sounds like sacrifice.
The words we like best for Advent are words like wait and prepare. But paying attention to the prophets in this season reminds us that the sort of waiting and preparing that God calls us to as citizens of this upside-down Kingdom is the active kind that demolishes obstructions and levels the playing field, that binds the brokenhearted and liberates the imprisoned, that beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, and bets it all by going all in on this irrational and seemingly impossible vision of peace on earth.
“From the outset of the Bible, certainly in God’s command of Sinai and surely in the ministry of Jesus,” writes Brueggemann, “signals of neighborliness are endlessly enacted. That finally is what is odd and true and demanding and glorious about the Gospel, that God wills and acts toward a neighborliness that curbs greed, vetoes fear, and removes the causes of violence. We baptized people are the ones who have singed on for this vision and act toward it.”
To listen to the prophets is to share God’s dreams for the world and to live into those dreams, to bet it all on that vision for the future. Jesus is our example for exactly how to do this. That’s what he meant when he said Scripture had been fulfilled with his presence among us. He was saying: Watch me; this is how it’s done. This is what Jubilee—God’s Kingdom— looks like in action.
In the last Advent reflection, I fretted that when it came to making a way for God and leveling the uneven ground, I wasn’t sure where to start. But that’s not true. I know exactly where to start. I start with Jesus.
If Jesus embodies God’s dreams for the world, then citizens of the Kingdom start by imitating him—by eating with the people he ate with, by telling the sort of stories he told, by healing and forgiving, by serving and praying, by resisting the temptations of power and money and violence, by breaking down religious barriers, by loving enemies, by showing humility and grace, by overturning some tables and dining at others, by being obedient to the point of death.
The good news we declare at Advent is that, in Jesus, God has given us everything we need for peace on earth. God has shown us the way. The question is: will we believe enough to obey, to live Jubilee?
...Lord, help me in my unbelief.
***
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
"10 Things Christians Shouldn’t Do At Christmas" by Mark Sandlin
Ah, Christmas! “The most wonderful time of the year.”
A time to gather with family and friends and, with smiles on our faces, pretend we aren’t quietly measuring who received the best present and which of our relatives really, really needs to stop drinking.
A time to hang tinsel and baubles from the tree, and time to hang up our hopes of losing that last 10 pounds this year.
Such a joyous season!
The real point here is that Christmas is what we make of it.
For Christians, however, there are some very specific things you can’t do if you want to actually honor and follow the person we say we celebrate this season.
So, I give you my “10 Things Christians Shouldn’t Do At Christmas.”
As with my other “10 Things” lists (which are linked at the end of this post), this is not intended to be a complete list, but it is a pretty good start.
10) Celebrate Consumeristmas
For many people, Christmas starts with standing in line on Thanksgiving Day.
‘Tis the season for mass consumerism.
Regardless of where you personally think Christmas began, Christmas has slowly drifted into the bog of consumer madness.
Like frogs in a pot of slowly boiling water, we never saw it coming.
For Christians, this is particularly problematic because the guy we are celebrating this time of year told us that collecting stuff here on Earth is not the way to follow him. (My apologies to Kirk Cameron whose seasonal movie wants us to believe otherwise.)
9) Forget Those Without Food
Jesus once said that when we feed the hungry we are feeding him.
Anyone want to guess what it means when we ignore the hungry?
How about forgetting about hungry children and their families as we scrape the leftover Christmas ham from our plates into the trash?
Maybe we need to change the name of the season to Gluttonousmas? Too many presents, too much food – too little consideration for those in need.
8) Forget Those Without Shelter
No room at the inn.
One of the key moments in the story Christians celebrate is the moment when Jesus was almost born in the streets of Bethlehem.
Our need to clean up the Christmas story assumes that the innkeeper told them to use the manger but the Bible says no such thing. There was no room at the inn, leaving Mary to place her newborn child in a smelly feeding trough.
For that night they were without shelter.
Throughout his life Jesus would spend his ministry with no place to lay his head.
This time of year we celebrate a homeless man.
Do our actions, do the places we spend our money, honor that?
7) Forget About Immigrants
We three kings from Orient are. . .
Besides sounding like Yoda wrote a Christmas carol, there are a number of things messed up about that line.
First: We don’t actually know how many there were.
Secondly: They were magi, not kings.
Finally: We also do not know where they were really from other than “from the East.”
What we do know is they were foreigners and their revealing of the king’s plans to kill all newborn boys in hopes of putting an end to Jesus turned Jesus’ family into immigrants in Egypt.
Our Christmas story is replete with images of people journeying to new lands. Because of it, Christmas should cause Christians to recommit to embracing immigrants.
6) Miss The Message About Resisting Abusive Power
Mary and Joseph and their family had to flee their homeland because King Herod strong-handedly used his power to squash out what he saw as a threat to his power.
I can guarantee you two things: One, in the house where Jesus grew up, the narrative of why they had to flee to Egypt and of the senseless deaths imposed on other families by the powerful was a story that was told time and time again. Two, the focus on abuse of power in Jesus’ teaching and his constant willingness to confront it was no accident.
Christmas should cause Christians to recommit to confronting those who abuse power.
5) Forget Those Without Presents
If you have two coats give one away.
In announcing the coming of Jesus, John the Baptist told us what God was asking of us. Coats were just an example – a placeholder if you will.
If you have two Christmas presents give one away.
4) Insist Your Religious Celebration Rule Them All
This time of year far too many Christians remind me of Gollum and his Precious. (A LoTR shout out in a Christian Christmas post! C’mon Peter Jackson, give me some promo love!)
One holiday to rule them all: “We nee-eeds it. They stole it from us!”
Never mind that Jesus was Jewish or that there is a list of other celebrations that occur this time of year, there’s a certain cultural privilege in the air that seems so very un-Christian to me.
You can just about bet that the folks calling out for the dominance of Christmas with shouts about what they think is a “war on Christmas” would be singing a new song if Judaism were the dominant religious culture and this time of year radio stations across the land played Chanukah songs.
Technically, they would be singing a new song – not just metaphorically.
3) Get Mad About People Saying “Happy Holidays”
To those who get upset about folks saying, “Happy Holidays,” rather than, “Merry Christmas”: you know what “holiday” is short for, right?
Holy day.
Do you really have a problem with people calling Christmas a holy day?
Nah. Of course you don’t.
2) Think That It Is Actually Jesus’ Birthday.
Um. So… dang, this is hard.
I’m really sorry to be the one telling you. Um, let’s see.
Remember how when you were growing up the Sunday school teacher told you Christmas was Jesus’ birthday?
Yeah.
Well, um… they lied.
Yeah. Sorry about that.
We don’t actually know when Jesus was born. It was probably in the spring or summer because “the shepherds watched their flocks by night” – something which typically didn’t happen much in the winter in that region. Not to mention they were returning to Joseph’s hometown for a census, which is something that would have probably been done during warmer weather.
Want to celebrate the fact that Jesus was born? Ok.
Want it to actually be on his birthday? Good luck with that.
1) Confuse The Religious Observance With the Secular Holiday.
It may be that December the 25th was picked as the date to celebrate Jesus’ birth to compete with or even to adopt the followers of the pagan celebration of Saturnalia, which included decorating with evergreens, gift giving and parties.
Hmmm, why does that seem so familiar?
I bring this up to make a simple point.
A lot of our “War on Christmas” problems would rightfully go away if we simply acknowledged that there are two celebrations of Christmas each year.
One is religious and one is not.
Most of this article actually points to the issues that happen when we conflate them.
So, let’s stop doing it.
This article originally appeared at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thegodarticle/2014/12/10-things-christians-shouldnt-do-at-christmas/.
Thanks to Jennifer Talley for directing me to it.
A time to gather with family and friends and, with smiles on our faces, pretend we aren’t quietly measuring who received the best present and which of our relatives really, really needs to stop drinking.
A time to hang tinsel and baubles from the tree, and time to hang up our hopes of losing that last 10 pounds this year.
Such a joyous season!
The real point here is that Christmas is what we make of it.
For Christians, however, there are some very specific things you can’t do if you want to actually honor and follow the person we say we celebrate this season.
So, I give you my “10 Things Christians Shouldn’t Do At Christmas.”
As with my other “10 Things” lists (which are linked at the end of this post), this is not intended to be a complete list, but it is a pretty good start.
10) Celebrate Consumeristmas
For many people, Christmas starts with standing in line on Thanksgiving Day.
‘Tis the season for mass consumerism.
Regardless of where you personally think Christmas began, Christmas has slowly drifted into the bog of consumer madness.
Like frogs in a pot of slowly boiling water, we never saw it coming.
For Christians, this is particularly problematic because the guy we are celebrating this time of year told us that collecting stuff here on Earth is not the way to follow him. (My apologies to Kirk Cameron whose seasonal movie wants us to believe otherwise.)
9) Forget Those Without Food
Jesus once said that when we feed the hungry we are feeding him.
Anyone want to guess what it means when we ignore the hungry?
How about forgetting about hungry children and their families as we scrape the leftover Christmas ham from our plates into the trash?
Maybe we need to change the name of the season to Gluttonousmas? Too many presents, too much food – too little consideration for those in need.
8) Forget Those Without Shelter
No room at the inn.
One of the key moments in the story Christians celebrate is the moment when Jesus was almost born in the streets of Bethlehem.
Our need to clean up the Christmas story assumes that the innkeeper told them to use the manger but the Bible says no such thing. There was no room at the inn, leaving Mary to place her newborn child in a smelly feeding trough.
For that night they were without shelter.
Throughout his life Jesus would spend his ministry with no place to lay his head.
This time of year we celebrate a homeless man.
Do our actions, do the places we spend our money, honor that?
7) Forget About Immigrants
We three kings from Orient are. . .
Besides sounding like Yoda wrote a Christmas carol, there are a number of things messed up about that line.
First: We don’t actually know how many there were.
Secondly: They were magi, not kings.
Finally: We also do not know where they were really from other than “from the East.”
What we do know is they were foreigners and their revealing of the king’s plans to kill all newborn boys in hopes of putting an end to Jesus turned Jesus’ family into immigrants in Egypt.
Our Christmas story is replete with images of people journeying to new lands. Because of it, Christmas should cause Christians to recommit to embracing immigrants.
6) Miss The Message About Resisting Abusive Power
Mary and Joseph and their family had to flee their homeland because King Herod strong-handedly used his power to squash out what he saw as a threat to his power.
I can guarantee you two things: One, in the house where Jesus grew up, the narrative of why they had to flee to Egypt and of the senseless deaths imposed on other families by the powerful was a story that was told time and time again. Two, the focus on abuse of power in Jesus’ teaching and his constant willingness to confront it was no accident.
Christmas should cause Christians to recommit to confronting those who abuse power.
5) Forget Those Without Presents
If you have two coats give one away.
In announcing the coming of Jesus, John the Baptist told us what God was asking of us. Coats were just an example – a placeholder if you will.
If you have two Christmas presents give one away.
4) Insist Your Religious Celebration Rule Them All
This time of year far too many Christians remind me of Gollum and his Precious. (A LoTR shout out in a Christian Christmas post! C’mon Peter Jackson, give me some promo love!)
One holiday to rule them all: “We nee-eeds it. They stole it from us!”
Never mind that Jesus was Jewish or that there is a list of other celebrations that occur this time of year, there’s a certain cultural privilege in the air that seems so very un-Christian to me.
You can just about bet that the folks calling out for the dominance of Christmas with shouts about what they think is a “war on Christmas” would be singing a new song if Judaism were the dominant religious culture and this time of year radio stations across the land played Chanukah songs.
Technically, they would be singing a new song – not just metaphorically.
3) Get Mad About People Saying “Happy Holidays”
To those who get upset about folks saying, “Happy Holidays,” rather than, “Merry Christmas”: you know what “holiday” is short for, right?
Holy day.
Do you really have a problem with people calling Christmas a holy day?
Nah. Of course you don’t.
2) Think That It Is Actually Jesus’ Birthday.
Um. So… dang, this is hard.
I’m really sorry to be the one telling you. Um, let’s see.
Remember how when you were growing up the Sunday school teacher told you Christmas was Jesus’ birthday?
Yeah.
Well, um… they lied.
Yeah. Sorry about that.
We don’t actually know when Jesus was born. It was probably in the spring or summer because “the shepherds watched their flocks by night” – something which typically didn’t happen much in the winter in that region. Not to mention they were returning to Joseph’s hometown for a census, which is something that would have probably been done during warmer weather.
Want to celebrate the fact that Jesus was born? Ok.
Want it to actually be on his birthday? Good luck with that.
1) Confuse The Religious Observance With the Secular Holiday.
It may be that December the 25th was picked as the date to celebrate Jesus’ birth to compete with or even to adopt the followers of the pagan celebration of Saturnalia, which included decorating with evergreens, gift giving and parties.
Hmmm, why does that seem so familiar?
I bring this up to make a simple point.
A lot of our “War on Christmas” problems would rightfully go away if we simply acknowledged that there are two celebrations of Christmas each year.
One is religious and one is not.
Most of this article actually points to the issues that happen when we conflate them.
So, let’s stop doing it.
This article originally appeared at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thegodarticle/2014/12/10-things-christians-shouldnt-do-at-christmas/.
Thanks to Jennifer Talley for directing me to it.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Gospel Lesson for Advent week three
John 1:6-28
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of
grace and truth.
15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
19This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. 24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
19This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. 24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Gaudete Sunday
The Third Sunday of Advent is also know as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for Rejoice. It marks the halfway point in Advent when the attention turns to joy rather than our repentance. The pink candle is lit for this occasion reflecting the lighter mood.
So as we close out this Gaudete Sunday, focus on the joy of Christmas.
Here is a 16th century carol called Gaudete. The Latin and the translation are below, and you can click on the video to hear it. The first two lines are the chorus.
So as we close out this Gaudete Sunday, focus on the joy of Christmas.
Here is a 16th century carol called Gaudete. The Latin and the translation are below, and you can click on the video to hear it. The first two lines are the chorus.
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus Ex Maria virgine, gaudete! |
Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born (Out) Of the Virgin Mary – rejoice! |
| Tempus adest gratiæ Hoc quod optabamus, Carmina lætitiæ Devote reddamus. |
The time of grace has come— what we have wished for, songs of joy Let us give back faithfully. |
| Deus homo factus est Natura mirante, Mundus renovatus est A Christo regnante. |
God has become man, (With) nature marvelling, The world has been renewed By Christ (who is) reigning. |
| Ezechielis porta Clausa pertransitur, Unde lux est orta Salus invenitur. |
The closed gate of Ezekiel Is passed through, Whence the light is raised, Salvation is found. |
| Ergo nostra contio Psallat iam in lustro; Benedicat Domino: Salus Regi nostro. |
Therefore let our gathering Now sing in brightness Let it give praise to the Lord: Greeting to our King. |
Advent Wreath Lighting for the Third Week in Year B
Advent 3B (based on Isaiah 61:1-4 by Rev. Martha Spong)
Reader One: Isaiah the Prophet announced it. The Spirit of God is with me, because I have been chosen to bring good news to the abused, to bandage the wounds of the heartbroken, and to release those who are in prisons of all kinds. I am here to proclaim a good year in God’s sight, a time when things will be set right.
Reader Two: I am here to comfort the grieving and to dress them for happy times instead of sad ones.
Reader One: The people who are healed and comforted will be like strong trees, upright and loyal to God. They will be like a forest planted to show God’s glory. They will rebuild the world and show everyone God’s power.
Reader Two: We wait for the day of God’s joy, and live in God’s peace and hope, as we light these candles.
(Please pause as we light three candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Reader One: Isaiah the Prophet announced it. The Spirit of God is with me, because I have been chosen to bring good news to the abused, to bandage the wounds of the heartbroken, and to release those who are in prisons of all kinds. I am here to proclaim a good year in God’s sight, a time when things will be set right.
Reader Two: I am here to comfort the grieving and to dress them for happy times instead of sad ones.
Reader One: The people who are healed and comforted will be like strong trees, upright and loyal to God. They will be like a forest planted to show God’s glory. They will rebuild the world and show everyone God’s power.
Reader Two: We wait for the day of God’s joy, and live in God’s peace and hope, as we light these candles.
(Please pause as we light three candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
Psalm for Advent, week 2
Psalm 85
1Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.2You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
More Joy, Less Stress
What's not to love about the holiday season? People are a little more
generous, your favorite coffee shop has its seasonal drink ready, and
there are more than enough gatherings to fill a social calendar.
Festive TV specials are running, and stores have their holiday floor sets up to pique the interests of passersby. Our inboxes are filling up with holiday gift guides, reviews for the latest gadgets, and links to Amazon wish lists.
Joyous? Sure. But stressful, no doubt. Before the holiday rush takes your blood pressure up, check out a few ways to make this season a little less frenetic and a little more meaningful.
1. Card writing for the family. If
sending cards is a big deal in your household, make it a family affair.
Get everyone involved in the process, from addressing and stamping the
envelopes to drawing pictures and writing the message.
2. Be realistic. There's something about this time of year that makes us think we have to do it all and be everywhere. Be realistic about what can and can't be accomplished. Give yourself permission to say "No, thank you. Not this time." Say yes to only the most important things, and then savor every moment.
3. Be mindful. Whether you call it quiet time, meditation, or prayer, try starting and ending your day with 15 minutes of focused lime just for you. Do the same with your family, maybe over an Advent wreath. Togetherness – the best part of holidays.
4. Sleep. Get enough. Sleep too much and you feel lethargic. Sleep too little and you get cranky. Establish routines before bed that allow your body to wind down and turn your brain off. No eating, exercising or watching television right before bed.
5. Practice presence. That means be present. Literally. Having a meal with someone? Put the phone away. Taking a walk? Stop thinking about the next thing on your to-do list and appreciate the sights around you. Allow yourself to be fully immersed.
6. Your clutter is another's treasure. If you've been storing outgrown clothes and gently used housewares for a garage sale, consider taking them to Salvation Army,Goodwill or another non-profit organization. It's also a great opportunity to model generosity and resource sharing for any little ones in your household.
7. Eat! Sure, this is the time of year when folks are worried about gaining a few extra pounds and when exercise routines become more infrequent. But gathering over a cup of cocoa or a shared meal are ways to reconnect with friends and family, or get to know someone new—like the person selling the paper you pass by every day? Perhaps invite her to breakfast one morning. It may just be the blessing you've been waiting for.
8. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. Why does a TV show get its own number on this list? Because Linus has been setting us straight about the true meaning of Christmas for almost 50 years. Watch the Peanuts gang Rethink Christmas and all the gift giving, card sending, and tree decorating central to the Christmas celebration—it just might make you rethink how you're celebrating, too.
9. Gifts—make 'em count. You've made your lists. You've made sure there's something for everyone because, well, you don't want your uncle's second cousin to feel left out at the family gathering. Pause. Right. There. Why do you feel the need to give everyone you know a gift? Maybe there's another way to celebrate and honor that relationship? Put the fruitcake back.
10. YOU time. Don't forget to take it. Replenishing your inner well helps reduce stress and allows you to be a better friend, spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, partner, neighbor...you get the idea.
What are some practices that help you remember the reason for the season?
(Reposted from http://www.rethinkchurch.org/articles/spirituality/more-joy-less-stress)
Photo: Flickr user: clotee_allochuku/Creative Commons
Festive TV specials are running, and stores have their holiday floor sets up to pique the interests of passersby. Our inboxes are filling up with holiday gift guides, reviews for the latest gadgets, and links to Amazon wish lists.
Joyous? Sure. But stressful, no doubt. Before the holiday rush takes your blood pressure up, check out a few ways to make this season a little less frenetic and a little more meaningful.
1. Card writing for the family. If
sending cards is a big deal in your household, make it a family affair.
Get everyone involved in the process, from addressing and stamping the
envelopes to drawing pictures and writing the message.2. Be realistic. There's something about this time of year that makes us think we have to do it all and be everywhere. Be realistic about what can and can't be accomplished. Give yourself permission to say "No, thank you. Not this time." Say yes to only the most important things, and then savor every moment.
3. Be mindful. Whether you call it quiet time, meditation, or prayer, try starting and ending your day with 15 minutes of focused lime just for you. Do the same with your family, maybe over an Advent wreath. Togetherness – the best part of holidays.
4. Sleep. Get enough. Sleep too much and you feel lethargic. Sleep too little and you get cranky. Establish routines before bed that allow your body to wind down and turn your brain off. No eating, exercising or watching television right before bed.
5. Practice presence. That means be present. Literally. Having a meal with someone? Put the phone away. Taking a walk? Stop thinking about the next thing on your to-do list and appreciate the sights around you. Allow yourself to be fully immersed.
6. Your clutter is another's treasure. If you've been storing outgrown clothes and gently used housewares for a garage sale, consider taking them to Salvation Army,Goodwill or another non-profit organization. It's also a great opportunity to model generosity and resource sharing for any little ones in your household.
7. Eat! Sure, this is the time of year when folks are worried about gaining a few extra pounds and when exercise routines become more infrequent. But gathering over a cup of cocoa or a shared meal are ways to reconnect with friends and family, or get to know someone new—like the person selling the paper you pass by every day? Perhaps invite her to breakfast one morning. It may just be the blessing you've been waiting for.
8. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. Why does a TV show get its own number on this list? Because Linus has been setting us straight about the true meaning of Christmas for almost 50 years. Watch the Peanuts gang Rethink Christmas and all the gift giving, card sending, and tree decorating central to the Christmas celebration—it just might make you rethink how you're celebrating, too.
9. Gifts—make 'em count. You've made your lists. You've made sure there's something for everyone because, well, you don't want your uncle's second cousin to feel left out at the family gathering. Pause. Right. There. Why do you feel the need to give everyone you know a gift? Maybe there's another way to celebrate and honor that relationship? Put the fruitcake back.
10. YOU time. Don't forget to take it. Replenishing your inner well helps reduce stress and allows you to be a better friend, spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, partner, neighbor...you get the idea.
What are some practices that help you remember the reason for the season?
(Reposted from http://www.rethinkchurch.org/articles/spirituality/more-joy-less-stress)
Photo: Flickr user: clotee_allochuku/Creative Commons
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Waiting for New Life
By Jaime Fitzgerald
Waiting is my weakness. I am the person who taps her foot in grocery lines, the one who huffs and obnoxiously turns magazine pages in the doctor’s office when I have been sitting for longer than 30 minutes, the one who obsessively glances at her watch when someone is late for a meeting, the one who tosses and turns all night in fear of waking up late and the one who paces the floor waiting for friends to get ready: all because the anxiety of missing something big and important in the future is paralyzing.
Needless to say, Advent is a struggle for me. Since waiting is central to this season as a whole, it seems that my anxiety increases every year as I wait for Christmas day to come. I know that on that particular day, sweet little baby Jesus will be born year after year after year, yet I can’t help but hate the waiting part. I don’t know about you, but I am thankful the season of Advent does not last the entirety of Mary’s pregnancy, because I do not think I could wait for 9 months of every year anticipating the birth of Christ.
This year, on November 8, 2014, the newest addition to my family was born – James Weston Collins – to my cousin, Lindsay, and her husband. The nine months of my cousin’s pregnancy seemed to last forever to me. Frequently, Lindsay sent me pictures of her growing belly and glowing smile. With each picture received, I wanted more than anything to hold her precious baby that was growing inside of her (although I am confident the wait was harder for Lindsay and her husband than it was for me).
My wait was finally over on November 26, when I finally held Weston in my arms for the first time and kissed his forehead while intently staring at his perfect face, hands and feet for almost three hours. It was in those moments that I realized: as painful and difficult as waiting is, it is necessary in order to produce new life.
During this season of Advent, what are you pregnant with? What dream, hope and new life is growing inside of you? What beautiful and joyful thing are you going to give birth to?
As life gets hectic and busy during this Advent season, may we make time to center ourselves and focus on the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ. My hope for myself, and for each of you, is that we can take the time to embrace this pregnancy as we pause in the moments before new life is birthed, no matter how difficult, dark and daunting it may seem.
Jaime Fitzgerald is a CBF Leadership Scholar attending Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity. (Original blog found here.)
Waiting is my weakness. I am the person who taps her foot in grocery lines, the one who huffs and obnoxiously turns magazine pages in the doctor’s office when I have been sitting for longer than 30 minutes, the one who obsessively glances at her watch when someone is late for a meeting, the one who tosses and turns all night in fear of waking up late and the one who paces the floor waiting for friends to get ready: all because the anxiety of missing something big and important in the future is paralyzing.
Needless to say, Advent is a struggle for me. Since waiting is central to this season as a whole, it seems that my anxiety increases every year as I wait for Christmas day to come. I know that on that particular day, sweet little baby Jesus will be born year after year after year, yet I can’t help but hate the waiting part. I don’t know about you, but I am thankful the season of Advent does not last the entirety of Mary’s pregnancy, because I do not think I could wait for 9 months of every year anticipating the birth of Christ.
This year, on November 8, 2014, the newest addition to my family was born – James Weston Collins – to my cousin, Lindsay, and her husband. The nine months of my cousin’s pregnancy seemed to last forever to me. Frequently, Lindsay sent me pictures of her growing belly and glowing smile. With each picture received, I wanted more than anything to hold her precious baby that was growing inside of her (although I am confident the wait was harder for Lindsay and her husband than it was for me).
My wait was finally over on November 26, when I finally held Weston in my arms for the first time and kissed his forehead while intently staring at his perfect face, hands and feet for almost three hours. It was in those moments that I realized: as painful and difficult as waiting is, it is necessary in order to produce new life.
During this season of Advent, what are you pregnant with? What dream, hope and new life is growing inside of you? What beautiful and joyful thing are you going to give birth to?
As life gets hectic and busy during this Advent season, may we make time to center ourselves and focus on the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ. My hope for myself, and for each of you, is that we can take the time to embrace this pregnancy as we pause in the moments before new life is birthed, no matter how difficult, dark and daunting it may seem.
Jaime Fitzgerald is a CBF Leadership Scholar attending Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity. (Original blog found here.)
Gospel Lesson for Advent week two
Mark 1:1-8
1The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
who will prepare your way;
3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Advent Wreath Lighting for the Second Week in Year B
Advent 2B (based on Isaiah 40:1-2, 9-11 by Rev. Martha Spong)
Reader One: Isaiah the Prophet reassured the people, God is sending words of comfort to you, speaking tenderly to you. God promises that your hard labor is over, your sentence has been served and your penalty has been paid. You are forgiven not once but double all that is needed.
Reader Two: Go up to a high mountain, and call out the good news! Lift your voices up with strength and call out the good news! Do not be afraid! Your God is coming.
Reader One: Our God is mighty, but our God is also gentle. God loves the flock and will feed it just the way a shepherd would, holding us close like lambs and guiding us, old and young.
Reader Two: We wait for God’s peace and live in God’s hope as we light these candles.
(Please pause as we light two candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Reader One: Isaiah the Prophet reassured the people, God is sending words of comfort to you, speaking tenderly to you. God promises that your hard labor is over, your sentence has been served and your penalty has been paid. You are forgiven not once but double all that is needed.
Reader Two: Go up to a high mountain, and call out the good news! Lift your voices up with strength and call out the good news! Do not be afraid! Your God is coming.
Reader One: Our God is mighty, but our God is also gentle. God loves the flock and will feed it just the way a shepherd would, holding us close like lambs and guiding us, old and young.
Reader Two: We wait for God’s peace and live in God’s hope as we light these candles.
(Please pause as we light two candles, then respond.)
All: Loving God, come and shine your light in the world!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
God-of-Our-Advent-Waiting ...
What a blessed and tiring time this is for our pastors. Be with each
of them as they walk through these days of Advent with those whom you
have placed into their care. Give them both rest and strength to help
others wait for, long for and anticipate the peace, hope, joy and love
that only the arrival of Jesus into each heart and into our world can
bring. Place within these pastors a sweet longing and anticipation in
their own Advent waiting.
Open the hearts of all so that they might hear your promises spoken through the words of your prophets of old and your servants now. Open the eyes of all souls so that they might see the Light in the darkness that grows ever-stronger as the days draw nearer to your Promise-On-Earth
.
Forgive us all if we find it easier to passively await the coming of your Son. In the waiting, may your disciples lead others to place the longings of their hearts before you in prayer; may they help others prepare a place for Jesus to be born anew and may they also prepare a place within their own hearts for such an arrival.
My childhood memories beg me to pray for something else for your servants. During the coming days, place within each of them the excitement of a child; the excitement that causes eyes to sparkle and songs to be hummed in the middle of their busiest and most tiring of days; the excitement that fills each one of them with hope in your Gift to come; the excitement that brings with it a portion of sleepless anticipation.
These are your servants for sure. You have placed a call within them to love others and to share your great Love in ways that are, at times, much different than our own ways and for that I am most thankful. Love them as they love others, O God. Lead them as they lead others. Amen.
Anna Murdock
Broad Street UMC / Statesville, NC
Open the hearts of all so that they might hear your promises spoken through the words of your prophets of old and your servants now. Open the eyes of all souls so that they might see the Light in the darkness that grows ever-stronger as the days draw nearer to your Promise-On-Earth
.
Forgive us all if we find it easier to passively await the coming of your Son. In the waiting, may your disciples lead others to place the longings of their hearts before you in prayer; may they help others prepare a place for Jesus to be born anew and may they also prepare a place within their own hearts for such an arrival.
My childhood memories beg me to pray for something else for your servants. During the coming days, place within each of them the excitement of a child; the excitement that causes eyes to sparkle and songs to be hummed in the middle of their busiest and most tiring of days; the excitement that fills each one of them with hope in your Gift to come; the excitement that brings with it a portion of sleepless anticipation.
These are your servants for sure. You have placed a call within them to love others and to share your great Love in ways that are, at times, much different than our own ways and for that I am most thankful. Love them as they love others, O God. Lead them as they lead others. Amen.
Anna Murdock
Broad Street UMC / Statesville, NC
Friday, December 5, 2014
Waiting
Isaiah 40:9-11
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Waiting. It doesn't matter if it's for a baby to come, or the check to arrive, or the doctor to call, or simply for the light to change. Waiting can be one of the most challenging things we do.
Isaiah's people were waiting, too. Their misery was justified: Jerusalem and the temple in ruins, the people exiled from their homeland, prayers seemingly unheard. They were waiting for some sign that God had not abandoned them, for something to give them hope. The prophet paints for them this picture: The Lord is coming. The Lord is strong, able to defeat every enemy. The Lord is gentle, ready to gather the people into his arms. Imagine what the future will be like! Take heart. It will come.
During times of waiting, we need words that give us something in which to believe. The next time you find yourself waiting, try breathing deeply. Imagine the Holy Spirit filling you with patience and peace. And trust that God's goodness will come.
(Published by Luther Seminary in their online Advent Devotional.)
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Waiting. It doesn't matter if it's for a baby to come, or the check to arrive, or the doctor to call, or simply for the light to change. Waiting can be one of the most challenging things we do.
Isaiah's people were waiting, too. Their misery was justified: Jerusalem and the temple in ruins, the people exiled from their homeland, prayers seemingly unheard. They were waiting for some sign that God had not abandoned them, for something to give them hope. The prophet paints for them this picture: The Lord is coming. The Lord is strong, able to defeat every enemy. The Lord is gentle, ready to gather the people into his arms. Imagine what the future will be like! Take heart. It will come.
During times of waiting, we need words that give us something in which to believe. The next time you find yourself waiting, try breathing deeply. Imagine the Holy Spirit filling you with patience and peace. And trust that God's goodness will come.
(Published by Luther Seminary in their online Advent Devotional.)
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Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Creator of the Stars of Night - Advent Hymn
This is a traditional Advent hymn from the 7th century AD. It is a chanted hymn, originally called Conditor Alme Siderum. Here it is translated from the Latin into English.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Gospel Lesson for Advent week one
Mark 13:24-37
24“But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
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