Musings about the Days

If sunshine is required for a good day, then there are going to be a lot of bad days in our life.  I am not sure how many days from this past year would be regarded as good days according to this definition, but according to another definition every day is a good day.  It is surely true that some days look hard and are experienced as difficult.  Some bring not a ray of sunshine, but dark tragedy.  It is not just the great complex profound truths of God that are hard for us to understand, but sometimes the ones which seem so very simple.    

The Word of God says, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  (Psalms 118:24).  This verse of Scripture does not lend itself to day differentiation.  Instead, it speaks of every day being one created by God and the Word tells us in Genesis that what God creates is good.  It is a tough word.  It is a word not really understood by many who glibly  jump up and down with hands raised singing, "This is the day that the Lord has made."  The image leaves me with the same feeling as I have when people only talk about how God is good, but they only mean when the bad stuff gets taken away.    

I am still a student when it comes to understanding life, but it does seem that life is filled with the good stuff and the bad stuff.  We have no power to expand the good or diminish the bad.  The rain and the sunshine come to all of us.  And as hard as it is to sometimes say, I have also come to the place of believing that nothing comes to us without first passing through the hands of God.  It may seem simple, but surely if he has touched something there is good within it.  We may not see it at first, we may have to look for it longer than we want to look, and we may feel like we are in a wrestling match with God, but He really is good all the time and He really does bring every day into being in such a way that it truly is good.

Christmas Night, 2024

There have been some times when being ordained for ministry has gotten in the way of doing and being like other folks.  There have been interrupted vacations, middle of the night crises, and special worship services that have competed for family time.  Being a pastor is not a job done according to a time clock, but one that requires a willingness to go when needed.  It is not always easy.  Sometimes things have to be given up which are hard to let go.  

After a time of seasoning, most pastors who stay the course, realize that the ministry provides an invitation to share the joys and sorrows of people's lives in a way not afforded to everyone.  Tonight as Christmas day had turned into darkness, I was privileged to be with a couple in the hospital.  We gathered to share communion together, but it occurred to me within the moment that I should offer baptismal reaffirmation to the man who had spent too many long days in a hospital bed even as his wife had done the same thing in a recliner that only promised sleep.  There have been other such occasions over recent years.  Each one is treasured as a gift.  Tonight was no different. 

Tonight as the water remembering baptism did its holy work, I saw coming from the edge of his eye a trail of water that spoke of a heart being touched by the Spirit.  What a joy and privilege it was to be standing there at the intersection of human need and God's grace!  It will be a moment which will linger in this spirit of mine as long as breath and memory remain in this body God has gifted to me.  Would I trade the unscheduled life of a pastor for a nine to five job in the marketplace?  Not a chance!

Christmas Day, 2024

Christmas Day looks different now than it did when I was a boy.  Christmas trees are not mandatory and most of them never touched the dirt.  The packages under the tree are wrapped in brown paper instead of colorful red wrap with winter scenes stamped all over them.  Christmas stuff no longer comes in Santa's sleigh, but a prime truck.  The elves have been replaced by minions dressed in brown suits.  Of course, no one goes into a store these days since the internet malls never close and Black Friday is every day.   

Other things are different, too.  When I was growing up, no one in their right mind would go to church on Christmas Eve.  In the current day, churches have multiple services to accommodate the overflowing crowds.  Even the Protestants have finally decided not to let the Roman Catholics have all the fun.  Of course, one of the surprising things about today as compared to yesterday is the desire people have for Holy Communion on the night the birth of Jesus is remembered.  While most Christmas Eve services still conclude with individuals holding little small candles, smart candles have greatly reduced the fire hazard and the likelihood of hands being burned by hot wax has been minimized. 

One things though has not changed.  It is still all about Jesus.  In today's religious culture, one never knows what to expect, but as for now, Jesus in the manger is still getting center stage at Christmas.  The message about Jesus being the Light of the World is still proclaimed and the story from Luke is still being read.  The Christmas music is still the traditional songs that tell of His birth.  Oh, and people still go to churches on Christmas which is something they do not always do the rest of the year.  Christmas still gets a thumbs up.  In most places it is still all about Jesus!

Christmas Eve, 2024

Daylight done come on Christmas Eve,

The Son done gone to shinin' on Christmas Eve,

Jesus done come and started living among us,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Jesus done come!

The Devil done gone 'a runnin' on Christmas Eve,

He know he done gone and got whipped on Christmas Eve,

May take some more persuadin' but he knows he done,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Jesus done come!

Come now, Church, start your praisin' on Christmas Eve,

Join voices with them angels singing on Christmas Eve,

Let heaven and earth start shouting about the King,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Jesus done come!

A Story To Tell

The story we are always eager to hear on Christmas Eve as we gather for worship has its known parts, but like any story from the past, there are moments hidden between the lines that we shall never know.  We can never really know the expression on Joseph's face when his hand first felt the kick of his unborn son.  Only a mother can imagine the sense of wonder which must have swept across the heart of Mary as she felt the reality of growing life within her.  What did they say to one another when the innkeeper said, "No room?"  How chagrined must Joseph have been when he saw the animal stall that would hold his son!  There are so many stories which could be told if someone had only told them.     

On this night before the great story of the birth of Christ is told once again, we are reminded that we all have our own story of coming to Jesus.  We may not have come with the songs of angels in our ears, or with our eyes glued to the heavens, but our story is our story and it is an important story for those who come after us to know.  We can tell the story of the great fish that did not get away, or some muscle car from the past, or maybe one about our walking across a stage or down an aisle, but no story has such life changing effect as the one we have about our coming to Jesus.   

It is a story that set the course of our life.  It is one that shaped our spirit.  It is one that enabled us to give love and live with gratitude.  All the important things about us that speak of the essence of our being are the result of that moment we came to know Jesus and chose to walk with Him.  Like the story we will hear soon in our Christmas Eve gatherings, it is a story for the ages and we need to be sure it is being passed to those we love.

Fear Not

God does not act in a vacuum.  His story of His involvement with His people does not begin like some "Once upon a time..." narrative.  It does not speak of kings and queens who are fictional, or ordinary people who never really lived.  There is no disclaimer in the front of the Book saying that any resemblance to someone specific is purely incidental.  God does not work in the incidental realm, but the one where real people live midst the good and bad which bring blessings and afflictions.   

The story which is about to be read in churches across the land is one which is told in a specific geographic and historical context. "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria." (Luke 2:1-2).  With those words the stage is set.  It is not a stage which could have existed or a story which was mostly fiction with a sprinkling of the historical.  The story Luke tells is one of fact.  It is one so factual and historical it can be validated by what is known about the period of the context.  The people whose stories are told in the sacred Word are as real as our mothers and fathers.   

This word of God which we read on Christmas Eve and which is read by the faithful of God is one which tells with accuracy the dealings of God with the people created by His own hand.  It is a story as old as Adam and Eve, one that includes the stories being written with the lives of people like us, and one which will end with the chapter telling about the return of the Christ not as a child, but as the reigning King.  We spend too much time looking at the minutia of the present historical moment and not enough looking at the big picture.  As we look at the big picture, we hear the whispering words of God, "Fear not...fear not...fear not."  The One writing the history which includes our lives is God and He is still in charge.

A Morning Prayer

There is an unmistakable silence in the air this Sunday morning.  Even as the sun has not broken into the darkness, neither does it seem that the noise which is somehow always present has broken into the quietness of the new day. It is a moment for anticipating what is surely to come.  The unexpected distant sound of a train whistle as the engineer pulls his load across a crossing reminds me that this moment of emptiness is not going to last forever.  Soon it will fill with the stuff of life and the filling will surely be filled with life's noise.  

In these years of being away from the frantic call of the working world, I have become a fan of the still silence.  While I have for a long time known it was worth finding even when in the world of urban environments where unnatural sounds are ever present, these post pulpit years where morning breaks in the stillness of the creation on the farm have had an unexpected transformational power.  Mornings like this one have soul nurturing power.  Some mornings it seems that there is Someone sitting in the silence with me and like me, He does not always find it necessary to speak.  

There are many words which have become like guideposts in my journey from where I was to where I am going and one of those words is Presence.  He is always with us. This I know and believe.  Yet, as the quiet mornings stack on one another through the course of a season, the sense of Presence becomes not just expected on a Sunday morning, but on any morning and at any minute through the day it unfolds for me.  "Thank You, Father God, for coming in this quiet hour and for allowing it to be a promise of Presence throughout the day.  Amen."

The Face of the Child

There is an old song entitled "It's Starting to look a lot like Christmas."  It is true.  It not only looks like Christmas, but it feels like Christmas in my heart.  It is a strange experience.  The powerful moment of worship which is always a part of Christmas Eve has not come yet.  It is still something which awaits us.  Some things have not yet been done.  The Christmas story about the birth of Jesus has not been read midst the people of God.  "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "Joy to the World" are still out there in the darkness waiting for the Light of the Christ child to shine upon them.  

It has not been my privilege to be leading a congregation of people through this season; yet, it has been such a long time since I have known my own heart being warmed by the spiritual power in which I seem to be immersed.  Perhaps, it has had to do with the way the church I am attending has been faithful to the Advent message through song and word.  Themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love have stood like sentinels opening gates to joyous celebration and thoughtful reflection.  Or, perhaps, it has been getting involved once again in acts of giving and reaching out to those with whom I share a special bond of love and the caring for new friends who have come my way during the course of the months since last December.  

More than anything it seems my heart has been made more aware of the incredible gift of life and grace.  Life and grace are God's gifts given by God's hands and heart.  They are given not just to a few of us, but to all of us.  While my experience is like the experience of many as I say that some hard moments have been visited upon me, I join the many around me who live with a deep sense of gratitude.  Maybe one of the real gifts of Christmas is seeing the face of the child of Bethlehem and seeing with gratitude the grace of God.

Improbable and Impossible

While it may not be as true today as it was back in the day when I was growing up, or in the day of Mary and Joseph, a pregnancy like hers was certainly the talk of the village.  Some people are always on the prowl for other people's personal business so they can use it as a source of conversation.  Or, gossip.  Surely, Mary must have heard her share of comments that were spoken just loud enough for her to hear.  Of course, Joseph did not receive a pass either. 

No doubt his dream which is recorded in Matthew' gospel is about his inner battle with his ego as well as his trust in the words of the woman he was to marry.  It took an angel in a dream for Joseph to know he could believe the incredible word Mary was telling him.  Mary, too, found her mind stretched to the point of disbelief.  She was young, but not too young to know about sex and love and family and babies being born.  Very little happened in that world that was hidden and unseen.  As she questioned the visiting angel, she was told, "And 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,  For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:36-37).   What Mary did was to go and see.  At six months Elizabeth's pregnancy would be no secret.  If she was pregnant, then Mary would have a piece of external validation of what she had heard from heaven.  

When Mary saw Elizabeth, any doubts must have flown far away as she knew Elizabeth's pregnancy was as improbable as hers was impossible. It is no wonder the Christmas season has always been regarded as the season of miracles.  Sometimes the things we face are improbable and sometimes they are impossible.  God proved in those days and in a thousand days since then that neither improbable or impossible can prevent Him from accomplishing what He sets out to do in our lives.

I Shall Rue the Day

 When this pen shall lie silent

   as if it had a voice to speak,

     I shall rue the day

      for there is still much unseen

       which longs for voice

and for those things I speak.

 

I speak words for the voiceless,

   shedding light on the darkness

     of minds too lost to see,

      too hurried for a slower pace,

       too occupied with life

to see the life being missed.

 

So, good Lord, grant one more day

   to see your glory here

    that Your voice I might be

      for the creation around me

        and the souls who do not know

of their blindness and need to see.

 

 

The Balm of Love

Today is a day I have always remembered.  It is day etched in the mind and heart of both my sister and me.  It is the anniversary of the day in 1955 when our father left home one morning and did not return in the evening.  A collision of airplanes near an Air Force Base and over a beach forever changed our lives.  When our mother died during the covid pandemic of 2020, we lost our last connection with him.  Picking up the phone on the anniversary of that day and talking to her was no longer a possibility so we talk to one another.    

This is not to say that my life was stopped that day.  It is hard to go back and find that boy of age seven to know what he felt, but it is likely he did feel that life was somehow suddenly changed.  Of course, it was.  It always is different when we lose someone we love.  Love does not allow us to simply walk away from our loss.  Instead, we are reminded at many junctures along the way into the future of the pain we carry deep within us.  Love and grief are not inseparable emotions, but what we hope for in our own lives and in the lives of those who grieve along the way with us is the prevailing power of love.  

The Word of God tells us love never ends and that it is the greatest thing we can carry in our hearts.  (I Corinthians 13:8, 13).  I John tells us that God is love.  (I John 4:7). Our grief is a result of our love and love is God's answer to our grief.  Our grief may always be with us.  It will come and go.  And, come again.  But, as surely as we grieve, God will come again and again to bathe our heart with the everlasting healing balm of love.

Reading the Story

 Since I served as a preacher for over forty years,  I have seen a lot of Live Nativity Scenes.  Some were sponsored by a community, or several church through a ministerial association, and a good number were offered as a part of the church I served.  I only remember one.  It was one offered by the youth and children of the Perry Church.  An unexpected thing happened as some of the young actors wanted to play different parts.  About every thirty minutes, the Nativity Scene would suddenly become empty as everyone ran to the building.  Those leaving in angels wings came back as shepherds and some wise man got to play the part of Joseph.  It was fun.  It was joyous. It was Christmas.   

 

It is easy for us to lose this part of Christmas as we become so occupied with details that we are unable to experience what the moment is bringing to us.  For too many Christmas is experienced with a gigantic sigh of relief instead of an overwhelming sense of joy.  We must not forget the message of the angel who showed up out there in the darkness where shepherds watched their sheep.  "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."  (Luke 2:10-11).  Christmas is, of course, about Jesus.  

 

Many times over the years I have heard parents walk around this single truth.  It is easier to talk about Santa Claus and feelings like love and peace.  It is sad.  One day we are likely to have a generation of kids who come to Christmas with the question, "Jesus, who is He?"  A good way to turn the trend in the right direction would be in making the reading of Luke 2 a part of the Christmas gatherings at our church and, more importantly in our homes.

Inconsolable at Christmas

What some people will remember most about Christmas this year will be the people who no longer share it with them.  There is, perhaps, no season which lends itself to so much joy.  It is the season of bright colors, festive wrapping, parties with friends, musical concerts, tables that project the definition of a feast, and gatherings of family.  It is also true that no season lends itself to so much grief.  Grief may initially be experienced in the loss of a presence dear to us, but as days stretch into months and even years of living with them gone, the loss becomes focused on what is lost to them and to us.  Some will find it hard to move through the season of joy without a personal grief which will be unnoticed by most people in the room.

That grief and loss is a part of the story of the Incarnation is something we often miss.  After the wise men from the East came, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child..."  (Matthew 2:13). As Joseph and Mary fled to safety, there was surely relief, but also the loss of family, familiar surroundings, and everything that was a part of their lives.  Herod did search for the child.  Not only did he search, but he also "killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under..." (Matthew 2:16). "wailing and loud lamentations" was indeed visited upon many a family in those days.  It was a time of inconsolable loss and grief.  

It is important that we not miss the grief and loss that some carry into these days. It may be years since some friend has experienced the loss of someone who was greatly loved and very much a part of their lives, but do not dismiss them by thinking they should just get over it.  Grief is not time conscious.  It does not gently knock at the front door of our heart, but instead when it comes, it knocks down the door.  Give grace to those who are forever picking up the pieces.

The Missing Shoe

I wish I did not see all the things I see.  Some folks walked in church this morning and passed by the Nativity Scene characters with a sigh of admiration and appreciation.  It really is something to behold.  There is nothing chintzy about what is just outside the front door.  All the players are on stage and standing there as tall as I am.  This morning though I noticed something odd.  The wise man who was being nuzzled by his camel was not wearing any shoes.  Or, boots.  Or, sandals.  Or, whatever kings are supposed to wear.   

A barefooted king was just too much!  Aside from taking up a collection, I suppose there is nothing that can be done except to recognize that God is like the creators of the Nativity scene.  He is the creator of the unpredictable and full of surprises.  Certainly, Mary and Joseph were surprised with the visit of Gabriel and the message he brought.  Who could have been more surprised than those first century Christians to wake up one morning and hear the news that Saul of Tarsus had become a believer in Jesus?  Of course, a Messiah who died on a cross was too much for anyone to believe!   

Another surprising thing which has never failed to surprise is that God called me to preach.  I always figured when He called me, He was scraping the bottom of the barrel.  Regardless of how we end up living our lives, it is always true that God has blessed us in surprising ways.  When we look back over the span of the years He has given us, we always marvel at the way His hand has brought us to the life we now know.  The life we now know is something which we think of as better than we deserve and also something that is simply another way of naming grace in our life.

A Savior in Bethlehem

The story found in the second chapter of Luke is one that does not grow old.  Every year we long to hear it again.  Christmas is not complete until we sit and listen to those words written so long ago.  Some people hear it in Christmas Eve worship and, indeed, such a setting somehow enriches those sacred words.  Others read it each year around the Christmas tree before any packages are opened.  Even as the Jewish community remembers their story of deliverance each Passover, so do we want to be sure our children know the story of the Christ coming into our world at Bethlehem.   

No matter how many years we have heard it read, there is always a sense of wonder and awe which comes over us as we listen.  We hear the story and catch glimpses of the journey to the City of David.  We hear the story and we look heavenward for the angels which showed up in the fields while shepherds watched their flock.  Finally, we hear the story with ears listening for the sound of a new born baby crying out its first sounds. For those who truly have hearts that are hungry, the words of the story are heard again and again as if for the first time.   

There was truly something holy and mysterious about that night long ago in Bethlehem.  How can our finite minds fathom the reality of God emptying Himself of all the glories of heaven for a moment of birthing midst the smell of hay and animal dung?  Who can put together the wooden cradle and the wooden cross which awaits the child of Bethlehem?  How can such a life and death as His set us free from the regrets of life lived wrong, the guilt of those choices, and the sin which seems like a heavy unbearable and impossible to remove weight upon our soul?   There is the story we read each Christmas and then there is the story of salvation, deliverance, and resurrection which is written between the lines.  A Savior was born that night long ago.  He is a Savior still needed by each and every one of us.

A Grandfather's Story

We were there that night, my son, 

  a night just like every night,

   the sheep were all settled down,

    the embers were mostly gone,

      old Benjamin a' snoring,

        Jonas out there on watch,

         the rest of us hunting sleep

while sitting around, watching.

A dark night it was, my boy,

  the moon somewhere out of sight,

    suddenly came a warm wind

      sending hot fire in the air,

        lighting again the dark sky

         just before the angel came,

          with hundreds more all around

we shepherds fell to the ground.

Still we heard their words, my child,

  about a boy born that night

   in the town of Bethlehem.

    We stood, looked at one another

      and without a word we went,

       moving quietly, but with haste

       to see one named Messiah,

in the city of David.

 

Forget not these words, my son.

  A Savior was born that night

   Who forever changed my life,

    by forgiving me of my sins,

     making in me someone new,

      all because we left those sheep

       alone in the field that night

and saw God's own Son, Jesus.

       

The Holy

I have always been a bit shy about angels.  I know they show up all over the place in the Christmas story which is, of course, not the only page of the Scripture where they appear.  They are not partial to the New Testament since they show up in the Old Testament as well.  There is the angel Gabriel who appeared to Daniel and again to announce the birth of Jesus.  There are also the famous "angels unaware" (Hebrews 13:2) who show up when you least expect it and a host of others as the moment merits it.  I know they are mentioned often in the Word and I know they are as "they" say "all around."  

My problem has always been with the way folks talk about angels.  They often are spoken of as some buddy who hangs around unseen.  They linger on the four corners of the bedposts, on the head of a pin, and surely must bump into each other as the hover over us.  While I know it all sounds a bit sacrilegious, and I do not mean to be, such familiarity with the sacred has always been somewhat troubling.  For example, I know Jesus spoke of calling us friends, but I still cringe when someone speaks of Jesus being "my buddy, " or God as "the man upstairs."

I suppose I am a little old fashioned, or maybe too hung up with the traditional.  I will blame my mother.  She taught me growing up to address my elders not by their first name, but as Mr. or Mrs.  She said to treat people, especially the older ones, with respect.  She felt the same way about God.  God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit and those of the heavenly realm have been around a long time.  I will continue to show respect and honor and reverence for the Holy present in our midst not because of age, but because the One who created us is the set apart and the Holy One.   

A Call to Repent

A very special Christmas gift came in the mail a day or two ago.  Someone from long ago who has become a good friend in recent years sent the gift in an envelope.  It was a card with a note inside which said, "A gift has been made in your honor to share God's love with others by providing food to hungry people through the Society of St. Andrew.  The gift will share more than 300 servings of fresh, nutritious food with those in need."  I was deeply touched to be remembered by my friend in such a way.  It also sent me to a search for the ministry provided by the Society of St. Andrew.    

It reminded me, too, of the way so so much is spent in frivolous pursuits during this Christmas season.  I am not against giving gifts to one another.  Being able to give brings us joy and being gracious recipients brings joy to others.  When I received my gift in the mail the other day, I was first grateful, and then as time has gone on I have found myself mindful of how more generous I could be to those whose needs are much more basic than a new gadget which will live its life in a drawer, or an over priced box of candy that will only add inches to the waistline.  

From that moment of painful awareness, old John the Baptist came to mind.  Is he not the one who takes a moment on center stage during this week of Advent?  Did he say something about repentance?  I think he did.  Could he be speaking to folks like us who are so extravagant in giving to those whose needs are met and so stingy in giving to those who are truly destitute and in need?  Is there not room in the leftovers of our affluence for both kinds of giving?  My answer is the same as yours and it is with a heaviness in my heart that I know repentance requires expressing this lack of balance in my care for those I love easily and those I do not know, yet, am called to love.  In Your mercy, Lord Jesus, forgive."

Preaching and Music

In these days of December I find myself once again amazed at the power of music.  The Santa songs may tickle our ears, but the spiritual songs of the season have a powerful way of stirring our hearts.  Years ago I might have said that I had sat through two Christmas musical programs of the church, but this time around it is more like I have been blessed by two musical programs which have lifted up the Christ and His work in our hearts.  As a pastor for some forty years, I learned that the first person to be hired on the church staff is the one who directs the music ministry of the church.   

I am one who has always believed in the power of preaching.  Strong persuasive preaching is the foundational ministry of the church.  I say this not because I am am a preacher, but because of the way it provides spiritual leadership in the present and spiritual direction for its future.  No preacher should think what happens from the pulpit on Sunday morning is of little consequence.  It matters.  It is also true that music in the church matters.  Preaching takes a circuitous route to the heart as it goes through the head to the heart.  Music has a way of going straight to the heart.  It has the ability to touch us quickly at a deep emotional level.   

I heard a preacher say not too long ago that no one leaves saying the words of his sermon, but that he often hears people leaving humming or singing the songs of worship.  Good preaching and good music are two hands which when working together can be used by the Spirit to transform the lives of those who gather for worship.  The Scripture is filled with the words of those who speak "Thus says the Lord..." and it is also filled with the songs of the people of God.  Both bring God's blessing to us in their own unique way.

Morning Musing

I know Genesis tells us that the Lord God regularly took walks in the garden "at the time of the evening breeze,"  (Genesis 3:8) but I have always thought that God must be partial to the mornings.  Mornings and God seem to go together.  Mornings speak of new beginnings and God takes delight in offering new beginnings to folks like us who have messed up and need a moment to start over.  He does not give "do-overs, instead, He gives us a fresh slate to go out and meet what is new.  We do not have to go meet what is new as we drag the past along with us as we would with a "do-over."  With God everything is new.  

The Scripture tells us of one person after another who is invited to step into a new beginning.  Adam and Eve had a go at it as they left the Garden. Abraham had more than his share of new beginnings.  Moses was a murderer and was given a new opportunity to do it God's way instead of his.  Jonah certainly was given a fresh start as was Simon Peter and Saul of Tarsus.  Of course, there are others.  The one we know the most about in terms of being forgiven and given a new beginning looks at us in the mirror every morning.   

How thankful we are that it is in the heart of God to give beginnings to us that are as fresh and new as the morning that comes with each sunrise.  One of my favorite verses of Scripture is I John 1:9.  "If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  It sounds kinda like a definition of morning.  If making such a connection is too far a stretch, we can all agree it sounds like a new beginning, a fresh start, something we all need.

The Power of Fear

I know Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid," (John 14:27) but sometimes my heart is still troubled.  I wish it was as simple as reading the words.  I wish reading the words would send the trouble on its way and my heart would be filled with peace again.  I know the word of Jesus is dependable and I know He can handle my trouble, but the first problem has to do with my initial response to the trouble swirling around me and, perhaps, within me.  My first reaction always seems to be the natural reaction.  

When trouble stirs my heart, I look for ways to fix it.   Jesus said these words in a moment which precipitated the world of the disciples being turned upside down.  They had depended on Him.  They could not imagine life without His presence.  The status quo which they knew with Him was on the cusp of changing.  Their world was going to be shattered.  It was in this setting that Jesus spoke these words to those disciples and anyone else whose heart was overcome by unexpected and unmanageable trouble.  

What we often miss as we read these words are the words, "do not let them be afraid."  Fear is such an immobilizing emotion.  It causes us to feel powerless.  Fear's assumption is that there is nothing we can do.  Fear would make us its victim.  Our hearts become troubled because they are taken hostage by our fears.  The one thing to remember when we finish reading the page and hearing the words of the Scripture is that God is still in control and in charge.  Even in the midst of life's worst, He has a way forward and He calls us to wait for it to unfold.

The Voice

 John the Baptist is known for many things.  His first appearance in Scripture comes while he is still in his mother's womb.  When Mary went to see her kinswoman, Elizabeth, in search of some external validation concerning the words of the angel to her about the birth of Jesus, the Word tells us "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child within her leaped in her womb..." (Luke 1:41).  The child who leaped in his mother's womb was John.  But, John is not known for his leaping ability, but as "The voice"  whose mission was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah centuries earlier.  John the Baptist was "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness."  (Luke 3:4...Isaiah 40:3).   

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus.  He announced His coming.  He declared Him to be "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John1:39).  He was a man willing to let go of his own disciples that they might go after Jesus.  John was a shadow dweller.  He was content to live in the shadow of Jesus.  Like the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist did not call attention to himself, but lived to point people toward Jesus.  He lived fighting the currents created by those who wanted to shut him up and he boldly spoke his unpopular message because the knew repentance was at the heart of what was needed by his people.   

The need for a voice like John the Baptist still exists in our society and in our church.  Too many speak a message about sin that is so compromised it is hard to conceive of it coming from the Scripture.  A recent definition offered by a church leader defined sin as something that hurt you and hurt another.  It is a word which falls far short of the way sin is disobedience to God and disregard for His ways.  John the Baptist would not likely be welcomed in some churches of our day, maybe even most, but his voice is surely one which needs to be heard.

The Means of God

I thought I had arrived at church early yesterday, but as I was approaching the sanctuary door, I saw that I was not as early as the three wise men.  They had already arrived in the church nativity scene.  Tradition tells us they got to the manger sometime after the birth event.  The shepherds who watched their flocks in the field by night arrived shortly after the birth of Jesus.  Their story is told by Luke and is in that beloved Christmas story read from Luke's gospel.  Matthew tells us that the men from the east arrived after the birth of Jesus. Matthew even speaks of them coming to a house and not a manger so the implication is that they arrived after the Bethlehem event.    

Alongside of this bit of Biblical trivia is the church tradition which celebrates the arrival of the men from the east on a day known as Epiphany.  Epiphany shows up on the church calendar twelve days after Christmas.  The point of all of this is that the men from the east are a bit out of place in the manger scene since they did not really make it in time.  Some traditions even go a bit farther in trying to be historically accurate by not only omitting the wise men from the nativity scene, but also keeping the baby Jesus out of it until Christmas Eve.    

So, forgive me for laughing as I noted the early arrival of the men from the east.  I mean no disrespect.  They are welcome anytime.  They were certainly welcomed by Mary and Joseph.  They brought expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The nativity couple must have been overwhelmed by such lavish gifts.  They were poor and had very little, but they had a trip to Egypt still to take and a time of living as refugees in that faraway place.  The gifts of the men from the east provided the means for the journey as well as for the life to be lived in Egypt.   The men from the east must surely be seen as a part of God's plan for caring for the holy family in the difficult years of exile.

The Unexpected One

Advent is the season of surprises.  The first big surprise comes on the first Sunday of Advent when Jesus shows up in the clouds on His return instead of showing up in the manger of Bethlehem for His birth among us.  While still reeling and fussing about the first disappointment, the second Sunday of Advent comes.  Expecting Jesus to show up, we are surprised again as John the Baptist strides on center stage.  Finally, we thought baby Jesus would start stealing the show and we get that wild looking man from the wilderness.    

The truth is the church is never really ready for John the Baptist.  The lectionary gospel lesson and tradition bring him forth every year about this time, and as always, he is both an unexpected and unwanted presence in  the church.  We simply do not want him or his message.  Physically, he is a mess dressed in homemade camel hair clothing, unkempt with honey matted beard and locust breath, and breathing a message that there is something wrong with all who hear his message.  His message is not about love and peace, but sin and repentance.  There is something we must do to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ and it is not decorating a tree or running a string of gaily colored lights across the front of the house.  We err in thinking that Advent is about celebration when it is really about a spirit of preparation that allows itself to be taken over by a waiting, expectant, and repentant heart.  

The message of repentance which John the Baptist preached is a word which called the people of his day and our day to turn away from those things which hinder us on our journey toward oneness with God.  There were things in the lives of those first century listeners and there are things in our lives even today.  John the Baptist says we need to look at ourselves, see what it is that hinders us in our walk with God, and turn away from it.  Only then will we be ready to come to the manger to see the Christ child.

The Iris Will Bloom

The iris will bloom

   when we are all gone,

      sending color forth

        as winter's hold wanes.

          Tho' we dig and plant,

            we shall all be gone

when the iris blooms.

Short timers are we 

  who walk as life's lords

     thinking we shall be

       now and forever,

         yet always tis' true,

           we shall all be gone

when the iris blooms.

Maybe we shall see,

   one more time in Spring

     the shades of purple

       on the bearded one

         but lest we forget,

           we shall all be gone

when the iris blooms.

Decades of winter

  may blow against us

    as grace will allow,

      God's purple glory,

        even as we know

          we shall all be gone

when the iris blooms.

 

This bearded flower

   brings us assurance

     that even though we die,

       we shall surely live,

         tho' it is still true

          we shall all be gone

when the iris blooms.

    

Now Visible

Whenever a blog is written, it comes at the expense of blank white paper. I read somewhere some time ago that creative work is about bringing into view something which has been invisible.  What the writer was offering for consideration is the possibility that what becomes seen has always been there.  It has only been invisible until the moment creativity is given freedom to do its work.  I would like to think this is true of writing.  It is certainly true of great pieces of sculpture which remind us of the creative genius of those who see a huge piece of stone like the rest us, but unlike us, something more.   

The Great Creator and Master Artist brought each one of us into being.  The first chapter of the book of Genesis speaks of that which had not yet been seen being brought from the invisible realm into the visible one.  It was in such a moment of divine creativity that "God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness..."  (Genesis 1:26).  In the 139th Psalm the Sacred Word says, "In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed."  (vs. 16). Another similar word is found in Jeremiah 1:5 where we hear the Word of God being spoken to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you."  Is it not true that we were at one time "not yet seen" but now truly revealed?   

Of course, all of these words of Holy Scripture bring additional light to one of the great mysteries of the creative power of God.  We find it it in I Corinthians 5:17 where we read, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new."  Something never before seen comes into being when we each say "Yes" to Christ and open our heart for Him to do a work of bringing into existence someone who has never existed until that moment.  Hebrews 11:3 reads, "...so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible."  Is this not what the power of God does in us through the work of salvation?  The unseen in us becomes visible...finally and at last!  God does not see us as we see ourselves, or as others see us, but as He created us to be in that moment of beginning long ago.

The Longing Heart

 In the deep darkness

    it is quiet and still,

      noise has disappeared

        nothing is stirring

          except the longing

            within me for Him

to come and to be.

Nothing do I want,

     nothing do I need, 

       no gifts from His hand, 

         no acts of favor,

           nothing do I seek,

             only Him alone

here beside, within.

Come now, Lord Jesus,

    fill this longing heart,

      linger here with me,

        pull up alongside,

          stay awhile with me,

            so that I might know

You in this stillness.

       

   

Getting Real

It is a frightening thing to live in a world where Christ is King.  Actually, we live in such a world.  We simply do not truly acknowledge it.  We talk about Jesus being Lord.  We talk about the way He directs our life and the importance of living according to the values of His Kingdom.  What we also know is that talk is easy.  Fleshing out the talk is hard.  Our own agenda and what we know as peer pressure often is such a force in our life that we end up somewhere short of living in abandonment to the way of Christ.  We want to be one of those who belongs to Jesus, but not all the time.    

For most of us the problem is not a visible one.  We know the right thing to do in most situations and if we feel the scrutiny of someone watching, we can make the good choice even it is made with silent reservations.  The true measure of who we and our loyalty to the Christ comes in those moments when no one is looking.  In those moments what really motivates us and who is in control of our decisions is revealed to us and the Christ who is always present.  We can choose not to speak the harsh or unkind word, but if we simply refrain from speaking it because someone will think less of us, Jesus would say the word is already in our heart and we are as guilty as the one who speaks it.    

Anyone who seriously reads the Sermon on the Mount knows that it takes us into the realm of the heart.  We can make the right choice, perform the right action, but if we do it without love as the reason then we have missed the mark.  Jesus never lets us off the hook at this point.  We can join others in looking righteous.  We can do the right thing.  What we do though is not as important as what is in our heart.  It is in our heart, the  place where no one else sees, that the real issue of obedience is determined.  If Christ is not King in our heart from which all our visible actions spring forth, then we are only giving lip service to the matter of living in abandonment to Him.

Advent Waiting

We do not wait very well.  Even if we arrive somewhere early and our appointment time has not yet come, we find ourselves fidgeting and wondering what is taking so long.  If the places which impose waiting upon us did not have some kind of music filling up the room from hidden speakers, or a blaring television to entertain us, we might end up acting like Flannery O'Connor's character, Mary Grace, in the short story entitled, "Revelation."  We simply do not wait with ease and grace.  It is no wonder that the season of Advent is so distressing to so many of us.  It calls us to wait.  

While we know the Scripture is always calling us to wait upon the Lord, the waiting of Advent challenges us beyond measure.  Everything within us tells us December is about Christmas and here is this invitation to gather not around the Christmas tree, but in a silence and stillness which is broken only by the sputtering of flickering candles.  In most churches the moments in which quiet waiting might take place during the Sundays of Advent are filled with some kind of music much like it is in the secular waiting places.  

Years ago in an attempt to underscore the fact that Advent is about waiting and anticipation instead of celebration, the choir did its usual procession into the Sanctuary, but in silence instead of singing.  Much to the dismay of many in the pews, we sang no Christmas hymns until two Sundays of Advent had passed.  It was only on Christmas Eve that songs like "Joy to the World"  and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" were heard in a moment of worship.  While some fussed, it was an effort to create Advent's sense of anticipation and expectation by withholding certain elements of worship to the point that we would long for them and look forward to the joy they unleashed in our hearts.

Wistful Longing

Advent has what might be described as a wistful dimension.  Or, maybe the right word is that it gives expression to the sense of longing in all of us.  We look around at the world in which we live and we long for a reality which could be, but is not yet.  We see brokenness and we long for wholeness, we see injustice and we long for rightness to overcome, we see the killing of war and we long for peace to forever prevail.  We see people who are hungry midst visions of lush green fields, people who are shivering in the cold while smoke rises from nearby chimneys, and suffering people dying at the doors of research labs preaching, "Soon, but not yet."    

We long for the child to no longer be harmed by the snake, the lamb to no longer fear the wolf, and the cow to graze alongside of the bear.  (Isaiah 11:6-8).  We wistfully long to see the not yet come to pass visions of our heart.  We wait for what is not yet.  We hope that one day soon the things invisible now to the human eye will not only be seen, but will be the norm in which all people live.  In these first days of Advent we long for the Kingdom of God which is promised to come as reality in our world.    

Jesus taught us to pray for this Kingdom.  With the ears of His disciples turned toward Him, He said pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." (Matthew 6:10). It is a word which teaches us to pray that the peace which hangs heavy in heaven's air will come to saturate everything upon which it might fall on earth.  The Kingdom is here in our midst.  The Kingdom is not yet here.  Both are true.  As the ancient Witness said to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, "Surely I am coming soon."  And the people of God on the threshold of Advent respond with words of longing, "Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20)

The Coming Christ

Years ago when I first got acquainted with the season of Advent, I was surprised that the first Sunday focused on Jesus coming, but not in Bethlehem.  Instead, the focus is Jesus coming in the clouds, or coming again.  The message of the first Sunday of Advent is that the Jesus who has come is coming.  It should not have seemed strange back then as the gospel tells us about a Kingdom that is both here in our midst and coming.  The  gospel is this mysterious message that tells us about God being on His throne and dwelling in our hearts.  We worship a God who is here and there, one who speaks with no Voice, and one who is invisible and constantly revealing Himself.    

Let no one say the Holy Word is not about mystery.  Let no one say it is not a word which reveals mystery to us.  On this first Sunday in Advent our minds want to travel on ahead to Bethlehem to behold what is indeed a great mystery:  The Incarnation.  The God with us moment.  Yet, instead the emphasis of the day calls us not to look behind us to that mysterious event in human history, but forward to still another which will come.  It is a day for remembering the words of two men in white robes who stood with the disciples as Jesus was lifted into the clouds at His ascension, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?  This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven."  (Acts 1:11)  

During the season of Advent we are caused to anticipate and wait for the moment when we celebrate the Christ event on Christmas Day, but there is also a call to live with an expectation that the One who has come is coming again.  In many ways, it is the forgotten and ignored part of the gospel message, but ignoring this coming event does not change its inevitability.  As we say during the Holy Communion, "Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again!"

The Unwanted Season

Advent is precise.  There is no sloppiness in it.  Start at Christmas Day, count back four Sundays, and the first day and first Sunday of Advent appears.  Advent begins today.  In retrospect it has always seemed like the season on the Christian calendar the church does not want to observe, or celebrate.  When the page on the secular calendar is turned from November to December, the rush to Christmas is fast forwarded.   For most folks, even those within the church, December is about Christmas and not Advent.  Advent is about slowing down, paying attention to the present, and waiting.  December never knows such concerns as it races forward.   

The heart of the Advent season is about looking ahead, anticipating the celebration of the Christ child being born in Bethlehem, and quietly waiting.  Christmas is the moment of celebration Advent anticipates and without the anticipation the celebration is diminished.  It might be compared to celebrating Easter without the sorrow and horror of Good Friday.  Without the cross the empty tomb is diminished and so it is with a Christmas without Advent.   In some ways the children with visions of Santa in the their head point the way for the church.  Once Christmas appears on the horizon of the child, there is a growing sense of anticipation and wonder which is finally culminated on the long anticipated gathering around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.  

It is this element of anticipation which is missing in so many churches as its people push the waiting season aside for the day of celebration.  By the time Christmas comes everyone is worn out and only looking forward to Christmas being behind us.  When we long not for Christmas to come, but long for it to be behind us, there is something wrong.  A proper observance of Advent holds the solution, but no one, not even the church, is listening.