New Year's Eve

Something to think about on the last day of 2012. This is year is now almost passed, it is time to take up the mantle for a new year, a new beginning, a fresh start...

End of the world...

So the world did NOT end on 12/21/12...it becomes obvious, once again, that most prophecies are incorrect...so let's focus on something we can control. Perhaps not the whole world, but our little part of it.

 

Christmas traditions

Last Sunday we sang "O come, O come, Emmanuel" during morning worship. While it is one of my favorite Advent hymns, I was surprised to notice how old it really is...according to the UM Hymnal, it has been translated from 9th Century Latin. Finding the history adds another layer to our Advent celebrations...realizing that there have been Christians singing this hymn for over 1,000 years. I find comfort in such things.

Imagine then how I felt when I ran across the "First Christmas sermon" which was delivered in 386 AD (1,600 years ago!!). It was written and preached by St. John Chrysostom. It is both relevant and beautiful...spend some time with it (after all, it's still the Christmas season)...

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn.  The Angels sing.  The Archangels blend their voice in harmony.  The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise.  The Seraphim exalt His glory.  All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven.  He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice.  And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields.  For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God.  This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not.  For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His.  Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.

Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny.  Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech.  For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works.

What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth.  The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend.

Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace!  The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption.  For what reason?  That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see.  For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt.

Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature’.  For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made.  Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator.  For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker.

What shall I say!  And how shall I describe this Birth to you?  For this wonder fills me with astonishment.  The Ancient of days has become an infant.  He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger.  And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men.  He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands.  But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life.  He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me.

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity.  For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been ‘in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Why is this?  Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh.  He did not become God.  He was God.  Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant’s food from His Virgin Mother.  So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him.  Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, we offer all praise, now and for ever.  Amen.

I grew up in an era that thought "old" things were just that...old. There was no reason to spend time looking back. Everything great and good would be in the future. Oh how wrong!

The world...

The world is changed with your example, not your opinion.
                                                       Paul Coelho

Reconcilitation

The Task of Reconciliation...

What is our task in this world as children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus?  Our task is reconciliation.  Wherever we go we see divisions among people - in families, communities, cities, countries, and continents.  All these divisions are tragic reflections of our separation from God.  The truth that all people belong together as members of one family under God is seldom visible.  Our sacred task is to reveal that truth in the reality of everyday life.  

Why is that our task?  Because God sent Christ to reconcile us with God and to give us the task of reconciling people with one another.   As people reconcile with God through Christ we have been given the ministry of reconciliation" (see: 2 Corinthians 5:18).  So whatever we do the main question is, Does it lead to reconciliation among people?

Claiming our Reconciliation...

How do we work for reconciliation?  First and foremost by claiming for ourselves that God through Christ has reconciled us to God.  It is not enough to believe this with our heads.  We have to let the truth of this reconciliation permeate every part of our beings.  As long as we are not fully and thoroughly convinced that we have been reconciled with God, that we are forgiven, that we have received new hearts,  new spirits, new eyes to see, and new ears to hear, we continue to create divisions among people because we expect from them a healing power they do not possess.

Only when we fully trust that we belong to God and can find in our relationship with God all that we need for our minds, hearts, and souls, can we be truly free in this world and be ministers of reconciliation.   This is not easy; we readily fall back into self-doubt and self-rejection.  We need to be constantly reminded through God's Word, the sacraments, and the love of our neighbors that we are indeed reconciled.

                                                                      Henri Nouwen

Things...

One Baby

Joy!

Nativity

by D. Lyon

Naughty or Nice?

He Came

Transfiguration...

The experience of the fullness of time, during which God is so present, so real, so tangibly near that we can hardly believe that everyone does not see God as we do, is given to us to deepen our lives of prayer and strengthen our lives of ministry.   Having experienced God in the fullness of time, we have a lifelong desire to be with God and to proclaim to others the God we experienced.

                                                                                          by Bellini

Peter, years after the death of Jesus, claims his Mount Tabor experience as the source for his witness.  He says:  "When we told you about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not slavishly repeating cleverly invented myths; no, we had seen his majesty with our own eyes ... when we were with him on the holy mountain" (2 Peter 1:16-18).  Seeing God in the most intimate moments of our lives is seeing God for others.

                                                                                                 Henri Nouwen

Christ

A thought to ponder during the last days of Advent....

The Mountaintop Experience

At some moments we experience complete unity within us and around us.  This may happen when we stand on a mountaintop and are captivated by the view.  It may happen when we witness the birth of a child or the death of a friend.  It may happen when we have an intimate conversation or a family meal.  It may happen in church during a service or in a quiet room during prayer.  But whenever and however it happens we say to ourselves:  "This is it ... everything fits ... all I ever hoped for is here."

This is the experience that Peter, James, and John had on the top of Mount Tabor when they saw the aspect of Jesus' face change and his clothing become sparkling white.  They wanted that moment to last forever (see Luke 9:28-36).   This is the experience of the fullness of time.  These moments are given to us so that we can remember them when God seems far away and everything appears empty and useless.  These experiences are true moments of grace.

                                                       Henri Nouwen

Weeping

So many thoughts have gone through my head and heart since the tragic shooting last week. I just cannot fathom what it would take to drive someone to perform such acts. I also cannot begin to wrap my head (or heart) around how all those affected must feel. 

All I can say is...Angels are weeping...

 

Teachers

Mary did you know?

Mary, did you know?
by: Mark Lowry / Buddy Greene

Mary did you know that your baby boy would some day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you. 
Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when your kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

Oh Mary did you know
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will walk again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am 

Read more: http://artists.letssingit.com/mark-lowry-lyrics-mary-did-you-know-hc1xwsv#ixzz2DcdvWkRG
LetsSingIt - Your favorite Music Community

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.

Read more: http://artists.letssingit.com/mark-lowry-lyrics-mary-did-you-know-hc1xwsv#ixzz2DcdvWkRG
LetsSingIt - Your favorite Music Community

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.

Read more: http://artists.letssingit.com/mark-lowry-lyrics-mary-did-you-know-hc1xwsv#ixzz2DcdvWkRG
LetsSingIt - Your favorite Music Community

The Hobbit

Being the child of a self proclaimed gypsy, I never knew what it was like to live in one house for more than 18 months or so. Moving so frequently, it became easier over time to just not try and make friends. After all, we'd be leaving sooner or later and leaving hurt worse when you left people behind.

I filled my time with books...matter of fact, I cannot remember a time when I couldn't read and didn't have a book in my hand. 

One particularly astute high school English teacher recognized this and introduced me to "The Hobbit" and later "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.



These stories became life-long friends from the first word of the first page. To be read and savored time and again. When my son got old enough to grasp the stories, he and his father embarked upon the quest and came to love them as much as I.

To say our copies are "dog-eared" is an understatement. And we've since added to the collection with The Silmarillion; Unfinished Tales; The Children of Hurin and others.

I loved the movies depicting the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was as if Peter Jackson looked at the character descriptions and saw them with my eyes...particularly the Ents!

To bring things full circle, the family and I are going tonight to see the first installment of "The Hobbit"...from what I've been told it will be like greeting an old friend...we can't wait!

Choices

Chanukah

 (Hanukkah), the Festival of Lights, begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, and lasts for eight days. On the secular calendar, Chanukah generally falls out in December. It started this past Sunday.

Check here for more information about this major Jewish holiday...

and enjoy this...(see if you know what city he's in...)

Just enjoy!

With all the hustle and bustle that is the reality of the Christmas season in the world today, sometimes you just need to take a little time to laugh...and marvel... and enjoy some slight of hand...



I must admit I'm not one who needs to know how it's done...I just enjoy it for what it is...hope you do too!

By the way, his name is Yann Frisch...

If I could talk to the animals...

I like dogs and babies...who knew they could communicate? Thought this might be a great way to start the week...

Christmas

Rethink Christmas

A place of pain...

An excellent article on the upcoming cinematic debut of the well loved "Les Miserables". 

Good actors find a way to connect with the characters they are playing. Anne Hathaway was not different:

One woman she saw in a video clip had a particular effect on Hathaway and was, in fact, the person who influenced her characterization the most. She recalled, “She kept repeating, ‘I come from a good family. I come from a good family. We lost everything and I have children. So now I do this.’ She didn’t want to do this, but it was the only way her children were going to eat. Then she let out this sob like I’ve never heard before. And she raised her hand to her forehead, and it was the most despairing gesture I’ve ever seen. That was the moment I realized I wasn’t [just] playing a character; this woman deserves to have her voice heard. I needed to connect with that honesty and re-create that feeling. She’s nameless, I’ll never know who she is. She really was the one who made me understand why Fantine felt shame, what it’s like not just to go to a dark place, but to have fallen from a place where you didn’t think anything bad was ever going to happen to you – and the betrayal and rage you feel at life because you’ve gone through that.”

We compartmentalize so much of what we see and hear in order to keep it from touching us...if it happened long ago, it surely cannot still be happening. But it can, and it does. No matter how bright and beautiful our lives may seem, let us not forget those who suffer...many times through no fault of their own. The article is worth a read...

A reader asked for a link to the article....so sorry for not adding it in the first place! You can see it here.... 

December 7th

 The Sentinel's Creed

My dedication to this sacred duty
is total and whole-hearted.
In the responsibility bestowed on me
never will I falter.
And with dignity and perseverance
my standard will remain perfection.
Through the years of diligence and praise
and the discomfort of the elements,
I will walk my tour in humble reverence
to the best of my ability.
It is he who commands the respect I protect,
his bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day,
alone in the thoughtful peace of night,
this soldier will in honored glory rest
under my eternal vigilance.

Tomb of the Unknowns

Secularization...

This is the time of year we begin to hear Christians whine and moan about the secularization of Christmas. And while I know it can be frustrating to see a season that is so important to us reduced to Frosty and Santa and tinsel, is it really worth getting all upset about it? 

Will the fact that "we" place signs up saying "Keep Christ in Christmas" turn one unbeliever to Christ? Even though it may sometimes seem that society is depriving this holy day of all it's meaning, what do you think Christ's response would be? Would He want us shouting down those who have added other traditions?

After all, other faiths have holy days that fall within this time frame too. Is the holiday exclusively ours? If we say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas", are we not simply acknowledging that there are others in our world living out their faith?

If someone writes "Merry X-mas!" do you truly think it's wrong? Our Bible was translated from Greek, wasn't it? The Greek letter "Chi" was often used in ancient times as an abbreviation for Christ..."Chi" is written as an  Χχ...X-mas takes on a different meaning when you know that, doesn't it?

Many non-believers feel led to "give" to charity during this time of year. Isn't that the Spirit working within them? And if their generosity makes them feel better during the Christmas Season, might they start carrying it on throughout the year? Couldn't it possibly lead them to seek Christ? 

Isn't modleing Christ-like behavior the best way for us to keep Christ in Christmas? 

If you are disturbed by all the parties, and decorations and all the many gifts you feel you need to purchase, isn't there a better way to assuage this uneasiness? Instead of spending time decorating every square inch of your home, what if you worked at a local soup kitchen? Instead of spending hours at the local mall (with all those secular expressions posted around), what if you volunteered to work with the sick and elderly at a nursing home? Instead of grumbling while you purchase a scarf for your Great Aunt Tessie, why not find a way to practice compassion and purchase gifts for the children of a needy family?

Rather than spending this season fretting about the way society celebrates it, why not spend that time serving more, worshiping more, being with family more? If we let this mountain shrink back down to the mole hill it really is, we may just find our celebration of this most holy time becomes just that...more holy.

Beautiful...

What an excellent idea!

 

Worst Nativity Sets, ever...

Chicken Nativity

Troll Nativity

Oh my, words just cannot begin...so glad the Deacon's Bench wrote all the commentary!
You can see more of them here, if you dare!

What I love about Christmas

There's much to love about the Christmas season. Now before you get your list of “what's not to love” ready, let me say that I don't like the shopping part, refuse to take part in Black Friday and cringe when I hear Christmas songs in the stores right after Halloween.

I love the family traditions built up over 35 years of being married and having a family. The advent wreath on the table where everyone can see it. The “all one piece” Nativity scene that gets pride of place in the center of the mantle. All the children's hand made ornaments that we no longer use but which are still in the box lest we forget they are there.

I love the joy and expectation in the eyes of all the children as they look forward to Christmas Eve and the arrival of St. Nick. Decorating the church, as a congregation, on the first Sunday of Advent. Submerging myself in the glorious music provided by the different musicians and choirs. Finding a new way to tell the Christmas story with the children and young people (this year's telling includes Frankenstein!). Reading the letters to Santa in the local paper. Gathering with others from our congregation to throw a party for those less fortunate children of our community.

But, most of all, I love the 11pm Christmas Eve service. Walking into the church filled with warmth and light, the intimacy of the crowd (there are usually only around 20 -30 of us there), the candles, the music. Getting into a circle to close the service and holding hands with those around me. Even then, the most enchanted time is walking back to the car afterward. Still feeling the glow of the words telling one of the most sacred of stories, bundling up but feeling the cold night air on my face, looking up to the sky (whether it's cloudy or full of stars) and taking a moment to know...without a doubt...that this is a celebration of the birth of the Savior of the world. That moment in time when I feel the mysterious connection with all that happened on that special night during that special season. I rarely feel closer to God than I do in that particular moment. And then my heart sings...“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Happy Holidays!

This is the time of year we begin to hear Christians whine and moan about the secularization of Christmas. And while I know it can be frustrating to see a season that is so important to us reduced to Frosty and Santa and tinsel, is it really worth getting all upset about it? 

Will the fact that "we" put up signs saying "Keep Christ in Christmas" turn one unbeliever to Christ? Even though it may sometimes seem that society is depriving this holy day of all it's meaning, what do you think Christ's response would be? Would He want us shouting down those who have added other traditions?

After all, other faiths have holy days that fall within this time frame too. Is the holiday exclusively ours? If we say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas", are we not simply acknowledging that there are others in our world living out their faith?

If someone writes "Merry X-mas!" do you truly think it's wrong? Our Bible was translated from Greek, wasn't it? The Greek letter "Chi" was often used in ancient times as an abbreviation for Christ..."Chi" is written as an  Χχ...X-mas takes on a different meaning when you know that, doesn't it?

Many non-believers feel led to "give" to charity during this time of year. Isn't that the Spirit working within them? And if their generosity makes them feel better during the Christmas Season, might they start carrying it on throughout the year? Couldn't it possibly lead them to seek Christ? 

Isn't modeling Christ-like behavior the best way for us to keep Christ in Christmas? 

If you are disturbed by all the parties, and decorations and the way too many gifts you feel you need to purchase, isn't there a better way to assuage this uneasiness? Instead of spending time decorating every square inch of your home, what if you worked at a local soup kitchen? Instead of spending hours at the local mall (with all those secular expressions posted around), what if you volunteered to work with the sick and elderly at a nursing home? Instead of grumbling while you purchase a scarf for your Great Aunt Tessie, why not find a way to practice compassion and purchase gifts for the children of a needy family?

Rather than spending this season fretting about the way society celebrates it, why not spend that time serving more, worshipping more, being with family more? If we let this mountain shrink back down to the mole hill it really is, we may just find our celebration of this most holy time becomes just that...more holy.

Advent Wreath

Since today is the first Sunday of Advent, and since Chuck has another installment of "Chuck knows Church" that explains the Advent wreath it was a "no brainer" to post this today.



After years of lighting these wreaths both at church and at home, it hit me one day that the Christ candle could be utilized for more than just a few Sunday's a year (wonder where that idea came from?). At any given Youth meeting, we will have a candle burning...our version of the Christ candle (meaning it may or may not be white). It is there to remind us of Matthew 18:20 and our purpose for joining together..."For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Christmas Spirit

Another installment....

of Chuck knows Church...

Advent

in two minutes...



by Busted Halo

...an excellent introduction to the season. You might well be surprised at how many "Christians" know nothing about it!