Standing Still for Christmas - Dr. John Fiedler

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  Rejoice. My God is love.

When I was 5 years old living on Euclid Ave. here in Dallas, I got a wonderful gift for Christmas: a turtle.  It came with a plastic circular habitat complete with a plastic miniature palm tree and a sunning deck.  My father asked me what I wanted to name my turtle. The answer was obvious to a five year old exultant boy: “Christmas!!” Christmas was not exactly an action toy. When I got home from kindergarten, it didn’t seem as if he had moved all day. He didn’t bark or meow or wag his tail. But none of that mattered. He was my pet turtle. And he was Christmas!!

Christmas needs to be a day when nothing else matters. The irritatingly mundane details of life that chronically bring us down are pushed to the margins so that we can dwell on that purest of emotions: love.  And not just any old love but agape love in Jesus Christ.

You’ve done whatever preparations you were going to do to make Christmas special. Now enjoy it! Shift gears and savor the moment. Tomorrow will bring all of the cares and concerns of everyday life but today focus on the ultimate.

If my pet turtle Christmas were still around and able to talk I have no doubt that he would tell you, “Don’t just do something….stand there!!”

In the name of the Christ Child, have a blessed Christmas Day.

The Blessing of Love - Rev. Tom Downing

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  May I receive God's blessings.

"See what great love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God; and that is what we are."  –  1 John 3:1

The greatest blessing of all is simply that we are children of God, loved by the one who set the stars in motion, who spent billions of years just to prepare a place for us, that we might grow up into the image of our divine parent. Throughout scripture the message repeats over and over.

            "You  are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you."  – Isaiah 43:1-4

God's message to us this day is the same as it was to Jesus on the day of his baptism.

            "You are my beloved child with you I am well pleased." – Mark 1:11

Truly this is the greatest blessing, the greatest gift of all!

But how do we respond to this gift? The Christmas season gives us lots of great examples. How do you know when a gift is well received and truly appreciated? A thank you is nice but you really know your gift is appreciated if the person receiving it immediately puts it to use. The toy put back in its box, the sweater never worn, the article immediately exchanged, these tell you that your gift wasn't really treasured by the recipient.

So there is more to receiving God's blessing than just our hearing it. We must make it ours by living out its purpose. When God blesses Abraham in the first of the great blessings of scripture, God says, "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."  – Genesis 12:2-3 We are called upon to be a blessing to others. We are called to grow up into the loving image of the one who loves us.

"Love one another as I have loved you." –  John 15:12

We are called not just to enjoy peace on earth. We are called to help bring peace on earth.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."  –  Mattew 5:9

And we are called to love all the families of the earth, even the least, the lost and the unlovable.

"Love your enemies... , and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."  – Luke 6:35

Now none of this is possible without the blessing, the gift of the Holy Spirit poured into us by the one who comes at Christmas. But if we would truly receive this blessing we must use the gift as it was intended. We receive love. We give love. We receive love. We give love. And that loving never ends.

"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you."  – Isaiah 54:10 

This is the blessing of Christmas. God bless us everyone! 

Embraced by Love - Dr. Andy Stoker

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  God is calling me home to rest in the embrace of love.

The story of the prodigal son has shaped our understanding of what it means to be accepted back into the fold of God. The parable proclaims an unconditionality of love for the lost. A son asks for his inheritance, a clear separation from his family. He squanders his inheritance and finds himself on a pig farm. Eating from the pig trough, the prodigal finds himself and decides to return home. He rehearsed what he would say to his father over and over upon his return. Now, the father waited and watched day after day. He paced the porch, looked out the window, watching the hill home every day at dusk. Then, one day the wait ended. Seeing a thin shadow grace the hill at dusk, he recognized his son. He flung open the door and ran out to greet his son. Without hesitation or want, the father picks up the son, holds him to his breast so that the rehearsed speech cannot be heard. The embrace lasts and lasts.
    A Chinese artist was asked to render this story as a focal point in a church’s sanctuary. When the picture was completed, the artist was flown to the United States with her rendering. The art was unveiled. The congregation was amazed at the beauty and care in the story’s telling. The picture was of a father embracing his son; dress of ancient Palestine for the father, rags for the son. But there was something peculiar. A congregation member asked, “Why does the father have two mismatched shoes on?” The artist replied, “When a parent misses their child and the child miraculously returns, it matters not if your shoes match.”
    God’s wish for you this Christmas is a loving embrace from the One who gives life, life in abundance. God is waiting to embrace you; it’ll be a lasting embrace.

What's Your Focus? - Allen Zugelter

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day: Think less; love more.

I knew I was officially an adult when I received my first lecture from my doctor on the benefits of healthy eating and lower cholesterol.  “You are what you eat,” he said.  Sound dietary advice.

I think the same advice can be applied psychologically, as well.  We are what we think.  What we think about shapes how we view the world.  What we think about becomes the lens through which we see the world.

Especially during this time of year, it is easy to allow our thoughts to wander from the true meaning of the season.  Sometimes we focus on a conflict that may rear its ugly head.  Sometimes we focus on all of the things we hoped to accomplish and achieve over the previous year that didn’t come to fruition.  Sometimes we stress over having enough money to provide the type of Christmas that we think our friends and families deserve.

The problem is, when we focus our thoughts on these types of issues, we re-wire our brains to see the world though the lens of these issues.  Everything that we experience is seen through a lens of conflict, or disappointment, or fear.

These thoughts of course, are not what this season is all about.  This season is about hope.  Of promises God has made which are already fulfilled, and which will be perfected in the future.

So what lens do you view the world through?  What is the focus of your thoughts?  This Advent season, may we all view the world through the lens of Jesus Christ: the lens of perfect love.

God’s Extravagant Love - Rev. Linda Roby

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  I can trust God’s extravagant love.

As the forth advent candle was lit this past Sunday, we were reminded again of God’s abundant and perfect love that came in the flesh, in Jesus. We too, are created from that same love, and that love is the essential reality for us and our purpose on earth.  It is our challenge to accept it.  When we do, we are casting out the darkness of fears, doubts, and prejudices, so that we too, can be light and love for the world.  The following quote speaks of the power of that love:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  (Marianne Williamson)

This Christmas, let your love and light shine for all to see.  It can make a world of difference!

Spread the Joy - Rocky Dwyer

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  Love sees the good in others.

One of my favorite movies to watch during the Christmas season is Elf.  Elf is the story of Buddy the elf who learns he is actually a human and goes to New York City to find his dad.  Buddy is everything we enjoy about the Christmas season.  What I like best about Buddy is he is a friend to everyone and he wants everyone to experience the joy of Christmas.  As Buddy says, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear.”  Buddy discovers that his dad does not have the Christmas spirit but through the course of the movie Buddy’s love transforms his dad to find the love and joy of Christmas.  If there is someone in your life who has a tough time getting into the season I would encourage you take them to go see a movie, go caroling, drive around had see the Christmas lights, give to Toys for Tots, or whatever you can think of that witnesses to the joy and love of the season.  Perhaps through such acts you can help them find the spirit of the season.  For me I really enjoy going caroling with my youth group.  I can’t sing very well but I try to be joyful.  When we go and sing I see the affect it has on the people and us.  After a rousing number of Jungle Bells or the stillness of Silent Night it shares a part of Christmas.  Go and make a joyful noise and share the transforming power of Christmas.

Another Name for Love - Gretchen Combs

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  I begin by loving.

Additional Scripture:  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God---children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 

John 1: 12-13

According to Wikipedia, “The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard, American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers’ trademark act was performing folk songs, which usually led to arguments between the siblings, Tommy’s signature line was,  Mom always liked you best!”

The line worked well for the comedians and sale of their records .  It also worked well at our dinner table.  With three older brothers the line became well-worn in our family.  The more it was said, the more upset our mother became, frantically trying to get that crazy notion stopped “before someone’s feelings were hurt”! She never did see anything funny in the line---which made us all laugh more.   The fact was, she loved us all the best.

God has a heart big enough to encompass all his children, and the amazing thing is that each of us is “liked best”.  God’s love surpasses all we can imagine.  He wants us to accept his love and return this gift by simply serving him reaching out with love to others.  God has the capacity to love each of us.  He doesn’t care about our nationality, race, gender, or financial situation.  We have the opportunity to be adopted into the family of God by receiving and believing him.  As we continue this Advent season, may we feel God’s love and become part of the family of God, showing our love for him to others.

                        I begin by loving

CONSIDER

It can be difficult to know how to love a God we cannot see or touch.  How do you express your love for God?

<Click here> for a Family Advent Activity.

Uncluttered & Loving - Dr. John Fiedler

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  Each task performed with love is a tribute to God.

Love is posited as the solution to everything…and I happen to agree with that. But what are the distinguishing marks of Christian love? I like the story told by Steven Covey about the man who told him about a problem: the man no longer loved his wife. Covey responded:”so love her.”  The man was puzzled. He said, “But you don’t understand…I don’t love my wife!” Again, Covey said, “Then love her!!”

The troubled husband was referring to love as if it were a Dow Jones commodity that you looked up on your laptop each day ( uh oh, our love has gone down 2 points today.)  For Christians, love must first and foremost be an action verb. The qualities that are associated with active loving are:

·        Attention – if you love someone you pay attention to them. You listen to what they need and want. You seek to understand them. You laugh with them and cry with them and stand by them. Pay attention

·        Priority – you make it clear that compared with so many mundane details and distractions, that they are more important than anything else. You find time for them and are willing to push other things aside

·        Acceptance – you find people where they are and don’t automatically try to shape them in your image. You restrain yourself from trying to solve their problems and instead offer support in their struggles

·        Respect – love without respect can be a toxic combination. Abusive spouses may love their partners but they do not respect them. Respecting the other means that we do not try to dominate and we seek solutions that include the needs and concerns of the other.

As the fourth Advent candle is lit this Sunday, re-commit to loving those around you.

It's All Around You - Rev. Tom Downing

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  I will keep my eyes and heart open to signs of God's coming.

The apocryphal Gospel of Thomas has an interesting variation of Jesus saying in Luke, "The kingdom of God is among you." In Thomas the disciples ask, "When will the new world come?" Jesus answers, "What you are looking forward to has come, but you don't know it." In another place Thomas quotes Jesus saying, "The kingdom of God is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it." Why don't we see it?

I believe it is because we look at the surface of things and don't take time to look into the depths. Our media is expert at that. That's one of the reasons people refer to much of it as "infotainment." The surface can be glitzy or bloody but if that is all you see, you don't really know what's going on.

I was at a restaurant the other night and overheard the woman at the table next to me talking about the poor. "They're just lazy!" she declared. "We shouldn't support welfare for these people. "I would go right out and get another job if I were laid off!" I wondered how long she could maintain that attitude, if she worked at Crossroads Community Services a while, and heard desperate middle class people talk about spending months and months looking for work, until their exhausted bank accounts forced them to come to us for food.

All of us are really good at seeing the bad. That's one reason why Jesus tells us not to judge others. Often people do the wrong thing for the right reason, but we don't bother asking what they were trying to do. Instead of looking at the bad, at the easy answer, at the surface, we need to open our eyes to the depth of people to see the goodness and the love inside.

Even in the midst of this terrible economy there are glimpses of the kingdom all around us, like the FirstChurch volunteers distributing food and clothing at Crossroads, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, assisting sick children and adults at Methodist Hospital, working with Kairos prison ministries, working with Dallas Ramps to ease the way of the handicapped, working with 1stEcoTeam to put inexpensive flourescent lights in the homes of people on fixed incomes -- I could go on and on. But looking even farther into our world we see people winning their freedom through non-violent means, nations working together to solve economic problems, people speaking out against greed and indifference.  Researcher Steven Pinker even tells us that in spite of our high tech weaponry and easily available guns there is actually a smaller proportion of the population dying from violence today than there has ever been in human history. 

The important thing is to keep our eyes open to what God is doing in our world. Every act of kindness, every gesture of love, every gift of joy, each act of creativity, all are seeds of the kingdom if we will only recognize them. They may be mustard seeds, seemly tiny and insignificant, but we have the promise that God will grow them into a tree of light, life and love sheltering all in its branches.  Stop. Look. The kingdom is all around you.

“God is here, right now . . . Present and active” - Dr. Andy Stoker

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  God is here, right now.

What is God up to?! Through reading our Advent book, The Uncluttered Heart, by Beth Richardson, we are invited to consider God’s presence in all aspects of our lives. For United Methodist Christians, we believe that God’s grace is before us, with us presently, and will remain forevermore. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, describes the grace of God in one of his earlier sermons, “Free Grace”:

“The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is free in all and free for all. First, it is free in all to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in [humankind]; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in any wise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not on anything [the person] has done, or anything [the person] is. It does not depend on [the person’s] endeavors. It does not depend on [the person’s] good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God . . . Thus is [God’s] grace free in all, that is, no way depending on any power or merit in [humankind], but on God alone.”
Through all of life’s “endeavors,” God promises to be with us. This Christmas, open your heart and mind to the presence of God. Grace will abound!

Comfort for Those Who Mourn - Allen Zugelter

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  God comforts all who mourn.

We are supposed to be cheerful and happy at Christmas, for the commercials and TV specials tell us so.  It’s as if we are supposed to have two lives: the real, messy, human life that we live eleven months out of the year, and the Christmas life that we put on during Advent.  This is, of course, ridiculous.  We are all human beings.  We experience loss.  We grieve. And, as much as we may want to, it is extremely hard to take a holiday from grief.

It’s no secret that this can be an especially hard time of the year for those who are grieving.  The holidays bring with them memories, sometimes fond and sometimes painful, of those we have lost.  It can feel like rubbing salt in our wounds.  We cannot, and should not, run from this, or try to constantly hide our emotions behind a false mask of happiness.  To do this is to deny our humanity.

This Advent season, may we allow ourselves to embrace the full spectrum of emotions.  To recognize that to grieve is to have loved, and that a life without love is not life at all.  Most of all, may we remember that there is room at the manger for all, as Christ comes to comfort the grieving.

Replace My Fear with Gratitude - Rev. Linda Roby

Breath Prayer and Words for the day:  Replace my fear with gratitude.

                           

Throughout scripture we hear “do not be afraid”. This year has been full of uncertain times for many, and when we add the busyness of the season, we may find ourselves feeling anxious, and a bit fearful….if only the economy was better, if only I had a good job, or if only my loved ones were here.  Into that sense of stress and uncertainly, we hear again the angel speaking to Mary:  “She was thoroughly shaken...but the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear.  God has a surprise for you.’”  (Luke 1:29-30 The Message)

In times of fear and anxiety, we long for a sense of comfort, stability and clarity. Scripture reminds us that if we turn our hearts and minds to search for meaning and direction with God, as Mary did, we can discover a new way. 

Mary is able to find purpose, vision, and even joy in the midst of great challenges.  Rather than being paralyzed by fear, she trusts God’s promises, and finds joy in being God’s servant.

The angels remind us that there is hope.  When we receive the present with courage, allow the stress to move us forward, and offer ourselves to be part of God’s unfolding story, we can trust that God is making something wonderfully new!     

A great hymn of the Christmas season tell us that “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”  FirstChurch, encourage one another to move forward, and to step bravely, to follow Christ into new places of mission and ministry.   Do not be afraid!

True Joy - Rocky Dwyer

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  God delights in me; I delight in God.

This advent season I wish I could find the words to say to let God know how much He has touched my life. But rather I find myself in the exact same place as last year. From a lack of my determination I’m less than half as close as I want to be with him.  I wish I could say without reservation every day I delight in God but I can’t.  Between the challenges going on in the world, my family, friends, and myself it’s hard to muster a hardy Joy To The World.  I’m that unthankful child looking under the Christmas tree at my gifts and saying “That’s IT!!!” I want more and something better than all of this I see.  When I reflect though on the Christmas story that the greatest of gifts come in usual ways and may not be what I wanted but what I needed.  This Christmas I will not find the words to tell God how much he has touched my life because I don’t fully realize all that God has done and my words will fail to come close to showing my appreciation.  It is hard to imagine that the God of the Universe delights in me.  Yet a baby boy born over 2000 years ago brings witness to this fact.  That gift is all I need to find the source of true joy.  Joy to the world indeed for the Lord is come!  That is something I can truly delight in! 

Waiting for the Treasure - Gretchen Combs

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  I will open my eyes to see God's joy.

Additional VERSES

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”       Luke 2:28-32

When our daughter was almost four, she eagerly anticipated Christmas.  She had asked for only one thing:  a Cabbage Patch doll.  That was the year, however, that all little girls wanted one.  They were hard to find; stores sold out as soon as they arrived!  Since it was the only thing she asked for, my husband and I searched and searched for this doll.  Any Cabbage Patch doll would do!  We couldn’t find one, and no way could we afford what the scalpers were asking.

On Christmas morning we all opened our gifts…excitement and joy flooded the room.  Each gift was amazing.  As we started to clean up, piling the gifts around the tree, I noticed her sitting on the sofa looking a bit sad.  “What’s wrong,” I asked her.  Looking up at me, she simply said, “ I didn’t get a Cabbage Patch doll.”  I felt awful!  That week, we began anew, searching for a Cabbage Patch doll.  Some weeks later, we found one, and when our little girl saw her treasure, she was filled with joy beyond belief.  The doll became her companion for years.

Simeon was a righteous and devout man who also waited, with great expectation.  And can you picture the joy on Simeon’s face when Mary and Joseph came into the temple with baby Jesus?  This was no ordinary baby, this baby was different, and Simeon knew it.  This was the Christ.  Imagine the thrill Simeon experienced when he held the child…the Child for whom he waited?  His heart must have been full of an indescribable joy.

Do we respond like Simeon?  Are we Christians excited about the birth of Christ?  Are our hearts full and at peace?  Do we have an indescribable joy?  A joy that surrounds us and reminds us always  that there is no greater gift this Advent season.

            I will open my eyes to see God’s  joy.

CONSIDER

 1. Have you ever wanted a gift so badly you could hardly contain yourself?  Did you ever get your treasure?  Was it worth the wait?

 2. Have you ever given a gift to someone you knew wanted the item really badly?  How did you present the gift?  What was his or her reaction?  How did it make you feel?

<Click here> for a family activity for Advent.

Magnify & Rejoice!! - Dr. John Fiedler

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  My spirit rejoices in God.

In a heavily patriarchal society, a peasant girl is visited by an angel. The angel reveals God's plan that this young girl is to become the mother of the Christ child. After this heavenly encounter, Mary's head must have been swimming with thoughts and dreams once far beyond her imagination. But now her reality has been re-defined. Now the power structure of her world has been turned on its head. New possibilities. New hope. God's goodness made manifest in the world.

The invitation to rejoice demands a certain amount of audacity on our part. After all, any newscast or newspaper front page is filled with accounts of wrong-doing and the evil that human beings visit upon others. What basis is there for joy? Yet if we bother to look closely we can catalogue and celebrate the daily events that are joyous:
    * Picking a child up at the day school
    * Family members moving in faithful covenant with one another
    * A spirit of love exchanged between caring people

 There is much goodness all around us! Jesus taught us to pray," ..on earth as it is in heaven." Imagine sunlight streaming through a magnifying glass and how it creates a concentrated laser-like beam of heat and light. During this season of Advent, we are called to be that magnifying glass. To receive God's love and then concentrate it into pure acts of love and caring. in this way, we too can magnify the Lord.  Rejoice! Rejoice! With an uncluttered heart, rejoice!

The Way to Shalom - Rev. Tom Downing

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  Help me be a shalom bringer today.

The word for peace in Hebrew is shalom. In Arabic and Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, it's salaam. These words mean more than the absence of conflict. They mean health, wholeness, safety and rest. The common greeting throughout the Middle East where Jesus lived is, "Peace be with you." Yet we know that, as is Jesus time, peace in that portion of the world is a rare commodity. Jesus lived a land occupied by a foreign power, Rome, who maintained a puppet king, Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee where Jesus grew up. Some, like the Sadducees, collaborated with the Romans, willing to do anything as long as their personal wealth and status were maintained. At the other end of the spectrum were the Zealots who supported suicide terrorists called sicarii and fomented revolution against their Roman oppressors. Caught in the middle were the poor and disenfranchised who bore the brunt of the Roman yoke. It was primarily to these that Jesus ministered.

But Jesus knew that, as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "True peace is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the presence of justice and brotherhood." So Jesus did not advocate knuckling under or resisting with violence. He advocated a new way, loving your enemies, showing them compassion and forgiveness (even from the cross), nurturing them with food and healing (even as he did the same for his own people), and trying to liberate them from their greed and selfishness (just as he did for those who pledged to follow him).

The church hasn't always carried on Jesus' tactic. We often hear two excuses. The first says, "He doesn't really expect us to love our enemies; he's only trying to show us how hard it is to live without sin, so that we will cast ourselves on his grace." Funny how Paul in Romans 12 and Peter in 1 Peter 3 also exhort us to love our enemies and repay evil with good. Guess they didn't get the memo.

The second excuse is that it is just not practical. The success of non-violent movements such as Gandhi's in India, King's in the U.S. and now some of the uprisings in the "Arab Spring" give the lie to that rationalization. In fact, current research suggests that non-violent resistance has a better chance of overthrowing a dictatorship than violent revolt. Erica Chenoweth, professor of government at Wesleyan University, tells us that in conflicts from 1906 to 2006 nonviolent campaigns have been twice as effective as violent insurgencies.

But the truth is that the way of peace through justice is hard. It cost Jesus, Gandhi, King and many others their lives. Our excuses for not using it reminds me of the famous quote by G.K. Chesterton, "It is not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, it is that Christianity has been found difficult and not tried."

Of course, the courage, patience and love required for Jesus' methods are impossible without the gift of the Holy Spirit -- the gift that God offered us through the life of one born in a stable so long ago -- the gift offered to us, even now, in this time of prayer.

This Christmas let us open our hearts once again to that gift, and honor the Prince of Peace -- not merely in word but in deed.

Walk - Dr. Andy Stoker

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  I will walk gently in the way of Christ's peace.

For me, walking means progression, a movement toward something or someone. Our devotion from The Uncluttered Heart seems like a different kind of “walk.” It is a walking that is simply ‘present’. This presence is a powerful witness to a hurried world. If we are to “walk gently in the way of Christ’s peace,” we are to engage the world around us. For Jesus, walking meant engaging another on the road who was in need of healing and wholeness, forgiveness and grace. Jesus was fully present. Present to the needs of the world. Am I?

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I need a reminder to be present, to “walk” as Jesus “walked.” We engage persons in our world who maybe singing this in their hearts:

A million miles away

Your signal in the distance

To whom it may concern

I think I lost my way

Getting good at starting over

Every time that I return

I’m learning to walk again

I believe I’ve waited long enough

Where do I begin?

I’m learning to talk again

Can’t you see I’ve waited long enough

Where do I begin?

These lyrics are from the Foo Fighters song “Walk” from their new album, Wasting Light. In this season of Advent, we are waiting for the “light of the world.” We will need to ‘return’ after being ‘lost’. We need to be called back into the way of peace, the way of presence.

The prophet Micah gives an indication to what it means to walk in the way of peace:

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God?”

For the prophet, walking wasn’t just humility (or, ‘kissing the earth’). To walk was to consider your inward and outward action. Do our actions amount to the way Christ walked? Do our thoughts reflect the way of Christ’s peace? Be present for the world today! The Christian’s greatest gift is to be present in the world. May your presence be the peace someone needs to ‘return’ to God.  

Loving Peace - Allen Zugelter

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  Let me be a true lover of peace.

If we were to commission a poll, I would predict that an overwhelming majority of people would say that they are in favor of peace.  It has a very high approval rating and likeability score.  Loving peace, by itself, is not controversial.

            But what does it mean to love peace?  Does it mean that we love being comfortable?  For us Christians, does it mean that we love the peace that results from knowing in the depth of our being that our God deeply loves us, that there is nothing we can do that will separate us from God’s love, and that because of God’s love the worst things that this life and this world may bring are never the last thing?  Well, yes.  Yes, it does.

            But being a lover of peace is not just a state of mind, or a condition.  It’s much, much more. It is also a verb.  Being a true lover of peace means that we work to bring God’s peace to the world.  That we risk leaving behind our own comfortable, peaceful lives.  That we follow God into the wilderness and work to build up God’s reign.

            This Advent, as we celebrate and remember that God humbled Himself by coming into the wilderness of creation to establish God’s reign, may we be inspired to do the same.

Unforced Rhythms of Grace – Rev. Linda Roby

Breath Prayer and Words for Today: “Stop. Turn. Look for God.”

Do you, like me, struggle with the distractions and anxieties of the season?   Do you long for a little calm and peace in the midst of it all?  I like the translation in THE MESSAGE of Matthew 11:28-29 where “Jesus said, ‘Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace’. ”

As I approach this holy - but often hectic -  season, I’m reminded to intentionally turn away from that which is hectic, and to look for the holy.  Look for ways to experience the extraordinary in the ordinary. Take a walk, take note of your pace and your breathing, and the beauty that surrounds you.  Take time to watch a sunrise or a sunset.  Enjoy a  warm fire on a cold morning, and curl up with that journal that hasn’t been opened in a while.  Count your blessings.  Make time to visit a friend or neighbor.  Take a few things off your calendar.  Avoid the malls, and instead give gifts of time, or a gift to your favorite mission to honor those you love. Be mindful of God’s goodness,grace, and glory that is around you!

This advent I hope you experience rhythms of grace that will fill you with love.

Lord God, may we see your goodness, feel your presence, and hear your voice this holiday season. Amen.

Picking up the Puzzle Pieces - Rocky Dwyer

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day: God heals the world through me.

I believe we each want to be a peacemaker like today’s devotion, but the struggle lies in the everyday and all the stuff that happens that diverts our attention from seeking to make a difference.  We are all fired up to make a difference after church on Sunday but Monday happens and that fire is all but dimished with only a few embers left, but if we are willing to stop and make a choice those embers can be reignited. 

I am reminded of a story of a young business man who told God on Sunday that he was going to make a difference this week but Monday came and his alarm failed to wake him on time and he was late to catch his train for work.  As he was racing to catch his train and he could hear the conductor yell last call for his train.  He failed to notice the young boy ahead of him with a box of puzzle pieces.  He accidently bumped into him and the box full of puzzle pieces went flying everywhere.  He apologized to the boy as he ran by to make his train but as he passed he was reminded of his prayer and he stopped and turned around to help the boy.  As he was helping to pick up the puzzle pieces seeing his train pulling out and the boy just staring at him.  After returning the box and apologizing to the stunned boy, the boy spoke only asking one question, “Sir, are you Jesus?”  At that moment he was like Jesus. 

We all have the opportunity each and every day to be like Jesus.  It just comes down to a choice.  Some days will be better than others and yet by God’s grace each day is a new chance to be like Jesus.  Let us stop and pick up the puzzle of pieces for someone else. 

Busy, but Important? - Gretchen Combs

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  God, I surrender to you all my cluttered thoughts.

Additional Verse:   “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.  Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD  Almighty.   Malachi 3:1-6

I love getting Christmas cards!  I love the cards, the notes, the memories, the EVERYTHING about Christmas cards.  But I don’t send them anymore, so it’s kind of cut down on my “ receivership”!  It’s not that I didn’t want to send Christmas cards, it was just that I could not get them sent (or written to be brutally honest)!  It just happened…Holiday Over-Load!   Gift lists.  Menu planning.  Travel arrangements.  School programs.  Holiday concerts.  House decorating.  Just ordinary laundry can cause a melt-down.  The busyness of the season often leaves me so frayed by Christmas day that I’m unable to enjoy anything at all.  I only want to rest!

I know I’m not alone in this exhausting cycle we have created of ourselves.  It is so easy to completely miss the real meaning of Christmas.  Remember, Scripture tells us that a messenger was coming to prepare the way for the Messiah.  It was John the Baptist who pleaded with the people to prepare their hearts for Jesus.     Making ready.  Waiting.   Sharing.  Waiting for the single most important item of the holiday season.  Jesus, the most important gift of the season, the gift to be shared with family and friends.

John the Baptist wasn’t concerned with cooking, cleaning, gifts or holiday parties. He was concerned about the preparation of hearts to accept the promised King.  

God, I surrender to you all my cluttered thoughts.

<Click here> to see a fun family activity for Advent.

Consider

Which tradition of Christmas is most important to your family and why?

Is there anything that you could eliminate without losing the “Christmas spirit” to help you feel less overwhelmed?

Adult Challenge
Reread the Scripture and meditate on Jesus, shutting out all other sounds and listening for his voice. Are you filled with the joy of Jesus’ birth? In what new way could you express your joy?

Child Prompt
My favorite part of Christmas is:

The Uncluttered Advent - Dr. John Fiedler

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  Let peace begin with me.

Peace.  We tend to think of peace as being the absence of war and certainly there is truth to that. But on a more personal basis, peace is the absence of anxiety.  So that as we watch the second Advent candle being lit this Sunday, we should ask ourselves that age old question,"How goes it with your soul?"

The paradox for so many of us during this Advent time is that  secular holiday preparations actually introduce a great deal of stress into our lives as we run the gauntlet of cards, tree, decorations, lights, parties, and presents. Mall traffic, self-imposed deadlines, and the sense of heightened expectations being honed upon us like Rudolph red lasers can certainly get the blood pressure going and create anxiety. Stress. Clutter.

While it may seem as if we are the passive recipients of a holiday script, we need not be. Indeed, for persons striving to follow the Christ whose re-arrival we anticipate, the season begins with faith. We believe that God redeems the world and God's Spirit is poured over the mundane and the profane (or in the immortal words of Johnny Cash: "the mud, and the blood, and the beer."

So don't give in to anxiety. Celebrate and prepare for Advent on your terms. Focus on people and sense of community and see if all the other details don't fall into place. Like the song says,"Let there be peace on earth.......and let it begin with me!"

An Open Heart - Rev. Tom Downing

Breath Prayer and Words for Today: Hope can open my heart.

An old hymn begins "Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." I'm not crazy about the focus on blood. I would probably rephrase it to say "Jesus' love and righteousness." But the point is the same. Jesus' example of love, allowing himself to literally die in the disciples place, is the beginning of hope (see John 18:1-8). But equally so was his desire for justice in a world in which the 99% were excluded, exploited and (if not cooperative) exterminated (see Luke 4:16-21). It is that love and desire for justice which is incarnated at Christmas and vindicated at Easter. That love enables us to trust and that trust enables us to hope.

But to really hope for the kingdom of God in which none are excluded, all are nurtured and all are liberated for love, light and life -- to really hope for that, requires opening our hearts not only to those who join us in that hope but to those who strive against it. It is not enough to have a dream. We must work for it. Perhaps the greatest dreamer and advocate of hope in our time, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

In this moment of silence allow hope to open your heart. Allow God to show you how you can open the lines of communication with those whom you have feared and those you do not know.

God's Partner in Hope - Dr. Andy Stoker

Breath Prayer and Words for Today: I am God's partner in hope.

Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie. The story goes like this, in short, Andy Dufresne was wrongfully charged for killing his wife and thrown in jail. In prison he met Ellis Boyd Reading, “Red,” whose friendship changed them both. Dufresne, after serving for years, finally was “freed” from prison and follows his dream to live in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Then, Red was paroled and followed the instructions to follow his friend Andy to Zihuatanejo. Following Andy’s instructions, Red found a letter from Andy where Andy wrote on the hope of continuing their friendship on the beach of Zihuatanejo: “Red, remember: Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.” [Link to this scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K30e9O3Nng ] For Andy and Red, the hope that they found shackled in prison would soar in the freedom of a beach along the ocean where the possibilities were limitless. It was a trusting relationship that would provide the greatest freedom and a real depth of love.

I once heard that ‘we hope backwards and remember forwards’. To hope backwards, we know where we’ve been so we can look ahead to the possibilities. To remember forwards, we take what we have learned in the days passed to make today as memorable as possible. In Richardson’s The Uncluttered Heart, we are challenged to be God’s partner in hope. God, who is our Emmanuel, ‘God with us’, was with us in our beginning, is with us in this very moment, and will be with us in the days to come. God has freed us to be in real relationship, with God and our neighbor. In this freedom, ‘hope springs eternal’. Let the possibilities of an uncluttered heart this season bring you to deeper relationship with God. “Remember: Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.” May it be so for you this Christmas.