Advent: The Gift of Hope...

Week Four: Transformational Gifts...

...you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:12
Newborns elicit smiles. Something about a puppy, kitten, or baby giraffe melts us from the inside out. Newborn humans are no different. We adore them. Something about the newborn draws hope from us. There is only potential, only the best to come. Our hopes and dreams coalesce into reality as we see tiny hands and feet, watch the tiny eyes watch us, smile in spite of ourselves.

Today, a savior is born. We are prepared for so many gifts that this little one will bring. We’ve heard the stories. We tell them ourselves. But today, when the savior is newborn, that’s when we really know the miracle of grace.

The baby is born. We reach out to touch his hand, to caress his head. The warmth of his skin connects with ours. We belong to this baby, he belongs to us.

Somewhere deep inside us, defenses crumble. All we want is to cuddle up, to be present for this gift of life.

That is Christmas hope.

For your gift of self in human form, we are grateful. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Sovereignty...

Week Four: Transformational Gifts...

See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more. For the first things have passed away.
Revelation 21:3-4

We live in dark times. Others have before us. Others will after us. But often the darkness seems to be winning. The longest night of our solar year fell December 21. The darkness swallows the light.

A friend who pastors a congregation in Chicago holds a service of remembrance and healing on the winter solstice. They speak the names of all those in Chicago who have lost their lives to homicide in the preceding year. The list is long. The pain is intense. Darkness fills the space as name after name lingers in the sanctuary.

The gift of God’s sovereignty guides us through the darkness. In the words of the gospel of John, “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The sovereignty of God means God is active and involved in every aspect of our lives; nothing escapes God’s notice and power. The sovereignty of God means God’s purposes will be accomplished and nothing we do will stop God from accomplishing God’s purposes.

“Why not now?” we cry out, especially when the darkness is so great. “How long must we wait?” I don’t know. God’s timing is not ours. But God’s love is. God’s power is. God’s promise is.

We wait in the darkness for the final coming of God’s kingdom...when God will dwell with us, here on earth. We wait. The practice of Advent waiting in the darkness of winter reminds us of that.

On this night, the eve of the coming of the Light, we are reminded of, and grateful for, the gift of God’s sovereignty.

God has come. God comes. God will come again.

God, we celebrate on this Christmas Eve the Light that came before, the Light that is here among us, and the Light that will come. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Unity...

Week Four: Transformational Gifts...

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

Our greatest expertise is division. One of my seminary professors talked about the division between Jews and Gentiles in the first century. The people were the same. They had the same ancestry. They looked the same. But people found a dividing factor. Judaism. The religion meant to draw the world to God divided the world into insiders and outsiders.

Since those days, we continue to divide. Typing “church” into a GPS inside any population center results in dozens of possibilities within two tenths of a mile. I played one day just to see if I ever got out of range. I didn’t.

We continue to divide. It seems our greatest pleasure. Our politics are divided. Our neighborhoods are divided. Our nations, our shopping habits, our recreation...anything you can name...we divide.

But God has a different vision. “...you are all one in Christ Jesus.” All...One...

Living with the fundamental reality that we are ONE would transform our world.

Get real? Perhaps. I don’t see it happening worldwide anytime soon. But I know this. We can live this way in our congregations, then expand to our world. The church of Jesus Christ is the place where no divisions should occur. That we can control. We can resist with ever fiber of our being the temptation to divide ourselves. Step inside our walls and there is no Democrat or Republican, Independent or Tea Party. There is no rich or poor, no good Christian or bad Christian. There are simply children of God trying the best they can to live in obedience and gratitude.

We won’t agree. Our differences will always be evident. But we will not be able to be divided. We are one. That is what it means to be united in Christ.

God, enable us to cling tightly to one another. As differences arise, give us the heart and strength to bond in spite of what divides us, celebrating the knowledge that you are our unity. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Shalom...

Week Four: Transformational Gifts...

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The effect of righteousness will be shalom, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
Isaiah 32:16-18

We focus, often and rightly, on the miracle of abundance evident in this story of the feeding of the 5000. More than enough food was supplied for all with baskets of “broken bread” left over. But I saw the parable with new eyes this Advent season when exploring stories of hospitality.

We have to understand two important terms.

Righteousness: Righteousness is “first and foremost a quality ascribed to God.” For us, it is living the recognized standard of God’s righteousness... defined simply as “obedience” to God’s commands summarized by Jesus as love God, love neighbor.

Shalom: God’s ultimate goal for all creation. Often translated “peace” in the biblical text, shalom is a Hebrew word that is deeper and broader than our language allows. It connotes health and well-being, peace, comfort, safety, and the ability to thrive--for the entire community. Shalom has not been achieved when some, or even most, people have it; it is present only when everyone lives in “peaceful habitation.”

The picture painted in Isaiah follows the exile. According to the prophets, a primary reason God was displeased with God’s people was their oppressive behavior. Some people did well; most were oppressed. Success was achieved at the expense of the poor, the weak, the helpless. Again and again, God condemns God’s people for worshipping in great spaces and with great correctness while people outside the temple suffer.

God tell us that right worship happens only when we work for shalom and act in ways that result in the health and wholeness of all people. Interestingly, I have yet to find biblical instruction on treating others well if they “deserve” it. Shalom is for all, deserving or not.

This is good news for us. God comes in Jesus to show us how to live and serve in righteousness so that shalom can happen for all people. We who are aware of the gift we have received in the incarnation are grateful it is not dependent on whether we deserve it.

I can’t help but think that our first small step to establishing shalom for all of God’s creation is to stop trying to determine whether those we are able to help are “deserving.” Each of us can do that...it depends on us and us alone. But it may be the hardest small step we ever take toward justice.

When justice dwells in the wilderness, the wilderness is tamed. God’s people live with enough, in secure homes, enjoying quiet resting places. In a word, shalom.

Strengthen us, O God, in your service...the simplest ask is the hardest thing for us to do. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Hospitality...

Week Four: Transformational Gifts...

When the crowds found out [Jesus had withdrawn to Bethsaida], they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed to be cured...
Luke 9:10-11

We focus, often and rightly, on the miracle of abundance evident in this story of the feeding of the 5000. More than enough food was supplied for all with baskets of “broken bread” left over. But I saw the parable with new eyes this Advent season when exploring stories of hospitality.

Here is Jesus in a small town, likely a fishing town. Archeological evidence reveals worship sites for Roman gods. Jews lived there as well. Living in the town and surrounding area were also those needing to be healed and those needing to hear about the kingdom of God. I am pretty sure it is safe to assume that the crowd included Jews and Gentiles, clean and unclean, insiders and outsiders. In a crowd of five thousand, there would be plenty of not-to-be-associated-with-folks.

Jesus instructs the disciples to “feed them.” After the back and forth about what was possible and what was not, Jesus instructs the disciples to have people sit down in groups of about fifty each.

My second assumption--though I think it is fair--is that a group of fifty anywhere on the hillside would include those you knew and those you didn’t know, those you approved of and those you didn’t, those clean and unclean, Jew and Gentile, insider and outsider.

And then, they ate. Eating in this culture made you family, transformed enemies into friends, elevated the status of guests to their host’s status. No group ate more, less, or best. All had bread and fish. All ate until satisfied. Twelve baskets were left over.

Not much is said about the response of the crowd, but this I know about people. Eating together establishes connection, relationship. It changes us. Sit at table with people and stories are told, connections made, barriers lowered. No one was excluded from this meal--a rarity in a culture defined on exclusion. This is a remarkable story of generosity and abundance, but it is a more remarkable story of hospitality...acceptance without condition.

The attraction of the early church was not an attraction of doctrine or worship style. The early Christian community was known for their hospitality. All were welcome. All were cared for. All were included. That hospitality drew people in. That hospitality changed the world.

Consider what we avoid--people, places, events--to keep from being excluded or judged or uncomfortable. We even avoid the possibility of that happening. Consider the transformative power of radical hospitality practiced by Jesus on that hillside. Consider the radical hospitality practiced by the God who chooses a people so that all nations (translate every person) will come to know and love the God who knows and loves them already. Consider the power of hospitality from the act of incarnation, the act of God coming as human...wrapping God’s very self in human flesh to practice hospitality in a way we could see and hear, taste and feel.

Hospitality...a gift of transformation indeed.

May we practice the radical hospitality that we have experienced. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Story...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

...for you will be his witness to all the world of what your have seen and heard. 
 Acts 22:15

Perhaps the greatest gift of the faith community is the gift of story...testimony. God’s command to Paul is also God’s command to us, we will be God’s witnesses.

We as faith community have lost much of our ability to witness. We have confused it with the obnoxious “witness” of some denominations who visit your home or workplace, ask if you are saved, and condemn you to burn in hell if you haven’t or won’t follow their prescribed method. Or we assume that witness takes some special education, practice, and method for which we are not qualified.

But our charge is to witness to what we have seen and heard. God at work is part of our experience. Many of us have heard our whole lives about the goodness of the Lord and the transformation that can happen when God stirs the mix. We tell the faith stories just like we tell the stories of our kid’s first date or the best vacation ever--only these stories have life-changing implications.

What makes our stories compelling, what makes them different from the knock-on-the-door-irritation-story, is the content. When we are witnesses to God’s transformative work in our own lives or the lives of those we love, the story compels. When we speak about our experience of grace and unconditional love, the story compels. When we live in ways that love God and neighbor, and when we speak the reason, the story compels. When we acknowledge and confess our imperfection, God’s love in spite of our shortcomings, the story compels.

Culture tells a different story. We are individuals; our worth is based on our achievement. We are responsible for ourselves and must care for ourselves regardless of those around us. Everyone is out to get what we have; we must protect ourselves from the other. These messages creep into our being and spill out of us without much training. Remember the carnations that your middle school teacher would put in food-colored water to show you the process by which flowers suck up the water? The coloring was absorbed by the flower and the flower was changed in spite of its best efforts not to be oranged by Betty Crocker. Like those poor carnations, we live in toxic water that destroys community and our own souls in the process.

Witness changes the water. Stories of God’s work reveal the possibility of new life, of transformation. This is the gift of the faith community. We are the ones who have eyes to see. We have been made aware of the grace that makes reconciliation and redemption possible. We are the storytellers of grace.

Give us the words, O God, to tell the story of your work. Give us the joy and gratitude that compel the story’s birth. Give us the love that backs the story with actions that reveal your love for all creation. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Word...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8

Proclamation of the Word...a strange practice of the faith community. It holds the central place in our worship service. We understand that as a pastor spends time in study and prayer, considering the message of the text, the needs of the congregation, and trusting the power of the Spirit, that God will gift a Word to us. We are not hearing the pastor’s opinion of a text, we are listening to hear what God is saying--to us.

Would we approach worship in the faith community differently if we understood that God promises to speak to us in worship? Would we even consider “skipping church” if we truly believed God would be bringing us a Word? The miracle is even greater when you trust that the Word will be there for you despite the shortcoming of the participants in worship. There is a Word to be heard.

Word read, Word proclaimed, Word sung and prayed, Word enacted by the congregation...a gift indeed.

The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Thanks be to You, O God. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Prayer...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Shoes get very interesting when a prayer is needed. Prayer is nice and all, but no one really knows how to do it. Certainly no one wants to do it in public. What if they messed it up?

The faith community teaches us to pray. In worship we speak words of prayer, listen to others pray on our behalf, wish we were better pray-ers...wish we could pray at all.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances." No process, no rules, no criteria for acceptable prayer or unacceptable prayer.

Attitude.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."

The gift of prayer is nurtured in faith community. The practice of prayer becomes ours as we rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.

C.S. Lewis says,

“I pray because I cannot help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time--waking and sleeping. It does not change God, it changes me.

Almighty God, Creator of the universe, Maker of all that is, invites us to be in relationship and gifts us with prayer to help relationship grow. Surely shoes are not more fascinating than that...

For the gift of prayer, we are grateful. Hold us tightly as we practice speaking to you and listening for your will. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Confession...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16

How is confession a gift? The gift would be no confession. God would just understand that we don’t mean to, that we aren’t always aware of our wrongdoing, that we are fundamentally decent people and we appreciate our forgiveness. Why confess when God forgives us our sins?

As we ask questions about the value of young black men’s lives, the purpose and reason for enhanced interrogation techniques (that seem torturous to me), the response to Ebola no longer on our shores but devastating west African nations, as well as the questions of our personal lives and relationships, we need the gift of confession. We must stand together and articulate our failures. We must learn to recognize our sins (in our classic language). If we do not confess in worship, where will we even start to admit we are less-than-perfect? Nowhere in our culture can we admit we are wrong. Nowhere can we admit we have failed others. Nowhere can we show weakness or claim fully that we are to blame for brokenness.

A relationship counselor will tell you that a broken relationship cannot be healed until fault is recognized, admitted, and amends are made. Twelve step programs start the same way. Healing begins with acknowledged brokenness. We act like healing begins with excuses, or justification, or the insistence that we are nice people and should be given every consideration. But healing--the receiving of promised mercy, the finding of grace that helps in time of need--healing comes when we boldly uncover and confess our brokenness to the one who understands what it means to be human.

We. are. broken. Sometimes we know it. Sometimes we need to be reminded. All the time, we need to practice standing boldly in our brokenness before the throne of grace. The faith community is the last place that enacts this most precious gift...the gift of confession.

God, our brokenness is complete. We confess to You that brokenness again and again, knowing that Your greatest wish is our healing and the health and wholeness of the whole creation. Begin the healing in us by teaching us how to look at our sin, know our shortcoming, speak our faults. Then use us to continue Your healing, stretching the ripples of Your love across the universe. 

Advent: The Gift of Singing...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude let your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
Colossians 3:16

God’s people are commanded to sing. “Sing to the Lord a new song.” The earliest biblical texts we have are songs, Miriam’s song in Exodus and Mary’s song in Luke. But while everyone has thousands of songs on their digital devices, the practice of public singing declines. Budget cuts have eliminated it in many schools. And our assumption that we can only sing if we sound like Adele or Sinatra keeps us from participating.

We miss a lot if we don’t sing. Recent studies have been done that show singing is scientifically beneficial. An article in Huffington Post titled “Choir Singing may be Good for Your Heart” describes some of the benefits scientists are finding in the practice of singing in community.

The author of the study says that the controlled breathing synchronizes the participants’ heart beats, resulting in better physical health. Studies also indicate that group singing results in better mental health and stronger social connections. In the church, singing teaches our story, enables us to praise and pray together, and connects us to each other and to God. St. Augustine says, “Singing is praying. When one sings, one prays twice.”

When one sings. Unfortunately, in many congregations a worship band has taken over the music and people watch, or congregants assume they can’t sing well enough to participate, or they think they can’t sing at all so they just stand and wait for the singing to be over.

But singing is a gift. And God, in God’s infinite wisdom, gives us congregational singing as miracle. Never in the Bible are we commanded to sing well, or beautifully. We are commanded to make a “joyful” noise...to sing out in the presence of God. If everyone sings, we become one...not a group of weak voices, but a body singing praise, thanks, prayer, and joy to our God! Individual voices are carried and absorbed into the community and we actually sound good together!

I love this text as we take this Advent moment to re-orient our understanding of sing-to-the-Lord. With gratitude let your hearts sing. Not with fear or embarrassment or concern. Not with pride or criticism. With gratitude we let our hearts sing.

Once again, God gifts us with our centering moment. We sing not because of who we are or what we can do, but because of who God is and what God has done.

With gratitude...SING!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise God all creatures here below! Praise God above ye heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen!!

Advent: The Gift of Praise...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone shall you worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.
Deuteronomy 10:17-21

Some gifts we give and receive in congregation. It’s not that we can’t do them on our own, but we don’t tend to. Public witness strengthens our practice when we are in the gathered congregation.

Praising God in the congregation is an expression of worship which “recognizes and acknowledges God as the ultimate source and giver of all good gifts.” We praise, bless, glorify, magnify...part of the language the worshipping community learns to understand as they practice praise.

This praise is a different animal from the praise we give our kids when they accomplish a task or the praise we receive when we do a good job at work. Human praise is tied to accomplishment. Praise of God is tied to who God is.

Praise is a gift we give to God, but in true God fashion, it gifts us right back. Praising God recognizes God as the ultimate source and giver of all good gifts. Our fatigue too often comes from our attempt to play God, to be the greatest employee, the most magnificent parent, the most perfect friend. We work non-stop, are tethered to others through electronics 24/7/365, are constantly comparing ourselves and our lives to what we see in others...our attempt to earn that human praise that elevates us closer to god-status.

And then, in worship, we praise. We use language and music that acknowledges God as ultimate source. And I, for one, breathe. It’s not me in charge of creating perfect children, God is the source and giver of that beautiful gift. My home, large or small, is a gift. My job, my talents, my everything is from God.

Praise is perspective. God is God. I am creature, beloved by God. Probably can’t make a Martha Stewart living off that premise, but there’s where I want to live. I want my worth dependent on who God is, not on who I am (cause you should see my garage...ugh....) Congregational praise is the practice that brings me back, centers me again, and lets me re-enter a crazy world knowing who I am and where I belong.

God, the great and mighty things you have done in calling and claiming us as yours call forth our songs of praise, this and every day. Amen.

Advent: The Gift of Congregation...

Week Three: Gifts of Faith Community...

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
Lev. 19:2

“Church-going” was a given my entire life. If it was Sunday, I was in church, except for a few Sundays while I was in college and thought I had a choice. Same for my mother. Same for my kids. However, I confess, it was well over forty years before I understood “congregation” as a gift.

Congregation is defined in Mounce’s Dictionary
as “what is brought together or assembled.” That, I believe, defines the gift of congregation. From beginning to end in the biblical witness, God’s gathers God’s people. Together they are charged with being God’s people, together they are holy as God is holy, together they receive God’s Spirit, together they serve and participate in God’s work. The life of a disciple, a God-follower, Jewish, Christian...this life is not individualistic. You don’t get your charge, your Spirit, your call individually--and then join together. By definition you are congregation...to quote my mother, “we’re going to church.”

I know the other side...the “I-feel-closer-to-God-on-the-golf-course” or “alone-in-nature.” Perhaps true if we define “closer to God” as “fun” or “peaceful” or “easy.” Understanding the life of Jesus as perfectly in relationship with God, I challenge you to find fun, peaceful, or easy. Jesus is in conflict with the religious authorities as he worships and speaks in the temple. He is frustrated with the disciples, he is tired from teaching and healing masses of people. He goes to the mountains to pray--to be alone for a bit...but only to return to the gift of gathered community. Ministry, miracle, transformation always happen in community.

Communities are far from perfect. Gathering of humans can be healthy, or dysfunctional in every way. But togetherness completes us in ways I’m not sure we are fully aware or appreciative of, especially in our culture. God gathers us because some hold memory and some eagerly reach for the new and next. Some are highly caring and empathetic, some are effective problem seers and solvers. Hammerers, cooks, cleaners, and artists come together to make a whole. Those who had a good Sunday getting their kids to the church walked with me when I arrived as a murderous mama at her wit’s end. The next week, I could return the favor. The people who drive me most crazy in this precious community are the ones teaching me what God wants me to learn, pushing me to be more effective in my faith practice, showing me where I need to grow and trust.

Congregation is gift. Each time we are gathered we can unwrap a bit more grace. Sometimes the wrapping tape sticks and grace is hard to access. Other times, grace oozes out of the package and covers our hands with sticky wonder as we rip into God’s promises. But every time, over time, we receive God’s gift of community--the congregation.

I must admit, however, if I had kids to raise again, I wouldn’t use my mom’s phrase “we’re going to church,” I’d say...gift time!!

Gather us in, O God, and reveal to us the gift of congregation. Amen.

Advent: Unexpected Gifts...

Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36

A young man stepped off a city bus with his cell phone in his hand. As he finished his text and started to put the phone in his pocket, he was approached by a teen demanding use of his phone. “Man, don’t ask me that. I can’t give you my phone...you know that’s not a good idea.”

The situation escalated. The demand was repeated. An offer to call for the teen was met with attack, slamming the young man’s head into the concrete and destroying the phone.

Was this God’s plan? Can’t imagine it was. God is not the author of evil. But the next day when the young man met with a different teen in a tutoring session, he learned who his attacker was, a friend of this friend. The following day, an apology was brought to the young man, along with an offer to pay for the phone. And here’s where it gets interesting.

The young man’s response was, “Forget it. Clean slate. Start over.” He explained later that he knew the teen would not have been able to pay for the phone regardless, but he was more interested in showing the grace and forgiveness he had received when he, himself, was a teen in trouble.

Most of his friends and acquaintances didn’t understand why he responded the way he did. He should have held the teen accountable, they said. He should have let him feel the consequences of his behavior. He should have “put him away” so he couldn’t hurt anyone else. But this young man knew he had been prepared by God’s judgment. He knew what it felt like to be trapped in trouble and get a second chance. He knew what forgiveness meant.

Would the young man have been able to predict the event when he was a teen himself? No. This was an unexpected gift..an unexpected gift of God’s grace that enabled a response that brought a little light into the darkness of a teen’s despair.

God, from you and to you and through you are all things. For those unexpected moments that remind us that we are yours, we give thanks. Amen.

Advent: Life-Changing Gifts...

Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
James 5:13-16

How can prayer possibly be effective? We lift words or thoughts to One who cannot be seen, is often silent and inaccessible, whose power and work we hear about, but cannot always see for ourselves. And yet, we are asked to pray, commanded to pray, told that prayer will save the sick, ease suffering, and heal the world. Michele Krull shares her experience of the power of prayer:

The electricity of fear was real as I began my double-lung transplant journey. I was running on continuance, discipline, and stoicism as I went through the daily ritual rhythms of the hospital noises and procedures. Sometimes it made me feel like a nun wanting to leave the cloister. 

When I was questioning if I wanted to live, or why the physical therapist was using so much pomade on his hair, or why I was too wounded in my battle to understand why all this was happening...I reached for my quilt. The quilt. MY QUILT that I could hold close to my face, use as a pillow, or rub the knots between my fingers so I could see the faces and feel the hands of all those who had tied the knots and were praying for me. The quilt provided hope, strength, good health, encouragement, love, prayers, and the promise that God will always be with me. Holding the quilt or just having it near me were the times I could revel in calmness, the controlled promise of wellness and the preservation of my spirit. That feeling remains today. 

Unless you have been the recipient of a prayer quilt, you will never understand the magnitude of its meaning. I have inexplicable gratitude for the angels who made my quilt and the disciples of God who put on the finishing touches. The prayers were felt over and over and are still felt today.

(Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you I also use my quilt to contain my fear that artificial flowers will become extinct!)

We will never know why prayer works; we only know that it does. And that is worth knowing.

God, what other response is there than humble gratitude for the gift of prayer. Amen.

Advent: Shared Gifts...

Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire--burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day--apart from the sabbaths of the Lord, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your votive offerings [offerings in fulfillment of a vow], and apart from all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.
Leviticus 23:37-38

I don’t remember reading this verse before. Leviticus is not a book I sink into for comfort or inspiration. But as I was searching what the biblical text says about the gifts we bring to God, this one grabbed me.

The appointed festivals, times of holy gathering and special worship, are an important part of the worship practice of the people of God. But they are only part of the gift-giving practice. They are occasional and special...a strong connection to this time of the year when we gather to “green” the church and bring our special things out to play. These festivals are not, however, the norm.

Leviticus reminds us that most of our gifts are given outside of special occasions. These are the gifts that Bo and Marion Stephenson share:

God has blessed us over the years with many good friends and family members that we think about, especially at this special time of the year. They gift us with support as we live with our daughter, Kathy’s, struggle with illness and successful transition to becoming more independent--living on her own, caring for her own needs, and making good decisions.

Kathy’s brother has also gifted us and her with relationship and support. We truly feel totally blessed.

Gifts shared at festival times are special and meaningful. But the gifts that get us through the dark places, through the daily struggles, through the real work of life, are the gifts that are “apart.” They are given apart from the special times...in the daily routine of life. They are the gifts we make because of our promise to serve God, the gifts we bring every day when we do the smallest of things in service to our great God.

Perhaps that is the true miracle of gifts given. The smallest gift is as significant in bringing grace to each other as the largest festival event. That is, truly, good news.

For the tiny, transformative gifts that change our world, we give you thanks. Amen.

Advent: Developing Gifts...

Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.  
Luke 2:40

Superman Jesus is our primary image. We visualize a perfect infant, perfect child, perfect teen...and then, of course, the perfect man. In our imaginations, the voice is never raised, the nose is never picked, the tantrum is never thrown.

So is Jesus fully human as well as fully divine? The answer has to be yes...we shouldn’t battle millennia of really good theology which has determined the full humanity of Jesus. But we also shouldn’t assume that is wasn’t a process. Luke reminds us that it was...because the development--physical, emotional, spiritual--of every human is a process. Lee Richie shares his development story:

In my life, I have found that most of my gifts have come fairly easily--at least the things that others say I have a talent for such as dealing with numbers, card games, or singing. All these gifts developed early in my youth. One in particular developed much more recently. 

My first efforts at public speaking were in elementary school. You remember “Show and Tell.” It seemed harmless, but I would be almost physically sick the night before and right after the event. Other trying moments came in Mrs. Faye’s high school senior English class. I was sure that I would pass out and shook like a leaf, but I lived to have to do it again. 

In my thirties, I worked for an engineering company in Hazard, KY. As a project manager responsible for the planning and development of civil engineering projects, one of my duties was to present projects and progress reports to clients, agencies and government bodies. Though initially nervous, I because accustomed to these presentations.

The fear returned when I began to lead worship in Hazard. That first worship service brought back every horrible feeling and physical response. It took a substantial amount of prayer and Bible study...and just doing it...to change my response. God seemed to be asking that I spend time in preparation and prayer, and that I bring joy, love, and caring to my offering of spoken leadership to God and God’s church. It was no longer about me, it was about God. I continue to be blessed in this gift of service God has given to me.

I often wonder if Jesus struggled with what he was asked to do. I remember the story of turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana. “Really, Mom? You expect me to be able to fix this? I’m just a carpenter!” I think far more likely than just being perfect, step by step got Jesus where he needed to be.

Recently, an article in the Huffington Post (Are We Raising a Generation of Helpless Kids) talked about the struggles our young adults have because they can’t start at the top of the heap, at the pinnacle of their game. They see anything but complete success as failure. We have told them they are special for so long, they don’t understand the hard work that accomplishes larger goals.

Our faith journey is often one of small steps and seemingly insignificant practices. Over time, however, the gift is great. Each of us “grows and becomes strong,” especially in the community of faith which pushes us and moves us beyond our personal preferences and comfort zones.

God, call us to new service. Grow us in the ways that make us strong. Grant us your wisdom and favor, this and every day. Amen.

Advent: Human Gifts...

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Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

...be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 
Ephesians 4:32-5:2

Too often we misinterpret being imitators of God as finger-pointing in judgment, determining who is “in” and who is “out,” who is a “real Christian” and who just comes to church for “show,” who gets to be accepted as is and who much change first. For whatever reason, this behavior seems much easier for us than being kind, tenderhearted, accepting, and forgiving. While the Bible lists many things as sins, Jesus never waited until anyone was “sin-free” before accepting them. He treated us all as beloved children of God. (Well, ironically, except the church folk who were judging other...food for thought.)

Living as obedient disciples means loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves--imitating our loving God. Maxine shares her thoughts on this imitative living:

Which came first, Christmas or gifts? Gifts were made as tokens of love and esteem long before Christians began to celebrate God’s gift to us of His only son. God certainly set the standard for gift-giving as John 3:16 tells us: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, that everyone who has faith in him may not die but have eternal life.” 

God gifts us with people in our lives who remind us that God is with us and bring us closer to God. Who hasn’t felt God’s power, plan, and infinite love in the birth of a child? The miracle of new life fills us with joy and confirms God’s hand in our lives. 

If “a rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch,” then the opposite is also true. FHPC is blessed to have a minister who truly lives his life “from the inside out.” Love at the heart of a church infects the entire congregation in mind and spirit. FHPC strives to express the love it has received in many ways, doing our best to translate God’s love from our hearts to our hands to our community.

Be imitators of God as beloved children, and live in love...

Think what the world might say about disciples of Christ if that’s how we imitated God.

God, give us the wisdom and strength to live as imitators of You. Amen.

Advent: Surprise Gifts...

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Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  
Isaiah 43:19

The waiting for God's savior is surrounded by surprise. Elizabeth was surprised to find her old self pregnant. Mary was surprised to find her virgin self pregnant. Joseph, the shepherds, the religious authorities...the list of surprised people goes on and on. God's work is steeped in surprise. God continuously works through surprising people, surprising actions, surprising timelines. Carole shares her surprising year and its consequences for the gift-giving of her life and faith:

Last summer a friend gave me the opportunity to learn something new... hypnosis. Surprise! I bet you didn't see that coming. Learning hypnosis, how to use it for myself and others, has really changed me. It opened up my eyes, mind, and heart, so I can use more of God's gifts for me.

For example: At Forest Hills, we have been encouraged to recognize our God-given gifts, and I have known for some time that God gave me the gift of music. I love to sing. I enjoy playing bells. But my real passion is playing the piano. I had played some at our previous church, but not at Forest Hills. When we started our Fourth Sunday music practice--inviting people to share their musical gifts in worship--I knew God wanted me to use my gift.

Unfortunately, it was torture. I was so nervous I nearly made myself sick. I also knew it was a God-given gift, and I was called to share it. I needed to let others share my love of piano.

This summer my hypnosis training taught me I could alleviate my fears. I decided to address my fear of public playing, and it worked! No more fear. No more sick. I am now so filled with the joy of sharing that I have played three times and enjoy each one. Surprise! God works in wonderful ways. (Carole Richie)

"Do you not perceive it?" asks God as God does a new thing. We say we like surprises, but it is hard for us to recognize their potential as life-changing events. I think, deep down, we assume "life changing" or "good" must mean "well-planned."

We must never forget that ours is a God of surprise. Advent is an invitation to open ourselves to the surprising work that will transform us and the world.

God of great surprises, may our skepticism and fear never hold back the gifts you have in store for us. Amen.

Advent: Regular Gifts...

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Week Two: Gifts for God's People...

For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has--not according to what one does not have.
2 Corinthians 8:12

When we are not in Advent or another festival season of liturgical time, we are in "ordinary time," "ordinal time." The days follow in order, one after another. So do the Sundays. First, second, third, fourth...

Ordinal reflects that "order of existence," but is also defined as "regular." Another of the definitions from the greater church is "a book of daily services." I'm sure the daily services to which they referred were daily worship services, but it got me thinking about "daily services" as gifts to be given. Linda articulates this well:

What is my talent? Growing up, I hated the thought of talent contests because I didn't do any of the things considered talents. I can sing, but not so wonderfully that it would be considered "talent." I didn't play an instrument. I didn't do acrobatics, juggle, or dance--and I certainly was not a "stand-up comedian." Nothing I could do fit others' idea of "talent-show talent."

So am I "gifted?" When I consider being "gifted," I think of people who are better than the average person at a skill. Most of what I do, I consider average. I do many things, but many people do them far better than I. Perhaps I am slightly above average in some areas, but definitely not what anyone would call "gifted."

Do I have gifts? Define "gifts." I didn't bother to look it up. A gift is something that I can give to others that brings them joy or shows them love. And yes, I do have gifts, lots of them. I am not a great cook, but I make tasty banana bread and people love my apple pie. Gifts.

People appreciate the pottery we make. Another gift. Quilting? I love making prayer quilts. Gift. And my phone call to my friend in the hospital to ask if he wants a prayer quilt?  Gift. The visit when I take the quilt...gift. The sharing of my presence and concern...gift. Prayer...gift.

I see it now, I do have gifts. And the best gift is to know I've been given these gifts and to see that I can bring joy and love to others by simply sharing them. (Linda Mason) 

Perhaps the sharing of ordinal gifts is much like the practice of daily prayer. We may not make the news, but when we eagerly use our ordinary skills to "bring joy or show love," we celebrate God's gift to us and bring the joy of those gifts to others. It's good to know that our regular lives are created to be gifts from God for the people of God. (and that's not just people inside the church walls; we know that all people belong to God!)

Let the gift-giving continue... One, two, three, four....

For the gifts we have received, we give you thanks. For the ease with which these gifts can be shared with others, we thank you even more. Amen.

Advent: God's Gifts...Hope

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Week One: The Gift of Waiting...

We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:24-25

Scholars tell us that the New Testament noun “patience” is, first of all, a quality of God. God shows patience in the desire that all should repent and be saved, providing time and showing mercy.

As we recognize God's patience and mercy to provide salvation for us and all creation, then why would we not also wish all people to understand God's patience and mercy working on their behalf? Too often we forget that our call is to be patient like God, hoping and working for the inclusion of all. Too often we set ourselves in judgment against those we define as "not saved."

Paul reminds us of the gift of our salvation. In the sin and brokenness of life in the here and how, we often cry out, “How long, O Lord?” Can’t God just come down and be done with all this?

But if we are adopted by the love of God, and have been taught and nurtured so that we can recognize that love, then we must hope for the salvation of all, even if we can’t possibly see how that will happen.

We hope for what we cannot see because God is God. We live patient lives, working to share the love of God with those who cannot see God’s love. And we keep working to share that love because that is the gift that no one should live without.

Advent: God's Gifts...Trust

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Week One: The Gift of Waiting...

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:13-14 

We are the best and the worst at fixing things. We think we are the best... especially if the problem is large, public, and far away from us. In that case, we know exactly what should be done, we know every part of the situation (even when we don’t), we formulate and express strong and correct opinions on what those people should do. But really...we are the worst at fixing things. Problems with people we love, institutions we support, work, school, even our very selves resist our best efforts at “fixing.” Even those far away problem that we are so sure can be fixed fail to yield their brokenness to those who would be "fixers."

The unfixable gives rise to one primary question of Advent, the question of “believing” or, better translated, “trusting” that we shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Believe me, not one of us is less than well aware of the brokenness in our world. It is, simply, inescapable. The gift of that brokenness is its insistent question--can we trust the goodness of the Lord?

Psalm 27 recounts the difficulties present in the psalmist's life--evildoers, armies, false witnesses, God’s own anger. But throughout the litany of harm appear statements of trust. 

Brokenness slammed into a family this year...and the ripples move outward and envelop so many of us. A beloved adult son, who struggled with mental illness for years, committed suicide. His threat was made; his girlfriend heard the shot and called police. Police refused to enter the home for hours because they were afraid they would be shot. He bled out on the kitchen floor. Tell me the layers of brokenness are not overwhelming. Our "best efforts" at fixing just prove we are the "worst." How, oh how do we who still live trust that we can find the goodness of the Lord?

We are gifted with trust through the work of the Spirit. Open that gift in this Advent season. Live each moment trusting that the goodness of the Lord is there to be seen in the land of the living. Looking hard may be required. Listening to other's report of "goodness" when we can only see darkness may be today's option. Understanding that trust defined as "living as if" may be how we are able to choose hope when grief and hopelessness seem to have won the day.

Translating the psalm in a more literal way may provide a pathway to enact trust in the darkness: Grab hold and never let go. Will to live courageously. Choose hope in God’s work.

O God who brings goodness where we live, gift us with trust. Give us opportunities to practice trust, friends to speak and act trust when ours is gone, and the courage to cling tightly to trust in you in all times and places. Amen. 

Advent: God's Gifts...Hiddenness

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Week One: The Gift of Waiting...

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Matthew 11:2-3

You have to have a picture of Jesus as he enacts his public ministry in Matthew. He has been baptized by John, but then John is arrested and Jesus starts doing his own thing. Up to this point in Matthew, Jesus has preached in the Sermon on the Mount some pretty radical stuff about loving your enemies and reversals of power and blessing. He has healed outcasts and servants, suggested that the religious establishment may not be the role models folks think they are, stilled the forces of nature, called a tax collector to be a disciple, restored sight to the blind, voice to the mute, and sent his people out into the world with nothing.

If you were John, arrested for your vocal complaint about the powers that be, committed to preaching repentance and baptizing those who repent, and expecting that the messiah will come in to take out Rome, it is no wonder you might be skeptical as you sit in your cell. “Dude,” we imagine John thinking, “I need you to get with it. Forget the blind, mute and paralyzed. Head after Rome. I’m depending on you to do your job...to bring the expected salvation that God is sending.”

And so John asks, “Are you the one, or is there another?”

The question belongs to us as well. If our promised salvation turns out to be God's work of weakness, suffering, communion with those rejected, it's no wonder we ask, "Are you the one? Is this it?”  Frankly, in this day and time, those things really don't seem to get you very far.

Perhaps if we are looking for, but cannot see, God’s work, it is because we are looking in the wrong place. Maybe the gift is well hidden in the weakness, suffering, and rejection that we prefer to avoid.

God, take us to the places your will is being done. Show the people bringing in your kingdom. Redirect us when we lose sight of the surprise that is your salvation for us and for the world. Amen.

Advent: God's Gifts...Judgment

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Week One: The Gift of Waiting...

The way of the righteous is level; O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous. In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and your renown are the soul’s desire.
Isaiah 26:7-8 

We perceive ourselves, too often, as God’s special people, insiders who hold special privilege, who receive special blessing, who are given special knowledge. In one sense, that is true. God’s work in Jesus Christ has provided for our forgiveness. We are deemed righteous when we are living in Christ. And we are lucky enough to be aware of our gift.

On the other hand, we too often think our status in Christ spares us God’s judgment. Those who are not “insiders” get God’s judgment, not us.

But it is his righteousness, not ours that sustains us. And to be perfectly honest with ourselves, with each other, with the God who loves us, we need God’s judgment. Looking at this text, I think our way is level because we travel in the path of God’s judgment.

Can judgment be a gift? To do the best theater production, you need the judgment of the director, looking at the actor’s performance, set, costume and lighting design; all must be judged and “corrected” to create a magnificent performance. Musicians who struggle with a phrase of music have a teacher spend five minutes judging and teaching a new technique, then play without struggle. The path is leveled.

In our discipleship journey, times can be challenging, difficult, dark. We travel paths full of massive rocks and steep chasms, difficult, if not impossible, to cross. And that’s where we wait for the Lord, trusting that God’s work of judgment will level our paths.

One last challenge of this text. We tend to read this as individuals, as if this journey is only about our individual spiritual path. This text was written to Israel, to a people who saw themselves first and foremost as part of a larger community. So we may want to expand our understanding. In a time where many congregations struggle and the pathway seems anything but level, God’s judgment is very much a gift to our faith communities. Instead of fighting against judgment, perhaps our challenge this Advent season is to listen purposely and carefully to our teacher, change our technique, and then continue to "play" in community with joy and thanksgiving as the path is leveled and our journey continues.

God, make us grateful for your judgment. Open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our minds so that we might be instructed and our path made level. Amen.

Advent: God's Gifts...Justice

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Week One: The Gift of Waiting...

Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us; we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness; and for brightness, but we walk in gloom...We wait for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.

Isaiah 59:9, 11b

On the surface, justice cannot be found in Ferguson. Both sides feel persecuted. No one knows how to get out of the darkness. We look for causes, point fingers, research “the situation.” We find no solutions.

Politics seems swallowed in darkness. World events show no light. We live in a county that has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation. The cans we bring may fill a belly, but we still walk in darkness as to the causes of hunger. We haven’t fixed the problem.

Biblical waiting is not conditional. We cannot agree to wait as long as we are seeing God at work on our behalf. We cannot agree to wait as long as we are sure God will vindicate our side and condemn our enemies. We cannot agree to wait as long as it is not too long. We wait because God is God. Because we are God’s. Because we are asked to trust in God’s ways and purposes.

However, our waiting is not passive. God never instructs us to do nothing while God acts. God’s instruction is to obey. A life of obedience defines discipleship. We spend our days loving God and our neighbor as ourselves. We spend our days doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God. We spend our dark days doing the things that God teaches us will bring light into the darkness.

It may well be that the darkness is our gift. If we could guarantee light with our results, we are too easily tempted to think the work is ours, the control is ours, the transformation is ours.

Too often, gloom and darkness envelop us. But we continue to walk. We don’t sit in the gloom, waiting for it to dissipate. We walk. We don’t see light. We don’t experience justice. But still, we walk.

God, we wait for you. Guide our steps as we travel through the gloom. Bring your light into our darkness, your shalom into our world. Amen.

Advent: God's Gifts...Salvation

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Week One: The Gift of Waiting...      

[God] says, “I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation.” Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation! 

2 Corinthians 6:2

We talk a lot about the gift of salvation during the Advent season. Salvation is a richly nuanced word in both testaments. It means protecting people from evil, trouble, or oppression. It means feeding and clothing people. It refers to God’s action for the individual and for the community--the cosmos, in fact. We see God’s gift of salvation in the past, we see it in the present, and we claim God’s promised gift of salvation--life in the reign of God here on earth--as reality for the future.

Shirley Guthrie, theologian and professor, suggests that, for us, “being saved” is the ability to recognize the work God has done on our behalf, is doing on our behalf, and will do on our behalf. Our recognition doesn’t cause God’s work on our behalf or prevent it. But it allows us to recognize and receive the gift.

When my kids were little, they liked gifts but weren’t skilled at determining the value. They would play more excitedly with the box than the gift itself. As they grew, they learned to recognize the true worth of a gift, worth not based on value or vogue, but on the generosity of the giver and the impact of the gift on their lives.

Living in a faith community helps teach us the worth of God’s gift. It is not a gift we demand. It is not a gift we define. It is not a gift we deserve. The gift of salvation is a gift we are offered through God’s grace. It costs nothing. It is not in vogue. It’s impact is more than we can imagine.

God offers salvation and invites us to participate in saving acts for all creation. As we protect from evil, trouble, or oppression, as we feed and clothe, as we work on behalf of our communities, all communities, God’s salvation draws near, becomes visible.

Past, present, and future gift. Now is the time. Now is the day of salvation!

God, open our eyes to your gift of salvation for us and all your people. Give us the will to share salvation with others, accept salvation for ourselves, and be grateful that Your work of salvation will triumph now and forever. Amen.