The Prayer Room Special: Air Asia Flight

An Indonesian flight crew member participating in the search for Air Asia flight QZ8501. (Time.com)

I wasn't going to do a Prayer Room entry for this week.  I've been a bit under the weather and quite frankly a bit overwhelmed exiting the Christmas holidays.  However, I've been following the story of the missing Air Asia flight since late Sunday, and it's been heavy on my heart, so I wanted to say a few things and offer up a prayer for those involved.

I got home from work last night and turned on CNN as I got sat down to eat my dinner.  At about 11 o'clock they began reporting that searchers had come across a debris field in the area where they were searching for the Air Asia flight, which disappeared from radar on Sunday.  A short while later they were reporting that officials were 95% percent sure that the debris was associated with the plane, and that they had spotted several bodies as well.  This morning as I got up, the news had been confirmed. This was the remains of this aircraft and the souls on board.  My heart just sank.

It's really beyond my comprehension.  If I'm honest with you this raises the most serious question that I still have about God and religion: why?  Why was a disaster like this allowed to happen?  How can the lives of 162 people just be snuffed out like a candle?  There are no easy answers to this question. Hopefully the search crews will find the instruments used to record data and voices on the plane so that they'll be able to decipher the reasons behind it, but for the families of these folks, the overall question of "why?" will still remain.

I can't imagine being in their shoes. A few years back my wife's aunt was murdered, and that was tough.  The question of why was still there.  In that case, it was pretty much because the guy who did it felt like it.  I imagine that losing a loved one, or multiple loved ones, in an accident event like this is even tougher, and I encourage everyone to keep the families and friends of those who have passed in their prayers and thoughts over the coming days.

And let's not forget about the people who are doing the search and recovery either.  This kind of thing can be traumatic.  When I worked with a local forensics unit, I participated in the recovery of a body of a young man that was killed in a nasty car accident.  It was not pleasant.  Recovering human remains that have been in the water for any length of time at all is one of the most gruesome things imaginable.  It has sights, textures, and smells all it's own, and it's quite horrible.

Tragedies like this will never have that overall metaphysical "why" answered.  All we can do is keep those involved in our thoughts and prayers.  Please join me now and in the coming days in offering up these people, especially the families and friends, to the Christ whose words calm storms and raging seas.

Dear Christ,

When these events happen, it is only natural for us to ask "why?"

As developments unfold, please guide the searchers as they seek the answers to this question

And as they seek to recover the remains of those who have perished.

We lift up these people before you,

these people who are tasked with these difficult, but very necessary duties.

Be with them, give them strength and comfort as they seek to carry these duties out.

We lift up those who have passed from this earth in this incident.  

Give their souls rest and peace

and guide them lovingly into whatever transitions from this life into the next.

Most importantly we lift up families and friends of those who have died.

Their pain and grief are beyond measure at this time.

Comfort them, and lead them on the path that will eventually bring peace and some healing in time.

We ask all these things in your name, 

you who calmed the storm with a word and walked upon the waters of the sea

as we conclude with the prayer you taught us:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.

A-men.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4 (NRSV).

Book Review: Under Wraps, The Gift We Never Expected.

"Under Wraps: The Gift We Never Expected" is an all-church advent study by Jessica LaGrone, Andy Nixon, Rob Renfroe, and Ed Robb.  It was published in 2014 by Abingdon Press.

I'll readily admit that I'm tough person to please with an advent study. I've been through many, MANY of them over the years, and to me they're often a dime a dozen.  I did three different studies this year alone.  One I did for my personal devotions, one I did with my family, and this one, Under Wraps, we did as a church at Community United Methodist.  It was my second favorite of the three, though honestly it had a tough task to be as good as the Bonhoeffer one that I've been doing as personal devotion!

Generally speaking advent devotions are grouped into four themes, one per week between the start of advent and Christmas.  These correspond to the 4 candles in the Advent wreath.  Usually the themes are something along the line of love, peace, joy, and hope.  Most devotions take these four rather broad themes and stumble through the four weeks, putting out a lot of words without managing to say much at all.  Fortunately, "Under Wraps" is different.  The book is indeed grouped into 4 themes, but they're quite different.  They explore 4 attributes of the nature of God:  God is Expectant, God is Dangerous, God is Jealous, and God is Faithful.

The first chapter, God is Expectant, is by Jessica LaGrone.  This theme centers around the idea that we're not the only ones who wait expectantly during Advent.  Have you ever gotten a friend, relative, or spouse what you considered to be the perfect gift, something you just know they'll love?  That sense you have as you wait to see the reaction on the person's face when they open it is the same kind of expectation that God has as he waits for us to unwrap the perfect gift of his son, Jesus.  This gift was not cheap either, in fact it cost Jesus his life.

The second chapter, God is Dangerous, is by Ed Robb.  The word "dangerous" is not something we often associate with cute little baby Jesus sitting in all of our Nativity scenes at Christmas, but Christ, and therefore God, is dangerous.  Abraham was called out of his homeland to go into an entirely different land.  Moses was called back to Egypt, where he was wanted for murder, to confront the ruler of the land in order to free the Jewish people.  Most of the disciples suffered a martyr's death, and even in modern times, people like Dietrich Bonhoeffer have been executed for acting on their Christian beliefs.  God has big plans for his children, and sometimes, they call for sacrifice and danger.

The theme of the third chapter is God is Jealous by Andy Nixon.  He reflects on the state of what I call the "corporate Christmas" and talks about how God wants to be first in our lives, not just at Christmastime, but through the whole year as well.  This isn't jealousy in the form of a jilted lover. The Hebrew word in the Old Testament that is translated as "jealous" is qin'ah, which means warmth or heat.  It is evocative of the passion that God had for us and the passion that he wants us to have for him, and for each other.

The final, and perhaps most powerful chapter is by Rob Renfroe and centers on the idea that God is Faithful.  Pastor Renfroe talks about the difference between a contract and a covenant.  In a contract, the agreement can be nullified if one party does not fulfill it's end of the bargain.  However in a covenant, a wounded or unfulfilled party is still called upon to execute their end of things even if the other party does not.  Sometimes in life you want a contract.  When you build a house, you don't want to have to pay if the contractor only builds half of your house.  However in a marriage you want a covenant.  You make a vow for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, and you want your spouse to stand with you even when you fail.  God is a covenant God, and sticks by us even though we are far from perfect.  He sticks by us so much that he sent his only son, born in a manger at Christmas, to die on a cross for our own shortcomings.

All in all this wasn't my favorite Advent study, but it was a good one and was certainly both different from your run of the mill devotions and meaningful.  Some chapters were better than others, but I thought each author did a good job making their point.  There are also supplementary materials such as a leaders guide and a DVD available should your church decide to do this study.  Both were informative, even though some of the video was nearly a word for word rehash of the book.  If you're looking for a new Advent study to try out next year, this one would be a good place to start.

The Magnificat and the Manger: The Subversiveness of Christmas

"He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty." Luke 1 51-53 (NRSV)

I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to say today, on Christmas Eve.  I thought about just putting some kind of innocuous fluff post out there about everybody being happy and joyful as we gather with friends and family.

But it didn't seem right to do that.

In fact, it would misrepresent what the Christmas story has come to mean for me.

Think back to a time before Christmas shopping was even a thing.  Think back to a time before conquerors bearing the standard of Christianity colonized the western world and destroyed many native cultures and populations.  Think back to a time before Constantine converted to Christianity and forever linked the faith of Christ on the cross to a global empire.

Think back to a time when a young Jewish girl, having recently found out that she was expecting a baby in scandalous circumstances, took a trip into the country to stay with her cousin.  During this time the Jewish people, like many others, were under the thumb of the Roman empire.  They were looking for a messiah, a deliverer, a Christ.  They were looking for someone who would help them throw off Roman rule.  

It's also quite possible that Mary and her family didn't have much.  Certainly they didn't when compared to the Romans.  Her future husband was a carpenter, and while maybe that's not glorious, it was a skilled trade that should provide for her and her child.

Upon her arrival she finds that her cousin, an older woman thought barren, is expecting a baby as well.  As her cousin comes out to meet her she greets her with "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?"  The cousin proceeds to tell the young woman that the baby in her womb leaped for joy at her presence.  This is probably confusing to this young girl, Mary.  How did her cousin Elizabeth know about all this?  One can imagine that they talked quite a bit about all of these things in the days after that!

With all this now done and understood, Mary, this young, Jewish peasant girl sings a song of praise that to my mind is unrivaled in Christian scripture.  I quote it in it's entirety: 

And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

--Luke 1: 46-55 (NKJV)

I wonder, can you get more anti-establishment than this?  Here is this young girl talking about scattering the proud, throwing down mighty kings from their thrones, exalting the lowly of society, feeding the hungry, and turning the rich away empty handed.  When you think about it, it's quite startling.

Now think about this in context of today's well to do, pro-establishment, pro-money and extreme wealth version of Christianity.  How would this message really play today in age where poor people are frowned upon simply as lazy welfare takers and laws are passed in some locales that prevent feeding the homeless in public?  How would this message of raising the lowly and sending the rich away empty play to the crowds, the masses of people who still now, at 3 PM on Christmas Eve, are flocking to stores in search of those gadgets or those toys that we think we all really need?

My guess is that the message of Mary's song would be, and is, brushed aside like a pesky fly as we go our way in our empire-like religious establishment and participate in our corporate Christmas.

The First Christmas gets even more subversive, even more wild that that however.

Some months later, Mary is near giving birth and is in the town of Bethlehem with her husband, Joseph.  Joseph frantically seeks a room for them, someplace for them to stay, but is turned away.  It is an image that often pops up in the Bible, people unwittingly turning God, turning Christ away. Eventually they end up in a stable,  It may not have been a barn or stable in the sense that we see in our modern Nativity scenes.  Many houses in that time had a lower room where animals and livestock were kept.  Perhaps it was in a room like this.  Oral tradition in Bethlehem holds that it was in a cave like stable with animals around.

It is in these surroundings that Mary gives birth to her firstborn son.  She gives him the name Jesus, wraps him in a blanket, and lays him in a manger. I wonder if Mary and Joseph really grasped the moment, really realized what had just happened?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
--John 1: 1-5, 14.

God had become a human being.  No really, God, you know, Creator of the Universe, the beginning and the end of all things, had left his throne and came to Earth, not as King born in the finest palace, but as a baby born to a young peasant couple and placed in a manger.  It wasn't the kings and princes of the empire that came to greet him, but a bunch of sheep herders who had been hanging out with their charges.  Is THAT any way for the King of the Universe to enter his creation?

Do we lose sight of that at Christmas?  Sure we do.  Despite the fact that there are multiple manger scenes in many neighborhoods, we often forget about the wonder, the mystery, of the Incarnation of the Creator of the stars of night in lowly human form.

What does that say to me, say to us as we celebrate Christmas?  We look around at our establishment and we're comfortable.  The plight of the poor and the oppressed doesn't seem to bother us most of the time as we go about our business.  But it was to these people, the poor couple living under imperial occupation, that Christ came into the world.  What does the story, what does Mary's song tell us about the way that we should look at our own world?

I leave you with some words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

"For the great and powerful of this world, there are only two places in which their courage fails them, of which they are afraid deep down in their souls, from which they shy away.  These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ.  No powerful person dares to approach the manger, and this even includes King Herod.  For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent parish, because God is with the lowly.  Here the rich come to nothing, because God is with the poor and hungry, but the rich and satisfied he sends away empty.  Before Mary, the maid, before the manger of Christ, before God in lowliness, the powerful come to naught; they have no right, no hope, they are judged."

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "God is in the Manger," pg 26.

The Prayer Room: 12/21/14 Fourth Sunday of Advent

"I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness.  I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." Isaiah 42: 6-7 (ESV)

As I sit and write this, it's finally Christmas week starting today with the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The last candle around the perimeter of the wreath is lit.  On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, a lone white candle will be placed in the center and lit during the reading of the Nativity, representing the birth of Christ.  It is indeed a special time of the year.

In much of the Christian tradition, the fourth candle of Advent represents peace.  Peace is something that we seem to be lacking quite a bit right now.  I think about the people in the Middle East that are the victims of ISIS, and other victims of terrorism around the world.  I think about the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and now after the events of this weekend I think about the families of two NYPD officers who were murdered in their car by a madman who used the deaths of others as an excuse to go out and live his own violent fantasies.  The violence that took Brown and Garner has begotten violence that claimed the lives of those two officers, and I'd be quite surprised if that violence doesn't create more violence in it's wake.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Peace is part of the essential message of Christmas.  When the angels appeared to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, it was peace and goodwill that they trumpeted as the men trembled at the site. The message was so great that not only did they rush into town to see the newborn king, but they also went around telling everyone what they had seen and heard.

It's also peace, peace and love that God promises throughout the Old Testament when foreshadowing the promised birth of his Son.  As in the verses above when he speaks of "a light to the nations" and the freeing of captives.  They're powerful images that are meant to send a powerful message.

But we can't forget the role we're meant to play in delivering the great message of peace on earth. We're not only meant to proclaim the peace of Christ, but we're meant to help bring it about.  We're called to be examples, just as Christ was, to the world around us.  I'm not sure there is more important work to be done in our day and age than to both proclaim and work for peace.  If we want people to believe in our message, in Christ's message of "peace on earth among those with whom he is well pleased" we need to practice it.  We need to renounce torture and violence in all it's forms, not merely when it fits our agenda to do so.

There's a lot that's wrong in our world, and a lot that's wrong in our country.  Working for peace and change isn't going to be easy or even necessarily popular, but I think it must be done, and it can start with each of us, then working together, maybe something will finally, REALLY change and we can sing....

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

JOYS AND THANKSGIVING

--I've mentioned my uncle Greg a couple of times, including last week when I said that he was due for some full brain radiation cancer treatment. Well, Monday night he had another MRI and two of the three areas of concern in his brain seemed to pretty much gone and the third and newest one was reduced significantly.  So now the doctors are quite pleased and they're going to hold off on further radiation, and my uncle will feel A LOT better for Christmas not having to undergo radiation therapy!  I want to thank God for the progress that he's made and for the wonderful, skilled physicians and staff at the Huntsman Cancer Institute for what they've been able to do for Greg and my family.

--My sister and my youngest nephew Caleb arrived safely from Maryland this past week.  I thank God for the time I am able to spend with them and the time to get to know my little nephew.

--For the incarnation of Christ which we'll celebrate this week.

--For the blessings of redemption and grace brought by his life, death, and resurrection.

CONCERNS AND PETITIONS

--For those who will be traveling to meet family this week,

--For the families of the two NYPD officers killed this weekend

--For our country, that we can tone down the violent rhetoric and work together for peaceful, meaningful change where it is needed.

--For those who have no family, friends, or even homes this Christmas, and that God will help us be his light and his hands and feet to these most vulnerable people.

Prince of Peace,
There is much that weighs on our hearts in these days.  Our newscasts seem to be one horrible story of violence, injustice, and mistrust after another.  Help us realize that another world is possible and help us, give us the strength and wisdom to help bring about peace on Earth through your love, grace, and mercy.

We commend this prayer to you with the words you taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

--Deliver us Lord from every evil,
and grant us peace in our day--

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
A-men

Believing the Unbelievable

And Mary said, "Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38 ESV)

Today we have the "War on Christmas." In this so called war, Christian extremists and non-Christian extremists fight back and forth about issues like "Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays," was there really a virgin birth, did Jesus even exist, and if he did he wasn't actually born in December, and blah blah blah.  Everybody wants the "facts" on their side and everybody wants to be right, despite the fact that nobody is going to change anybody's mind.  Meanwhile any actual meaning in the season beyond getting that new flat screen tv is lost in the shrillness of the argument.

Let's take for example the two children whose conceptions are detailed in Luke 1.  First we have Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, and older couple who have been trying to have a child their whole life but who have never conceived.  An angel appears to Zechariah and says 'Hey guess what, your wife is finally going to be pregnant and the child is gonna be a pretty big deal, kind of like Elijah." Well, Zechariah has a bit of a laugh to himself and asks the angel how he knows that he can trust his words since Elizabeth is thought to be barren and they're both pretty old.  The angel then strikes Zechariah dumb until the time that the baby is born.  Now it's not out of the realm of possibility that a woman in her 40s or early 50s gets pregnant.  Highly unlikely perhaps, but possible.

The second woman to conceive in Luke 1 really does conceive in impossible circumstances.  The angel Gabriel appears to a teenage Jewish girl, a virgin, and tells her that she will bear a child as well, and he's going to be a REALLY big deal, in fact, he's going to be the one spoken of by the prophet Isaiah among others.  This event is captured in a more modern setting in the painting above: "Annunciation" by John Collier.  It's also on this month's issue of "The Upper Room" and it gives a look at what Gabriel and Mary might look like if these events took place today.

Of course, you are skeptical, as is Mary, who point blank asks Gabriel how this can happen since she is a virgin.  She's engaged to a man named Joseph, but they're not married yet and haven't had sexual relations.  She knows how the birds and the bees work, so to speak, and so do we.

And that's just part of what makes the Christmas story wild, fantastical, and perhaps one might say: impossible.  We can bring in the arguments and the debaters from both sides and argue for hours over stuff like this.  You just don't get pregnant without having sex. Period.

But if we're missing part of the point of the story....?

In chapter 15 of "We Make the Road by Walking" that's exactly what Brian McLaren suggests that we're doing.  We get so caught up in dealing with whether the events told in the Bible actually, literally happened that we miss the bigger point of the story, and the Christmas story is no different. What if God and the writer of this passage is trying to communicate a bigger point?

What if that bigger point is that maybe we should believe in the "impossible?"

The other night I was having a conversation with a coworker of mine. She's only 17 years old, a couple of years older than Mary in our story, and is just really starting to become aware of a lot of what is going on in the wider world.  Specifically we were talking about how you make a difference in the world.  She was saying that she had always wanted to make a splash, to really go out in the world and make a difference for good, but when she looks around, it seems impossible that one 17 year old girl from Utah could make a difference.

I've been there.  At one point I thought I was going to be a pastor.  I though I was going to make a splash and make a difference.  However the more I looked at what was going in the world and in my life, the more I became convinced that it was impossible.

What if Martin Luther King Jr thought that making a difference in race relations was impossible? What if we thought that traveling in space and going to the moon was impossible?  After all, it was for much of our history.  What if people like William Wilberforce and John Wesley thought that ending the slave trade was impossible?  What if people in the 1940s thought that defeating Hitler was impossible, as some actually did?

Without great people taking these great steps, it's hard to tell where our society might be.  What does that have to say to a 17 year old Utah girl, a 36 year old former-future pastor, or a young teenage virgin from Nazareth?

For McLaren one of the big points in the story is: believe in the supposed "impossible," and I agree. As Gabriel says in the story: "For nothing is impossible with God."  If we don't open our hearts and our minds to both the possible and the supposed impossible, we may very well miss our chance to make a difference for ourselves and the world around us.

For Christians this can be a central theme of Advent.  As we wait for the coming of the Lord, we can examine ourselves and open our hearts and minds to the will of God as Mary did, and indeed as her son did as well.  In the end our response should be "Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

What do you think?  Do you believe in the impossible?  Can you give up your longing to "know" and and dare to believe the unbelievable? That might be a tough call for you, but I think even if you can't right now, the message of this beautiful story rings true: think big and open your heart because you never know what might happen!

The Prayer Room: 12/14/14, Third Sunday of Advent

"Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah 1:18 (NRSV).

It's been a rough week for me, personally.  Not only are there all the family pressures and stresses that come with the holidays, but when you work in the business I work in, well, extra long hours on your feet, dealing with cranky people, start to take their toll as well. It all kind of caught up with me this week as I've been sickly and really run down.  I even missed a day of work for the first time this year! I like to think that my quest to give myself a Christmas attitude adjustment has gone well, but it's been tough the last week.

But now it's time to look on to the week ahead.  In most Christian traditions, the lone pink candle on the advent wreath is lit for the the third Sunday.  This usually represents joy or hope.  However, in the devotion I've been following based on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the third candle represents redemption, which I think is a close cousin of joy and hope.

Redemption is the crux of the issue, the reason for joy and hope.  Last week I focused on the great mystery of the Incarnation, God coming as man.  This is indeed something to be in awe of and celebrate, but it's just the beginning of the story.  The grand, final chapter of the story of Christ on earth is his redemptive work on the cross for you, for me, for everyone.

However, we often make a bit of a mistake when we stop there.  "Well our sins are forgiven, so oh well."  Christ's redemptive work is also meant to be transformative.  When we just accept redemption and go about our business, we're also only getting half the story that Christ desires for us.  Bonhoeffer refers to this as "cheap grace."  It's when we realize how costly the grace of Christ crucified is, that we can really start to turn inward and make changes in our own lives that will hopefully help us make a difference in the lives of others, indeed in the life of the world as a whole.

Advent can help us do that.  As we wait to celebrate the birth of Christ, we turn inward and examine ourselves, preparing our hearts, bodies, and minds for this sacred season.  I invite you to join me this week in remembering, with joy and hope, the redeeming work of Christ which was not cheap, that cost him his life to save ours.

WITH GRATEFUL THANKSGIVING:

--For life of Christ, Son of God made man, born of Mary, crucified, died and buried.  

--For his resurrection on the third day completing his redemptive work. Christmas always leads to Good Friday and to Easter Sunday.

--For those who give of their time, money, and resources to help those who are less fortunate at Christmas and throughout the year.

IN PRAYERFUL CONCERN:

--For my uncle Greg, who will be undergoing full brain radiation this week in an attempt to kill multiple tumors.

--For those who feel the pain of depression, rejection, and loneliness more acutely during the holiday season.

--For those who are spending their first Christmas after the death of a loved one.

--For those who are traveling to visit family this season, and for their safe return home.

DEAR FATHER:

Thank you so much for this wonderful time of the year.  Give us the strength and wisdom to live in peace and make inroads for reconciliation as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of your son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
A-men.

The Prayer Room: 12/7/14, Second Sunday of Advent

"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11: 6-9 NRSV)

My heart is kind of heavy as I sit down to write this week.  Last week I talked about how peace, healing, and reconciliation were already weighing heavily on my mind after the events in Ferguson, Missouri.  Well, this week we got the news that another police officer, this time in New York City, would not be charged in the strangling death of another unarmed African-American man.  If the sense of injustice wasn't high enough after the Michael Brown case, it's even higher now.

I honestly don't know what we do now, or where we go from here.  I can't say as I'd blame any African-American individual for being afraid of an encounter with the police, and I can't say as I'd feel any different if I were in their shoes. There seems to be so much hurt, so much hate, and so much violence.

The verses above from Isaiah 11 came up in my readings this last week for Advent, and though they've long been a favorite of mine, they hit me even more in light of events that are happening right now.  The imagery is striking: lambs and wolves lying together, little children playing near the lair of snakes.  If you stop and think that children in the Bible often symbolize innocence and purity, and that serpents often represent evil, well it's even more striking.  

This is of course the Biblical ideal, the promise of the world governed by Christ as the Kingdom of God.  "They WILL NOT hurt or destroy on all my Holy Mountain."  I think too often we as Christians just sit back and think of this as an ideal only to be achieved later, after the Second Advent, but I don't think Christ would have us sitting around, waiting.  What good is faith if all we do is sit back and wait for some kind of "eternal reward?"  The answer is: not much.

Instead I truly believe that as Christians we are called to bring forth ideas into this world that serve the Kingdom NOW.  I'm not talking about enforcing some kind of conservative political or theocratic dogma either.  I'm talking about Christians, the body, hands, and feet of Jesus Christ stepping into the world and working for healing, peace, and reconciliation. I'm talking about Christians standing with those who are marginalized or who are victims of violence and oppression.  It's not going to be easy, but I pray that God will give me, and each of us, the backbone to really go out and to try to turn this torn and broken world into the Holy Mountain of the Lord.

JOYS AND THANKSGIVINGS:

--For victim's advocates and those who work tirelessly in the favor of those who have been wronged or marginalized.

--For candles, decorations, music, and all that reminds of the joy that the Christmas season can bring.

--For the incarnation and example of Christ, the Word made flesh.

CONCERNS AND PETITIONS:

--For all victims of violence, hate, and discrimination.

--For healing, justice, and reconciliation to be brought to our country in light of recent events.

--For those who become depressed and downtrodden, since they often go even more unnoticed this time of year.

--For those who will be traveling over the holiday season.

LORD God, we ask that now, in this time of great hurt and great divide, that you would give each of us a measure of your peace, the peace that passes all understanding.  Grant us the power and strength to stand FOR all of your Children and AGAINST injustice.  Grant to us the knowledge of you and your Kingdom as the waters flow over the sea, as the prophet of old foretold.  Bring us healing and reconciliation in this sacred season as we look forward to celebrating the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray:

OUR FATHER, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day.
In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety
as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior:
Jesus Christ

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever, A-men.

Advent: We're Not the Only Ones Who Wait

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. (Revelation 3:20 NRSV)

Christians are quite familiar with the concept of "waiting" during Advent, that's what the season is for, after all.  We wait in hope not only to celebrate the first Advent, the Incarnation of Christ, but the second Advent, when we believe he will return to Earth.  Of course when I was a kid it was about waiting for Christmas morning and presents, if I'm honest with you!  We make a nice show out of our own waiting at Advent, but I wonder, are we the only ones waiting?  I think not.

Think about a time when you got somebody what you might consider the "perfect gift" for Christmas. How do you feel as you wait for Christmas day and the opportunity for that person to open it: excited, nervous, expectant?  One year my wife got me a portable weather station (I'm a weather geek), and she was so excited to see my face light up when I opened it.  I trust that I didn't disappoint her!  

Well in the Advent study that Pastor Gary is presenting at our Church this Advent, he portrays God that way.  God has procured for us this great gift, and he's just waiting to see how we respond once the gift is no longer "under wraps," so to speak.  Of course the gift was originally given some 2000 years ago, and it was the gift of his son, indeed the gift of himself, Jesus Christ. God waits in excited anticipation to see how each and everyone of us responds to this special gift.

Which brings us to the matter of Christ himself.  In the book of Revelation Christ says that he is standing at the door knocking, waiting for us to open the door to him.  This is also a familiar image in Christianity, so much so that it has often become cliche, but make no mistake, Christ is waiting, and he is expectant of us everyday of our lives.  Consider this:

"Jesus stands at the door knocking.  In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help.  He confronts you in every person that you meet.  As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you.  That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.  Do you want to close the door or open it?"

                                                                                             --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Does those words give any of us pause?  Do they convict any of us in the slightest?  Here Pastor Bonhoeffer ties in the meaning of Advent to the seminal message of Christianity.  For so many of us, accepting Christ means "opening the door to hearts" so to speak, and inviting him into our lives. That is indeed the first step, but the journey ahead for those who would truly follow Christ is long indeed.  

Christ is there, confronting us in everyone we meet, everyone we hear about.  He waits, and how do we respond?  Christ is present in a young African American man who has been killed by a police officer and left on the street in the open for four hours.  Christ is present in a man who was strangled to death by a New York City officer.  Does that tie this is to everything that's going on around us? Christ presents himself to us in everyone, no matter race, creed, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, or any other qualifier.  He waits to see how we react to him, to see if we will truly continue to open up our lives to him, again and again. It is a constant, active process, where we must remember that an injustice done to anyone is an injustice done to Christ.

So what do we do?  How do we open the door?  It starts by recognizing the validity of each and every human life.    Once we have done this, this fundamental belief should invade every aspect of our lives.  It should inform how we talk to others and treat others around us. It should govern the way we give of our time and resources.  Even just dropping a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket helps, and that's a great way to start, but I encourage all of us to look for other ways that we can reach out to our community.

Finally it should also inform how we vote and how we interact in the political life of our nation.  We should be holding candidates' feet to the fire on these issues, trying to get meaningful change that can help all of us.  We need to be asking the questions:  What do we do about the poor?  What do we do to erase the blight of racism in our country?  How do we confront and change this culture of violence?  

I truly believe that Christ calls us to be active in the lives of those around us everyday and in the life of our country.  I invite you to use this Advent/Christmas season as a springboard to do both in your life.  Christ is knocking, waiting.

The Prayer Room--11/30/14--First Sunday of Advent

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NRSV)

So it's not quite December yet, give it a few hours, but today is the day when Christians of many traditions begin to look forward to celebrating the birth of Christ with the Christmas holiday.  It's the first Sunday of Advent.  During Advent the focus of Christian tradition is twofold.  First we wait in anticipation of the commemoration of the Incarnation which we celebrate on Christmas, but we also focus on being ready for the second Advent, hopeful for the return of Christ to the world.

I have many memories of Advent from growing up.  My family gathered around an Advent wreath every night reading devotions, looking up Bible verses, and singing Christmas songs as my younger sister and I took turns lighting the candles.  Not observing this custom in recent years has left me feeling somewhat empty throughout the holidays, so I'm really looking forward to returning to the practice this year.

As we move through the Advent season peace and reconciliation are going to be on my mind a lot. We've all seen the consequences of violence, discrimination, and hatred sprawled across our tv screens in recent days and weeks, and for me it's only natural to turn to Him named as the Prince of Peace for help. I invite you all to join me in making these central themes of your spiritual discipline this season and I ask God's blessing on all of us as we make our way through the next four weeks.

JOYS AND THANKSGIVINGS:

--My uncle Greg got some good news this week as full body scans revealed no further cancer in his body.  He still has a spot in his brain that needs to be dealt with, but his doctors seem to be cautiously optimistic that this can be done.

--For those who will be taking time out of their own lives and holiday celebrations to serve the poor and needy in this season of so much abundance, yet so much need.

--For the blessings that most of us receive day in and day out, things that we can easily take for granted: food, shelter, heat, electricity, health, and safety.

--For this season of Advent, when we can work to make ourselves more like the man whose birth we celebrate and whose return we hope for.

CONCERNS AND PETITIONS:

--For the people of Ferguson, Missouri and those affected by the events in that community, that the people and the police can work together toward meaningful reconciliation, reform, and healing in that deeply scarred place.

--For those people who still feel the sting and injury of discrimination based on race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, or any other facet of their life.

--For all of us in community around our town, state, nation, and world, that we can work together to end these types of discrimination and violence, eventually bringing out healing and the peace of Christ.

--For men and women in the armed forces who will not be spending the holidays with family this year.

--For those observing the disciplines of Advent, that it may bring joy and meaning to their lives.

WONDERFUL COUNSELOR: We ask that your Holy Spirit move among each and every one of us throughout the holiday season, showing us ways to better ourselves and the world around us.  Help us to live the principles of your Kingdom, as modeled by Christ, throughout Christmas and the days beyond.

MIGHTY GOD: We ask that you give us hearts for worship, hearts for you alone during this season of Advent.  Help us see the paradox of the Creator of the Universe being born into our broken and damaged world in a simple, dirty stable to a young and bewildered couple.  

EVERLASTING FATHER: Draw us closer to your side as we wait in joyful hope to celebrate the birth of your son.  Give us comfort when sad, guidance when directionless, and grace and forgiveness when we fall short of the ideal in which you call us to live.

PRINCE OF PEACE: Bring your peace and healing to all who are torn by violence, discrimination, hate, and war.  Help us as your children to work tirelessly in your name to bring about this peace and your Kingdom.

We ask all these things in the name of JESUS CHRIST, who taught us to pray:

OUR FATHER who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.

A-men.

Thanksgiving 2014

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSV)

It's a little after 9 AM on Thanksgiving morning, and I'm sitting here with what will probably be the first of a couple of cups of coffee.  I didn't sleep well last night, so I got up early and watched the sun creep over the Wasatch mountains to the east.  I work nights, so that's not a sight I see very often.  It was very beautiful though.

I think it's easy for Thanksgiving to either become a cliche or disappear totally as it's swallowed up by the enormous glut of greed that kicks off the "Christmas shopping season."  When we do still take the time to gather round the table as family and friends, often we make a show out of talking about what we're thankful for, but I wonder, do we really consider it?  I'm not sure that I do.  It seems in our society we always WANT more and more.  Even when I pray I have a much easier time coming up with things that I WANT from God as opposed to be being grateful for what I do have.

So I tried to give it some serious thought as I sat here this morning.  Of course I'm thankful for all the things that we so easily remember: my family, my friends, the roof over my head, the food on my table, my job, and the things I do for fun.  However I also came up with two other things that I may not have thought about much over the last couple of years.

The first of these things that I'm thankful for is the mistakes I make in life.  Now this might sound a bit on the odd side, but it's true.  I think that in our mistakes we see the biggest opportunity for growth and learning.  Certainly it's not always easy to learn from mistakes.  Sometimes it takes a huge effort, and that it something I lack occasionally.  I hope to change that both now and in the future though. Through recognizing mistakes and the powerful opportunities that they can present, I believe that there is a great chance to latch on to large strides of personal growth.

The second thing is the love of Christ that I've rediscovered in recent months.  It has helped my change my attitude on so many fronts, or at least given me the potential to change it.  I've started to see the world through the lens of Christ's love and mercy, both for me and for others, for the first time in a few years.  In recent years I was always a negative Nancy, a troll so to speak.  I was that guy who would jump on twitter or facebook on Thanksgiving morning and and try to give everyone a guilt trip over certain facts of American history.  You know the kind of person I'm talking about.  "Oh that's nice that you're having a huge meal today, celebrating the fact that your ancestors wiped out a whole people." In my mind, I was giving people perspective.  In reality what I was doing was turning people off to me and anything worthwhile that I might have had to say.  I was so negative all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I still am sometimes, but I have noticed a marked improvement.  When love and mercy for everyone started to become my focus more and more, I started to find meaning in places that I never knew existed, even on a holiday that ignores some pretty dark moments in history.

In the end things in the past should be remembered so that we can indeed learn from the mistakes we've made, but beginning to see the world through love and mercy instead of constant negativity allows us not only to remember the past, but to shape the future in ways that are good for everyone. Through this we can exchange guilt and derision for reconciliation and forgiveness, and for that I'm truly thankful.

I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season!

The Prayer Room--11/23/14, Last Sunday After Pentecost

A man kneels and prays at a makeshift memorial for Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. (Photo: CBS News)

Many of us will turn our hearts to Thanksgiving this week, and we should definitely do that. Most of us will never know what it's like to be truly hungry.  Many of us will never know what it's like to not have a roof over our heads.  Many of us will never be a victim of violent crime.  Those of us who are fortunate in these and other respects should give thanks for the blessings in our lives.

But we need to remember that this isn't the same for everybody.  In particular I'm thinking about the people of Ferguson, Missouri.  Most of us will be familiar with the events of August 9, 2014, when Michael Brown, an African American teenager, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer.  This sparked racial tensions throughout not only the Ferguson area, but in different places all over the country as well.  It also raised the specter of violence in our society and concerns about the legitimacy of the use of deadly force by police officers.  In short, this incident has become about more than just the particular facts of the case.

Look, I don't know what happened.  I wasn't there, and I haven't seen the evidence.  Perhaps the only person who REALLY knows is officer Wilson himself.  However, this doesn't make the questions that have been asked and the issues that have been raised less valid.  The issues will have to be faced and these greater questions will be have to be answered going forward.  They're not going to go away. 

Many people believe that the church has a role to play here, not only in the larger sense of confronting these big issues, but in the smaller sense of helping the community of Ferguson throughout the days ahead.  The grand jury that will decide whether or not to indict officer Wilson will be announcing their findings soon, likely in the next couple of days.  Most legal experts have said that they don't believe that Wilson will be indicted for killing Brown, and it's quite likely that this is going to cause a great deal of strife in that community which has already been through so much.  There might be some pretty bad things going on there while most of us focus on turkey, football, and family this week.  I pray that this won't be the case, but I fear it will be. 

So I ask that we all keep the people of Ferguson in our prayers and thoughts this week and ask Christ to bring about peace in this situation.

JOYS AND THANKSGIVINGS

--For family and friends that gather around us and support us not only in the good times, but in the bad.

--For the blessings that we each receive in our lives every day and every year.

--For those who will be working to provide a thanksgiving dinner to people who are homeless or less fortunate.

CONCERNS AND PETITIONS

--For those who don't have family and friends, or who are separated from them for Thanksgiving and the holidays.

--For those who will be experiencing the first Thanksgiving after losing a loved one.

--For those who will be traveling throughout the week.

--For the people of Ferguson, Missouri, as they try to cope with the ramifications of the events taking place in their community.

--That Christ will grant us his peace and help to look past race, gender, sexual orientation, and the like and see the humanity in each and every one of his children.

Book Review: "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas

I've been on an extraordinary journey over the last few weeks, as I've hinted at in a few other entries. I've been reading the book "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas and participating in a class at church based on the book. It's a remarkably well written story about someone who was perhaps one of the most remarkable people of the last century: German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Of course for those of you not familiar with Bonhoeffer, he was much more than a pastor, as the title of the book suggests.  He was an integral part of the German resistance inside the Nazi state itself.  He worked to smuggle Jews out of the country, which led to his arrest in 1943.  He was also a member of the conspiracy that worked to attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.  The conspiracy culminated in the failed "Valkyrie" operation in July 1944. His connection to this, and other plots against Hitler, was discovered and he was executed in April 1945, just about three weeks before the fall of Germany.

Of course, to really get a feel for the man, one must understand his family and culture.  That's where Metaxas begins with the book.  Bonhoeffer's family was an old, aristocratic one.  His father was considered to be the preeminent psychiatrist in Germany.  One of his brothers became a scientist and studied alongside Albert Einstein himself.  Another brother was killed fighting for Germany in Word War I. He had another brother who was a high ranking lawyer in German society.  His mother was highly intelligent as well, and she was great musician.

This family and culture raised young Dietrich to be a thinker, and to think about all sides of different issues and problems.  He eventually decided to become a student of theology, which was a slight disappointment to his psychiatrist father and physicist older brother, but they supported him.  He would eventually make a name for himself in the Christian world.  He traveled a lot and studied/served a pastor in Spain, the United States, and London.  He also published several books on theology, some of which have become modern classics.

Bonhoeffer was in Berlin was Hitler came to power, and he and his family opposed him and the Nazi party from the start.  It came to a head in the 1930s when the Nazis, through state action and propaganda, succeeded in making the German Lutheran church a organ of the state that disseminated the Nazi viewpoint and sanctioned the discrimination of Jews.  Bonhoeffer and some other pastors set themselves against this and broke away from the main German church.  For a time, Bonhoeffer even ran an illegal seminary to train pastors for this "Confessing Church."  Eventually it all became too bothersome for the Nazis and the Gestapo shut it down.

In 1939, as Hitler had begun attacking and annexing his neighbors to the east, war looked likely. Bonhoeffer's friends throughout Europe and the USA managed to get him a teaching position in New York City.  He once again left Germany to come to the States.  His friends and family were hoping that he would be safe there during the coming war and could return afterward to help Germany rebuild and reform it's church.  However after less than a month, Bonhoeffer decided that it was not God's will that he sit safe and sound in New York while the people of Germany suffered.  He returned to Germany in the summer of 1939.

As World War II broke out the Bonhoeffer family was in a position to know about the various atrocities committed by the Nazis from the onset.  One of Dietrich's brothers in law, Hans von Dohnanyi, worked in the Abwehr, the German military intelligence arm and was keeping a file on all of the things the SS and others were up to.  He passed all of this information on to Dietrich and his family.  Later, Dietrich decided that the only thing to do was to join the Abwehr himself.  However he and many others were not agents of Germany at all, but members of a conspiracy that meant to assassinate Hitler.  Bonhoeffer took many trips to countries in Europe trying to get the British and the Americans to support the Abwehr conspiracy, but he never quite managed it.

The Gestapo soon found out about his involvement in "Operation 7," in which 7 Jews were smuggled out of Germany and into neutral Switzerland.  He was arrested in 1943 and was housed in a military prison called Tegel.  In 18 months there he became what was basically a prison pastor, working with both guards and inmates.  He also wrote many letters to friends and family that were preserved and published after his death and the end of the war.

However his time was up after an outraged Hitler survived the assassination attempt of July 20, 1944. The SS squeezed everyone they could for information on the Abwehr conspiracy and they eventually found the secret file that Bonhoeffer's brother in law was keeping on the subject.  It implicated Bonhoeffer as well as another one of his brothers and two of his brothers in law. In early April, 1945, excerpts from the diary of the head of the Abwehr were found and brought to Hitler.  Bonhoeffer and many others were mentioned by name.  Hitler ordered that all of them be executed.  Bonhoeffer nearly avoided this fate through a weird case of mistaken identity, but he was eventually transported to Flossenburg concentration camp and was executed by hanging at dawn on April 9, 1945.  The Flossenburg camp doctor witnessed the event and marveled at how bravely Pastor Bonhoeffer walked his own way to the gallows.  His bother Klaus and two brothers in law were also executed for their role in the conspiracy.

This marker rests at Flossenburg in the field where Bonhoeffer and other members of the conspiracy were hanged on April 9, 1945.  Bonhoeffer's body was burned and no remains were ever recovered.

Of course there is much more to Bonhoeffer's life than what can be covered in a summary and book review, which is why I highly recommend that you read Eric Metaxas' book for yourself.  It's a big read, clocking in at over 570 pages, but it's really worth it. If you're intimidated by big books, there is an abridged version available. It's not a hard read though.  Metaxas writes in a style that flows well and reads more like a story than a measured out biography.  In fact, even though the reader knows that Bonhoeffer dies in the end, there are some places where Metaxas really makes you feel like he was going to get out of it by the skin of his teeth.

It is possible that some of you out there may take exception to my glowing praise of Metaxas' work. He's come under some heat recently about some of his statements about America possibly going the way of the Nazis.  Look, I don't know all that much about what he believes politically, but he's certainly entitled to his opinion.  I can disagree with him and still respect him as an author and a thinker.  It must also be kept in mind that Bonhoeffer was a fairly conservative thinker himself, though Metaxas doesn't present him as dogmatically so.  All in all it's definitely a 5 star read and a very inspiring book.

Statue of Dietrich Bonhoeffer at Westminster Abby in London, in the gallery of Modern Day Martyrs.  Martin Luther King Jr also has a statue in this gallery.

The Prayer Room: 11/16/14--23rd Sunday After Pentecost

"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." (Psalm 141:2. NRSV)

So another week has come and gone, another week during which we all try to live our lives the best way we see fit.  How did you do this week?  For me, well, I've earnestly sought God and I hope through his grace that I can continue to be an even better person, both for myself and hopefully for those around me.  The more I think about it, the more that I realize that it's a process.  It's not a lesson that ever finishes.  We should each continue to learn and grow in our lives.  

There are a couple of specific things on my mind this week though.  Just this morning IS militants released another one of their videos portraying the murder of innocent people.  In this case, one of those pictured was Abdul-Rahman Kassig, and American aid worker and convert to Islam that had been working to help refugees on both sides of the Syria-Turkey border.  Apparently the video also showed the execution of several captured Syrian soldiers.  You'll forgive me if I didn't watch it to verify these facts.  I'll be offering prayers for Mr. Kassig and his family in the coming week, and I hope that you will join me not only in praying for them, but for all the people who are stuck under the rule of IS and their families as well.

Closer to home, I'd also ask for prayers for my uncle Greg, who I mentioned in last week's entry as a veteran.  He was diagnosed with lung cancer a year or more ago.  He ended up being given access to some experimental treatments that seemed to have been very successful at dislodging the cancer.  He is doing well, but goes in for some scans to check his progress later this week. This understandably causes our family a bit of anxiety, and I ask that you keep him, and us, in your thoughts this week.

Finally I have something more personal.  The upcoming holidays are always a little tough on me because my job is doing merchandising for a large retail company.  I've been doing it for 17 years now, and over the years having to go through the rigmarole surrounding Christmas and retail has largely destroyed any good feelings I have for the season.  I'm going to try to change that this year. I'll be doing a personal advent regimen that I'm really excited about (more on that in future.)  Also, my sister and youngest nephew will be coming for Christmas.  This will be the first time in years that my mom, dad, my sister, and myself are together for Christmas, and I'm really looking forward to it.  I humbly ask that you will keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I try to change my attitude this holiday season.

Here are some other things that are on my mind this week:

THANKSGIVINGS

--For things that bring enjoyment and enhancement to our lives, such as music, sports, books, relationships, etc.

--For the ease of access to information which can educate us and help us lead better lives.  

--For the food and drink that we eat and enjoy, remembering that many do not have this same luxury.

PETITIONS/INTERCESSIONS

--For those living under the rule of IS or other tyrannical regimes.

--For the family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, who has recently been murdered by IS.

--For those who continue to risk their lives and freedom to help others in need throughout the world.

--For those whose jobs will keep them apart from their families over the holiday season.

--For those who will be traveling in the coming weeks.

Little Gems: The Light That Shines on All

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5: 14-16, NIV) Photo: Eric Vogt

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most central documents in Christianity and is perhaps the most important, detailed discourse of Christ.  The verses cited above follow the famous Beatitudes given to begin Matthew 5, and as we worked through them yesterday in our class with the pastor, they really struck me.

Christians often speak of Christ as the Light of the World, and that's true enough, but here Jesus is doing something different.  He's passing on the responsibility.  He's bringing us in on it.  His message is clear as well, he doesn't only want us to be the light, he doesn't want us to hide it.  The "City on a hill" image has long been used in Christian thought, and has often been linked with the United States. I'm not overly fond of that linkage personally.  However, the image itself holds.  Pastor Gary and several members of our church just returned from a trip to Greece, and he talked about how all the cities had an "acropolis" which means "high point"  These high points not only let people in the city see who or what was coming , but it was a place where all the people in the city could see and perhaps come for refuge.  The acropolis could not be hidden.

The second image is of a personal light, and what one does with it.  In the first century CE people often used small, oil based lights or "lamps" to light their homes in the darkness.  It wouldn't do much good to light one of those and put a bowl over it.  You couldn't see it, and the light wouldn't get out to do what it was intended to.  Instead, one would put it on a lamp stand where it could illuminate as big an area as possible.

So what is it that light is intended to do?  What's the purpose?  One way we use light is as a beacon, like the city on a hill.  The smallest light in the dark will draw people to it.  We're all familiar with lighthouses on the coast being used in this same way.  We also use light to illuminate darkness.  We don't use oil lamps anymore for the most part.  We flip the switch, and the light bulb fires up, dispelling the darkness from all but the darkest corners of a room.

And just what is this light of Christ that we are meant to take forward, that we're meant to be?  For some today, it's the light of judgement.  I saw these verses, and their companion verses about salt, being used to motivate Christians before the elections, their primary purpose being to promote candidates who wish to shoot down marriage equality and benefit the rich powerful over the poor and needy.  

Of course this is the exact opposite of what Christ promotes.  To me the Light of Christ is the light of love, the light of compassion, the light of acceptance to anyone and everyone no matter their circumstances.  To be light of Christ means to help to the poor, not to just wait for someone else to do it or to just tell them to "stop being lazy."  To be the light of Christ is recognize that none of us are perfect, not others, not ourselves.  To be the light of Christ is to meet others where they are in life, and minister to them in love and compassion and allow them to minister to us in return.  To be the light of Christ is to love everyone, including your enemies and those who disagree with you.

Perhaps the most important aspect of light is this: it shines on everything.  It is not selective.  The light of Christ is meant to be for all: regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, or creed.  The idea isn't to go to people of other faiths, or people of no faith, and tell them to accept the light or burn in hell.  The idea is to live your life as an example of things that Christ valued and invite others to join you.  Love and compassion are still love and compassion whether they are exhibited by a Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist, or anyone else.  

This light also means justice and equality for all.  This includes extending social justice and civic benefits to everyone.  Period.  Love everyone and treat them as equal and as people of value.  Plain and simple.

Whether you're religious or not, Christian or not, how can you be this kind of light, the light of love and acceptance in the world around you?  We're coming into a season that will be full of joy and abundance for many, but also full of desperation and heartache for so many others.  I encourage all of you to join me in trying to be a light to these people.  It just might make somebody's day or even save a life.