December 2017
Twas The Last Hours of Giftmas!
26 December 2017 @ 14:11
Was in the last hours of ‘Giftmas’ and all through the house
People were sad, because the gifts were all out.
Nothing more to look forward to, for another whole year
What to do now ,but have hor’dourves and drink beer.
We’ve traded the Hope, for a flash in the pan
Instead of Jesus, it’s a frosty snowman
But this Giftmas, like Frosty, will soon melt away
While the Hope that’s in Jesus, will survive day to day
So we will say Merry Christmas, and think that’s enough
And we’ll then gather up, all our boxes of stuff
While we’ve left out Christ, never inviting Him in
For as we’ve done unto others, we’ve done it to Him.
NEVER LET GO OF THE HOPE OF THE SEASON!
People were sad, because the gifts were all out.
Nothing more to look forward to, for another whole year
What to do now ,but have hor’dourves and drink beer.
We’ve traded the Hope, for a flash in the pan
Instead of Jesus, it’s a frosty snowman
But this Giftmas, like Frosty, will soon melt away
While the Hope that’s in Jesus, will survive day to day
So we will say Merry Christmas, and think that’s enough
And we’ll then gather up, all our boxes of stuff
While we’ve left out Christ, never inviting Him in
For as we’ve done unto others, we’ve done it to Him.
NEVER LET GO OF THE HOPE OF THE SEASON!
Rumor Has It . . .
24 December 2017 @ 18:57
Rumor has it that Christmas is back in our fair land and people across the land say let us rejoice!’ Well, to be quite honest, I have never stopped rejoicing over the Promise of Christmas. But how is that possible? We surely can’t be a Christian nation if we are not able to wish someone a verbal ‘Merry Christmas’! If only it were that simple.
This past Thursday, as I led a group of carolers around our local children’s hospital, we came to a room where one of my long time friends was, once again, hospitalized. She requested a Christmas version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and then she came to the door wrapped in a favorite blanket to listen. Her mom posted a video of the event on Facebook later that evening. When I saw it the next day I was moved to tears as I watched. The young lady gently swayed to the music as we played and sang. I remembered that, from my vantage point the previous evening, I got to see her incredible smile in the midst of yet another hospitalization and I was reminded of what Christmas is meant to be. The Promise of Hope born into the midst of our suffering, our uncertainty and our fear. The proclamation of the Good News!
The angel proclaimed to the lowly shepherds that first Christmas day, ““Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) The prophets before had pointed to this time. Jesus, early in His ministry, went into the synagogue and read from a scroll the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Another reminder to ‘be not afraid’ because our Hope is in our midst. Of course they wanted to take Him out and stone Him.
And that was just the beginning. Jesus provided the best wine at the wedding in Cana. He went on to say to those who had ears to hear, “Follow Me.” When faced with the politics of the day He said “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” and then He went on about God’s business. He spoke of despised foreigners doing the right thing as a ‘good Samaritan’ while those who thought of themselves as righteous did nothing for the man who had been beaten and robbed. He revealed Himself as the Messiah to another one of those despised foreigners and then told His followers to pray for their enemies. He talked of being a blessing rather than a curse. He said that we should not judge others lest we too be judged. He marveled at the faith of a centurion, another one despised by the self-righteous. He restored sight to the blind, healed the leper, raised the dead and in doing so taught us about loving unconditionally.
So how do we measure up in this celebration of the birth of Jesus? I don’t think we have done too well. For the most part we consider the job done if we have wished someone a Merry Christmas or sent them a Christmas card, set up the Christmas tree and perhaps put some lights on the outside of our house. We may even be a little more generous in giving to causes we find worthy. I truly believe that our celebration grieves the Spirit of the living God. The billions that we spend on our celebrations could feed those that hunger, clothe those that are naked, give clean drinking water to those who are literally dying of thirst and if we weren’t so busy with our preparations we could go out and visit those in need. Ours has become a celebration of our well-being and prosperity rather than an outpouring of our gratitude and our concern for our neighbors in the world around us. If we believe that the sure return of Christmas is found in our ability to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ then we must heed the words of Jesus’ brother James when he writes, ‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace (or Merry Christmas); keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” It is written, ’For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (Romans 3:23) That’s right, all of us, and I believe that it is never more evident than at this time of the year because it is highlighted by the brightness of our Christmas displays; our loud shouts of ‘Merry Christmas’ in response to someone’s Happy Holidays; our Facebook shares of the same; our parties and our feasts. Our celebrations go on while the majority of this world long for any signs of Hope. Why will we not step away from it all and go out as the hands and feet of the Almighty to be about His work? I think part of it is, as G. K Chesterton stated that, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
The birth of Jesus was truly the birth of Hope and so many then, and now, have missed it. The followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. The prophet Isaiah shared God’s thought of their fasts in earlier days. He proclaimed God’s message as it is written in Isaiah 58:
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2
For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
To restore the true meaning of Christmas I think it is imperative for those of us who profess to follow Jesus Christ to turn away from our wrong and evil ways and step out in faith to be the living presence of God in the midst of our hurting world. Enough of our internet isolation and our sharing of posts so someone knows we are there or that we care about them; enough of our displays. Jesus did not send us a Christmas card. He came into the midst of our suffering, our depravity and our greed and loved us. Let us go forth humbly in love and may we BE a Merry Christmas to those who live in fear rather than a simple greeting. It is in our presence and our relationships that Jesus can be truly present and felt. Jesus identified with the poor and the oppressed and we are called to do the same. Singer-songwriter Carolyn Arends in her song ‘Is Bethlehem Too Far Away’ wrote ‘But if God saw fit to travel there, should not also we?’ Yes, I believe we should.
This past Thursday, as I led a group of carolers around our local children’s hospital, we came to a room where one of my long time friends was, once again, hospitalized. She requested a Christmas version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and then she came to the door wrapped in a favorite blanket to listen. Her mom posted a video of the event on Facebook later that evening. When I saw it the next day I was moved to tears as I watched. The young lady gently swayed to the music as we played and sang. I remembered that, from my vantage point the previous evening, I got to see her incredible smile in the midst of yet another hospitalization and I was reminded of what Christmas is meant to be. The Promise of Hope born into the midst of our suffering, our uncertainty and our fear. The proclamation of the Good News!
The angel proclaimed to the lowly shepherds that first Christmas day, ““Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) The prophets before had pointed to this time. Jesus, early in His ministry, went into the synagogue and read from a scroll the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Another reminder to ‘be not afraid’ because our Hope is in our midst. Of course they wanted to take Him out and stone Him.
And that was just the beginning. Jesus provided the best wine at the wedding in Cana. He went on to say to those who had ears to hear, “Follow Me.” When faced with the politics of the day He said “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” and then He went on about God’s business. He spoke of despised foreigners doing the right thing as a ‘good Samaritan’ while those who thought of themselves as righteous did nothing for the man who had been beaten and robbed. He revealed Himself as the Messiah to another one of those despised foreigners and then told His followers to pray for their enemies. He talked of being a blessing rather than a curse. He said that we should not judge others lest we too be judged. He marveled at the faith of a centurion, another one despised by the self-righteous. He restored sight to the blind, healed the leper, raised the dead and in doing so taught us about loving unconditionally.
So how do we measure up in this celebration of the birth of Jesus? I don’t think we have done too well. For the most part we consider the job done if we have wished someone a Merry Christmas or sent them a Christmas card, set up the Christmas tree and perhaps put some lights on the outside of our house. We may even be a little more generous in giving to causes we find worthy. I truly believe that our celebration grieves the Spirit of the living God. The billions that we spend on our celebrations could feed those that hunger, clothe those that are naked, give clean drinking water to those who are literally dying of thirst and if we weren’t so busy with our preparations we could go out and visit those in need. Ours has become a celebration of our well-being and prosperity rather than an outpouring of our gratitude and our concern for our neighbors in the world around us. If we believe that the sure return of Christmas is found in our ability to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ then we must heed the words of Jesus’ brother James when he writes, ‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace (or Merry Christmas); keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” It is written, ’For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (Romans 3:23) That’s right, all of us, and I believe that it is never more evident than at this time of the year because it is highlighted by the brightness of our Christmas displays; our loud shouts of ‘Merry Christmas’ in response to someone’s Happy Holidays; our Facebook shares of the same; our parties and our feasts. Our celebrations go on while the majority of this world long for any signs of Hope. Why will we not step away from it all and go out as the hands and feet of the Almighty to be about His work? I think part of it is, as G. K Chesterton stated that, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
The birth of Jesus was truly the birth of Hope and so many then, and now, have missed it. The followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. The prophet Isaiah shared God’s thought of their fasts in earlier days. He proclaimed God’s message as it is written in Isaiah 58:
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2
For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
To restore the true meaning of Christmas I think it is imperative for those of us who profess to follow Jesus Christ to turn away from our wrong and evil ways and step out in faith to be the living presence of God in the midst of our hurting world. Enough of our internet isolation and our sharing of posts so someone knows we are there or that we care about them; enough of our displays. Jesus did not send us a Christmas card. He came into the midst of our suffering, our depravity and our greed and loved us. Let us go forth humbly in love and may we BE a Merry Christmas to those who live in fear rather than a simple greeting. It is in our presence and our relationships that Jesus can be truly present and felt. Jesus identified with the poor and the oppressed and we are called to do the same. Singer-songwriter Carolyn Arends in her song ‘Is Bethlehem Too Far Away’ wrote ‘But if God saw fit to travel there, should not also we?’ Yes, I believe we should.
The Gift to gifts
24 December 2017 @ 14:04
Seems we have moved from the Gift to gifts; from Spirit to spirits
From the heart of St.Nicholas giving unto the least of these; to those who have wanting more.
Our celebration of Christmas has become a symbolic one. We say that we give gifts to symbolize the Gift that God gave us that first Christmas. Symbolism, to me, is something that represents something that was. I have chosen to follow a Christ who IS. God did not give us a gift. He gave us Himself, come to earth naked, approachable and vulnerable as a tiny baby. To celebrate His birth would it not be better to give ourselves rather than our tokens? There is really nothing I need but there is so much the outcasts, refugees and impoverished of this world need and isn’t our call to follow Him into the midst of the suffering and become a light?! Our token for this Christmas seems to be the freedom to say Merry Christmas. I would say that, instead, let us be encouraged to BE a Merry Christmas to someone who won’t have one otherwise.
From the heart of St.Nicholas giving unto the least of these; to those who have wanting more.
Our celebration of Christmas has become a symbolic one. We say that we give gifts to symbolize the Gift that God gave us that first Christmas. Symbolism, to me, is something that represents something that was. I have chosen to follow a Christ who IS. God did not give us a gift. He gave us Himself, come to earth naked, approachable and vulnerable as a tiny baby. To celebrate His birth would it not be better to give ourselves rather than our tokens? There is really nothing I need but there is so much the outcasts, refugees and impoverished of this world need and isn’t our call to follow Him into the midst of the suffering and become a light?! Our token for this Christmas seems to be the freedom to say Merry Christmas. I would say that, instead, let us be encouraged to BE a Merry Christmas to someone who won’t have one otherwise.
Where Does He Reside?
19 December 2017 @ 15:55
The Christ of Christmas does not reside in a palace; he does not reside in a mansion; he does not reside in the White House. The Christ out of Christmas was not born into wealth that first Christmas morning but rather in a humble stable and laid in a manger. His birth was not proclaimed by trumpets and loud proclamation. His birth was announced to lowly shepherds on a hillside outside of Bethlehem. The true Christ of Christmas resides in the hearts of those who love him.