Sunday, December 25 - Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

Saturday, December 24 - Impossible Possibilities

Luke 1:34-38

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” –Luke 1:37

I remember being a kid on Christmas Eve.  It seemed like the day dragged on forever, that the sun would never set.  And when all was said done, after we ate our supper and went to the Christmas Eve service, my parents would tuck me into bed where I would lay awake for what felt like hours, waiting for Santa.  I would peek out my bedroom window, hoping to catch a glimpse of flying reindeer and Santa’s magic sleigh.  I would fight sleep so that I could be awake to hear Santa when he arrived.  And as tried to keep my sleepiness at bay I would stare at the stars and wonder, Can reindeer really fly?  Can one man really get to all of the houses in the world in one night?  Could all of this be possible? 

Some of us might be asking the same question today, as we remember the birth of Jesus, God incarnate.  Today we celebrate that Mary conceived and bore the Son of God.  Today we confess that in Jesus God actually became a human, that God actually walked the earth.  The God who created the universe became one of us.  Today we celebrate that God did all of this out of love for us.  Could this story really be possible?  Mary wondered the same thing when the angel announced that Mary would conceive and bear a son.  “How can this be?”  And the angel told her in no uncertain terms: “Nothing will be impossible with God.”

What a wonderful message for us on this Christmas Eve.  With God, nothing is impossible.  Today we remember that God accomplished the impossible by becoming flesh and dwelling among us.  Today we celebrate the miracle of Christmas: Jesus came to accomplish the impossible in our lives.  Through Jesus, God melts our hearts of stone and gives us abundant life.  Through Jesus, God frees us from the sins and fears that hold us in captivity to a life we despise.  Through Jesus, God takes our brokenness and makes us whole, filling us with overwhelming joy and a peace that passes all understanding.

            Wonder is all around us today.  It is in the eyes of children as they listen for Santa, and it is in the hearts of Christians as we rediscover the meaning of Christ’s birth. Today we celebrate that God did the “impossible” by becoming flesh and living among us so that we might have abundant life.  May your Christmas Eve be filled with wonder as you celebrate the coming of our Lord, who accomplishes the impossible for your sake.

          Advent Blessings,

          Laura

Friday, December 23 - Let it Be

Luke 1:30-38

“Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’  Then the angel departed from her.” –Luke 1:38

Mary has long been celebrated by Christians as a model of faithfulness.  She was delivered astounding news by the angel of the Lord that would forever change her life and possibly put her in danger.  The angel told her that she, an unmarried woman, would conceive and bear God’s Son, the Messiah, who would rule over an everlasting kingdom.  As an unmarried woman, this must have been frightening news because the penalty for pregnancy outside of marriage was death.  And yet, despite the shock of the news about her son’s identity, despite the fear that her life might be in danger, Mary consented to God’s will with reckless abandon, trusting wholeheartedly that God’s way is best.  “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with according to your word.”  In the midst of confusion and fear, Mary faithfully responded, God, let it be as you wish.  In the midst of her questions and worries, Mary trusted God so much that she would follow wherever God would lead.  Let it be.  Mary is our model of faithfulness for she said “yes” to God’s call.

Mary’s words are so celebrated and revered because they are so hard to say in the midst of difficulty and uncertainty.  Most of us want to be in control of our lives, especially in the midst of a crisis.  Most of us want to plan our lives the way we want them to be, we want to know all the details and make all the decisions.  It is often hard to say “yes” to God’s call because we like to be in control.  In her wisdom Mary resisted this temptation and chose to put her life in God’s hands.  Mary realized that God’s will is better than her will, and she was able to trust God’s plan and proclaim with full assurance, let it be with me according to your word.

One of my favorite Beatles’ songs, Let It Be, echoes Mary’s faithful words.  This song speaks Mary’s “words of wisdom” to those who are experiencing the unexpected twists and turns of life:

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me

            Speaking words of wisdom, let it be…

And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me

Shine until tomorrow, let it be...

In the midst of our times of trouble and cloudy nights, may we have Mary’s wisdom to trust God and proclaim, “let it be as you wish, God.”  May we have the faithfulness to trust that God is at work in our lives, shining light in our darkness even when things look bleak and questions are unanswered.

Whether this Christmas brings you trouble or joy, God is calling you to something just as God called Mary on that first Christmas.  God might be calling you to a particular mission, or to be reconciled with an old friend.  God might be calling you to give up a certain habit or to take on a new one.  God might be calling you to let go of something you’ve been holding on to.  God might be calling you to take a leap of faith.  My prayer is that this Christmas we might spend some time in prayer asking how God is calling us, and that we might have the wisdom and courage to say “yes” to God’s will, trusting that God’s way is better than our own.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Thursday, December 22 - Divine Interruptions

Luke 1:31-35

“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

–Luke 1:31

It is hard to believe that Christmas is just days away.  If you are anything like me, you might be wondering where December went.  I think it might be an understatement to say that this is one of the busiest times of the year.  Many of us are trying to catch our breath because we feel like we have been running a hundred miles an hour since Thanksgiving.

Today, in this moment, I invite you to stop.  Stop thinking about what you need to do.  Stop thinking about the gifts you need to wrap or the phone calls you need to make.  In this moment, allow yourself to pause and catch your breath.  Allow yourself to simply just be in the presence of God your Maker.

In the story of the Annunciation, Mary was delivered news that undoubtedly made her stop everything she was doing and sit still before the Lord.  Can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary?  There she was, going about her business of drawing water from the well, cooking, and cleaning when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and greeted her with words of assurance and peace.  “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  Whatever seemed important to her before this visitation surely paled in comparison to what the angel would share with her.  “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”  The angel then told her that her son will be great, he will be God’s own son, and that he will rule over an eternal kingdom on the throne of David.  Moreover, the angel told Mary that her son would be different from every other human that would ever walk the face of the earth.  Her son would be holy by nature – he wouldn’t have to try to do the right things, he wouldn’t be influenced by the sinful patterns of this world.  Instead, her son would naturally be in a right relationship with God and with others. Whew, what a birth announcement! 

This birth announcement changed more than Mary’s life – it changed the entire course of history.  The baby that was born to Mary accomplished more than anyone could ever have dreamed.  Mary’s holy baby did what no other human could do – because he was God in the flesh coming to dwell with people, Jesus made it possible for us to be in relationship with God.  He made it possible for everyone else to be holy, free from the influence of this world’s sinful patterns and free to live in a right relationship with God and others.

The baby that was born to Mary on that first Christmas Eve interrupted the patterns of this world and forever changed human life.  In this season of busyness, let this divine birth announcement interrupt your routines and change your life.  Be still before the Lord and soak in this good news: God loves you for who you are.  God longs to be in relationship with you.  God longs for you to know and love God.  God loves you so much, in fact, that God came to this earth as a human so that you can know God and receive God’s abundant and eternal life.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Wednesday, December 21 - A Call To Mission

Luke 1:46b-55

^“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

As we studied Adam Hamilton’s The Journey over the past few weeks I was struck by God’s consistent choice of poor, humble people to accomplish God’s purposes. God chose a humble carpenter and a young girl from a poor, obscure family to parent the Son of God. The first people to whom God revealed the good news about the Messiah were lowly, night-shift shepherds. God’s choice of the lowly and humble shouldn’t be so surprising, however, for it happens over and over again in Scripture. God chose Abraham the wanderer to become the father of God’s chosen nation. God chose Jacob the rascal to become Israel. God chose David, a young shepherd boy, to be the great King of Israel. Throughout the stories of our faith we see God lifting the lowly to accomplish great things.

In Mary’s song of praise she celebrates this characteristic of God’s activity in the world. She praises God for humbling the proud and lifting up the lowly, for providing for the poor and hungry while sending the rich away empty. Mary’s song invites us to celebrate with her that God looks out for people who are overlooked by the powerful, who are struggling to get by, who are weary and hungry. Moreover, Mary’s song invites us to celebrate that God uses such people, the lowly and ordinary, to accomplish God’s wondrous acts.

Mary’s song of praise can be a little bit frightening, however, for us who are powerful and rich in comparison to the rest of the world. As Americans, we are blessed with a plethora of resources and an abundance of food. What does this passage say to us?

Adam Hamilton rightly described this passage as a call to mission. Our God cares for the poor and lifts up the lowly. Jesus’ ministry was filled with these activities: he healed the sick, befriended the outcasts, and chided the powerful rulers and religious leaders. As Christian disciples, we are called to be imitators of Jesus Christ. We are called to care for the sick and the hungry, befriend the people on the margins of our society, and make sure that we humble ourselves before God so that do not use our power for injustice.

Today, people of Union Grove will break bread with homeless individuals of Durham and Orange Counties. Today, we will fellowship with people who are often overlooked and judged. Today, we will sing praises with Mary that God cares for all people. And I imagine that as we fellowship with the people of Open Table Ministry, our souls will be filled along with our bellies and we will experience the love of God that knows no boundaries.

There are countless other ways you can imitate Jesus by humbling yourself as you lift the lowly and feed the hungry. You can stock shelves at OCIM. You can offer words of hope to a discouraged neighbor. You can donate your nicest clothes to people who have none. You can listen to someone who needs a friend. As Christmas approaches and we celebrate the coming of our Lord, the One who calls ordinary people to be extraordinary in love, Mary invites us to consider: how is God calling you to humble yourself and lift up the lowly?

 Advent Blessings,

 Laura

Tuesday, December 20 - The Promise

                                                                     2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

“Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”

–2 Samuel 7:11, 16

After years of being a successful King, after years of accruing wealth and achieving victories over Israel’s enemies, King David decided that it was time to do something special to honor God. He decided to build God a house greater than the King’s palace, a lavish and permanent home where the ark of the covenant would stay and where God’s presence could reside.

God, however, would not and could be confined by Temple walls and a fancy structure. God turned David’s offer down, saying, When did I ever asked for a house? The Lord, it seems, had other plans for residing among the people of God. God would not accept David’s plans to build a Temple because God longed to dwell with people in a more personal and life-giving way. God would come to dwell among people, not in a Temple, but in flesh and blood, as a human. God would come to dwell with people in the person of Jesus. God would walk this earth among people and invite them to be in a relationship with God. But David didn’t know this.

So God made David a promise. This promise is an important prophecy for the Jewish hope of the Messiah, and this promise is foundational for our Christian hope. You don’t need to make me a house, the Lord told David, for I will make you a house. “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (v. 16). God promised that David’s kingdom would reign forever, and that through this kingdom eternal peace would conquer the evil and strife of the world.

Years and years later, after scribes and scholars pondered how David’s kingdom will be established forever, after Jewish families longed for the Messiah to come and rule on David’s throne and establish an enduring Kingdom of peace and prosperity, an angel of the Lord appeared to a young, faithful girl and brought tidings of a baby. The angel told young Mary: Your son will be great. He will be the Son of the Most High, and God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. Years and years later, the promise of God reached a fulfillment – a baby would be born, and this baby would reign as King over an enduring Kingdom of peace.

Yet, the baby born to Mary and Joseph was a different kind of King then the world had ever seen. He was born in a stable and was laid in a manger. He wasn’t raised in a palace and he never fought a victorious battle with an enemy nation. Jesus the King ushered in a different kind of Kingdom than the world has ever seen – the Kingdom of heaven, where love and peace conquer all.

As Christmas approaches and we remember the fulfillment of the prophecy made long ago, Jesus our King invites each of us to be a part of his eternal kingdom. Jesus our King invites us to make him Lord of our hearts and lives, following the ways of his Kingdom – the ways of peace and love. In the days before Christmas, let us prepare our hearts to receive our King. As it says in the Christmas hymn, Joy to the World:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Monday, December 19 - Pondering

Luke 1:26-38

“And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” -Luke 1:28-29

Advent and Christmas are seasons of familiarity. Many of us have familiar traditions that we observe year after year. We watch the same movies, we make the same cookies, we hang the same decorations, we sing the same songs. This is a season of familiarity.

The Christmas story is also a familiar story. We re-tell it year after year, highlighting the journey of Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus in a manger, the visit of the shepherds and the gifts of the wise men. I imagine that, for many of us, this story is etched into our brain. We can picture what Mary and Joseph looked like, we can recite the words of the angels, we can recount the journey of the magi. We love hearing the details of this story year after year, it has become a familiar story, one we are comfortable imagining and re-telling. But, I can’t help but wonder: could it be that we are missing the miracle of this story because it has become so familiar? Could it be that as we re-tell the story time and time again we miss the extraordinary grace of God communicated through the birth of Jesus? Do we miss the good news that God loved the world so much he sent his only Son to be a human, to live and die as one of us so that we might be reconciled to God?

I rejoice that this is a season of familiarity. I rejoice that our children and our children’s children can recite the story of our Lord’s miraculous birth. But I invite us to look past the familiarity of the plot and the characters; look past the manger scenes you’ve visited and the familiar images you recall. Allow yourself to look at the story with fresh eyes, and be amazed once again at the miraculous work of God. I invite you to make this season more than a season of familiarity – make it a season of wonder. I invite you to ponder.

To ponder is (according to dictionary.com) “to consider something deeply and

thoroughly” or “to meditate.” Mary, we learn in the gospel of Luke, is one who ponders. In the story of the Annunciation, Mary pondered the appearance of the angel, perplexed by his words of greeting and favor (Luke 1:29). Mary pondered the meaning of her child’s birth with the visit of the shepherds who sought out Jesus to worship him (Luke 2:19). Mary grasped the miraculous work of God in that first Christmas, and she pondered the meaning of it all. She wondered with awe and joy at the work of God, the One who was coming to save the world.

Today I invite you to ponder. Don’t let the story of Jesus’ birth become too familiar to you, don’t let it become boring or redundant. The story of Jesus’ conception and birth is full of wonder and miracles, expectation and joy. Allow yourself to ponder it, to treasure it in your heart, and spend time wondering about the extraordinary gift we were given in the birth of Jesus.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Friday, December 16- Joseph Doesn't Sing

²⁴ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, ²⁵ This but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. 

Matthew 1:24-25

³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

John 13: 34-35   

       This Sunday our attention turns to Mary and Elizabeth and the story of the Annunciation as recorded in the Gospel According to Luke. The chancel choir will sing "Mary and Elizabeth," one of my favorite anthems. I can't help but smile when I hear Mary's Magnificat. Which brings us back to Joseph.
          Joseph doesn't sing. In fact, if Scripture is any indicator, Joseph was a fairly quiet man. Not one word is ascribed to him in the New Testament. We are told what he thought and what he did, never what he said. Never a word to a friend or even to Mary. Surely Joseph had something important to say?
          Once again this year we find ourselves embroiled in the "Merry Christmas" wars. When is it proper to say, "Merry Christmas," and when  is it at least tolerable to share, "Happy Holidays?" There's lots to sort through on both sides of this issue. But I think there is something we are missing.
          John 13: 31-35 records Jesus' sharing of a new commandment with his disciples. They are to love one another as Jesus has loved them. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another."
          The most important way for us to share Christmas is through the love that we share with one another and the world. Our actions always speak far louder than our words. Most importantly the world is watching us and judging whether or not our actions are consistent with our words. Will our words and actions be an invitation for the world to come and know God's love through the gift of the Christ Child born in Bethlehem. Or will our words and actions push people away reflecting, "If that's what it means to be a Christian, I don't want to have anything to do with it?"
          Do we look like the rest of the world? Or does Christ's love so permeate who we are and how we behave that others can't help but see God's light in and through us?
          I'm sure Jospeh spoke often even if the Gospels don't share any of his words with us. I do think, however, that we are given the more important part of Joseph's person. As as righteous man he faithfully answered God's calling. Joseph's actions speak volumes.
          Ummmm...I wonder what Joseph's Magnificat might sound like: ..."YES! They'll know that its Christmas by our love!"

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich

Thursday, December 15- Keep Walking

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
                                                                                                                                       --Luke 2: 1-5

Hey Joseph Keep walking Hey Joseph keep walking
Hey Joseph Keep walking To Bethlehem
Hey Joseph Keep walking Hey Joseph keep walking
Keep walking Joseph you're part of the plan

  --Peter Mayer, Stars and Promises Alive   http://www.petermayer.com/songs/hey-joseph

          Dejected upon returning to England after a most difficult time attempting to be pastor to the new American colony of Savannah, John Wesley meets with a Moravian friend Peter Böhler. Wesley was considering leaving the pulpit. He was burned out and somehow couldn’t grasp the concept of justification by faith alone. He told himself, “How can you preach to others if you don’t have faith yourself?” John asked Peter if he should stop preaching.

          Böhler replied, “By no mean.”

         
          Then Wesley asked, “But what can I preach?”

          Böhler answered, “Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.”

          Though we often wish we could catch a more inclusive glimpse of God's plan for our lives, faith is more often lived a day at time, a prayer at a time, a step at a time. Böhler's advice to Wesley wasn't about blind faith. It was about trusting God. At some point we have to trust that, in the Holy Spirit, our hearts know or will find the right way to proceed. 

          I imagine Joseph and Mary questioning just what it was that they were about to undertake. I also imagine Joseph and Mary's eight to ten day walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem as a time of great soul searching. Away from the pressures and talking of family and friends, Joseph and Mary could be alone together immersed in God's presence. As they moved closer to Bethlehem, one step at a time, they moved closer to God and each other.

          I am drawn more and more to Peter Mayer's song, Hey Joseph. So many times along the way we question if we are the right person, if we have what it takes, if God is really calling us. "Keep walking Joseph you're part of the plan," reminds me that each of us are part of the plan, God's plan. It is so easy to stop and doubt. It is so easy to be drawn in the wrong direction. 

          Keep walking! We'll get from Nazareth to Bethlehem one step at a time.

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich

Wednesday, December 14- Righteous

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.    --Matthew 1:18-19

          "Righteous" became a slang word in the seventies, but other than that is not a word we use often today. For many it brings a negative connotation as in someone who thinks they are better than everyone else, superior in character. I think of the Pharisees when I think of the word, "righteous." They were focused on doing what was "right" according to their interpretation of the Law, even if doing right caused harm and oppression to others. Jesus asserts the importance of righteousness by saying in Matthew 5:20 "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

          In the Old Testament one of the primary attributes of God is righteousness. Its primary meaning concerns ethical conduct and is often used in a legal sense; while the guilty are judged, the guiltless are held as righteous.          
          In the New Testament righteousness continues to be tied to the Law but also takes on another central meaning. In Romans 10: 3-13, Paul ties righteousness directly faith. We are made righteous in Christ. Righteousness is tied to following God's commandments, the Law, but is made fully possible only through God's love in Christ.

          Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man and ties that righteousness directly to his unwillingness to expose Mary to public disgrace. What an amazing insight into the character of Joseph. For Joseph righteousness was centered in Law but governed by God's grace. He felt he had no other choice than to dissolve his betrothal to Mary. He chose, however, to do it in the way that would cause the least harm to Mary and her family. In the midst of the pain and heartbreak of finding out that his wife-to-be was pregnant, Joseph remained righteous.

          I wonder how different the world would be if we Christians practiced Joseph's form of righteousness? Yes, we care about the Law. Yes, we are centered in living in a way that we understand as "right." But faith and tradition ought to be invitational-inviting others to know and experience God's love, not confrontational-used a bat to beat people down and push them away.
          Joseph was a righteous man. We can learn something from Joseph.

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich

          

Tuesday, December 13- Available

"When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did what the angel of the Lord Commanded him;

he took her as his wife,

but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;

and he named him Jesus."

Matthew 1:25

          The cardboard sign posted in the hallway at the elementary school hosting our Applalachia Service Project mission team read: "God doesn't ask your ability or your inability, only your availability." All these years later, that sign still pops into my head whenever I question whether or not I have what it takes to do what God is calling me (us) to do.
          If Joseph was anything, he was available. After learning of Mary's pregancy many would have turned and run. Isn't that what we most often do when someone hurts us? We hurt them back by cutting them off, pushing them away. We become unavailable. But Joseph chose to dismiss Mary quietly, to be open and thoughtful in the process. He did not desire to hurt Mary, only to remedy the situation in the best way possible. His openness, his availability made it possible for him to receive God's revelation.
          That night, God's messenger, an angel appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."
          I wonder how many messages we've missed because we were not available to hear, not available to receive? ...not available because we were angry, not availabe because we were too busy, not available because we just didn't care?
          Advent proclaims the comings of Christ--"whose birth we prepare to celebrate once again, whose return in final victory we anticipate and who comes continually in Word and Spirit." Joseph was prepared to listen and act upon God's calling in his life. Will we be prepared to listen and act when God calls upon us--today? Are you available?

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich

Monday, December 12- Doubting Joseph?

Read: Matthew 1:18-21  http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=190698680

          Scripture does an amazing job of showing us real people--people who fail God in every way imaginable...and people who doubt. There's Abraham and Sarah, Job, Zechariah, Thomas and yes, it seems, even Joseph, husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus.
          In today's Scripture lesson we find Mary telling Joseph that she was pregnant and that the pregnancy was a miracle somehow made possible by the Holy Spirit. How did Joseph react? He doubts. He was so sure that Mary was making up the story that he planned to quietly break off the engagment and have nothing more to do with Mary.
           Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him not to be afraid. Mary was telling him the truth. Joseph chose to believe Mary and to follow the directions received from God's messenger. He took Mary as his wife. That decision changed the course of his life and the life of the child he would raise as his own.
           How do we deal with doubt? How do we overcome doubt when it gets in the way? We have to remain open to the possibilities, as Joseph did. I find it helpful to prayerfully read and reflect on Scripture. Having others whose council you trust, who will listen and help you discern is critical.  Most of all we are called to pray. Nothing sets our hearts straight like prayer. In prayer, we open our hearts and invite God to show us The Way.
           As we walk with Joseph this week, I invite you to look deep within and find those places where doubt might be getting in the way. Give those doubts to God. And hear the Good News, the Light of Christ shines in the darkness that we might know the way!

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich

Sunday, December 11- Joseph

Read: Matthew 1:18-25   http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=190602753

          Part of the new construction completed when the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, NM was finished in 1878, was a choir loft twenty-two feet above the floor. There was only one problem, the builders had not included anyway to access the lofty balcony in their construction. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere way too much with the interior space of the small Chapel. Not a very good option for nuns dressed in habits.

          Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena (a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces) to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.

          Over the years many have flocked to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. The staircase has been the subject of many articles, TV specials, and movies including "Unsolved Mysteries" and the television movie titled "The Staircase."

          Seeing the staircase several years ago and hearing its legendary story, I was struck by how little I knew about Joseph, husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus. This week we focus on Joseph, who he was as a person and the role he played in our Nativity story. I invite you to begin our week by reading again Matthew 1:18-25.

          What do we know about Joseph and what do we assume about him because of stories we have heard through the years? How would you describe Joesph? Why do you think God chose Joseph to be Jesus' earthly father? 

          Lots of good questions! I hope you will join us each day this week as we dig deeper into the story of Joseph.

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich

I invite you to read more about this miraculous staircase at http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html 

Saturday, December 10- An Unlikely Source

Mark 1:4-6

“John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,

and he ate locusts and wild honey.” –Mark 1:6

A friend of mine got the newest iPhone when it was released, the one that speaks to you when you ask a question.  When she was showing me how it worked she asked her iPhone the question that keeps us all awake at night: “What is the meaning of life?”  In seconds the iPhone responded, “I find it odd that you would ask an inanimate object such a question.”  While we laughed and laughed at the phone’s response, it got me thinking about who and what we turn to for answers to life’s deepest questions.  As humans, we want to know the meaning and purpose of our lives, and we are constantly looking for people and experiences to help us find an answer.  But could it be that we are looking for answers in the wrong –perhaps even silly – places (like an iPhone)?  Or like the TV or music industry?  Perhaps in politics or sports?  Who (and what) are we hoping will answer our questions about the meaning and purpose of life?

In the Advent Scripture readings we remember the witness of John the Baptist, and we are reminded that truth about God’s purposes for life can come from very unlikely places.  John’s outfits were quite strange, his meals are less than appetizing, and his message of repentance is not one that we would pay to hear.  And yet, John was the messenger of God who declared God’s purposes for the world.  John prepared the way for Jesus.

In Advent we remember that God’s truth and purposes are revealed in unlikely people.  Through John, an eccentric prophet.  Through Mary, a humble thirteen-year-old girl who was brave enough to say “yes” to God’s will.  Through Jesus, an infant baby lying in a manger.  This Advent, I invite you to open your eyes to see God’s truth in unlikely people and unlikely places.  You might just discover a purpose for your life by talking with an eccentric neighbor, a nerdy classmate, a young child.  God works in mysterious ways – may we have eyes to see God’s will revealed in our lives.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Friday, December 9-Go, Tell It on the Mountain

Isaiah 40:1-2, 9-11

Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” –Isaiah 40:9

Good news is hard to keep quiet.  How many of us, when something good happens in our lives, can’t wait to call our best friend to share the news?  And how many of us have been tempted to spill the beans out of giddiness and excitement about a pregnancy, or an engagement, or a job promotion?  Good news fills us with joy, and joy is uncontainable.

            In Isaiah 40, Isaiah is filled with such joy that can’t be contained. The Israel people have been living in exile for years.  They have felt distant from God, cut off from God’s presence.  They had wondered how long they would have to live without a word from God.  Isaiah comes to them with a word of joy.  “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God,”  Isaiah exclaims.   “The Lord comes with might,” and “he will feed his flock like a shepherd.”  God is near, and this good news brings Isaiah so much joy that he can’t contain it.  He tells his readers to get to a mountaintop and tell the whole world that God is near.

            I love the Christmas song that echoes Isaiah’s words.  This song, Go, Tell It on the Mountain (#251), sends Christians to mountaintops to proclaim the good news that God has come near in Jesus Christ.  It goes like this:

Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;

Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.

Like the people of Isaiah’s day, our world is hungry for the good news that God is near.  People in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our schools are hungry to know that God became a human in order to offer then a better life.  People are hungry to know that God loves them and has come near to them.  Today I invite you to go and tell the good news about Jesus on the mountain – go tell it where it will be heard.  Lift up your voice with strength, do not fear, and proclaim with Isaiah “Here is your God!”

          Advent Blessings,

          Laura

The Journey... reflections

Our Advent study, Adam Hamilton's "The Journey" continues to be intriguing on so many levels...to think about almost nine months pregnant Mary making the eighty mile walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem...wow! Nine or ten days of walking--and I thought my several hours walking around and around the fifth floor at Duke while pushing the intravenous drip bag holder and praying that Mary and our baby would be okay was a big deal. What an amazing "Journey!"

Adam Hamilton invites us to see the Bible as a book of many journies and to reflect on our own journies in life. I keep thinking about one of the, Life-is-Good, t-shirts I often see Jimmy Buffett wearing--the front print reads: The Journey is the destination.

Hope you are enjoying the journey this Advent Season. It sure is good to share it with you!

Rich

Thursday, December 8-Waiting in Peace

2 Peter 3:13-15

“But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth,

where righteousness is at home.” –2 Peter 3:13

            Scholars tell us that after Jesus’ resurrection many people thought Jesus would return in just a few years.  As the years rolled by and Jesus did not return, many groups started to scoff at Christians who held firm in their belief that Jesus would come again.  The letter of 2 Peter addresses this reality, writing to Christians who are mocked as they wait for Jesus (see 2 Peter 3:3-6).  These Christians were likely beginning to wonder how they should live if Jesus isn’t coming back immediately.  They were likely starting to wonder if they were hoping for Christ’s return in vain.  Peter reminds the Christian community that God is faithful and will fulfill all that God promised.  Peter underlines the Christian hope that God will recreate this earth into a place where righteousness will be at home.

            Thousands of years later Christians are waiting for Jesus to come again, and Christians are still wrestling with the same issues that the original readers of 2 Peter faced.  Scoffers think it is fanciful that we believe Jesus will return.  We might sometimes wonder if we got it wrong, and we might question how we ought to live while we wait for Jesus.  The words of 2 Peter, then, are still powerful for Christians today.  God is faithful and will fulfill all that God promised.  In the meantime, Peter urges us: “while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace.”  While we are waiting for redemption, we are called to be at peace within ourselves and with one another. 

            As we wait for Christ’s return and the new heavens and the new earth this Advent season, let us focus on being peaceful people.  Let us reconcile with our enemies.  Let us forgive ourselves for our faults.  Let us help the violent see a better way.  Let us exude hope and invite people to rest in our presence.  Ultimately, by being peaceful people let us invite the world to know the God of peace.

            Advent Blessings,

            Laura

Wednesday, December 7- Where God's Glory Dwells

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 

“Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.” –Psalm 85:9

In our Advent season we sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and long for our Messiah to come and be near to us.  Long before Jesus was born, the Hebrew people had a similar prayer.  They prayed that God would restore God’s people, healing them of their ailments and failures, and making good out of everything that is wrong with the world.  This Psalm captures the hope of God making things right, for the Psalmist looks forward to the day when God’s glory will dwell in the land.  In this day, “steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.  Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky” (verses 10-11).

Advent is the season in which we wait with the Psalmist for God’s glory to “dwell in our land.”  As we remember the birth of Jesus and look forward to his second coming, we wait for God to right everything that is wrong in this world.  Can you imagine what the world will be like when God’s glory dwells in our land?  No more pain or sorrow, no more betrayal or fear. 

And yet, as we wait for God to make everything right we also recognize that Christ is with us today, accomplishing this hope through our very lives.  God is making things right even today, even through us.  When we follow Jesus and give our lives to the purposes of God, God works through us to reveal the goodness and steadfast love of God.  When we reach out to those in need.  When we stand up for what’s right.  When we refuse to let other people be mistreated.  When we care for the earth.  When we comfort the bereaved or visit the lonely.  God’s glory dwells in the land through the stories of our lives. 

Today I invite you to give yourself to God’s purposes, praying that God would use your life to reveal God’s glory.  

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Tuesday, December 6--Pointing to Christ

Mark 1:4-8 

“The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me…” –Mark 1:7

John the Baptist may have been eccentric, but his mission was clear.  His job was to draw everyone’s attention to the Christ.  He spent his days preaching and baptizing, and his ministry attracted large crowds and great success.  He didn’t let this success get to his head, though.  He didn’t puff up with pride and preach sensationalist sermons to get even more attention and success.  Instead, he continually directed everyone’s attention towards the coming Messiah.  You think I’m great? He’d ask. Wait until you see the Messiah! He cried, “the one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.”  John’s purpose for living was declaring the good news that the Messiah was coming, not because he wanted attention or success, but because he believed so strongly in the promise that the Messiah would save the world.

Do we spend our lives pointing to Jesus like John, or do we spend our lives drawing attention to ourselves?  John reminds us that in this Advent season our job as Christians is to draw the world’s attention to Jesus, the one who came to save the world.  Often we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas that we forget to proclaim with John “the one who is more powerful than I” has come, and is with us now.

In these weeks leading up to Christmas, I invite you to point to Jesus.  Do not let success, or busyness, or your own desires for attention distract you from the real reason for Christmas.  Point to Jesus in your words by telling people – strangers even – of all that God has done in your life.  Point to Jesus in your actions by doing things that communicate true, authentic, and unconditional love.  Point to Jesus by letting others around you know the hope of the gospel, that Christ saves us and gives us life abundant.

Advent Blessings,

 Laura

Monday, December 5--New Beginnings

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” –Mark 1:1

In the season of Advent we remember beginnings.  We remember the beginning of Jesus’ life: the announcement of Mary’s pregnancy, the long journey Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the events that led to Jesus’ birth in a lowly stable in Bethlehem.  As we journey with Mary and Joseph during our study of Adam Hamilton’s The Journey, I am reminded that God took a difficult and trying situation and turned it into a story of power and redemption.

            After all, Jesus’ birth is the beginning of the good news that God is working to save the world from itself.  This good news, as the Gospel of Mark points out, is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The good news we celebrate is that God became human.  God loved each of us so much that God did the extraordinary in order to save us.  This is the mystery of the incarnation, of God becoming flesh: God, the one who made creation, became a part of creation by becoming a human man.  God somehow squeezed all of divinity into a single person, Jesus the Messiah.  God became a human to save us from the patterns that destroy us – hatred, violence, greed – and teach us to live a new way, the way of the Kingdom of God.

In the season of Advent we are called to look for new beginnings.  God wants to save the world from itself.  God wants to save us from ourselves.  God wants to free us from everything that prevents us from experiencing love and peace and joy.  God wants to teach us a better way to live and God wants to lead us into the way of God’s Kingdom.  As we ponder the beginnings of Jesus’ life during Advent, I encourage you to ponder how this Christmas might be a new beginning for your life.  I encourage you to invite God to do something new in your heart, in your mind, in your life.  Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly.  I pray that this season of Advent may be the beginning of something new in your life as you encounter anew abundant love and abundant joy.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Sunday, December 4 --Preparing for the Christ’s Coming

Mark 1:2-5

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” –Mark 1:3

Like many people on the weekend after Thanksgiving, I started to get ready for Christmas.  My husband and I picked out a Christmas tree, hauled Christmas decorations out of the attic, and adorned our house with fresh greenery and a nativity set.  This was just the beginning of the preparations we Americans make to get ready for Christmas.  Throughout the season, we’ll hang ornaments on Christmas trees and stockings on the mantle.  We’ll bake an enormous amount of cookies and deliver them to our friends and neighbors. We’ll put up Christmas lights and sing carols.  We’ll do all these things to prepare for Christmas, the day we celebrate the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who saves God’s people from death and frees them for life eternal.

            In the beginning of Mark’s gospel we watch as John makes preparations for the coming of the Messiah.  John’s mission is to prepare the way of the Lord, to make people ready for the coming of the Messiah.  Yet, John’s preparations for Christ’s coming are different than some of our preparations for Christmas.  John prepares the world for the coming of Christ by proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  John prepared people for Christ’s coming by calling for repentance. 

Repentance is a two-part process.  When we repent, we confess the ways we have failed to follow God with our whole lives, not properly loving God and loving our neighbors, and we change our lives so that we can be more faithful disciples.  John called people to repent because repentance makes our hearts and minds ready to receive the love and grace of God.  When we repent, we get rid of all those things that crowd our hearts and distract our minds – it is like we sweep out cobwebs, take out the trash, and make room for God to be present in our lives. 

As we wait for Christ’s coming in the season of Advent, let us prepare for Christmas by preparing our hearts and minds to receive our Lord.  In Advent we remember that Christ came as a baby long ago and we proclaim that Christ will come again in the future, but we also celebrate that Christ comes into our lives here and now.  And so, let us be intentional about repentance.  As we hang the decorations and bake the cookies, let’s also spend time getting rid of the thoughts, and actions, and habits that keep us from receiving the love of God.  Let’s prepare for Christ coming into our lives by choosing to give all that we are and all that we have to God and God’s purposes.

Advent Blessings,

Laura

Here's Johnny!

Read: Luke 1: 5-25, 57-80,  3: 1-18   http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=189922136

Tomorrow one of my favorite Advent characters, John the Baptizer, arrives. Luke chapters 1 & 3 gives us quite an extensive picture of John, his father Zechariah and his mother Elizabeth. And though we'll not find any of them represented in our nativity sets, they each were and are crucial participants in our story.

Zechariah, Elizabeth and John each opened their hearts to God's calling. Zechariah and Elizabeth said "yes" to being the parents of John--knowing their son would fill a critical role in the coming of the Messiah. John said "yes" to living a life that was centered in being prepared and preparing the way for the Messiah's arrival.

Our devotion for tomorrow invites a deeper look into John the Baptist's message. Today, I invite you to spend a few minutes reflecting on what it means to be prepared yourself and, as a Christian, to be one who is called to prepare the world to receive this amazing outpouring of God's love. How are you preparing for this season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany? And how are you preparing others to receive?
  John was called to prepare the way proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. What are we called to proclaim this year? Is is enough just to say, "Merry Christmas?" Or is God calling us to say more, do more, live more?

Invite God's, "more," into your heart as we prepare again to receive the coming of the Lord.

Advent Blessings!

Surrender!

Read: Isaiah 64:1-9    http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=189831058

These verses from Isaiah are a prayer to God from a people oppressed and powerless. Their first response is to lash out at their oppressors (verses 1-4) and to ask for God’s intervention. Israel prays that God will intervene and show the other nations who it is that is really in charge.

In the midst of this diatribe against their enemy, the prayer abruptly changes tone and focus. “We sinned…we have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.” It is not that they have suddenly realized that their enemy is not so bad after all. It’s just that while reflecting on their enemy they have come to realize that they are not much different. They, too, are self-centered, self-righteous seeking power, authority and control. They, too, have forgotten God in the name of self.

 
In the final movement of Israel’s prayer they reclaim their proper place opening their hearts to God’s outstretched arms, “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

As a season of preparation, Advent invites us to surrender and recommit our lives placing them firmly in God’s hands. We surrender that we might receive. We receive that we might share. That sounds like a wonderful formula to prepare our hearts for the coming of God’s love.

O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Hope!

Read: Mark 13: 24-37   http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=189746108

One of the first things I remember about being a student at Duke Divinity School is this passage from the Gospel According to Mark. The preceptors in Dr. Efird's New Testament class called these verses the "Little Apocalypse," and said it was a "watershed." While I'm still not sure exactly what they meant when they called this passage a "watershed" moment in Mark's telling of the gospel, I've come a long, long way in understanding Apocalyptic literature.

Out of a time when fear and despair were everywhere because of repeated occupations by foreign armies and the weight of oppression that came with them, this genre of literature we call "Apocalyptic" was born. Apocalyptic writing developed from Persian influence and was adopted by the Jews into their situation. This literature usually flourished during times of persecution. Though often misunderstoond today, its purpose was to inspire hope and confidence in those people who were being asked to remain faithful, (to hold to their religious convictions), in the face of persecution and possible martyrdom. Using hyberbole and wild symbolic language, it worked to explain why persecution was occurring and to ensure that God's intervention would soon occur. In short, this present age where evil has the upper hand will soon, and very soon, be replaced by a new age when God will again be in control.

Advent is a season of hope because it reminds us over and over and over again that God is in control and that nothing in all of creation, short of our refusal to receive, can or will stop God's love from being made manifest. Our hope is in God. 

May the hope that is God's love in Christ be known in your heart today!

Prayer:

      Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your

Holy Spirit upon our preparations for the comings of Christ. We who

have so much to do seek quiet places to hear your voice each day. We

who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming

among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete

joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your

presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeing the

light. To you we say, "Come, Lord Jesus." Amen.