You LIght Up My Life!

       I received the best gift some days ago; someone sent me a wonderful and sincere thank you note.  In the midst of a very hard week, it came unexpectedly in the mail.  It means a lot to me; not only did someone appreciate what I've done, but also they took the extra time and effort to reach out and express that to me.  It is so rare these days to receive something personal in the mail that is neither a bill nor junk.
       In our hurry and rush world, such things are becoming a lost art.  Even writing a check to pay for a purchase is seen as an imposition and waste of other people's valuable time these days.  Even talking is in danger of becoming old-fashioned.  I went out to dinner a couple of months ago and at one point, everyone else was texting away on their phones.  In such an environment, it is no wonder that manners are declining.
        Going by the frequency of complaints in advice columns, saying and writing thank-you is one of the social graces that is being neglected.  Most of the complaints treat the thank-you as a tit-for-tat exchange that almost requires retaliation.  The gift must be followed by a thank-you or there will be no more gifts.  Much of the language often talks about it in terms of what is "owed". To me, such exchanges have lost the qualities of grace and of caring that are freely shared.
        The thank-you that I received the other day was not like that at all.  It was not for a gift I had given or personal favor performed.  It was not a thank-you that I was "owed".
        We all need more "thank-you"s in our lives. It's not good enough to relegate it to formal responses to certain gifts.  And while I love celebrating Thanksgiving Day and all it stands for, giving thanks is too important to be reserved for just one day, once a year.  Gratitude balances out our lives and improves our quality of life.
       We need to recapture the art of being grateful for the people in our lives not just for what they can give or do for us but just for being in our lives and being themselves.  Throughout his letters in the New Testament, Paul declares gratitude for the people he writes to and the people he works with.  He rightly credits them as gifts from God.
       Paul writes from the perspective of a life that is not easy.  Away from home, often persecuted or in prison and sometimes lacking even for his winter coat, yet he finds strength, hope, and comfort in the community of the church; the saints, those that like him who also believe in Jesus Christ.  He is not grateful because his life is wonderful and easy but rather he finds his life wonderful because of the people of faith surrounding him.
       Who is a gift in your life?  Often they may not even be aware that they have touched our hearts but their smiles, friendship, encouragement, joy, or presence make our lives richer.  Take the time to show gratitude to those around you.  Perhaps even make a bit of a game out of it and seek a way to make it an unexpected or even anonymous gift of thanks.  You may never know, but your unexpected encouragement may shine the light of love that gives new hope and new life.  Read Philippians 1: 3-11

Splashing in God's Puddles!

       It's one of those days where you just never know what's going to happen.  Like the saying goes, "Life is what happens when I've made other plans"!  When I came indoors a few minutes ago, it was forty degrees above zero, sunny sky, and melting snow.  And yet on the radio, they are still forecasting blizzard warnings for the area between this afternoon and tomorrow.  But now I notice that the sun is now behind the clouds and the wind is picking up and the roads and weather have been bad to the west.  It's coming our way.
       How do you plan for such a day?  Last night we were making plans for the day, trying to work around weather that could include everything from rain to sleet to snow and blizzard conditions.  I knew that today was going to busy and I was trying to figure out how to get everything done in spite of the weather that is predicted.  Grownups plan and worry (and rightly so), taking into account all the variables that the weather throws at us and trying to get things done.
     From the moment the day started, things changed as the day went.  I eventually had to just shrug it off and take the day as it came.  Along the way, I stopped at the grocery store to get some apple juice for the first meeting of a knitting group.  One of the moms from church came in with her children and as you do in a small town, my checking out stopped so we could all say "hello" and chat for a bit.
        We shared talk about the weather and wondering if and when the supposed blizzard would come.  We were all being a bit tired and probably a bit grumpy; after all, it was Friday afternoon after a busy week as Lent got underway.  The mom let out a sigh and said, "You don't know how many puddles we've been through today".  Her little daughter smiled and showed off her colorful rain boots and made it clear that she was having fun even if we
weren't.
       It reminded me that one person's slogging in the mud really is another person's playful splashing in the puddles!  The storm may be coming but she was enjoying the sunshine and the puddles while they lasted.  After all, we've had snow on the ground since the very first of November without a break.  It's been a long winter between puddles.
       Planning is indeed good and necessary; it's how we accomplish long-range goals and also prepare ourselves for the changes and disasters that can come along our way.  But we also need to learn to put ourselves in Gods hands and take each day as it comes.  We can worry to the point that we miss out on the beauty and opportunities to share some joy that are in front of us.
       Lent can become a burden with even more things for us to do and more responsibilities.  But a good Lenten discipline can also be to remind ourselves to slow down and ask God to help us see the world and great each day as a gift from God.  The hard tasks and painful times will find us; we are not in danger of missing them.  However, we are in danger of missing the "God sightings" that are in front of us from the joy of a small child splashing in the first puddles of spring to shared moments of friendship.  Jesus said it best, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own."  Read Matthew 6:25-34

Spring Break!

       We've had a lovely break from the rigors of winter for a few days last week.  The temperatures went above freezing and the feet of snow around here melted and diminished a bit. It was wonderful to throw on my jacket and head out the door without feeling like I had to dress for a polar expedition.  But as lovely as it has been, it is only mid-February and around here, that means there is still plenty of winter left and the weather this week seems bent on proving that winter still has a grip on us.
       I have to confess though, that Spring beckons.  I look longingly at the sale brochures that come in the mail and the paper advertising garden seed, planters, and garden tools.  I see the ads with models wearing thin cotton shirts, shorts, and sandals and I get a little resentful as I put on my layers of shirts and sweaters and warm socks.  Getting dressed for winter's cold can be quite a process.
       Today, we have once again traded sunny skies for gray skies, and some flakes and the lows tonight will again be well below zero.  Winter is not over.  And now as the predictions for spring flooding grow more dire, I have found myself agreeing that it is a good thing that the cold has returned to slow down the melting.  Whether I like it or not, we need a slow and gentle spring thaw with a delayed return to warmth.
       With all of the snow that has been around all winter, I found myself wondering where snow is in the Bible.  I didn't look to just find references comparing things to the whiteness of snow but instead, I wanted to find something about snow and winter.  I didn't expect much, after all, the scriptures come to us from the mid-east which is not known for its' snow storms!  I suppose at the base of my search was the question, "where is God in the snow?"
       In Job, I found a good description of winter.  "For to the snow God says, 'Fall on the earth'; ... Then the animals go into their lairs and remain in their dens.  Form its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds.  By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast." (Job 37:6-10)  It goes on, "Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of god." (Job 37:14)
       Some might consider my wonderings as foolish and perhaps a waste of time but I share them as an example.  From ancient times on, people have searched scripture longing to find themselves, their experiences, and their questions.  There is reassurance in finding ourselves in the stories, realizing that we do belong just as we are.  When we read scripture, it helps to bind the hope and grace of the good news to our hearts.  And so when I read of the frailty and failings of the disciples, I find the possibility that God can use even me.  Find yourself in God's story and find grace.  Read Isaiah 55:10-11.

Who Is That Old Lady?

       I remember when I was younger, thinking that one "became" a grown-up in the sense that being an adult changed you.  One day, a dear friend once shared with me one of her favorite memories.  I think it makes a wonderful parable.
       When she was 16, she spent the day with her grandmother who was in her 80's.  They went to the nearby town for the sidewalk sale and spent the day wandering around downtown.  They went window shopping, trying on things and looking through everything that was on sale.  Her grandmother bought her a strappy pair of gold high-heeled sandals that her mother would never have allowed.  They tried on lipsticks, ate hot fudge sundaes, and giggled their way through the day, having fun.
       At the end of the day, they came back to her grandmother's house.  There was a mirror on the wall in the entryway by the front door.  They came in laughing when her grandmother stopped right in front of the mirror and exclaimed, "Who is that old woman?"  My friend said that was when she realized that they had spent the whole day like two girlfriends.  Her grandmother hadn't felt "old" or different at all; they just had fun!
       My daughter was just a small child when I heard that story but I have remembered that and tried to have some of those days with her as we have both grown older.  I think it has been a good for us, learning to carve out fun together within the bonds of love.
       Sometimes we have a tendency to confuse being adult or being wise with being stiff, pompous or unwilling to change as if age sets us in stone.  As churches this often gets translated into what some call 'the seven last words of the church'; "We've never done it that way before".  Or when adults look at children or youth and 'shush' or 'tisk' at them with those looks that say, "You'd better behave".  It's as if we are worried that too much fun or creativity will cause us to lose our dignity.
       We need to both remember and pass on the lessons and wisdom we have learned in living but we also need to hold on to those best parts of ourselves that let us belly laugh, think outside of all the boxes, and accept people as they are.  Children have a firmer grasp of faith often in that when they believe or love, it just is without reserve.
       Once, when serving communion, after blessing a young child and moving on, he stood there hanging on to the communion rail with tears running down his face and said loudly, "Jesus loves me.  I need Jesus.  I want Jesus too."  I wondered then and have thought since, 'how many adults would have given as clear a confession and dared to speak out and demand communion?'  When the disciples asked Jesus "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", he out a child among them.  He said that we must become like children.  Read Matthew 18:1-5

How Can I Keep From Singing?

       A friend once made me a sign that I had on my office door for years.  It's a picture showing 4 cowboys complete with big mustaches and six guns.  Their arms are on their hips and they don't look happy.  Underneath, my friend put the caption, "We want singable hymns".  He made the sign after spirited discussions during a hymn-writing conference.  Any pastor soon finds out that the most common complaints about worship are about hymns that are unfamiliar or are 'hard to sing'.   That's one side of the discussion.   Other people are tired of hymns that are 'boring, slow, and old'; they want new music and worship that has 'spirit and joy'.
       Although people often think of themselves as being on opposite sides, I have noticed one thing they seem to hold in common: at the base is the concern of what they want from worship.  If television/mega church is an example, people want to be entertained and moved by what is presented while they sit and watch.  As a  small town/rural pastor, there is no way I can compete with all the musicians and glitz and production especially when I pick the wrong (unsingable and unfamiliar) hymns like I did recently.
       The conversations I have had since then got me to thinking about our expectations about worship and what we bring to the table physically and spiritually.
       The ancient word for what happens in worship is "liturgy" which literally means work of the people.  The understanding is that worship happens when the people assemble and  together to the reading, praying, and singing.  In the new testament church worship is not only participation in word and prayer but also it is also preparation for ministry.
       When early Christians gathered for worship on the first day of the week (Sunday), they brought their gifts of food and money.  After worship and sharing the Lord's Supper, those gifts were taken and distributed to the poor, widows and orphans, and the sick.  Worship and communion led directly to ministry to those in need.  People worked together to make worship happen and then worked at doing the ministry Christ put into the hands of the church.
       It is an ancient premise of the Church that our prayer shapes our ministry; 'as we pray, so we do'.
       Those of us whose work includes the preparation of worship and the preaching of the word, really do need to take that responsibility seriously and do our best.  As one seminary professor told us, just because we know and believe that God is at work in worship doesn't mean we are off the hook.  To take God seriously is to take worship seriously both for those of us in the pulpit and those in the pew.  We need to take our cue from the early church who came to pray and be nourished by the Word to go forth and do the ministry of Christ.
       The ancient pattern for worship teaches us to come bringing our gifts, ready to share and to participate in the work of liturgy and caring for those in need.  It calls us out of ourselves and our needs to focus on what we bring to God and then bring to the world on God's behalf.  The words often prayed by preachers are good words for everyone who comes to worship: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
       Instead of coming to worship looking for what we are to get out of the experience, scripture points us in the direction of the preparation of ourselves and the gifts we bring to the "liturgy" - the work of God's people.   Our prayer and meditation as we read together even in this humble devotion is part of what we bring to God in thanksgiving for our salvation.  As the refrain says from one of my favorite, oh so singable hymns, "No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I'm clinging.  Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?"  Read Psalm 104:31-34.

Keep the Lights Burning!

       When I was growing up in Texas, I remember December 26th not as a day for shopping all of the after Christmas sales but as a sad day for Christmas trees.  On that morning, the curbs were littered with Christmas trees taken out and left for garbage pick-up.  Many of them still bore their strands of tinsel or fake snow flocking and occasionally you could see stray ornaments still clinging to their branches.  Not only was Christmas over but it was kicked out to the curb.
       No wonder I was the envy of my friends; Lutherans (and all churches that follow the liturgical church calendar) celebrate twelve days of Christmas and so it was still Christmas at my house.  The tree was still lighted and there were still cookies and treats and Christmas music.  I was glad for the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" because it gave proof to my argument for why we still had our tree up and decorated.
       Perhaps living in the dark winter of the Arctic night explains why the Scandinavians have held on fast to the tradition of keeping the twelve days and celebrating Epiphany.  That allows for having the Christmas lights shine brightly through the darkest and often coldest part of the year.  Also a celebration of light, Epiphany is the day when the church calendar marks the visit of the magi.  They followed the bright star in the sky until it led them to Bethlehem and the Christ child.  The gospel story contrasts the darkness of the night and of Herod's evil intent and actions with the light that guides them to God's gift of grace.
       Welcoming the light in the midst of darkness is not just a winter theme but it is also a symbol of safety from the dangers found in dark places and of the light of truth and love overcoming hatred and evil.  Where we struggle to find our way in the dark, stubbing our toes, and fighting fears, God breaks in with love, truth, and grace.  John says of the coming of the Christ: "in him was life and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
       Take time these last days of Christmas to mark the true gift of Christmas, the Word made flesh, some to earth and living among us.  For Jesus has not left us:  "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them". (Matthew 18:20)  These are not a formula of how to conjure up Jesus but they are words of promise and of instruction for those who follow Jesus.  When Christians gather together, we are the body of Christ and we need to live that out in word and deed.  That the world does not always see Christ in the actions of the Church is proof of our weakness and need of repentance.

        The light of Christ shines in the darkness when we show God's love to those in need around us.  Everyone we meet needs the giving of that love and grace and it happens (or not) through each of us.  You can't give enough of it away - God is an abundant and reckless giver, heaping grace upon grace.  The weeks after Epiphany and before Lent call us to shine the light of Christ into the world through our words, our actions, and our lives.  Read John 1:14-18

Blessed Christmas Greetings

Christ the Savior is born!
Hope has come to earth
and love breathes life in the darkness of winter.
Emmanuel -
God be with you!

Pastor Christine