So, the big day has come and gone. Parties, family, presents, church, celebration over. How was Christmas for you? Did you stop to truly take in the day and thank God for all of your blessings? I hope your celebration was full of God's love, joy and peace.
Christmas Eve at Hope UMC was wondrous. At the 5p worship service we came together in a large congregation to remember the wonder of Jesus' birth through music, the story of the Christmas angel, and the prayer the reminds us all that we, like the innkeeper in Bethlehem, need to make room in our lives for Jesus. As we sang "Silent Night" in candlelight and then ended worship with "Joy to the World" I certainly could feel a true sense of hope for the future. I also felt blessed to share this experience with so many people!
Our 11p service was one of candles and carols as multiple voices recounted the story of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus from a different perspective. This service was peaceful and filled with the wonder and beauty of so many candles piercing the darkness. And so Christmas morning came - and again it was shared by many.
I know some people have already torn down the decorations, put out the Christmas lights and packed away the holiday for another year. But I hope you don't pack away the blessings, the wonder and the reminder to make room for Jesus in your life. As we head into 2013 may we all find a way to stop more often and look at the people and the world around us, understand the blessing of diversity and be ready to grow in our relationship with God and with one another.
Happy New Year!!
Laurie
Friday, December 28, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Scandalous Love
How is your Christmas preparation going? Do you have plans for the holiday? Presents? Tree? Finishing up your Advent devotions? Planning which worship service to attend? Well, it's almost time once again to experience God's love for us - a love that was and is actually quite scandalous!
We often fail to understand just how scandalous God’s love for us is, and how radical it is that God would show that love by lowering himself to be born in human form. Using the story of Hosea, this week’s message emphasizes how doggedly God pursues us, in spite of our unfaithfulness. Christmas is the heralding of God who comes to be with us. God is the one who pursues. The Incarnation is the revelation of God’s scandalous love affair with humanity.
The story in Hosea is often hard to hear and understand in our modern times but it shows God's love through the image of Hosea and his wife. Hosea 2:2-3 says "When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a prostitute and have children of prostitution, for the people of the land commit great prostitution by deserting the LORD . ” So Hosea went and took Gomer, Diblaim’s daughter, and she became pregnant and bore him a son.”
Yikes! Hosea's wife Gomer represents Israel and its unfaithfulness to God. In Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."
And then there is the birth of Jesus - want to talk about scandalous? Mary pregnant before she and Joseph were married, Joseph being father to a baby clearly not his and standing by Mary! Not something that happened all that often in Nazareth. But out of that scandalous love came Jesus to show how God loves each and every one of us whether or not we are faithful followers, or questioners of all things religious, or believe in other things. God continues to love us and call us into God's presence.
So, do you trust God’s promise to redeem your life? To love you and want your love in return, no matter what kind of mess your life has been? To whom or in what way can you show “scandalous” love this holiday season because of God’s great love shown to you?
I challenge you to think about what it means for us to love others “scandalously”, especially in the wake of the horror of Sandy Hook Elementary shootings? How would that be different from the safe, cautious ways we often show Christ’s love in the world? How would it make our world better?
I hope that you will all take the time to worship on Christmas Eve/Day and that you continue to spread God's scandalous love to all you meet!
We often fail to understand just how scandalous God’s love for us is, and how radical it is that God would show that love by lowering himself to be born in human form. Using the story of Hosea, this week’s message emphasizes how doggedly God pursues us, in spite of our unfaithfulness. Christmas is the heralding of God who comes to be with us. God is the one who pursues. The Incarnation is the revelation of God’s scandalous love affair with humanity.
The story in Hosea is often hard to hear and understand in our modern times but it shows God's love through the image of Hosea and his wife. Hosea 2:2-3 says "When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a prostitute and have children of prostitution, for the people of the land commit great prostitution by deserting the LORD . ” So Hosea went and took Gomer, Diblaim’s daughter, and she became pregnant and bore him a son.”
Yikes! Hosea's wife Gomer represents Israel and its unfaithfulness to God. In Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."
And then there is the birth of Jesus - want to talk about scandalous? Mary pregnant before she and Joseph were married, Joseph being father to a baby clearly not his and standing by Mary! Not something that happened all that often in Nazareth. But out of that scandalous love came Jesus to show how God loves each and every one of us whether or not we are faithful followers, or questioners of all things religious, or believe in other things. God continues to love us and call us into God's presence.
So, do you trust God’s promise to redeem your life? To love you and want your love in return, no matter what kind of mess your life has been? To whom or in what way can you show “scandalous” love this holiday season because of God’s great love shown to you?
I challenge you to think about what it means for us to love others “scandalously”, especially in the wake of the horror of Sandy Hook Elementary shootings? How would that be different from the safe, cautious ways we often show Christ’s love in the world? How would it make our world better?
I hope that you will all take the time to worship on Christmas Eve/Day and that you continue to spread God's scandalous love to all you meet!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Giving Up On Perfect
Last week we talked about being miracle workers ourselves - God using us ordinary people to bring miracles into the lives of others. During this week I challenge you to make your own list - what miracles will God accomplish through you this Christmas?
At Hope we made a list during worship of the top 2-3 miracles our world needs this Christmas and then picked one we would work on through this holiday season. I will be posting all of the list in church and on the Hope website at www.hopeumcmn.org.
This week we turn from miracles to giving up on the need for perfection, especially during the holidays.
How much money, time, and energy go into chasing this unattainable ideal set for us by Norman Rockwell? The first Christmas was pretty messy, and life today is pretty messy—but God shows up in the middle of the mess to bring us a message of hope.
What are our own unrealistic expectations for the “perfect” Christmas? Do the presents under the tree need to be perfectly wrapped with ribbons and bows? Does your house need to be decorated just so or it's not really Christmas? Do you send out cards expecting that everyone will send you one in return? These kinds of expectations do not enhance anything about our experience of Christ's birth but instead leave us feeling let down.
Life is not about staying safe and living comfortable. The call to follow Jesus is a call to give your life to him and to join God’s mission in healing the souls of the world. We know things just don't happen "perfectly" no matter how hard we try. Our Christmas celebration is a person short this year as a loved one has died or cannot make it home, or our church no longer does the candlelight service the way they did in our youth, or we feel depressed because of a job loss or relationship loss and we just cannot find our way out to be cheery for others.
Jesus was born in a stable a long way from home. His mother was a very young woman who was frightened of all she was going through as was Joseph. Jesus' birth came at a time when the world was ruled by the Romans and there was only an uneasy peace kept by their soldiers. There was nothing perfect about it -except that the person born was our Savior!
So shed the expectations of perfection and celebrate Jesus' birth by passing along his love and giving thanks for his life. And know that even in the midst of the messiest situation God ALWAYS SHOWS UP!
Thought for the week - what does the perfect Christmas look like to you?
At Hope we made a list during worship of the top 2-3 miracles our world needs this Christmas and then picked one we would work on through this holiday season. I will be posting all of the list in church and on the Hope website at www.hopeumcmn.org.
This week we turn from miracles to giving up on the need for perfection, especially during the holidays.
How much money, time, and energy go into chasing this unattainable ideal set for us by Norman Rockwell? The first Christmas was pretty messy, and life today is pretty messy—but God shows up in the middle of the mess to bring us a message of hope.
What are our own unrealistic expectations for the “perfect” Christmas? Do the presents under the tree need to be perfectly wrapped with ribbons and bows? Does your house need to be decorated just so or it's not really Christmas? Do you send out cards expecting that everyone will send you one in return? These kinds of expectations do not enhance anything about our experience of Christ's birth but instead leave us feeling let down.
Life is not about staying safe and living comfortable. The call to follow Jesus is a call to give your life to him and to join God’s mission in healing the souls of the world. We know things just don't happen "perfectly" no matter how hard we try. Our Christmas celebration is a person short this year as a loved one has died or cannot make it home, or our church no longer does the candlelight service the way they did in our youth, or we feel depressed because of a job loss or relationship loss and we just cannot find our way out to be cheery for others.
Jesus was born in a stable a long way from home. His mother was a very young woman who was frightened of all she was going through as was Joseph. Jesus' birth came at a time when the world was ruled by the Romans and there was only an uneasy peace kept by their soldiers. There was nothing perfect about it -except that the person born was our Savior!
So shed the expectations of perfection and celebrate Jesus' birth by passing along his love and giving thanks for his life. And know that even in the midst of the messiest situation God ALWAYS SHOWS UP!
Thought for the week - what does the perfect Christmas look like to you?
Monday, December 3, 2012
Considering A Different Kind of Christmas
Who gets top billing in our Christmas celebrations - Jesus or Santa? Too often they are mushed together into a magical deity who comes just to grant our wishes.
But this is not the God we see through the life of Jesus - Jesus was not the messiah most people were expecting and hoping for. They were looking for a soldier who would lead them against the Roman empire to victory. Instead, Jesus resisted the world's obsession with wealth, power, pleasure. Instead of a tall soldier leading his people into battle Jesus ate with sinners, defended the weak and powerless and showed us just what God's values and priories are.
Of course thinking about Santa is a lot easier and nicer for us personally because Santa is all about those worldly things - pleasure, ease, gifts for US - instead of gifts from us to the baby Jesus!
The birth of Christ was a miracle and still is over 2000 years later. But miracles don't just happen - they are born through labors of pain and sacrifice. A miracle is a unique event that God makes happen through ordinary people like you and me so we too are the change for our world!
Isaiah 9:2-7 says: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings. The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—all their whips and cudgels and curses—Is gone, done away with, a deliverance as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian. The boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned, a fire that will burn for days!
But this is not the God we see through the life of Jesus - Jesus was not the messiah most people were expecting and hoping for. They were looking for a soldier who would lead them against the Roman empire to victory. Instead, Jesus resisted the world's obsession with wealth, power, pleasure. Instead of a tall soldier leading his people into battle Jesus ate with sinners, defended the weak and powerless and showed us just what God's values and priories are.
Of course thinking about Santa is a lot easier and nicer for us personally because Santa is all about those worldly things - pleasure, ease, gifts for US - instead of gifts from us to the baby Jesus!
The birth of Christ was a miracle and still is over 2000 years later. But miracles don't just happen - they are born through labors of pain and sacrifice. A miracle is a unique event that God makes happen through ordinary people like you and me so we too are the change for our world!
Isaiah 9:2-7 says: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings. The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—all their whips and cudgels and curses—Is gone, done away with, a deliverance as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian. The boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned, a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us! the gift of a son—for us! He’ll take over the running of the world. His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He’ll rule from the historic David throne over that promised kingdom. He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing and keep it going With fair dealing and right living, beginning now and lasting always. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this.
Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He’ll rule from the historic David throne over that promised kingdom. He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing and keep it going With fair dealing and right living, beginning now and lasting always. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this.
Who is it that brings light to the darkness in our world? For you?
So, here's the challenge for this week - What new traditions in your own holiday planning could focus more on Jesus' presence than on presents?
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