Christian Symbolism in The Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Rated: PG
I watched this DVD with my daughter (18 years old and still a kid at heart). I would not recommend this movie for young children as there are dark themes and imagery that would be upsetting for the under 10 crowd. For older children it is an entertaining movie with plenty of food for thought regarding sibling animosity and the battle of good vs. evil and right vs. wrong.
I’m going to stick my Christian analogies in brackets. Watch the movie and tell me if you agree.
This animated story begins with a family of owls living an idyllic life in a forest where the parents provide for all that the young owls need [Garden of Eden where God provided for all that we needed]. A younger brother loves and dreams the stories of legend about winged warriors that saved owlkind from the evil Pure Ones [Bible stories], told by his father, while the older brother scorns them. In learning to fly, the younger owl is able to use the imagery in those legends to envision his flight path [the Bible gives us the stories that help us know what God wants us to choose for our own path], while the older owl has trouble because he isn’t listening to his inner voice and tries to make it happen on his own steam. Ironically, a snake is given the characterization of the loving nursemaid, talk about the lamb lying down with the lion. Owls eat snakes!
After being told to stay in the tree while the parents go hunting, the two owls venture out to practice their flying [disobedience to the Father] and end up falling to the forest floor where they are in danger and can not yet fly up to the safer branches [falling from Grace]. They are scooped up by evil owls and carried off to a world where they are made either a slave or a soldier/oppressor [the world of sin in which we live separated from God]. There, the younger owl, Soren, seeks to protect a smaller younger owl and is sent off to be a slave with her; already his calling as a Guardian is showing [Jesus]. The older brother, Kludd, denies Soren is his brother (didn’t catch if it was three times, but definitely twice…hmmm Peter anyone?), and is offered the opportunity to be a soldier, which he accepts thinking it would be a position of respect. Through the rest of the story the older owl will betray his younger brother and sister at least two more times.
In a show of inner wisdom and strength, the younger female owl and Soren defy the slave master’s order to gaze into the moon, thereby avoiding the moon-daze that falls over the hundreds of other young abducted owls also enslaved. One of the guards (a rebel at heart) spots their deception and secrets them away to train them in flight so that they may escape to find the Guardians of legend to bring rescue to all the enslaved. [Hmmm…who might those Guardians be?]
The story continues with battles of the good owls vs. the evil owls, with learning your true calling and using the gifts you have been given, and with salvation of the abducted owls coming from the Guardians, ultimately because of the acts and knowledge of Soren who has to make choices between what is right and what is wrong. There is even a scene where our young Soren is silhouetted by backlighting and we seen him suspended vertically in the night sky with wings [arms] outstretched just before diving into battle and possible death. [Crucifixion anyone?] The story is full of sibling rivalry or betrayal which brought to mind the Biblical stories of Cain and Able, Jacob and Esau, or Joseph and his brothers.
(SPOILER ALERT) In the end, of course, good triumphs over evil and the enslaved are set free, yet there is foreshadowing that the evil has not yet been eliminated from the owl kingdom and there may be more movies to come. There are humorous owl characters that lighten the story and heartwarming moments that make your eyes tear.
This movie is based on a series of books by Kathryn Lasky about The Owls of Ga’Hoole. My children and nephews devoured them eagerly. Even at 18, my daughter wanted to watch it for her second time while I watched it for the first. It clearly strikes a chord with the kids, but the themes of child abduction and enslavement are dark and terrifying themes for young children, even if there is rescue in the end. The animation/cinematography is breathtaking, if somewhat dark, after all owls do roam at night. This movie is definitely one to enjoy, but take care with the younger children.
Seen the movie? Agree or disagree with me? Write a comment. I’d love to hear your point of view.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Epiphany - A Note from Pastor Fred
Today is Epiphany, also known to some as Three Kings Day. I’ve commented on Epiphany in a previous blog entry (Toys R Us Celebrates Epiphany). Today’s blog is a guest submission from Rev. Frederick L. Lentz, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Parsippany.
Epiphany:
In every church I’ve ever been in, I’ve had to hide the wise men until Epiphany. For some reason we lump the first Epiphany, the appearance of star to the wise men in the east, with the shepherd and the angels. But these are separate stories, and to my mind have different messages. Christmas is about God made Flesh. About God come in diapers, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
Epiphany is about seeing something that was always there but now you understand in a new way. Wise men followed a star and found a king but not the kind of king they were expecting. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh must have seemed silly gifts for a poor Hebrew child. But they make perfect sense in the light of where this “king” will reign. They point to his death, where gold could be used to pay the costs of burial, and frankincense and myrrh could be used to cover the smell of death. Yet none of these great gifts or their givers anticipated that God would raise Jesus from the dead, and that therefore none of these gifts would be needed.
Epiphany is about that. About our best expectations being challenged and changed by a God who still surprises us. Life is about that too, as you well know. For you know how some of the best-laid plains can go completely haywire and yet sometimes come out even better than we could have ever planned or hoped.
Peace,
Pastor Fred
Epiphany:
In every church I’ve ever been in, I’ve had to hide the wise men until Epiphany. For some reason we lump the first Epiphany, the appearance of star to the wise men in the east, with the shepherd and the angels. But these are separate stories, and to my mind have different messages. Christmas is about God made Flesh. About God come in diapers, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
Epiphany is about seeing something that was always there but now you understand in a new way. Wise men followed a star and found a king but not the kind of king they were expecting. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh must have seemed silly gifts for a poor Hebrew child. But they make perfect sense in the light of where this “king” will reign. They point to his death, where gold could be used to pay the costs of burial, and frankincense and myrrh could be used to cover the smell of death. Yet none of these great gifts or their givers anticipated that God would raise Jesus from the dead, and that therefore none of these gifts would be needed.
Epiphany is about that. About our best expectations being challenged and changed by a God who still surprises us. Life is about that too, as you well know. For you know how some of the best-laid plains can go completely haywire and yet sometimes come out even better than we could have ever planned or hoped.
Peace,
Pastor Fred
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Art Review: Greenaway's Vision of DaVinci's Last Supper
Art Review: Leonardo’s Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway
Dec. 3, 2010 – Jan. 6, 2011
Park Avenue Amory, New York City
http://www.armoryonpark.org/index.php/programs_events/detail/last_supper_peter_greenaway/
I’ve wanted to get to New York City since I read about this exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory highlighting Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper, in early December. Well with one day left in the show I finally got there. My apologies to any of you who would have liked to see it too, after reading this.
Peter Greenaway has taken multi-media and digital technologies to attempt a dialogue between painting and cinema. His goal was to use the value of painting to “fix and stabilize and limit and frame the image…and to use cinema to make a painting move and change, have a temporal life and have a sound-track.” (From the House Program for this exhibit, www.armoryonpark.org) I think he has definitely achieved his goals. Through the sound-track, video projections, and the architectural and sculptural elements of this exhibit, DaVinci’s Last Supper truly comes to life and moves with light and symbolic gesture as varying images draw your attention from one end of the room to the other. Some reviewers felt DaVinci would be rolling over in his grave. Personally, I think he would have loved it, being a Renaissance man of art and science.
Visualize yourself 1) standing before an entirely white banquet table (table, tablecloth, food, dinnerware – all white), 2) with an orchestral soundtrack bouncing from one corner of the room to another while 3) on your left, DaVinci’s Last Supper morphs through various settings of light and shadow, highlight and contrast, color palette or black and white, line drawing or fleshed out figures, and 4) on your right, another display of the painting in microcosm is expanded across the wall, showing each fleck of paint digitally scanned, so that as the scene pulls away you are able to grasp the larger portion of the painting (reminding me of George Seurat’s pointillist Neo-Impressionism). Then while all this is happening, 5) the stark white table in front of you is backlit (or lit from beneath in this case) in alternating colors of green, orange, red, and others. 6) In order to take it all in you’ve got to look left, right, down at the table, back to the right, again to the left…as if you were seated at the table having a dinner conversation with 12 people. There are times when it seems that the figures in the painting have actually popped up off the background and become sculptures. There are other times when the figures disappear into the background while one symbolic aspect of the painting is brought to the fore. On the one hand, it is a bit overwhelming. On the other, it is a static painting come alive with digital cinematography. Either way, it is a unique way to experience this masterpiece of art.
The segment of the exhibit focusing on the Last Supper is bookended by two similarly styled presentations. The introduction piece depicts Italy as the host of cities built up around piazzas, where the Italian lifestyle of centuries has nurtured the art of centuries. The follow up piece includes dialogue to dissect the artistic, mathematic and architectural composition of Paolo Veronese’s Wedding at Cana. I found these two segments rather confusing as I had not yet read the House Program when I viewed the 45 minute presentation. With this insight now behind me, I understand the intent but feel that the connections are not easily bridged without the notes. At first I thought the dialogue included with Veronese’s Wedding at Cana would have helped to understand Greenaway’s intent with The Last Supper, but now, after reflection, think that might have distracted from Greenaway’s own artistic interpretation of The Last Supper.
All in all, it was a great thing to see and experience. Not bad for $15 in New York City.
The Park Avenue Armory is also a treasure to behold. Grand paintings (at least one by Thomas Nast) line the halls, coffered ceilings and wall paneling are ornately detailed with craftsmanship not easily found today. Stained glass windows honor Medal of Honor recipients from World War I. Next time I’ll plan to arrange for a guided tour of the Armory as well.
My only true gripe? After walking what seemed like an eternity of city blocks from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, this exhibit was a standing 45 minute presentation (there were a few seats but those had been taken by the elderly among the group – and rightfully so). That’s what I get for tackling New York on a tight budget. After this we hoofed it over to the Museum of Natural History. I splurged on a cab back to Port Authority as we headed home. Oh my aching feet! But it was a day well spent with my daughter, before she heads back to college, and feeding my artistic hunger. And, for this wonderful opportunity I say “Thank you, Lord!”
Dec. 3, 2010 – Jan. 6, 2011
Park Avenue Amory, New York City
http://www.armoryonpark.org/index.php/programs_events/detail/last_supper_peter_greenaway/
I’ve wanted to get to New York City since I read about this exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory highlighting Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper, in early December. Well with one day left in the show I finally got there. My apologies to any of you who would have liked to see it too, after reading this.
Peter Greenaway has taken multi-media and digital technologies to attempt a dialogue between painting and cinema. His goal was to use the value of painting to “fix and stabilize and limit and frame the image…and to use cinema to make a painting move and change, have a temporal life and have a sound-track.” (From the House Program for this exhibit, www.armoryonpark.org) I think he has definitely achieved his goals. Through the sound-track, video projections, and the architectural and sculptural elements of this exhibit, DaVinci’s Last Supper truly comes to life and moves with light and symbolic gesture as varying images draw your attention from one end of the room to the other. Some reviewers felt DaVinci would be rolling over in his grave. Personally, I think he would have loved it, being a Renaissance man of art and science.
Visualize yourself 1) standing before an entirely white banquet table (table, tablecloth, food, dinnerware – all white), 2) with an orchestral soundtrack bouncing from one corner of the room to another while 3) on your left, DaVinci’s Last Supper morphs through various settings of light and shadow, highlight and contrast, color palette or black and white, line drawing or fleshed out figures, and 4) on your right, another display of the painting in microcosm is expanded across the wall, showing each fleck of paint digitally scanned, so that as the scene pulls away you are able to grasp the larger portion of the painting (reminding me of George Seurat’s pointillist Neo-Impressionism). Then while all this is happening, 5) the stark white table in front of you is backlit (or lit from beneath in this case) in alternating colors of green, orange, red, and others. 6) In order to take it all in you’ve got to look left, right, down at the table, back to the right, again to the left…as if you were seated at the table having a dinner conversation with 12 people. There are times when it seems that the figures in the painting have actually popped up off the background and become sculptures. There are other times when the figures disappear into the background while one symbolic aspect of the painting is brought to the fore. On the one hand, it is a bit overwhelming. On the other, it is a static painting come alive with digital cinematography. Either way, it is a unique way to experience this masterpiece of art.
The segment of the exhibit focusing on the Last Supper is bookended by two similarly styled presentations. The introduction piece depicts Italy as the host of cities built up around piazzas, where the Italian lifestyle of centuries has nurtured the art of centuries. The follow up piece includes dialogue to dissect the artistic, mathematic and architectural composition of Paolo Veronese’s Wedding at Cana. I found these two segments rather confusing as I had not yet read the House Program when I viewed the 45 minute presentation. With this insight now behind me, I understand the intent but feel that the connections are not easily bridged without the notes. At first I thought the dialogue included with Veronese’s Wedding at Cana would have helped to understand Greenaway’s intent with The Last Supper, but now, after reflection, think that might have distracted from Greenaway’s own artistic interpretation of The Last Supper.
All in all, it was a great thing to see and experience. Not bad for $15 in New York City.
The Park Avenue Armory is also a treasure to behold. Grand paintings (at least one by Thomas Nast) line the halls, coffered ceilings and wall paneling are ornately detailed with craftsmanship not easily found today. Stained glass windows honor Medal of Honor recipients from World War I. Next time I’ll plan to arrange for a guided tour of the Armory as well.
My only true gripe? After walking what seemed like an eternity of city blocks from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, this exhibit was a standing 45 minute presentation (there were a few seats but those had been taken by the elderly among the group – and rightfully so). That’s what I get for tackling New York on a tight budget. After this we hoofed it over to the Museum of Natural History. I splurged on a cab back to Port Authority as we headed home. Oh my aching feet! But it was a day well spent with my daughter, before she heads back to college, and feeding my artistic hunger. And, for this wonderful opportunity I say “Thank you, Lord!”
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Fear - What's it Going to Get You? Or Lose for You?
Fear - A stumbling block to a relationship with God
We see it everyday. Fear.
A New Year should be a time to look forward in hope. For too many people, I’m afraid the approaching year is over-shadowed by fear. We fear we might lose our job. We fear we might not find a job. We fear we won’t be able to make ends meet. We fear we won’t be able to keep paying for the health insurance plan. This economy has a lot of people on edge with fear. So how do we handle it?
There is, of course, a healthy fear…that fear that motivates us to move, to make changes. This fear causes us to look around for help and grab it by the horns, dropping our selfish attitude that we can muddle through our problems on our own.
Un-healthy fear is a relationship blocker. It puts distance between the people who care about us and ourselves. It puts distance between the God who will always provide for us and our scared self, too absorbed in our fear to trust in the promises of The Provider of all that we need. When we wallow in fear, we block out those who offer hope and help. We forget to TRUST.
Look at Noah. He had to have a healthy fear and respect for the Lord to embark upon such a crazy plan to build an ark. If he had feared the laughter of his neighbors, the difficulties of getting lions to lay down with lambs in confined quarters, or the prospect of the whole earth being swallowed up by water, he would have drowned in in-action or disobedience to God. We would all be lost if Noah had let his fear get the best of him.
Look at Abraham. In his healthy fear of the Lord (he is the Almighty after all), Abraham offers hospitality to three strangers in his midst and receives the long awaited news that his wife will finally bear a son. In respect and fear for the Lord, he takes his long promised heir to the mountain to sacrifice his only son as commanded by God. Because of his faithfulness, God provides the ram as an alternative sacrifice. If Abraham had been so consumed with fear about Isaac’s safety, he could not have trusted God to provide the solution. The covenant of generations as multitudinous as the stars would not have been realized.
Look at Moses. A healthy fear of, and respect for, the Lord God, the Almighty, made Moses turn his face from the burning bush and remove his sandals on holy ground. His irrational fear of public speaking nearly lost him the job of thorn in Pharoah’s side, leader of a disgruntled people, and bearer of God’s law. But his trust in God to be with him and provide for his safety enabled him to stand before the region’s most powerful man and call down the wrath of God. Not once, but mulitple times. Then he stood with his back to a sea while the Pharoah’s army pursued them. Fearing, and yet trusting in God, Moses was given the power to part the sea and usher the Israelites to safety. Entrusted with God’s promise and law, Moses sees the face of God and receives the 10 Commandments to give to God’s people, so that they might live together in peace and in respectful worship of the God, “I Am.” Where would we be if Moses had chickened out on any of the things God had called him to do?
Look at the disciples. People must have thought them crazy to abandon their professions and follow a carpenter’s son on a 3-year preaching tour. Had they feared the public and family ridicule, they would have lost out on the relationship of a lifetime. In fear, they all turned and ran at the hour of trial. But even though they turned their backs on Jesus, He did not turn His back on us.
Look at Jesus. God Immortal saddled with human flesh and suffering. Imagine the discomfort of being limited by our finiteness. Imagine the fear that the part of him that was human must have felt at the moment of death, that ultimate time of loneliness and separation from God. Had Jesus, in His human skin, feared the darkness so much to as cry “Uncle!” and beg for respite, where would we be? Jesus conquered not only the darkness and death, but fear.
We need not fear anything. God will provide for all our needs. Jesus has conquered death. The Holy Spirit lives within us and will guide us on the path that God has planned for us. And that means weathering the economic uncertainty of this new year, 2011, too.
We see it everyday. Fear.
A New Year should be a time to look forward in hope. For too many people, I’m afraid the approaching year is over-shadowed by fear. We fear we might lose our job. We fear we might not find a job. We fear we won’t be able to make ends meet. We fear we won’t be able to keep paying for the health insurance plan. This economy has a lot of people on edge with fear. So how do we handle it?
There is, of course, a healthy fear…that fear that motivates us to move, to make changes. This fear causes us to look around for help and grab it by the horns, dropping our selfish attitude that we can muddle through our problems on our own.
Un-healthy fear is a relationship blocker. It puts distance between the people who care about us and ourselves. It puts distance between the God who will always provide for us and our scared self, too absorbed in our fear to trust in the promises of The Provider of all that we need. When we wallow in fear, we block out those who offer hope and help. We forget to TRUST.
Look at Noah. He had to have a healthy fear and respect for the Lord to embark upon such a crazy plan to build an ark. If he had feared the laughter of his neighbors, the difficulties of getting lions to lay down with lambs in confined quarters, or the prospect of the whole earth being swallowed up by water, he would have drowned in in-action or disobedience to God. We would all be lost if Noah had let his fear get the best of him.
Look at Abraham. In his healthy fear of the Lord (he is the Almighty after all), Abraham offers hospitality to three strangers in his midst and receives the long awaited news that his wife will finally bear a son. In respect and fear for the Lord, he takes his long promised heir to the mountain to sacrifice his only son as commanded by God. Because of his faithfulness, God provides the ram as an alternative sacrifice. If Abraham had been so consumed with fear about Isaac’s safety, he could not have trusted God to provide the solution. The covenant of generations as multitudinous as the stars would not have been realized.
Look at Moses. A healthy fear of, and respect for, the Lord God, the Almighty, made Moses turn his face from the burning bush and remove his sandals on holy ground. His irrational fear of public speaking nearly lost him the job of thorn in Pharoah’s side, leader of a disgruntled people, and bearer of God’s law. But his trust in God to be with him and provide for his safety enabled him to stand before the region’s most powerful man and call down the wrath of God. Not once, but mulitple times. Then he stood with his back to a sea while the Pharoah’s army pursued them. Fearing, and yet trusting in God, Moses was given the power to part the sea and usher the Israelites to safety. Entrusted with God’s promise and law, Moses sees the face of God and receives the 10 Commandments to give to God’s people, so that they might live together in peace and in respectful worship of the God, “I Am.” Where would we be if Moses had chickened out on any of the things God had called him to do?
Look at the disciples. People must have thought them crazy to abandon their professions and follow a carpenter’s son on a 3-year preaching tour. Had they feared the public and family ridicule, they would have lost out on the relationship of a lifetime. In fear, they all turned and ran at the hour of trial. But even though they turned their backs on Jesus, He did not turn His back on us.
Look at Jesus. God Immortal saddled with human flesh and suffering. Imagine the discomfort of being limited by our finiteness. Imagine the fear that the part of him that was human must have felt at the moment of death, that ultimate time of loneliness and separation from God. Had Jesus, in His human skin, feared the darkness so much to as cry “Uncle!” and beg for respite, where would we be? Jesus conquered not only the darkness and death, but fear.
We need not fear anything. God will provide for all our needs. Jesus has conquered death. The Holy Spirit lives within us and will guide us on the path that God has planned for us. And that means weathering the economic uncertainty of this new year, 2011, too.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Different Nativity Story
A Different Nativity Story: In the Beginning was the Word…
Today’s Gospel lesson in church spoke to us of a different kind of Nativity story. We looked at John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…”
Pastor Fred spoke to us today about how these words are to remind us that just as everything God has created was spoken with a Word (Genesis Chapter 1), so is God’s own Son, Word of God, existent at The Beginning, and become flesh in our time (okay, about 2010 years ago). In becoming flesh, God has become a part of us and dwells within us. We carry God with us wherever we go and are to shine like the light of God in the world.
If there was ever a question about the Bible being the inspired Word of God, these passages from John certainly clinch it for me. They are pure, God-inspired poetry. The vision that birthed these words could only, in my mind, be inspired by God. In just a few words, the confirmation of Jesus as God’s own Son is poetically and symbolically gifted to us. The entire Gospel of John is rich in imagery to help us understand the magnitude of who Jesus is and how much God loves us.
Today’s Gospel lesson in church spoke to us of a different kind of Nativity story. We looked at John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…”
Pastor Fred spoke to us today about how these words are to remind us that just as everything God has created was spoken with a Word (Genesis Chapter 1), so is God’s own Son, Word of God, existent at The Beginning, and become flesh in our time (okay, about 2010 years ago). In becoming flesh, God has become a part of us and dwells within us. We carry God with us wherever we go and are to shine like the light of God in the world.
If there was ever a question about the Bible being the inspired Word of God, these passages from John certainly clinch it for me. They are pure, God-inspired poetry. The vision that birthed these words could only, in my mind, be inspired by God. In just a few words, the confirmation of Jesus as God’s own Son is poetically and symbolically gifted to us. The entire Gospel of John is rich in imagery to help us understand the magnitude of who Jesus is and how much God loves us.
What an awesome responsibility! Just think how the world might change if we all acted as if God was living within us, and we wanted to share him with everyone we meet. Now that’s a New Year’s Resolution!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monopoly and Why I Have Hope for the New Year
Yesterday was New Year’s Eve. The last day of 2010. Good riddance. And yet, I learned a lot during the year. I even was reminded of some important life lessons during a game of Monopoly last night.
Our family is not big on going out to celebrate the welcoming of a new year. My husband and I are basically New Year’s Scrooges. Occasionally we’ll go to a party but generally prefer to stay home, play some games with the kids and/or watch movies. So yesterday evening we broke open the Boy Scout Edition of Monopoly that my son received for Christmas and later watched the new DVD release of Despicable Me.
Now what can I learn during a game of Boy Scout Monopoly? Well aside from having a lot of fun with my family, I learned that even the best plan is subject to the whims of others and the roll of the dice. I had planned to buy everything I could as I moved along because I knew I was up against others with similar plans, who would be placing tents and cabins on the various merit badge spaces and charging me enormous rent if I happened to need to camp at their site. Unfortunately, my dice rolling left me lacking for opportunities to become a merit badge or National Boy Scout Camp property baron. I did not own a monopoly of anything by the time the others had scoffed up all the rest of the property, although I did acquire a bunch of cash in the meantime.
So I learned that through no fault of my own, my original plan was bust and I had to come up with a new plan. Now this is not something new to me, I do it all the time, but I did feel rather insightful as we were playing and thought, “Hmmm, how interesting. My life has not been following the path I had planned either and I am again faced with deciphering what to do next.” Having written yesterday’s blog earlier in the day, I thought about how I have agreed to let God prepare the road, tighten Jesus on as my safety belt, and let the Holy Spirit program the GPS.
I was debating how to find a path toward success in this Boy Scout Monopoly when my daughter, home on college break, chirps up, “You know that church I’m going to near school? The pastor there was preaching and talked about Monopoly in his sermon.” She then went to their web site and called up a sound track of his recent sermon. And I thought, “Wow!”
I thought “Wow!” because she was eagerly seeking out a place of worship while away at school (even though it is a non-denominational contemporary style of worship and not Lutheran, hey, she’s worshiping!). I thought “Wow!” because she remembered the sermon and was eager to share it with us. I thought “Wow!” because this pastor had found a way to imprint a very important message on her. The message in his sermon was that the objective of Monopoly, to basically have it all at the expense of others, is in direct opposition to the message of Christ. While in Monopoly, money may buy all the tents and cabins, he points out later in his sermon that the Beatles got it right when they sang, “Money can’t buy you love.” Christ already paid the price for love. Love is free.
I didn’t win the game, but I wasn’t the first one out either. We had fun and that was what counted most. I also learned that in spite of what seems like difficult odds there is hope. While we might not finish up with all the “stuff,” we certainly can have hope for the future when our kids can connect the contradiction between the rules of the game and the rules of a life of well lived, full of true meaning and love.
Our family is not big on going out to celebrate the welcoming of a new year. My husband and I are basically New Year’s Scrooges. Occasionally we’ll go to a party but generally prefer to stay home, play some games with the kids and/or watch movies. So yesterday evening we broke open the Boy Scout Edition of Monopoly that my son received for Christmas and later watched the new DVD release of Despicable Me.
Now what can I learn during a game of Boy Scout Monopoly? Well aside from having a lot of fun with my family, I learned that even the best plan is subject to the whims of others and the roll of the dice. I had planned to buy everything I could as I moved along because I knew I was up against others with similar plans, who would be placing tents and cabins on the various merit badge spaces and charging me enormous rent if I happened to need to camp at their site. Unfortunately, my dice rolling left me lacking for opportunities to become a merit badge or National Boy Scout Camp property baron. I did not own a monopoly of anything by the time the others had scoffed up all the rest of the property, although I did acquire a bunch of cash in the meantime.
So I learned that through no fault of my own, my original plan was bust and I had to come up with a new plan. Now this is not something new to me, I do it all the time, but I did feel rather insightful as we were playing and thought, “Hmmm, how interesting. My life has not been following the path I had planned either and I am again faced with deciphering what to do next.” Having written yesterday’s blog earlier in the day, I thought about how I have agreed to let God prepare the road, tighten Jesus on as my safety belt, and let the Holy Spirit program the GPS.
I was debating how to find a path toward success in this Boy Scout Monopoly when my daughter, home on college break, chirps up, “You know that church I’m going to near school? The pastor there was preaching and talked about Monopoly in his sermon.” She then went to their web site and called up a sound track of his recent sermon. And I thought, “Wow!”
I thought “Wow!” because she was eagerly seeking out a place of worship while away at school (even though it is a non-denominational contemporary style of worship and not Lutheran, hey, she’s worshiping!). I thought “Wow!” because she remembered the sermon and was eager to share it with us. I thought “Wow!” because this pastor had found a way to imprint a very important message on her. The message in his sermon was that the objective of Monopoly, to basically have it all at the expense of others, is in direct opposition to the message of Christ. While in Monopoly, money may buy all the tents and cabins, he points out later in his sermon that the Beatles got it right when they sang, “Money can’t buy you love.” Christ already paid the price for love. Love is free.
I didn’t win the game, but I wasn’t the first one out either. We had fun and that was what counted most. I also learned that in spite of what seems like difficult odds there is hope. While we might not finish up with all the “stuff,” we certainly can have hope for the future when our kids can connect the contradiction between the rules of the game and the rules of a life of well lived, full of true meaning and love.
When we can still say “Wow!,” there is hope.
Friday, December 31, 2010
My New Year's Resolution
Let God take care of the road
Wear Jesus for my seat belt
Let the Holy Spirit program my GPS/map (I’m kind of a map person myself)
There is a song by Carrie Underwood called “Jesus Take the Wheel.” In the song she sings about how she’s been travelling the road [of life] too fast, has got a baby in the back seat, hits a patch of ice, the car starts spinning out of control and in her desperation of being unable to right the situation and gain control of the car, she throws her hands up in the air and pleads, “Jesus take the wheel!” http://www.cmt.com/videos/carrie-underwood/67430/jesus-take-the-wheel.jhtml
When I first heard this song I thought, “Wow, that’s faith!” and then I thought, “But it’s rather stupid to let go of the wheel.”
How hard it is for us to truly let Jesus “take the wheel.” To truly let it all go and give it all, and I mean ALL of it, over to Jesus’ care. I’ve had a rough year or so being out of work, like so many other people. I’ve been struggling with “what I want to be when I grow up.” I’ve tried to let God direct me in where I should search for jobs and what I should do - career change or similar path, part-time or full-time, non-profit or for-profit, 5 miles from home or 20, go back to school in a similar field or something different - but I’ve not really, and I mean REALLY, given it all over to Him. I keep thinking I’m going to figure this out.
You know that when you hit the ice you’re not supposed to hit the brakes. Your supposed to take your foot off the gas (in other words, let the car slow down), let the wheels roll and continue to search for traction. If you slam on the brakes, your tires will just slide, breaking the co-efficient of sliding friction (a term of physics according to my hubby). You’re also not supposed to grip the wheel tightly, but rather let it slide loosely through your hands allowing the car to straighten out its wheels in the direction of the skid. Then as you feel the car grip the road and gather traction you can tighten your grip on the wheel and steer out of trouble.
What a GREAT analogy for how we should let God take over when we hit that patch of trouble!
So, that’s my New Year Resolution: Let God take care of the road, Let Jesus be my seat belt [Savior] (plus always wear my car seat belt, of course), and Let the Holy Spirit program my GPS/map.
What’s your New Year Resolution?
Wear Jesus for my seat belt
Let the Holy Spirit program my GPS/map (I’m kind of a map person myself)
There is a song by Carrie Underwood called “Jesus Take the Wheel.” In the song she sings about how she’s been travelling the road [of life] too fast, has got a baby in the back seat, hits a patch of ice, the car starts spinning out of control and in her desperation of being unable to right the situation and gain control of the car, she throws her hands up in the air and pleads, “Jesus take the wheel!” http://www.cmt.com/videos/carrie-underwood/67430/jesus-take-the-wheel.jhtml
When I first heard this song I thought, “Wow, that’s faith!” and then I thought, “But it’s rather stupid to let go of the wheel.”
How hard it is for us to truly let Jesus “take the wheel.” To truly let it all go and give it all, and I mean ALL of it, over to Jesus’ care. I’ve had a rough year or so being out of work, like so many other people. I’ve been struggling with “what I want to be when I grow up.” I’ve tried to let God direct me in where I should search for jobs and what I should do - career change or similar path, part-time or full-time, non-profit or for-profit, 5 miles from home or 20, go back to school in a similar field or something different - but I’ve not really, and I mean REALLY, given it all over to Him. I keep thinking I’m going to figure this out.
You know that when you hit the ice you’re not supposed to hit the brakes. Your supposed to take your foot off the gas (in other words, let the car slow down), let the wheels roll and continue to search for traction. If you slam on the brakes, your tires will just slide, breaking the co-efficient of sliding friction (a term of physics according to my hubby). You’re also not supposed to grip the wheel tightly, but rather let it slide loosely through your hands allowing the car to straighten out its wheels in the direction of the skid. Then as you feel the car grip the road and gather traction you can tighten your grip on the wheel and steer out of trouble.
What a GREAT analogy for how we should let God take over when we hit that patch of trouble!
So, that’s my New Year Resolution: Let God take care of the road, Let Jesus be my seat belt [Savior] (plus always wear my car seat belt, of course), and Let the Holy Spirit program my GPS/map.
What’s your New Year Resolution?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Why God Gives Me Snow Days
I’ve often heard how snow days are God’s way of saying “slow down.” You know…you’re stuck in the house and what else can you do but sit down with some hot chocolate by the fire?
Well that might be what God wants other people to do with their snow days. God clearly has other plans for MY snow days…he’s putting me to WORK. MY snow days are physical work outs. Our recent snow storm/blizzard (depending on where you live) is a prime example of this. My neighborhood received about 14 inches of snow, and my grandmother in Union received about 30 inches of snow, plus drifts.
Physical workouts: Those of you who know me personally know that exercise is not one of my favorite activities (and it shows, unfortunately). So I figure God gives me snow days to remind me of the fact that it would be good thing to keep in better shape, because Mother Nature will certainly continue to dump snow in my life for many years to come.
I’ve got:
1. My own snow 25 foot driveway and about 50 feet of sidewalk,
2. God has gifted me with the care of a truly dear and wonderful, elderly neighbor, so you can double the load. AND, because of the older construction methods and various other issues, it frequently is necessary to use a snow rake on her home (yes, there is such a thing) to pull snow off the roof and leave the gutter edge free of melting and freezing components that might cause ice damming and water damage in her house.
Bending and lifting, reaching and pulling, but I’m not done yet…
3. I telephone my almost 96 year old grandmother to find out her situation. Sometimes she hardly receives any of the white stuff. This time she was buried in almost 30 inches of it. Talk about aching muscles…off to Union we go. Her driveway is about the same size as mine (we’re up to 75 feet of driveway total now), but she’s got a ton of sidewalk as she lives on a corner. The Twp. of Union graciously drops her a computerized telephone message before every storm reminding residents that they have to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of the storm or face receiving a ticket. A ticket is terror for an elderly lady.
Why not use a snow blower? Because then I would not be able to enjoy the quietness of a snowed in landscape, the grumble of children pressed into service to help out their neighbor and grandmother (no, really... snow storms are lessons in community service and they actually grumble very little), or listen to the little voice of God that speaks to me in the these snow storms and says, “see, a little exercise won’t kill you….now what are you going to do tomorrow?” Snow, just like raking leaves in the Fall, planting plants and cleaning up in the Spring, and cutting the lawn in the Summer, is God's way of forcing me to get out there in the fresh air and be active and alive in His Creation.
What do you do with the snow days God gives to you? I bet you’ve got your own story. Comment and share it with us.
Well that might be what God wants other people to do with their snow days. God clearly has other plans for MY snow days…he’s putting me to WORK. MY snow days are physical work outs. Our recent snow storm/blizzard (depending on where you live) is a prime example of this. My neighborhood received about 14 inches of snow, and my grandmother in Union received about 30 inches of snow, plus drifts.
Physical workouts: Those of you who know me personally know that exercise is not one of my favorite activities (and it shows, unfortunately). So I figure God gives me snow days to remind me of the fact that it would be good thing to keep in better shape, because Mother Nature will certainly continue to dump snow in my life for many years to come.
I’ve got:
1. My own snow 25 foot driveway and about 50 feet of sidewalk,
2. God has gifted me with the care of a truly dear and wonderful, elderly neighbor, so you can double the load. AND, because of the older construction methods and various other issues, it frequently is necessary to use a snow rake on her home (yes, there is such a thing) to pull snow off the roof and leave the gutter edge free of melting and freezing components that might cause ice damming and water damage in her house.
Bending and lifting, reaching and pulling, but I’m not done yet…
3. I telephone my almost 96 year old grandmother to find out her situation. Sometimes she hardly receives any of the white stuff. This time she was buried in almost 30 inches of it. Talk about aching muscles…off to Union we go. Her driveway is about the same size as mine (we’re up to 75 feet of driveway total now), but she’s got a ton of sidewalk as she lives on a corner. The Twp. of Union graciously drops her a computerized telephone message before every storm reminding residents that they have to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of the storm or face receiving a ticket. A ticket is terror for an elderly lady.
Why not use a snow blower? Because then I would not be able to enjoy the quietness of a snowed in landscape, the grumble of children pressed into service to help out their neighbor and grandmother (no, really... snow storms are lessons in community service and they actually grumble very little), or listen to the little voice of God that speaks to me in the these snow storms and says, “see, a little exercise won’t kill you….now what are you going to do tomorrow?” Snow, just like raking leaves in the Fall, planting plants and cleaning up in the Spring, and cutting the lawn in the Summer, is God's way of forcing me to get out there in the fresh air and be active and alive in His Creation.
What do you do with the snow days God gives to you? I bet you’ve got your own story. Comment and share it with us.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Toys R Us Celebrates Epiphany
How about that?! I open my e-mail today and there is an e-mail advertisement from Toys R Us promoting Three Kings Day, January 6. I don’t know whether to love it or scream. Doesn’t the commercialism of Christmas end with Santa coming down the chimney? Or is Toys R Us trying to help us see more deeply into the holiday and just using their fortuitous link to “gifts” to promote Epiphany?
I’d like to think that Toys R Us executives are trying to draw our attention to the last part of the Nativity story when twelve days after Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the three Magi (or Kings or Wisemen, whatever you wish to call them) to see the new born King, Jesus. As we know, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Pardon my skepticism, but I’m betting it is a last ditch effort to plump up holiday sales. God help us if after the excesses of December 25 we need to do it all over again on January 6.
Many people do celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6. The Church calls this the day of Epiphany. Personally, I try to leave all my Christmas decorations and the tree up until after this first day of Epiphany. Since I was actually really into it this year, I’m guessing it all might stay up until my daughter returns to college on January 10, just so I can keep the joy of having her home all done up with lights and sparkle. (That is as long as the tree doesn’t become a fire hazard. We cut a fresh one a week before Christmas, so it potentially should make it that long.)
A friend of mine sends her nieces small gifts from their aunt on Three Kings Day, so in a way there is a place for gifts on this day if the meaning is not lost in the excess.
I love celebrating the day of Epiphany in church. It is almost guaranteed that we will sing “We Three Kings,” one of my favorite songs. I love the idea of three learned, wealthy, influential, and political magicians/kings/wise men/studiers of prophecy recognizing that a KING has been born in a stable, and upon finding that scene would still bow before him and leave their pricey, kingly gifts with this lowly, impoverished carpenter and his wife, in trust for the day when the King would have need of them. Perhaps the gold financed Joseph and the family's flight into Egypt to escape the massacre of infants by King Herod. Perhaps the frankincense and myrrh were saved by Mary and used in Jesus' burial in the tomb. Truly gifts for a King, how wise these sages were.
Where do you weigh in on this topic? Post a comment below….I’d love to hear your thoughts. Want to see the ad? Click here: http://view.ed4.net/v/MYW5U3/L7YD3/EX2202N/6QE3AS/MAILACTION=1&FORMAT=H?csm=175986804&csc=1258316&csa=172756598&csu=1259351&camp=CME:20101227_Em_TRUCOM_Accessories_Gift_Card
I’d like to think that Toys R Us executives are trying to draw our attention to the last part of the Nativity story when twelve days after Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the three Magi (or Kings or Wisemen, whatever you wish to call them) to see the new born King, Jesus. As we know, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Pardon my skepticism, but I’m betting it is a last ditch effort to plump up holiday sales. God help us if after the excesses of December 25 we need to do it all over again on January 6.
Many people do celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6. The Church calls this the day of Epiphany. Personally, I try to leave all my Christmas decorations and the tree up until after this first day of Epiphany. Since I was actually really into it this year, I’m guessing it all might stay up until my daughter returns to college on January 10, just so I can keep the joy of having her home all done up with lights and sparkle. (That is as long as the tree doesn’t become a fire hazard. We cut a fresh one a week before Christmas, so it potentially should make it that long.)
A friend of mine sends her nieces small gifts from their aunt on Three Kings Day, so in a way there is a place for gifts on this day if the meaning is not lost in the excess.
I love celebrating the day of Epiphany in church. It is almost guaranteed that we will sing “We Three Kings,” one of my favorite songs. I love the idea of three learned, wealthy, influential, and political magicians/kings/wise men/studiers of prophecy recognizing that a KING has been born in a stable, and upon finding that scene would still bow before him and leave their pricey, kingly gifts with this lowly, impoverished carpenter and his wife, in trust for the day when the King would have need of them. Perhaps the gold financed Joseph and the family's flight into Egypt to escape the massacre of infants by King Herod. Perhaps the frankincense and myrrh were saved by Mary and used in Jesus' burial in the tomb. Truly gifts for a King, how wise these sages were.
Where do you weigh in on this topic? Post a comment below….I’d love to hear your thoughts. Want to see the ad? Click here: http://view.ed4.net/v/MYW5U3/L7YD3/EX2202N/6QE3AS/MAILACTION=1&FORMAT=H?csm=175986804&csc=1258316&csa=172756598&csu=1259351&camp=CME:20101227_Em_TRUCOM_Accessories_Gift_Card
And come back to read more about Epiphany from Pastor Fred on January 6.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all!
May the blessings of the Christ Child be with you this holiday and every day.
Christmas Eve at St. Andrew
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Telling Our Story
St. Andrew’s Live Nativity is THE big event for our congregation. It involves most all of the congregation in one way or another. Whether people bake cookies for our many guests, donate food for our working/acting crew, play a Biblical character role, greet guests, or direct parking, there is something for everyone. Everyone understands this and everyone pitches in. We couldn’t run the event over two days and seven hours if everyone wasn’t on board for this ministry.It seems like a lot of work, doesn’t it? It’s not like we make any money on it; we offer it for FREE. (Hey, they say the best things in life are free, so I guess we’re one of the best things!) So why do we do it? We do it because this is our Christmas gift to our community. We do it because telling the story of the Good News of Jesus’ birth, our Savior come to earth, is how we tell OUR story. You might think “oh, it’s the same story every year,” and while that’s true, it is also amazing to me how every year the story still holds new meaning for all of us, and for our guests. We have many guests who just don’t feel like Christmas is on its way until they visit our Live Nativity, year after year. While we’re telling the Greatest Story Ever Told, we’re also telling OUR story…the story of a community of people that are committed to sharing this story with our neighbors and having a lot of fun together while doing it. It’s got to be fun… because we’re together doing the thing God has called us to do…tell the story.
It’s also great when the newspapers pick up on our fun and help us tell the story. Thank you to the Parsippany Life newspaper for running an article in advance of our Live Nativity, helping to advertise a collection of food for the Parsippany Emergency Food Pantry. Thank you to the Daily Record for visiting our Live Nativity and reporting on the story we are telling.
Check it out: http://parsippany.injersey.com/2010/12/22/st-andrew-luthern-church-stages-live-nativity-event/
Come for Christmas Eve:
4:00 pm Children’s Service (26 minutes)
8:30 & 10:30 pm Traditional Candlelight Services with Holy Communion
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Avenue
Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
For directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Light four candles to watch for Messiah;
let the light banish darkness.
He is coming, tell the glad tidings.
Let your lights be shining!
(reprinted under OneLicense.net license # A700392)
let the light banish darkness.
He is coming, tell the glad tidings.
Let your lights be shining!
(reprinted under OneLicense.net license # A700392)
Let your lights be shining!
Sunday was the fourth Sunday in Advent….all the candles are lit on the Advent wreath and we light up the dark night sky in hopes of seeing the Messiah’s arrival. Won’t we be surprised to find him in a manger, robed in the flesh of an infant, dependant upon a virgin mother and carpenter step-father!
Imagine the surprise of the shepherds and the Magi who traveled to see the newborn King and Messiah.
Imagine what Jesus must have felt - God immortal made mortal, God omnipotent made dependent, God of healing suffering the pains of childbirth, God of abundance suffering the pangs of hunger, God of love separated from the King of Love by the sins of human disobedience, God of wisdom confined to the young mind of an infant in a race of people with minds limited to the scope of their experience.
What an awesome God we have to have taken on our frailty so that we can know, that he knows our suffering, worries, joys and sorrows. In a humble manger, in a tiny stable, in a little town called Bethlehem, the Light of the World burst forth into our lives…let the light banish darkness. Now it’s up to us to tell the Good News….let your lights be shining!
Join us for Christmas Eve worship:
4:00 pm - Children’s Service (26 minutes)
8:30 & 10:30 pm – Traditional Candlelight Service of Holy Communion
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave., Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
Directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
Sunday was the fourth Sunday in Advent….all the candles are lit on the Advent wreath and we light up the dark night sky in hopes of seeing the Messiah’s arrival. Won’t we be surprised to find him in a manger, robed in the flesh of an infant, dependant upon a virgin mother and carpenter step-father!
Imagine the surprise of the shepherds and the Magi who traveled to see the newborn King and Messiah.
Imagine what Jesus must have felt - God immortal made mortal, God omnipotent made dependent, God of healing suffering the pains of childbirth, God of abundance suffering the pangs of hunger, God of love separated from the King of Love by the sins of human disobedience, God of wisdom confined to the young mind of an infant in a race of people with minds limited to the scope of their experience.
What an awesome God we have to have taken on our frailty so that we can know, that he knows our suffering, worries, joys and sorrows. In a humble manger, in a tiny stable, in a little town called Bethlehem, the Light of the World burst forth into our lives…let the light banish darkness. Now it’s up to us to tell the Good News….let your lights be shining!
Join us for Christmas Eve worship:
4:00 pm - Children’s Service (26 minutes)
8:30 & 10:30 pm – Traditional Candlelight Service of Holy Communion
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave., Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
Directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
Friday, December 17, 2010
The Prince of Peace
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. What is the role of this prince? How shall we relate to Him?
There is a beautiful song I first heard during a workshop to introduce the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal called Ososo, ososo (Come Now, O Prince of Peace) by Geonyong Lee, ELW #247.
Ososo, ososo (Come Now, O Prince of Peace)
Text & music by Geonyong Lee ©, translation Marion Pope
Come now, O Prince of peace, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile your people.
Come now, O God of love, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile your people.
Come now and set us free, O God, our Savior. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile all nations.
Come, Hope of unity, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile all nations.
It is somewhat haunting in its melody but so beautiful when combined with the words that plead for Jesus to “reconcile your people” and “reconcile all nations.” The first time I heard it I was in the company of about 200 Lutheran pastors and ministers of music, so of course everyone broke into the appropriate choral parts. I nearly cried with emotion at the beautiful sound that filled the worship space with this human plea to our Savior, the Prince of Peace.
If there was ever a song to define Jesus’ role as the Prince of Peace, I think this might be it. We plead with the Prince of Peace to make us one body [in Christ], set us free [from sin], and reconcile all peoples and nations. Imagine what the world would be like if this could be so!
The ELW hymnal places this song in the Advent section. Rightly so, but I also know that this is a timeless hymn well worth singing any day of the year. In its simplicity, it can easily become one of those mantra-type songs, like many Taize songs, that get stuck in your head. There is a lot worse stuff to have running around in your head, why not try this tune?
Join us for Christmas Eve worship:
4:00 pm Children’s Service
8:30 & 10:30 pm – Traditional Candlelight Services of Holy Communion
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave., Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
Directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
There is a beautiful song I first heard during a workshop to introduce the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal called Ososo, ososo (Come Now, O Prince of Peace) by Geonyong Lee, ELW #247.
Ososo, ososo (Come Now, O Prince of Peace)
Text & music by Geonyong Lee ©, translation Marion Pope
Come now, O Prince of peace, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile your people.
Come now, O God of love, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile your people.
Come now and set us free, O God, our Savior. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile all nations.
Come, Hope of unity, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile all nations.
It is somewhat haunting in its melody but so beautiful when combined with the words that plead for Jesus to “reconcile your people” and “reconcile all nations.” The first time I heard it I was in the company of about 200 Lutheran pastors and ministers of music, so of course everyone broke into the appropriate choral parts. I nearly cried with emotion at the beautiful sound that filled the worship space with this human plea to our Savior, the Prince of Peace.
If there was ever a song to define Jesus’ role as the Prince of Peace, I think this might be it. We plead with the Prince of Peace to make us one body [in Christ], set us free [from sin], and reconcile all peoples and nations. Imagine what the world would be like if this could be so!
The ELW hymnal places this song in the Advent section. Rightly so, but I also know that this is a timeless hymn well worth singing any day of the year. In its simplicity, it can easily become one of those mantra-type songs, like many Taize songs, that get stuck in your head. There is a lot worse stuff to have running around in your head, why not try this tune?
Join us for Christmas Eve worship:
4:00 pm Children’s Service
8:30 & 10:30 pm – Traditional Candlelight Services of Holy Communion
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave., Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
Directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Peace
Peace…it’s an interesting word when you think about it. You hear and see it a lot at this time of year. It is a ubiquitous word in Christmas greetings and cards. We use it each Sunday when we greet one another at “the time of the peace.” So what do we mean when we use it? Are we wishing for world peace…the absence of strife and war between countries and peoples? Are we wishing for a calm and tranquil soul within us? Are we searching for a quiet place away from all the noise?
True world peace would be quite something to experience, and would have far reaching implications that I’m not sure our current world systems could handle. World peace between nations and peoples would require a completely different way of using and sharing the earth’s resources, as populations would explode in our pursuit of less destructive politics and economics. I think we human beings may be too broken to affect that kind of peace. So in that sense, I believe that only in heaven can we attain that far-reaching goal. (Not that we shouldn’t try to move in that direction, because you never know…nothing is impossible for God.)
However, I do believe that we can attain that peace that Jesus gives us. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” He says in John 14:27. “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” In these words, which follow the earlier promise of the Holy Spirit, we are promised that Jesus has given us the ability to know peace…freedom from fear and a troubled heart. How many times does Jesus say in the Gospels to “trust in me?”
Have you ever felt so burdened down and your life seemed anything but peaceful? Of course you have. Have you ever just looked into your heart and offered those concerns up to God and said, “God, this is more than I can handle alone. I’m putting all this in your care because I know that you know what is good for me.” If you have ever done this (and truly meant it), did your heart not feel more at peace? When I actually do this, it truly does work for me. My problems are not gone, but my heart is more at peace and I can face the day knowing that someone who really cares for me, who really knows the ultimate game plan even when I don’t, has my back.
We have the ability to know peace and to wish that for others. When we let God into our hearts, and give our troubles and cares over to Him, God’s peace will fill our hearts where previously fear and worry resided. Because God encased Himself in human flesh and humbled his kingship into a dependant, impoverished infant we know that He understands all our worries, cares and sorrows. Because He conquered death and rose to a new life, we know that He is powerful enough to carry our burdens for us and walk with us, along side us, as we travel the paths of our lives to the destination He has planned for us.
So the next time you send a Christmas greeting card that says “Peace!” or wish someone “The peace of the Lord be with you” you can feel confident in knowing that your wishes are truly attainable. What a wonderful Christmas gift to give!
Peace!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
3rd Sunday in Advent
The King is coming….
Light three candles to watch for Messiah,
Let the light banish darkness
Lift your heads and lift high the gateway
For the King of glory.
(reprinted under OneLicense.net license # A700392)
184 people came to St. Andrew yesterday to see our 21st annual Live Nativity. If you were one of those who came to our Bethlehem hillside to witness the gift of a Father’s love, please share this with others who might like to visit us today. We again will present our Live Nativity today from 4:30 until 8:00 pm.
Why do we do it? If you’ve seen it, you can imagine the load of work that goes into set up, preparation, the event itself, and of course, cleaning it up. So why? We offer this Live Nativity as St. Andrew’s gift to our community. For 21 years we have offered this gift of love and have become known as “the church that does the Live Nativity.” Not only does it help center our guests on the true meaning of Christmas, we have a lot of fun together making it happen. St. Andrew is a place where everyone is welcome and true to that calling, when it comes to the Live Nativity, there is a job for everyone to showcase his or her talents and gifts. This ministry is a whole congregational labor of love. Come share our joy and hear the story of how a Father’s love changed the world.
Live Nativity
Dec. 12
4:30 – 8:00 pm
15 minute continuous narrative readings of the Nativtiy story
Admission is free! Refreshments are served.
Each small group receives a free hand-crafted ornament gift.
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
For directions:
http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
Light three candles to watch for Messiah,
Let the light banish darkness
Lift your heads and lift high the gateway
For the King of glory.
(reprinted under OneLicense.net license # A700392)
184 people came to St. Andrew yesterday to see our 21st annual Live Nativity. If you were one of those who came to our Bethlehem hillside to witness the gift of a Father’s love, please share this with others who might like to visit us today. We again will present our Live Nativity today from 4:30 until 8:00 pm.
Why do we do it? If you’ve seen it, you can imagine the load of work that goes into set up, preparation, the event itself, and of course, cleaning it up. So why? We offer this Live Nativity as St. Andrew’s gift to our community. For 21 years we have offered this gift of love and have become known as “the church that does the Live Nativity.” Not only does it help center our guests on the true meaning of Christmas, we have a lot of fun together making it happen. St. Andrew is a place where everyone is welcome and true to that calling, when it comes to the Live Nativity, there is a job for everyone to showcase his or her talents and gifts. This ministry is a whole congregational labor of love. Come share our joy and hear the story of how a Father’s love changed the world.
Live Nativity
Dec. 12
4:30 – 8:00 pm
15 minute continuous narrative readings of the Nativtiy story
Admission is free! Refreshments are served.
Each small group receives a free hand-crafted ornament gift.
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
For directions:
http://www.elcaandy.org/directions.asp
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Joseph - Man of Faith, Man of God
God had a plan for Joseph, and he has one for you, too.
Will you say “YES!” to God?
Can you just imagine what must have gone through Joseph’s mind and heart when he learned that Mary was pregnant? Anger, indignation, betrayal, hurt, confusion. I’m sure Mary pleaded her case to him and he found it hard to believe. But the Bible says “being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, he resolved to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19) Clearly he had feelings for Mary and loved her enough to try to save her from death by stoning.
As a faithful Jewish man, Joseph knew the prophecies of the Old Testament that foretold a virgin birth of the lineage of King David that would be the Messiah. His faith in the Word of God was key to why he was chosen to be the adoptive father of God’s Son. God knew that with a little prompting from his messenger angel, Joseph would step up to the plate and be the father Jesus needed, and the husband he had promised to be for Mary. Whether he fully understood that Jesus was the intended Messiah and God’s Son is less important than the fact that he accepted God’s plan for him…without question… and he said “Yes!” to God. I can imagine that God spoke to Joseph’s heart and said something like this… “Be not afraid. Be my faithful servant. Say ‘Yes’ to me. Adopt my Son as your own. Be the compassionate and strong father and husband I have created you to be. Trust in my plans for you. I will never let you fail. I will protect you and prosper you. I will provide for all your needs, always. Have faith in Me.”
And so…Joseph marries Mary, adopts Jesus as his own Son, loves him, protects him by running to Egypt for safety when warned by an angel, fears for Jesus’ safety when he is missing in Jerusalem, and teaches the man who would build bridges to heaven the trade of carpentry. Joseph says “Yes” to God and adopts Jesus as his own son, in faithful servitude to the God in whom he puts his faith.
How often do we say, “Why us? What now?” We may not understand God’s grand plan for us and we are frequently beset by anxious times, but yet we are called to say “Yes” to God. Listen to your heart. If we just love those given to our care, why should we not have the faith of Joseph that God will take care of us?
May the blessings of our Lord be the joy that makes your Christmas merry!
Live Nativity
Today and Tomorrow
Dec. 11 & 12
4:30 - 8:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973-625-3536
directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/contact.asp
Will you say “YES!” to God?
Can you just imagine what must have gone through Joseph’s mind and heart when he learned that Mary was pregnant? Anger, indignation, betrayal, hurt, confusion. I’m sure Mary pleaded her case to him and he found it hard to believe. But the Bible says “being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, he resolved to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19) Clearly he had feelings for Mary and loved her enough to try to save her from death by stoning.
As a faithful Jewish man, Joseph knew the prophecies of the Old Testament that foretold a virgin birth of the lineage of King David that would be the Messiah. His faith in the Word of God was key to why he was chosen to be the adoptive father of God’s Son. God knew that with a little prompting from his messenger angel, Joseph would step up to the plate and be the father Jesus needed, and the husband he had promised to be for Mary. Whether he fully understood that Jesus was the intended Messiah and God’s Son is less important than the fact that he accepted God’s plan for him…without question… and he said “Yes!” to God. I can imagine that God spoke to Joseph’s heart and said something like this… “Be not afraid. Be my faithful servant. Say ‘Yes’ to me. Adopt my Son as your own. Be the compassionate and strong father and husband I have created you to be. Trust in my plans for you. I will never let you fail. I will protect you and prosper you. I will provide for all your needs, always. Have faith in Me.”
And so…Joseph marries Mary, adopts Jesus as his own Son, loves him, protects him by running to Egypt for safety when warned by an angel, fears for Jesus’ safety when he is missing in Jerusalem, and teaches the man who would build bridges to heaven the trade of carpentry. Joseph says “Yes” to God and adopts Jesus as his own son, in faithful servitude to the God in whom he puts his faith.
How often do we say, “Why us? What now?” We may not understand God’s grand plan for us and we are frequently beset by anxious times, but yet we are called to say “Yes” to God. Listen to your heart. If we just love those given to our care, why should we not have the faith of Joseph that God will take care of us?
May the blessings of our Lord be the joy that makes your Christmas merry!
Live Nativity
Today and Tomorrow
Dec. 11 & 12
4:30 - 8:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973-625-3536
directions: http://www.elcaandy.org/contact.asp
Friday, December 10, 2010
2nd Week in Advent
Light two candles to watch for Messiah,Let the light banish darkness
He shall feed the flock like a shepherd,
Gently lead them homeward.
(reprinted under OneLicense.net license # A700392)
Are you in the Christmas spirit? Or is your holiday fun in a funk? Either way, we’ve got a great way for you to put some Christ in your Christmas. Come to our 21st annual Live Nativity tomorrow or Sunday, from 4:30 until 8:00 pm. If you are able, please bring a non-perishable food item for the Parsippany Emergency Food Pantry to share God’s love with others.
We offer 15 minute continuous narratives of the Nativity story. While there a no live sheep, there are some very cute live shepherds, angels, wiseguys, and of course, Mary and Joseph. For a brief time there will also be a live baby Jesus. You will be transported to a dark and quiet starlit night in the hillside of Bethlehem. You will find a new, and yet age old, vision of Christmas…the quiet and humble beginnings of our Lord, born to a virgin, in a stable.
Admission is free! We serve refreshments! Our facility is handicapped accessible. We give you a hand-crafted ornament to take home so you can remember your visit. What more could you want? Directions? Go to our web site http://www.elcaandy.org/ and click on the link to “contact us.”
Live Nativity
Saturday & Sunday
Dec. 11 & 12
4:30 – 8:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
We offer 15 minute continuous narratives of the Nativity story. While there a no live sheep, there are some very cute live shepherds, angels, wiseguys, and of course, Mary and Joseph. For a brief time there will also be a live baby Jesus. You will be transported to a dark and quiet starlit night in the hillside of Bethlehem. You will find a new, and yet age old, vision of Christmas…the quiet and humble beginnings of our Lord, born to a virgin, in a stable.
Admission is free! We serve refreshments! Our facility is handicapped accessible. We give you a hand-crafted ornament to take home so you can remember your visit. What more could you want? Directions? Go to our web site http://www.elcaandy.org/ and click on the link to “contact us.”
Live Nativity
Saturday & Sunday
Dec. 11 & 12
4:30 – 8:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thieves at a Christmas Party
"If you want to make friends, join a book club."
~James Kier in The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
Monday evening was the 11th annual St. Andrew Book Club Christmas party. It is a highlight of our monthly get-togethers and everyone makes the attempt to attend. There were seventeen of us this year, and we are a raucous bunch. We enjoy each other’s company as much as we do the books. But when it comes to our annual Christmas party, we pull out all the stops on fun.
Our discussion group leader hosts the event every year as a motivator to get all her Christmas decorating done. She’s got a high ceilinged family room to display a beautiful 14-17’ tree which she amazingly decorates all the way to the top. It is into this festive display that we all settle ourselves among chairs and sofas (and even on the floor), after having dipped into the sampling of holiday goodies and beverages our host has conjured up for us. Once we’ve all got a seat, we attempt to seriously discuss our book for the month. This year we read The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans. Each December we plan to read an easy, usually sappy Christmas story, because you know we’re really not there for the book this month. Within the span of about 15 minutes we discuss and dispense with the book because we’re on onto better things. In December, the St. Andrew Book Club becomes a den of thieves. And we love it.
The highlight of our annual Christmas party is supposedly the gifts….and the stealing of gifts. Many of you may have engaged in this little game. Everyone brings a wrapped gift of $15-$25 and each person picks a number, 1 to 17 in this case. The first person selects a gift from the pile of brightly colored packages. That becomes “the mystery gift” which does not get opened until the very last person has chosen a gift. The person holding the “mystery gift” at the end gets to open and keep that present. During the game, in the course of their turn, everyone else has the option of stealing the mystery gift, one of the already opened gifts (and then that person would choose another gift), or selecting from the pile of unopened gifts.
Now, you see how this could go on and on so we’ve instituted a “3 steal rule” meaning no gift (except the mystery gift) can be stolen more than 3 times. If you are the 3rd thief, then you keep the gift. This year the most desired items were a felt snowman door draft stopper (from Kohl’s, I believe), a set of about 15” tall sculpted Christmas trees (from JC Penney, I believe) and a huge, ceramic, metallic-finish garden frog and garden tools (not sure where it was from). You never know what the hot item will be each year. It’s fun just to reflect on that! What an odd bunch we can be!
While you might think, “How terrible, church women stealing gifts from each other,” the reality is that this is just plain fun as everyone knows each other very well and we all bring great gifts. Usually every gift is a keeper or highly desired item. I usually begin watching the sales early in the Christmas shopping season to find a really great gift at such a great discount that it’s usually worth at least double our suggested gift price.
By the end of the evening we have laughed so hard, and enjoyed each other’s company so much that no one leaves without a big smile on their face and a feeling of “I love being with these people.”
It might be the Book Club Christmas party, but it’s not about the book. And…it’s not about the gift, no matter how much fuss we make over whatever the most coveted item to “steal” might be. It’s about the fellowship that we share. The fellowship that surrounds the women of this Book Club is built, not upon an annual Christmas party, but upon monthly book discussion gatherings and weekly Sunday worship. It is this year-long investing in the care of each other that builds our community of faith and friendship and allows us to “steal” from each other and have a riotously fun time doing it.
It is the fellowship that we share, beginning at the communion table each Sunday and transcending worship into our daily lives, which makes us St. Andrew. Come and see for yourself.
~James Kier in The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
Monday evening was the 11th annual St. Andrew Book Club Christmas party. It is a highlight of our monthly get-togethers and everyone makes the attempt to attend. There were seventeen of us this year, and we are a raucous bunch. We enjoy each other’s company as much as we do the books. But when it comes to our annual Christmas party, we pull out all the stops on fun.
Our discussion group leader hosts the event every year as a motivator to get all her Christmas decorating done. She’s got a high ceilinged family room to display a beautiful 14-17’ tree which she amazingly decorates all the way to the top. It is into this festive display that we all settle ourselves among chairs and sofas (and even on the floor), after having dipped into the sampling of holiday goodies and beverages our host has conjured up for us. Once we’ve all got a seat, we attempt to seriously discuss our book for the month. This year we read The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans. Each December we plan to read an easy, usually sappy Christmas story, because you know we’re really not there for the book this month. Within the span of about 15 minutes we discuss and dispense with the book because we’re on onto better things. In December, the St. Andrew Book Club becomes a den of thieves. And we love it.
The highlight of our annual Christmas party is supposedly the gifts….and the stealing of gifts. Many of you may have engaged in this little game. Everyone brings a wrapped gift of $15-$25 and each person picks a number, 1 to 17 in this case. The first person selects a gift from the pile of brightly colored packages. That becomes “the mystery gift” which does not get opened until the very last person has chosen a gift. The person holding the “mystery gift” at the end gets to open and keep that present. During the game, in the course of their turn, everyone else has the option of stealing the mystery gift, one of the already opened gifts (and then that person would choose another gift), or selecting from the pile of unopened gifts.
Now, you see how this could go on and on so we’ve instituted a “3 steal rule” meaning no gift (except the mystery gift) can be stolen more than 3 times. If you are the 3rd thief, then you keep the gift. This year the most desired items were a felt snowman door draft stopper (from Kohl’s, I believe), a set of about 15” tall sculpted Christmas trees (from JC Penney, I believe) and a huge, ceramic, metallic-finish garden frog and garden tools (not sure where it was from). You never know what the hot item will be each year. It’s fun just to reflect on that! What an odd bunch we can be!
While you might think, “How terrible, church women stealing gifts from each other,” the reality is that this is just plain fun as everyone knows each other very well and we all bring great gifts. Usually every gift is a keeper or highly desired item. I usually begin watching the sales early in the Christmas shopping season to find a really great gift at such a great discount that it’s usually worth at least double our suggested gift price.
By the end of the evening we have laughed so hard, and enjoyed each other’s company so much that no one leaves without a big smile on their face and a feeling of “I love being with these people.”
It might be the Book Club Christmas party, but it’s not about the book. And…it’s not about the gift, no matter how much fuss we make over whatever the most coveted item to “steal” might be. It’s about the fellowship that we share. The fellowship that surrounds the women of this Book Club is built, not upon an annual Christmas party, but upon monthly book discussion gatherings and weekly Sunday worship. It is this year-long investing in the care of each other that builds our community of faith and friendship and allows us to “steal” from each other and have a riotously fun time doing it.
It is the fellowship that we share, beginning at the communion table each Sunday and transcending worship into our daily lives, which makes us St. Andrew. Come and see for yourself.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Even An Old Station Wagon Can Have a Purpose in God's Plan
There are so many days when I find myself wondering what on earth God’s plan is for me. I ponder it rather frequently these days as I don’t really feel like I know what path I’m supposed to be traveling. Sometimes I get little epiphanies of enlightenment, like the other day when I was posting the road signs for our Live Nativity.
Now lest you think this is a job I love to do, let me say that there are two sign locations that absolutely gave me anxiety due to their rather perilous traffic locations (but rather good visibility from a marketing perspective). Envision a 44 year old woman carrying a 3’ by 4’ metal sign on 6’ sign posts over her head so she can see the traffic, across two lanes of state highway or busy county road to stand and tie this advertisement to a telephone pole or light post in prime traffic visibility. Now stop laughing and let’s get back to the subject…Clearly God has jobs for me to do at St. Andrew, and one of them involves directing our Live Nativity. One of the facets of publicizing this event is the updating and posting of road signs. At the time we designed and ordered them, we somehow picked a size that would fit in the back of my station wagon. I thought nothing of how the Holy Spirit moved me to not choose a larger size for either the signs or the posts but happily they fit into the mom-mobile. Each year I order new vinyl numbers to update the dates. I then load them into my car. I’ve been running around each year posting these things at their standard places around town around 10-12 days before the event. Then, I go back out on the day after the Live Nativity and take them all down.
However, last week I was suddenly struck with the thought that I almost didn’t have an appropriate vehicle for this purpose this year. Our car is a 2001 Ford Taurus station wagon with over 120,000 miles on it. Our daughter had been driving it around last year, but we were having a few problems with it that we weren’t sure were worth fixing. We debated doing the repairs…and then the oil light came on. Our mechanic gave it a rather expensive diagnosis, but considering the age of the car, suggested we trade it in or sell it for parts. After nursing it along for a few weeks, keeping local, and saying a few prayers, we purchased a new used car (how’s that for oxymoron?) from a friend and were ready to get rid of the wagon, as my needs for a wagon were no longer valid. I am mostly done transporting multiple kids, including Girl Scout troops and all their cookies.
But God clearly had more plans for our old station wagon, because the oil light mysteriously went out, puzzling more than just our mechanic. We fixed the few repairs needed and it’s been running just fine ever since. It’s as if God gave it a new life because it actually seems to be running pretty darn well for a 10 year old car that’s taken the abuse of a lot of camping, vacations, and kids, kids, kids being schlepped all over His creation.
Fast forward to December 2010 and our upcoming Live Nativity. As I installed the signs to promote this year’s event, St. Andrew’s Christmas Gift to the community, I thought about how God does really work in mysterious ways, and how even a station wagon can have a God-given purpose. This only goes to show that God will use us and our “stuff” for His plans, whether we’re aware of it or not. Even a station wagon can be fit to His purpose. I’m guessing that when it really does come time for this car to be truly retired, God will provide another vehicle to carry the messages of our Live Nativity and serve this purpose for Him…and maybe even a new “poster of the signs.”
So if you’re driving around Parsippany and see “Live Nativity” signs come and see what all the fuss is about. Come and hear a story about how God has used the most unlikely of people to change the world. Then perhaps it won’t be such an unlikely thing to think that God might have a purpose for a trusty old station wagon…or maybe even a purpose for you and for me.
Live Nativity
Saturday & Sunday
Dec. 11 & 12
4:30 - 8:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973-887-6713
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
