Light one candle to watch for Messiah
Let the light banish darkness
He shall bring salvation to Israel
God fulfills the promise.
(reprinted under OneLicense.net license # A700392)
Well today is the first Sunday in Advent and we’ll sing the subsequent verses to this song in each approaching week as we move through Advent toward the birth of our Savior on Christmas. This Yiddish folk tune with words by Wayne Wold reminds us that even in the darkness of our lives, God has a plan and a promise for us.
The color for Advent in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is blue. I grew up in a Missouri Synod congregation and the color was purple, the color of royalty, as we saw Advent as the preparation for the coming King. I like the use of blue in the ELCA to represent the darkness of the world and the night sky, with the increasing light of the Advent candles with each successive week bringing us to a Christmas Eve filled with candlelight, when we celebrate with JOY to the World, our Savior reigns. It reminds us of the times in our lives when there seems to be nothing but the darkness, those times when we are separate from God, those times when we need a Savior to break into our darkness and bring light into our world. In this time of Advent, we prepare for the coming of our Savior, the Light of the World, as we remember the promises of God foretold to us by his prophets…Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Micah.
These are certainly times when we can often feel like our world is blanketed in darkness. Our economy is a mess, so many people are out of work, our healthcare system is in need of a bandaid (or maybe surgery), our governments (from local all the way up to federal) are rife with corruption and we see little hope of real change for a better crop of politicians with each election, our young men and women die on foreign soil in a war that seems to go on and on, our taxes eat up more and more of our incomes, and the things we buy cost more and more while our incomes stagnate or recess. Where is the light in this endless tunnel of gloom?
The Advent wreath begs us to look in its direction.
Because ...with each passing week, we get closer and closer to the answer to that question. The Light that ends the gloom is coming. It comes in the form of God’s own Son, manifest in flesh, to live among us and know our fears, worries, pains, anxieties, and hopes. He has been here. He knows what fear and pain and worry consume us. He yearns to ease our burden if we will but love Him, look to Him for our answers, and give up our fears, worries and anxieties to Him to handle, so that He can let the light in to our lives.
Come, oh come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel…
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A Life Well Lived...
A life well lived…
The Saint Andrew family mourns the loss of Carla Derner, wife of Rev. George Derner; mother of Sue Morrissey, Carl and Glen Derner and their spouses, Joy and Lisa; grandmother to Sean and Alex Morrissey, and Nicole, Jason, Jack, and Chelsea; great-grandmother to Zachary.
Carla was an avid reader and member of several book clubs, including the St. Andrew book club. She and her husband, George, were regular greeters at our Live Nativity. She was a faithful servant of God and lived her life in full appreciation of her time with her family and friends. Her joy and wit will be missed. Charitable donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, 6725 Lyons St., PO Box 7, East Syracuse, NY 13057. Her obituary can be found here:
http://www.leonardismemorialhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=57053
The Saint Andrew family mourns the loss of Carla Derner, wife of Rev. George Derner; mother of Sue Morrissey, Carl and Glen Derner and their spouses, Joy and Lisa; grandmother to Sean and Alex Morrissey, and Nicole, Jason, Jack, and Chelsea; great-grandmother to Zachary.
Carla was an avid reader and member of several book clubs, including the St. Andrew book club. She and her husband, George, were regular greeters at our Live Nativity. She was a faithful servant of God and lived her life in full appreciation of her time with her family and friends. Her joy and wit will be missed. Charitable donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, 6725 Lyons St., PO Box 7, East Syracuse, NY 13057. Her obituary can be found here:
http://www.leonardismemorialhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=57053
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Getting ready..
I'm in the midst of finishing up the crafting of about 300 ornaments for our annual Live Nativity and I've been thinking about Joseph (our featured Nativity character this year) and his relationship with Jesus. It must have been somewhat strange for Joseph to raise Jesus, the Son of God, King of Heaven and earth. I can envision it now, "Now son, I know that you want that pet lizard to live forever but things just have a normal course of life, and it's time for that thing to die now, so you have to let it go." To which a young Jesus might have said, "But dad, I can make it live!" Now how do you argue with that when your son is the Messiah?
Joseph was a faithful servant of God. By agreeing to marry Mary after learning of her pregnancy even though he had not been intimate with her, he secured a safe childhood for Jesus. He fulfilled the role of "father" by loving Jesus...protecting him by fleeing to Egypt when it was dangerous in Israel, searching for Jesus and fearful for his safety while they were in Jerusalem and he was found in dialogue with the elders in the temple, teaching him the ways of carpentry so that he could make his way in the world until God called upon him to begin his ministry at the age of 30. In all these things Joseph showed his faithfulness to God and his love for Jesus, adopting Jesus as his own son. Joseph answered God's call for him to love the child God was giving to him, even though not his own.
Thank God for men like Joseph who hear God's call and are willing to father the children around them, even if they are not their own, so that the children would know love...so that the children would know the face of God in these men.
P.S. .... A special thank you to all the people, especially Sandy, who helped prepare and assemble our Live Nativity ornament for this year. If you'd like to receive your hand-crafted "Joseph" come to our Live Nativity on Dec. 11 or 12, doors are open 4:30 - 8:00 pm.
Joseph was a faithful servant of God. By agreeing to marry Mary after learning of her pregnancy even though he had not been intimate with her, he secured a safe childhood for Jesus. He fulfilled the role of "father" by loving Jesus...protecting him by fleeing to Egypt when it was dangerous in Israel, searching for Jesus and fearful for his safety while they were in Jerusalem and he was found in dialogue with the elders in the temple, teaching him the ways of carpentry so that he could make his way in the world until God called upon him to begin his ministry at the age of 30. In all these things Joseph showed his faithfulness to God and his love for Jesus, adopting Jesus as his own son. Joseph answered God's call for him to love the child God was giving to him, even though not his own.
Thank God for men like Joseph who hear God's call and are willing to father the children around them, even if they are not their own, so that the children would know love...so that the children would know the face of God in these men.
P.S. .... A special thank you to all the people, especially Sandy, who helped prepare and assemble our Live Nativity ornament for this year. If you'd like to receive your hand-crafted "Joseph" come to our Live Nativity on Dec. 11 or 12, doors are open 4:30 - 8:00 pm.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Change is in the Air
A Time to Plant, A Time to Reap…
a Time to every purpose under heaven.
Many of you know these words as lyrics to the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds. But did you know they come from the book of the Ecclesiastes in the Bible? (Eccl 3:1-9) (Yes, not often looked upon, this book follows the book of Proverbs, which follows the Psalms, in your Bible).
We are about to enter a season of change. Leaves are changing colors. Temperatures are generally dropping, but some days are hot and others cool. Days are getting shorter, nights longer. Kids have returned to school. New schedules require new daily routines.
As a country, we also have been swept up in a sea of change. A fiscal crisis on Wall Street beginning over two years ago has upended lives from the poorest among us to the wealthiest for years to come. No one has completely avoided having to adjust to the changes in our economy and our lives. An electorate is fed up with the status quo on Capitol Hill and a Tea Party rebellion threatens to throw a national revolution in the face of the elected. Political change is potentially imminent.
In the face of all this, it seems that the most comfortable and safe thing to do is grab hold of the safety net of complacency and return to what we have always been doing, or to at least stand still where things are safe.
Church is safe. Right? It’s basically the same from week to week.
God is safe. Right? He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yes, the church and God are safe, but what we are called to be is not. Unfortunately, God does not call us to grow moss. “A time to build, a time to break down…A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together.” In all things living there is change. You can not grow unless you shed your old skin. Old fears and habits must die so that new venturing and faith will spring up. BUT, we do not need to face this change alone or in fear, because God, who never changes, is there beside us all the way and will carry us when we grow weary.
“Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
St. Andrew faces a challenging time, not unlike the rest of the world around us. BUT, standing still is impossible if we are a people of God. It is time to change…to cast away that which does not draw us closer to God, so that we can grow into the people we are called to be…so that we can reap what God has sown in this place. God has a plan for us. He will not let us fail. Open your heart and your mind to what can be and we will move forward together in faith toward a bright future, in God’s time.
“I know that whatever God does, endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has made it so…” Eccl. 3: 14
a Time to every purpose under heaven.
Many of you know these words as lyrics to the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds. But did you know they come from the book of the Ecclesiastes in the Bible? (Eccl 3:1-9) (Yes, not often looked upon, this book follows the book of Proverbs, which follows the Psalms, in your Bible).
We are about to enter a season of change. Leaves are changing colors. Temperatures are generally dropping, but some days are hot and others cool. Days are getting shorter, nights longer. Kids have returned to school. New schedules require new daily routines.
As a country, we also have been swept up in a sea of change. A fiscal crisis on Wall Street beginning over two years ago has upended lives from the poorest among us to the wealthiest for years to come. No one has completely avoided having to adjust to the changes in our economy and our lives. An electorate is fed up with the status quo on Capitol Hill and a Tea Party rebellion threatens to throw a national revolution in the face of the elected. Political change is potentially imminent.
In the face of all this, it seems that the most comfortable and safe thing to do is grab hold of the safety net of complacency and return to what we have always been doing, or to at least stand still where things are safe.
Church is safe. Right? It’s basically the same from week to week.
God is safe. Right? He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yes, the church and God are safe, but what we are called to be is not. Unfortunately, God does not call us to grow moss. “A time to build, a time to break down…A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together.” In all things living there is change. You can not grow unless you shed your old skin. Old fears and habits must die so that new venturing and faith will spring up. BUT, we do not need to face this change alone or in fear, because God, who never changes, is there beside us all the way and will carry us when we grow weary.
“Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
St. Andrew faces a challenging time, not unlike the rest of the world around us. BUT, standing still is impossible if we are a people of God. It is time to change…to cast away that which does not draw us closer to God, so that we can grow into the people we are called to be…so that we can reap what God has sown in this place. God has a plan for us. He will not let us fail. Open your heart and your mind to what can be and we will move forward together in faith toward a bright future, in God’s time.
“I know that whatever God does, endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has made it so…” Eccl. 3: 14
Monday, May 31, 2010
Are you feeling Spirit-filled?
May 23 was Pentecost Sunday. Did you feel the fire of the Holy Spirit move in your heart?
I love Pentecost. I totally get it and truly believe that when Jesus left the disciples to return to the Father, he sent his Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with us all the time. There have been times in my life when circumstances are just too wierd to believe, and I know the Holy Spirit has had a hand in my life.
This past Sunday, May 30, was Holy Trinity Sunday. On this day we reflect upon the triune nature of God...God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This concept can be really hard to believe and to reconcile with our 21st century brains, but multiple Bible passages point to this unique understanding of God.
These two Sundays, paired so closely together in the church year, help remind us that we are never alone. God the creator, father of all things, is always with us. Whether we see and feel God through the created world in which we live, feel his presence because of what we know of His Son, Jesus, and how He suffered and died for us, or suddenly find ourselves moved to doing something we didn't plan to do because of the Holy Spirit guiding our hearts and minds, God has made it clear that He is with us in one shape or another.
I think the timing is pretty neat. Here we are, about to embark upon vacations and summer travels that will likely take us away from our home congregations and support systems. And yet, the Holy Spirit has moved the powers that be in the Church that designed the liturgical year and church calendar to conveniently smack us in the face with this reminder, "You are never alone, I am always with you, for the Father is sending you the Advocate, the Holy Spirit" (paraphrase John 14:15-21)
So enjoy your vacations. Your travels may take you to some incredible vistas that will re-connect you to the awesome creative power of God. But if you feel somehow homesick, remember that the Holy Spirit is with you and let your travels be Spirit-filled. When you shine with the love of God and let the Holy Spirit guide your life, others will take notice that your life is somehow different. It is different, because you were made holy in your baptism and the Holy Spirit lives in you.
And you, child of God, are never alone. Do you feel it?
I love Pentecost. I totally get it and truly believe that when Jesus left the disciples to return to the Father, he sent his Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with us all the time. There have been times in my life when circumstances are just too wierd to believe, and I know the Holy Spirit has had a hand in my life.
This past Sunday, May 30, was Holy Trinity Sunday. On this day we reflect upon the triune nature of God...God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This concept can be really hard to believe and to reconcile with our 21st century brains, but multiple Bible passages point to this unique understanding of God.
These two Sundays, paired so closely together in the church year, help remind us that we are never alone. God the creator, father of all things, is always with us. Whether we see and feel God through the created world in which we live, feel his presence because of what we know of His Son, Jesus, and how He suffered and died for us, or suddenly find ourselves moved to doing something we didn't plan to do because of the Holy Spirit guiding our hearts and minds, God has made it clear that He is with us in one shape or another.
I think the timing is pretty neat. Here we are, about to embark upon vacations and summer travels that will likely take us away from our home congregations and support systems. And yet, the Holy Spirit has moved the powers that be in the Church that designed the liturgical year and church calendar to conveniently smack us in the face with this reminder, "You are never alone, I am always with you, for the Father is sending you the Advocate, the Holy Spirit" (paraphrase John 14:15-21)
So enjoy your vacations. Your travels may take you to some incredible vistas that will re-connect you to the awesome creative power of God. But if you feel somehow homesick, remember that the Holy Spirit is with you and let your travels be Spirit-filled. When you shine with the love of God and let the Holy Spirit guide your life, others will take notice that your life is somehow different. It is different, because you were made holy in your baptism and the Holy Spirit lives in you.
And you, child of God, are never alone. Do you feel it?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
What a beautiful day
The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, the breeze is cool, the hammock is beckoning and the puppy is asleep at my feet...this is the kind of day that makes you feel like everything is right with the world. Now that phrase gives me pause because, really, if we remember that God is in control, then everything IS right with the world. Maybe we need days like this to remember that.
At St. Andrew we've gone through the seasons of Lent and Easter talking about "fire building." We've searched our souls and lives looking for the things of which we need to let go and throw into our fire...things like our anger at petty hurts, or the things we need to move down lower on our list of priorities in order to make room for the more important things.
We've also looked at the kinds of things we need to take on...the kinds of things that will help fuel the fire that God kindles on Sunday and help keep us "Fired Up for God" throughout the week. We need to engage in prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship with each other, and making time for the people most important in our lives, and time for God. But we don't need to tackle adding these things into our lives all at once, because when you pile a log onto just kindled flames, you can smother that fire and extinguish it. If we add these elements to our lives in small increments, we can build a fire for God in our hearts that will desire to be kept alive and burning through more of those pieces of fuel that God provides. That fire in our hearts can become a bonfire that others will see and want to gather around to find out what's so special in our lives.
Today's weather reminds me of camping weather. So....whenever you're camping you've got to have a campfire, right? But I don't really need to wait for days like today to remember that God has lit a fire in my heart and kindles it every Sunday through worship, Holy Communion, and fellowship with my St. Andrew friends and family. He stokes it everyday too. I just need to be open and receptive to that Holy Spirit moving in my daily life and guiding me along the path God has set for me. I know this because He has promised to be with me always and will never let that flame ignited in me in my baptism to be extinguished...for I am a child of God.
And so are you.
At St. Andrew we've gone through the seasons of Lent and Easter talking about "fire building." We've searched our souls and lives looking for the things of which we need to let go and throw into our fire...things like our anger at petty hurts, or the things we need to move down lower on our list of priorities in order to make room for the more important things.
We've also looked at the kinds of things we need to take on...the kinds of things that will help fuel the fire that God kindles on Sunday and help keep us "Fired Up for God" throughout the week. We need to engage in prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship with each other, and making time for the people most important in our lives, and time for God. But we don't need to tackle adding these things into our lives all at once, because when you pile a log onto just kindled flames, you can smother that fire and extinguish it. If we add these elements to our lives in small increments, we can build a fire for God in our hearts that will desire to be kept alive and burning through more of those pieces of fuel that God provides. That fire in our hearts can become a bonfire that others will see and want to gather around to find out what's so special in our lives.
Today's weather reminds me of camping weather. So....whenever you're camping you've got to have a campfire, right? But I don't really need to wait for days like today to remember that God has lit a fire in my heart and kindles it every Sunday through worship, Holy Communion, and fellowship with my St. Andrew friends and family. He stokes it everyday too. I just need to be open and receptive to that Holy Spirit moving in my daily life and guiding me along the path God has set for me. I know this because He has promised to be with me always and will never let that flame ignited in me in my baptism to be extinguished...for I am a child of God.
And so are you.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New Year Ponderings
A New Year
and a fresh start…
Isn’t it interesting that the “new year” begins at a time when we have just engaged in a time of consumer excess and dietary overindulgence? We may have maxed out our credit card and eaten just a few too many holiday goodies. We are contrite about having over-extended our finances and our bellies. We enter a new year vowing to do better, making resolutions of better fiscal responsibility, dietary choices, family priorities and other areas where we constantly fall down on the job.
Flip back through your 2009 calendar and look at how you filled your days through the past year. Does it reflect the life you want to lead? Is it filled with blocks of soccer practice, business meetings and/or unfulfilling time wasters?
Right now, as you flip your calendar to a new year and a new month, think about what you want your calendar to look like and block out time for those things. Make time for worship….block out every Sunday morning. Block out ½ hour every day to spend in prayer and contemplative thought that can center your heart and mind on the things that are truly important and give you the strength and fortitude to face the day ahead of you or reflect upon the day you have just completed. Make time for Bible study…block out Wednesday evenings in Lent, Sunday morning Adult forum or Monday evenings. Block out Holy Week and Dec. 11 & 12 for our 21st annual Live Nativity.
While we look at our new 2010 calendars and imagine the possibilities of what we can do with a clean slate, I suggest that we also take a moment to remember that God gives us a clean slate with each meal of Holy Communion. Make sure that you give time for worship a high priority on your calendar, because it is that for which you were made….to worship God and be in relationship with your creator and the family of God around you. Because of the sacrifice of God’s only Son, presented to us in a manger, we can begin each week with the confidence that even when we fail to keep our New Year resolutions, there is One who loves us, walks with us daily, picks us up when we fall and sets us on the path toward the fulfilling life He designed for us.
We have just offered the Nativity story to our neighbors through our gift of the Live Nativity. Keep the message and the gift of that story ever present in your own hearts and minds as you look ahead into 2010. How will you fill your calendar this year?
and a fresh start…
Isn’t it interesting that the “new year” begins at a time when we have just engaged in a time of consumer excess and dietary overindulgence? We may have maxed out our credit card and eaten just a few too many holiday goodies. We are contrite about having over-extended our finances and our bellies. We enter a new year vowing to do better, making resolutions of better fiscal responsibility, dietary choices, family priorities and other areas where we constantly fall down on the job.
Flip back through your 2009 calendar and look at how you filled your days through the past year. Does it reflect the life you want to lead? Is it filled with blocks of soccer practice, business meetings and/or unfulfilling time wasters?
Right now, as you flip your calendar to a new year and a new month, think about what you want your calendar to look like and block out time for those things. Make time for worship….block out every Sunday morning. Block out ½ hour every day to spend in prayer and contemplative thought that can center your heart and mind on the things that are truly important and give you the strength and fortitude to face the day ahead of you or reflect upon the day you have just completed. Make time for Bible study…block out Wednesday evenings in Lent, Sunday morning Adult forum or Monday evenings. Block out Holy Week and Dec. 11 & 12 for our 21st annual Live Nativity.
While we look at our new 2010 calendars and imagine the possibilities of what we can do with a clean slate, I suggest that we also take a moment to remember that God gives us a clean slate with each meal of Holy Communion. Make sure that you give time for worship a high priority on your calendar, because it is that for which you were made….to worship God and be in relationship with your creator and the family of God around you. Because of the sacrifice of God’s only Son, presented to us in a manger, we can begin each week with the confidence that even when we fail to keep our New Year resolutions, there is One who loves us, walks with us daily, picks us up when we fall and sets us on the path toward the fulfilling life He designed for us.
We have just offered the Nativity story to our neighbors through our gift of the Live Nativity. Keep the message and the gift of that story ever present in your own hearts and minds as you look ahead into 2010. How will you fill your calendar this year?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Live Nativity
Come and see our 20th annual
Live Nativity
Saturday, Dec. 12
Sunday, Dec. 13
4:30-8:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave, Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 887-6713
Come spend a few moments with us and get your holiday heart focused on the true spirit of Christmas.15 minute continuous narratives
refreshments
an orament gift to each small group/individual
A Servant's Heart
Will you say “YES!” to God?
This is the time of year when it is so very easy to get caught up in all the trappings of holiday craziness. The desire to find the perfect gifts, make the perfect cookies, send the perfect Christmas cards, attend the right parties…all these things can easily push their way to the forefront of our minds, pushing those less tangible Christmas experiences to the recesses of our thoughts.
I imagine that Mary also thought the last thing she had time to do while planning her wedding to Joseph was to sit down and have a chat with the angel Gabriel. Yet, Mary said “Yes” to God. She risked everything … her marriage, her safety, her ties to family and community, her life. Biblical descriptions of angels, and the reaction of people to them, make me think that it would have been impossible to refuse Gabriel’s proposition anyway, but somehow Mary found the courage to say, “Yes.” Gabriel appears saying, “Do not be afraid!” Luke 1:30-31. Mary answers with, “Behold the servant of the Lord, may it be as He has proclaimed.” Luke 1:38
Keeping the things that are truly important in the front and center of our minds isn’t always easy to do when we are buffeted by worldly cares day in and day out. The thing we often fail to remember is that it is exactly those times, when we say “Yes” to God, that our lives become full of meaning, and our hearts and minds are filled with peace. This is what God desires from us, that we say “Yes” to Him and allow His love to fill our lives. God’s love is limitless and a free gift for those who accept it. When we welcome God into our lives, we can not help but share his abundant love with others. It is the nature God’s love that it should not end with us.
This Christmas, take a moment to reflect upon the ways God is asking you to say “Yes” to Him. Instead of grumbling about picking up a gift for a donation, try to shift your thoughts to the joy you will bring to a child. Instead of grousing about paying a holiday visit to your in-laws, adopt an attitude of gratitude that you have family with which to share the holiday and do not have to spend it alone. Worship. Fellowship. Relax. Enjoy each other. Share God’s love. Say “Yes” to God.
This is the time of year when it is so very easy to get caught up in all the trappings of holiday craziness. The desire to find the perfect gifts, make the perfect cookies, send the perfect Christmas cards, attend the right parties…all these things can easily push their way to the forefront of our minds, pushing those less tangible Christmas experiences to the recesses of our thoughts.
I imagine that Mary also thought the last thing she had time to do while planning her wedding to Joseph was to sit down and have a chat with the angel Gabriel. Yet, Mary said “Yes” to God. She risked everything … her marriage, her safety, her ties to family and community, her life. Biblical descriptions of angels, and the reaction of people to them, make me think that it would have been impossible to refuse Gabriel’s proposition anyway, but somehow Mary found the courage to say, “Yes.” Gabriel appears saying, “Do not be afraid!” Luke 1:30-31. Mary answers with, “Behold the servant of the Lord, may it be as He has proclaimed.” Luke 1:38
Keeping the things that are truly important in the front and center of our minds isn’t always easy to do when we are buffeted by worldly cares day in and day out. The thing we often fail to remember is that it is exactly those times, when we say “Yes” to God, that our lives become full of meaning, and our hearts and minds are filled with peace. This is what God desires from us, that we say “Yes” to Him and allow His love to fill our lives. God’s love is limitless and a free gift for those who accept it. When we welcome God into our lives, we can not help but share his abundant love with others. It is the nature God’s love that it should not end with us.
This Christmas, take a moment to reflect upon the ways God is asking you to say “Yes” to Him. Instead of grumbling about picking up a gift for a donation, try to shift your thoughts to the joy you will bring to a child. Instead of grousing about paying a holiday visit to your in-laws, adopt an attitude of gratitude that you have family with which to share the holiday and do not have to spend it alone. Worship. Fellowship. Relax. Enjoy each other. Share God’s love. Say “Yes” to God.
Monday, November 30, 2009
End Times
End Times?
There has been a lot of talk lately about the “end times” and especially about the year 2012. The new movie “2012” has fueled many discussions and news articles about the Mayan calendar and the end of the world as we know it. Does this mean the end of the world, as some fatalists and fear-mongers are proposing?
Biblical people of ancient days also feared and anticipated the “end times” as well. The Wise Men who traveled from the East to worship the newborn king, studied the stars and the prophecies and came to King Herod in search of the new king, born in Bethlehem. This new king was promised to usher in a new reign of peace for the Israelites, his very prospect a threat to the established order of power. His arrival was a portent of the end of things as Herod knew them.
Some 30 years later, John the Baptist would call followers to repent and change their ways because the Messiah was coming…they world as people knew it was going to end. Jesus’ resurrection from death did indeed bring an end to the world as people knew it. It was a cataclysmic event with soul-wrenching seismic ripples that spanned centuries, and will continue to impact the human race for an eternity to come... victory over death, salvation – bought and paid for by the sacrifice of One.
As we enter a new season of Advent, the Sunday Bible readings call us also to get ready. The shortened days and longer nights of darkness crash against our desire for light. The world awaits the coming of a new Light of the World, a new Prince of Peace, and King of Kings…one who will end the world as we know it and usher in a new world of peace and love. Advent promises the prospect of light and victory of hope. Each Christmas, we are reminded of the boundless love of a God that would send His only Son into our midst to die…God enrobed in human flesh and frailties…so that we might gain EVERYTHING and join our creator in eternal love and relationship. What God would do this? Turn everything upside down so that we might be saved from ourselves and brought into eternity with Him? This is not the world as we know it…this is the world as God knows it. What we can glimpse of the Master’s plan is but a pin prick of light when God himself IS the light.
Each one of us will face our own “end time” as we stand before our God and are judged for how well we used the gifts and talents we were given to share Christ’s love with the world. Living in fear of whether or not the world will end in a cataclysmic event is foolishness if you forget to answer God’s call and mission for your life, or if you fail to love your neighbor as yourself.
Just lay aside your fears, enter the stable, look into the manger and see the life God has promised for you…full of love, mercy, joy and the promise of the future.
St. Andrew’s 20th Annual Live Nativity
Dec. 12 & 13, 2009
4:30 – 8:00 pm
Continuous 15-minute readings of the Nativity story and how a servant’s heart can change the world. Admission is FREE. Refreshments will be served. Receive an ornament gift.
There has been a lot of talk lately about the “end times” and especially about the year 2012. The new movie “2012” has fueled many discussions and news articles about the Mayan calendar and the end of the world as we know it. Does this mean the end of the world, as some fatalists and fear-mongers are proposing?
Biblical people of ancient days also feared and anticipated the “end times” as well. The Wise Men who traveled from the East to worship the newborn king, studied the stars and the prophecies and came to King Herod in search of the new king, born in Bethlehem. This new king was promised to usher in a new reign of peace for the Israelites, his very prospect a threat to the established order of power. His arrival was a portent of the end of things as Herod knew them.
Some 30 years later, John the Baptist would call followers to repent and change their ways because the Messiah was coming…they world as people knew it was going to end. Jesus’ resurrection from death did indeed bring an end to the world as people knew it. It was a cataclysmic event with soul-wrenching seismic ripples that spanned centuries, and will continue to impact the human race for an eternity to come... victory over death, salvation – bought and paid for by the sacrifice of One.
As we enter a new season of Advent, the Sunday Bible readings call us also to get ready. The shortened days and longer nights of darkness crash against our desire for light. The world awaits the coming of a new Light of the World, a new Prince of Peace, and King of Kings…one who will end the world as we know it and usher in a new world of peace and love. Advent promises the prospect of light and victory of hope. Each Christmas, we are reminded of the boundless love of a God that would send His only Son into our midst to die…God enrobed in human flesh and frailties…so that we might gain EVERYTHING and join our creator in eternal love and relationship. What God would do this? Turn everything upside down so that we might be saved from ourselves and brought into eternity with Him? This is not the world as we know it…this is the world as God knows it. What we can glimpse of the Master’s plan is but a pin prick of light when God himself IS the light.
Each one of us will face our own “end time” as we stand before our God and are judged for how well we used the gifts and talents we were given to share Christ’s love with the world. Living in fear of whether or not the world will end in a cataclysmic event is foolishness if you forget to answer God’s call and mission for your life, or if you fail to love your neighbor as yourself.
Just lay aside your fears, enter the stable, look into the manger and see the life God has promised for you…full of love, mercy, joy and the promise of the future.
St. Andrew’s 20th Annual Live Nativity
Dec. 12 & 13, 2009
4:30 – 8:00 pm
Continuous 15-minute readings of the Nativity story and how a servant’s heart can change the world. Admission is FREE. Refreshments will be served. Receive an ornament gift.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veterans' Day
Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, 2009
Today is a day set aside for remembering those who have served this United States of America and those who are serving yet today.
Both my children are scouts, and within each of their respective pledges they promise to serve “God and my country.” While some people argue that God and government should not be intertwined, I believe that within this promise to serve both God and country, we find the makings of the most dedicated citizenry. We are called to serve God by serving our neighbors, being Christ in our communities. We can also serve our neighbors by serving our country. By protecting the rights, lifestyle and religious freedoms we enjoy as Americans, our veterans have chosen to live lives of service. They show us by their example how we can serve both God and country.
My son’s Boy Scout troop has a Flag Program, whereby subscribers to the program will have a U.S. flag posted on their front lawn on each of the five “flag” holidays, Veterans’ Day being one of those holidays. I love this program, because it forces us to remember to honor our fallen heroes (Memorial Day), our flag (Flag Day), our country and our independence (July 4th), those who work (Labor Day) and our soldiers (Veterans’ Day). Hopefully it also reminds the other neighbors on the street to post their flag. How many of us would otherwise forget to post our flag in remembrance or respect?
Our veterans have felt a call to duty to protect the values and rights we take for granted everyday, among them freedom to worship. Our Bill of Rights “prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Let us not take for granted the value of their service. Did you post your flag today?
Today is a day set aside for remembering those who have served this United States of America and those who are serving yet today.
Both my children are scouts, and within each of their respective pledges they promise to serve “God and my country.” While some people argue that God and government should not be intertwined, I believe that within this promise to serve both God and country, we find the makings of the most dedicated citizenry. We are called to serve God by serving our neighbors, being Christ in our communities. We can also serve our neighbors by serving our country. By protecting the rights, lifestyle and religious freedoms we enjoy as Americans, our veterans have chosen to live lives of service. They show us by their example how we can serve both God and country.
My son’s Boy Scout troop has a Flag Program, whereby subscribers to the program will have a U.S. flag posted on their front lawn on each of the five “flag” holidays, Veterans’ Day being one of those holidays. I love this program, because it forces us to remember to honor our fallen heroes (Memorial Day), our flag (Flag Day), our country and our independence (July 4th), those who work (Labor Day) and our soldiers (Veterans’ Day). Hopefully it also reminds the other neighbors on the street to post their flag. How many of us would otherwise forget to post our flag in remembrance or respect?
Our veterans have felt a call to duty to protect the values and rights we take for granted everyday, among them freedom to worship. Our Bill of Rights “prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Let us not take for granted the value of their service. Did you post your flag today?
Monday, November 2, 2009
Celebrating All Saints
Nov. 1, 2009
(This post is dedicated to Stani Burchartz, 1991-2006)
Today is the Festival of All Saints. All Saint’s Day is Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, but is traditionally celebrated in worship on the first Sunday in November. All Hallow’s Eve is linked to a Celtic celebration of Samhain, which recognized the end of longer days and the beginning of shorter days. It is said that the Celts believed that the boundaries between this world and the world of the dead became blurred at this time of the year, and the spirits of the dead might pass more easily between the two realms. Dressing in costume was done to ward off the bad spirits by appearing to BE an evil spirit. Historically, the Church chose this time to remember the saints.
As Lutherans, we believe we are ALL saints AND sinners. We believe in a community of saints; that as we partake in Holy Communion, our table extends beyond the concrete and physical walls of our present church out into time and space, where we are joined together with all of the living and departed family of God in an unending banquet feast hosted by Jesus Christ.
On the Festival of All Saints, we have a tradition of reading the names of those members of Saint Andrew who have died. When Pastor Fred accepted the call to pastor our congregation, he added the practice of ringing a handbell with the reading of each name. This year, we added the practice of lighting a tealight candle for each name read and then allowing the congregation to come forward and light a tealight candle for anyone they wanted to remember as a saint of God. This gives us all the opportunity to recognize those people in our lives, living or dead, who shine with the light of Jesus Christ as a saint among us.
While many of those names read each year are of people I do not know, I know some of them through the stories of their faithful ministry to this congregation. In recent years, a few names very near and dear to me have been added to this list. I find it comforting to know they will be remembered here always. The day-to-day world may move on and forget, but the Church will remember its saints.
While this act of remembrance is important, it can also be painful. Some years it is easier to hear the names of those I love and miss. Other years, like this one, I am overcome with loss and the tears well up and spill over against all my attempts to remain composed. However, it is exactly here, in this family of St. Andrew, where I am then comforted by those around me…and I am allowed to lovingly remember the beauty and faithfulness of children of God taken from us too soon. But it is also through the wonder and beauty of this Festival of All Saints, that we are reminded that our feelings of loss are but temporary, as we will one day be joined together again with our loved ones in an eternal celebration of the life and abundance of the love of God, through our Savior Jesus Christ.
(This post is dedicated to Stani Burchartz, 1991-2006)
Today is the Festival of All Saints. All Saint’s Day is Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, but is traditionally celebrated in worship on the first Sunday in November. All Hallow’s Eve is linked to a Celtic celebration of Samhain, which recognized the end of longer days and the beginning of shorter days. It is said that the Celts believed that the boundaries between this world and the world of the dead became blurred at this time of the year, and the spirits of the dead might pass more easily between the two realms. Dressing in costume was done to ward off the bad spirits by appearing to BE an evil spirit. Historically, the Church chose this time to remember the saints.
As Lutherans, we believe we are ALL saints AND sinners. We believe in a community of saints; that as we partake in Holy Communion, our table extends beyond the concrete and physical walls of our present church out into time and space, where we are joined together with all of the living and departed family of God in an unending banquet feast hosted by Jesus Christ.
On the Festival of All Saints, we have a tradition of reading the names of those members of Saint Andrew who have died. When Pastor Fred accepted the call to pastor our congregation, he added the practice of ringing a handbell with the reading of each name. This year, we added the practice of lighting a tealight candle for each name read and then allowing the congregation to come forward and light a tealight candle for anyone they wanted to remember as a saint of God. This gives us all the opportunity to recognize those people in our lives, living or dead, who shine with the light of Jesus Christ as a saint among us.
While many of those names read each year are of people I do not know, I know some of them through the stories of their faithful ministry to this congregation. In recent years, a few names very near and dear to me have been added to this list. I find it comforting to know they will be remembered here always. The day-to-day world may move on and forget, but the Church will remember its saints.
While this act of remembrance is important, it can also be painful. Some years it is easier to hear the names of those I love and miss. Other years, like this one, I am overcome with loss and the tears well up and spill over against all my attempts to remain composed. However, it is exactly here, in this family of St. Andrew, where I am then comforted by those around me…and I am allowed to lovingly remember the beauty and faithfulness of children of God taken from us too soon. But it is also through the wonder and beauty of this Festival of All Saints, that we are reminded that our feelings of loss are but temporary, as we will one day be joined together again with our loved ones in an eternal celebration of the life and abundance of the love of God, through our Savior Jesus Christ.
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