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?

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.

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

And come back to read more about Epiphany from Pastor Fred on January 6.

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

A Social Network Christmas

Can you imagine if Jesus were born in today's age of social media?

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

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 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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.

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

First Sunday in Advent

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…

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

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.

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

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?

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.

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?