ADVENT 25 - Advent Note

Written by: Marya Mendelsohn

One of the perks of growing up in a Jewish and Christian home is the holidays–you get double. This is especially exciting when they overlap, such as Christmas and Hanukkah. And before anyone asks, no, my brother and I did not get double the presents. But we did get both latkes and Christmas turkeys. And we got both a menorah and an advent wreath. Evenings at the Mendelsohn house were ablaze with fire in December. If it was a Friday night, we added two sabbath candles. And sometimes if the calendar aligned just right, we would have as many as 15 candles alight on our table. The people in darkness most definitely saw a great light!

The whole experience was vivid, joyous, and terrifying. But isn’t that what the first Christmas was? When we remember those days of the coming of our Lord, the shepherds were terrified at the sight of the angels whose first words to them were: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” Luke 2:10. But they were also awed and told everyone of what they had seen. Mary was troubled at the news the angel brought her and was told: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” Luke 1:30. And later she rejoices with her cousin Elizabeth. Joseph too needed reassurance about taking Mary as his wife: “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife” Matthew 1:20. As God works his will through the world, it is memorable, it is exciting, it is beautiful–but it is also terrifying to us in our human imperfections. And so our gracious and generous God, who knows our frailty and terror, constantly reminds His people that they need not be afraid.

So this Christmas: May all the joy and diminished terror of the season be yours. Our God is on the move.

ADVENT 24 - Remember

(Originally Posted December 26, 2018)

It’s easy to make Christmas into a marathon event. Instead of celebrating the birth of our Savior you celebrate the completion of “To Do” lists. You didn’t get to enjoy dinner because you were too busy solving an eggnog crisis. You were so worried about whether or not Aunt Suzy likes her Instant Pot™ that you completely miss the thoughtful gift she gave you. You went to bed late because you wanted to get a jump on writing thank you cards. Doing all these things can be good when done in a healthy way. Too often we lose the meaning of Christmas in the activity of Christmas. However, you can slow down take a deep breath and remember.

The birth of Jesus was a turning point for all of humanity. The things he would teach, the people he would lead, and the ultimate sacrifice he would make set the world on a path towards a new creation. The hope is that when we realize what the birth of Jesus means we are all able to sing Mary’s song (The Magnificat) from Luke 1:46-55

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Now, it’s the day after Christmas, wrapping paper has been cleaned, dishes have been done, and hopefully you woke this morning refreshed from a day of rest. Then the record scratches, vacation ends, and you’re going straight back to work. And once again you are overwhelmed by To Do lists. But just like you go back to the fridge for one more bite of leftover Christmas dinner you can go back to the story of Christ’s birth to remember that a savior came for you. You don’t have to do this all on your own.

Merry Christmas!

ADVENT 23 - Christmas Begins

(Originally Posted December 22, 2021)

Luke 2:16-20 16 And [the shepherds] went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Christmas as a big annual celebration is something that we take for granted as something that has been around forever. However, celebrating the birth of Christ by gathering with close friends and family, giving gifts, and feasting together is only about 800 years old. For the first 1200 years of the Christianity the greatest feast or holiday, the holiest of days, was Easter. Holy week and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus was the single most important event in the life of the church and the people following Jesus. 

Then, in the 13th century St. Francis of Assisi declared that we didn’t need to wait for God to love us through the cross and resurrection. Francis intuited that it was God taking on flesh, his very incarnation set in motion our salvation. God became flesh—materially and physically. We didn’t need to wait for “Good Friday” or “Resurrection Sunday” to solve the problem of human sin, the problem was solved from the beginning. And thereafter, Christmas became the greatest feast and holiest of days in the Christian church, because as soon as God came to humanity and took on flesh himself, the solution was set in motion, from the very beginning. 

And this is something the shepherds, the first witnesses, experienced. They were just living their normal lives and then experienced something astonishing. During this season we are reminded that we have a God that loved us enough that he sent his only son to join us in the struggle that is life on Earth. As you sit in awe and wonder at the glory of Christ’s birth, I hope it inspires you, as it did the shepherds, to tell people about the hope that you have, and inspire you to return glorifying God for all that you have seen and heard. 

Merry Christmas!

ADVENT 22 - The Year of Hope

(Originally Posted December 23, 2020)

Most of the world has not had a great year. Since we care about our neighbors many of us have surrendered traditions that, any other year, have been guaranteed: trips, holidays, or any number of things we do without questioning because “we always do that.” This year however we have been required to wait and put our hope in a future where the world could get back to something that resembles normal.

This year Christmas feels different. Time has seemed to pass in random fits and spurts. Weren’t we just complaining about summer heat yesterday, and now it’s Christmas! How did that happen? The days are long, but the months feel short. Be that as it may, in just a few days we celebrate the birth of Christ, the savior of the world.

As Christians we have been looking towards a future hope for a long time. We look forward to a time when God will strive to put right what once went wrong. Sadly, that time isn’t here yet, but at Christmas we celebrate the start, the time when God so loved us that He sent His only son to take on flesh and save us all from ourselves.

Until that time comes when all is put right, we must do our best to hold fast to hope and live up to what Paul describes as the marks of a true Christian in Romans 12:10-13:

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

This year that has been 2020 has not been easy or fun for most of us. However, there are people that will mark this year as the best they have ever had. Whatever your year has looked like we can all join together in celebrating our future hope.

Merry Christmas!

ADVENT 21 - Christmas Traditions

What Christmas traditions are your favorite? Is it getting together with Family? How about putting up decorations or cutting down your own tree? Maybe it’s the music, a certain meal, or if you’re like me, maybe it’s the gifts! When you think back what are some of your favorite memories? 

I remember when I was younger me and my 3 older siblings were able to open two presents on Christmas eve, each from a relative that lived far away. My mom would dig out a special house phone with a speaker on it (used only for this occasion) and we would call, sing them Silent Night, Away in a Manager, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Then we would give a play-by-play color commentary as we tore off the wrappings and describe the gift underneath. It was a great way to stay connected to them and something we looked forward to every year. As we grew up that tradition faded. We started families of our own and chose to keep some of our traditions and create new ones.

If you ask Webster, it will tell you that traditions are “the handing down of information, beliefs, or customs from one generation to another”. I specifically love the idea of how traditions connect us past and future generations. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Paul writes, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” What traditions is Paul referencing? This book addresses persecution, Jesus' return, and our need to remain faithful, reminding us that what we hope for shapes what we live for. Traditions can serve as a reminder of truth and give us something steadfast to hold onto in a world of confusion.

Years later the importance of traditions still hold true. Hanging up decorations and opening presents are not bad things. But do our traditions reflect the true meaning of the season? Now I’m not suggesting you undergo a “Joanna Gaines” type overhaul of your Christmas routine. But maybe there is some room for change. How did you spend this Holiday growing up? How do you spend it now? What information, beliefs, or customs do you want your family and future generations to take with them? Maybe this year you bring back and old tradition, tweak a current one, or usher in something new.

Merry Christmas!!!

ADVENT 20 - Advent’s History

Historians can trace the observance of Advent, the time leading up to Christmas, back to at least 480.  For more than 1,500 years Christians have set apart the month before Christmas to focus on the coming of the Messiah.  It was a time to turn to God recalling His coming in flesh, and also to pray for Him to come again.  They said special advent prayers, lit candles, and added another day of fasting to their spiritual practices.  It is only in the last hundred or so years that the time before Christmas has focused instead on finding gifts and indulging in food-related pleasures, becoming the frantic, over-scheduled, pressured Christmas season we know today.  I am contrary enough to think that just because some choose to adopt the modern way, it doesn’t mean I have to follow along if it isn’t feeding my soul and bringing me closer to my loving Father. 

Many churches have liturgies that are said during Advent.  These prayers have changed very little over hundreds of years.  As we say them, we join not just with the larger church on earth today longing to see the return of our Lord.  We also join with our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and now worship in the throne room of God.  It is one of the ways I find to connect with the “communion of saints” we speak about in the Apostles Creed as we run our segment of the race. 

One of the older prayers for advent to contemplate:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light,
now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility;
that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge both the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

ADVENT 19 - What Do You Want For Christmas?

(Originally Posted December 20, 2017)

What do you want for Christmas?

Sometimes I feel like I’m not very good at Christmas. The true meaning stuff—Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Angels, and shepherds—I have down pretty well. It’s the other stuff like presents and decorating where I feel I fall short. It’s especially hard when I’m asked the question, “what do you want for Christmas?” I never know what to say.

When you’re very young, answering this question is easy. You just list every toy you’ve ever seen in a commercial, heard your friends talk about, or read about in a book. You have no hesitation in shooting for the moon, “this year, I want a rocket ship to fly me to candy island where I get to ride ponies and pick out my very own puppy.” As you get older you get more realistic and learn to prioritize so you push for the one thing you want the most rather than giving a list of options.

Now that I’m an adult I never know what to say, if there is something that I really want or need I just go and buy it myself. My Christmas list devolves into things I happen to need in December. “Dear Santa, I guess this year I want some windshield wipers and a new pair of snow boots.” It doesn’t have the same excitement it did when your day was made by playing with the box of the toy your parents scoured five different stores to find.

Don’t get me wrong there are still mind-blowing, thoughtful gifts that we can get from our loved ones, but the real joy is found in the giving. Every once in a while, you get to experience giving someone the perfect gift. The look on their face is worth any trouble you went to, to find it. It doesn’t even need to be a thing. This year I’m surprising my Mom by showing up out of the blue on Christmas Eve. (She may have just found out).

Near the end of the year grace and peace seem to permeate even the hardest of hearts. We are able to step back and can be happy because those around us are happy. This is the Biblical meaning of Christmas. Everything goes back to giving. God gave us His son, Jesus, and Jesus would give his life for our salvation.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

This year give cheerfully
Merry Christmas

ADVENT 18 - HOLIDAY CONFLICT

Holidays are a wonderful time to come together. And where friends, and more often families, come together, you are sure to encounter conflict. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” 

In the surrounding passage, Jesus is going through the foundations of Hebraic Law and contrasts the understanding of the day with how we should understand them as followers of Christ. I want to focus on this idea of peacemaking and dispel some myths.

First, let’s define a term. Blessed is the recognition of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. Peacemaking is NOT the absence of conflict. Peacemaking in the Bible is never to be confused with inaction. Peacemaking is not avoiding strife. Peacemaking is not simply appeasing all parties. We must remember that glossing over problems, acting as if everything is alright when it is not, is not being a peacemaker.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘peacemaker’: a person who tries to persuade people or countries to stop arguing or fighting and to make peace. It has become increasingly more difficult to create peace in our very divided society. In his book, Not in it to Win it, Pastor Andy Stanley writes, “How we treat, talk about, respond to, and care for one another is the identifying mark of a genuine Jesus follower. Not what we believe.”

We shouldn’t enter conversations with loved ones this Christmas season trying to defeat or convince them. This will not lead to the peacemaking Jesus preaches about.

Peacemaking can be messy and difficult. It takes time and emotional energy. Jesus, our example of a peacemaker, established healing relationships of peace using the example of his relationship with the Father. We will fail, and we will get bruised, but we are to love one another.

Often, I find myself wanting to simply react and often not in the most edifying manner. Next time you hear or read something that bothers or upsets you think of this acronym: ENATA. Before you respond, ask yourself is what you want to say Effective, Necessary, Accurate, Timely, and Appropriate? If you cannot answer yes to these, perhaps you should just listen and not add to the noise and vitriol. Remember, God is the God of Peace (Hebrews 13:20) and Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) when we are peacemakers, we are partaking of God’s nature.

ADVENT 17 - Gifts

Receiving a thoughtful gift can be great. Knowing that someone intentionally purchased something with you in mind brings feelings that you will cherish for a long time. But sometimes, accepting a gift can come with risks – especially the most meaningful ones. For example, people invite us into the gift of friendship. Accepting friendships brings in many major risks. Friends can hurt us with their words, let us down, or even stab us in the back. So, if we are afraid of the risks, sometimes we will turn down the gift.

I think we often forget the risks involved in Mary receiving the gift of carrying the Messiah in her womb. Sure, she would become the mother of the eternal King, but she was also an unmarried virgin. If she became pregnant before she and Joseph were married, what would that mean for her, her family, Joseph, and her place in the community? That doesn’t even include the pain a mother would endure in watching her son be rejected, mocked, and crucified. We clearly see the blessing of being favored for the role of being the mother of Jesus, but we tend to forget all that she was willing to lose for this gift. She risked divorce, loneliness, rejection, and social shame.

What is it that helped Mary accept this gift even with all of the risks? I think we find that answer in her response to the angel in Luke 1:38.

“I am the Lord’s servant…” Mary’s acceptance and confidence in her status as being a beloved servant in the house of God is what gave her power to accept a gift with such great risks. Mary only received this gift from God, accepted the risk, and enjoyed its blessings because she trusted the goodness of her God. Otherwise, she may have never seen this as a gift at all.

The greatest gifts that God offers us can also come with the greatest risks. We can only receive them when we root ourselves in an identity of being a loved servant of God. In this Christmas season, is there a gift that God is offering you that comes with some potential risks?

ADVENT 16 - Couldn’t Miss This One This Year

(Originally Posted December 16, 2020)

“'Bah, humbug" no, that's too strong
Cause it is my favorite holiday
But all this year's been a busy blur
Don't think I have the energy
To add to my already mad rush
Just cause it's 'tis the season

This is the opening of “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses, the only (famous) new wave Christmas song. And though it was written almost 40 years ago I think these lines might be more relatable than ever in the year that has been 2020. There has been a weird sense this year that the days are long, but the months are fast. Back in March we thought we’d hunker down for a little while, then we blinked, and now it’s Christmas time. Without hitting the normal rhythms or milestones of the year it can be hard to just switch on our festive face and get ready to celebrate.

It’s easy for Christmas to become a checklist of things to do. Put up a tree? Check. Hang lights? Check. Buy presents? Check. Recognize that born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord; a Savior who will save his people from their sins. Maybe check?

One of those seems a little more important that the others. This year, this 2020, though it has been awful for many valid reasons, the year when all we want is to rest from the stress and anxiety and chaos we have been feeling, ends with a reminder of hope to come. Hope born in a manger and wrapped in rags. I pray that you can look to that hope and find the strength to celebrate the true meaning of this season.

Paul prays for us in Ephesians 3:14-21,

“14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

ADVENT 15 - Rejoice!

(Originally Posted December 18, 2019)

Isaiah 25:9 It will be said on that day “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

This is part of a prophesy found in Isaiah 25. The whole chapter is focused on how the Lord will protect His people and destroy those that would seek to harm them. He will gather his people on a mountain to feast on rich food and well-aged wine. He will swallow up death forever and will wipe the tears from our faces.

With imagery like this it’s easy to see how Jesus’s appearance on the scene would confuse people. They all thought that the prophesies all pointed to this Superman™ type character that would be holding a sword and lead an army to destroy all their oppressors. They thought the coming kingdom would be royalty with vast land and fortresses. An Earthly kingdom of might and power crushing all who would oppose them with an iron fist!

However, what arrived was a baby. Not even a royal baby, or a kid born to a connected family. From the outside Jesus was just a normal kid born to a normal family. Maybe people close to them knew the “scandal” of how Mary was with child before the marriage, but many people could chalk that up to “kids these days” shenanigans.

An unremarkable kid born to an unimportant family would change the world. The people who heard the prophesy of Isaiah were thinking about a revolution of might and power. But Jesus came to start a revolution of the mind, a revolution of the heart, and a revolution of the spirit. The world doesn’t change, people change.

Jesus commandeers expectations. Anytime we want to put Him in a box and say, “this is how I’ve always done, and this is how I always will do it,” Jesus comes along and tells us that we’ve been called to more. Jesus came as the savior of the world, but he didn’t come in the way anyone expected it. He came with love instead of the sword.

How can we be glad and rejoice in his salvation?

ADVENT 14 - And Presents On The Tree…

(Originally Posted December 19, 2018)

Every year I look forward to when I can play Christmas music at home, in my car, and the office. I particularly love the classics like Bing Crosby, Vince Guaraldi, Bobby Darin, and Perry Como. One holiday standard that has been covered by pretty much every artist is, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and I love every version 

A line that stands out to me says, “and presents on the tree.” As a child I thought this was simply incorrect as I only ever saw presents under the tree. One theory is that prior to the use of wrapping paper gifts were, in fact, hung on the tree. As often happens, when was researching I fell down an internet rabbit hole learning about various customs and histories from all over the world related to Christmas trees.

For a long time, Christmas trees were banned. This seems crazy today, as the Christmas tree has become the universal symbol of the holiday. Christian missionaries forbade their converts from using trees because it reminded them of some ancient cultures that brought trees indoors and decorating them to honor their gods.

For Christians Martin Luther is widely credited as bringing the Christmas tree to its favorable position today. On a walk in the woods, Luther was struck by the beauty of the snow laden branches of the evergreens. He realized that trees are at the heart of the gospel story. 

What he observed was that a Savior was born and placed in a wooden manger. Before he started his ministry, tradition says, he was a carpenter. He lived his life knowing he would be nailed to a tree outside Jerusalem thirty-three years later. Jesus the Holy one, pure as driven snow, carried our sins and took our punishment so we can be forgiven by God’s grace. 

During this time of year, we can get so focused on giving and receiving perfect gifts from under the tree that we forget about the greatest gift of all. This year let’s remember that the best gift ever given was not placed undera tree but was hung on one. Paul says 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

ADVENT 13 - Heralding Christmas

(Originally Posted  December 15, 2021)

I have a pastor friend who was given an amazing deal 12 years ago on a then 7-year-old car. He keeps it clean, but at the same time it’s not going to turn any heads driving down the road. What does turn heads is the key. You see this nearly 20-year-old car is a Lexus, and when people see the keys, they make all kinds of assumptions. However, he knows the truth, his family has this car because someone helped them out when they needed a vehicle. His car key portrays an image about him that isn’t true.

Image is something that people think about a lot this time of year. Whether you feel the need to put on a merry face when you’re not really feeling it, or you spend hours crafting a Christmas card photo that lets your family appear perfect. No one ever snaps a photo of a Tuesday afternoon when the house is a wreck, laundry is not done, and someone is fighting about their homework. Reality is too messy.

However, this mess is exactly what Jesus entered into when he came to Earth. He could have come in as a conquering king but chose to come in as a weak fragile infant, to come and experience the difficulty and triumph that is being a person who lives with and among other people. When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they didn’t say, “JESUS IS COMING, LOOK BUSY!” Luke 2 tells us they said,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

The shepherds heard the good news and went to go check out what was happening. They didn’t clean themselves up. They didn’t make sure everything was perfect. God wanted to meet them the same way he wants to meet you: just as you are. No pretense, no perfection.In this season, drop the image and let God draw you in.

ADVENT 12 - Just What I Wanted?

(Originally Posted December 12, 2018)

Sometimes there is a big gap between what the Christmas the commercials promise and the Christmas we experience. Despite the music and festivities, this can be a difficult season for many. Some folks experience “Christmas blues,” finding the holidays to be a time when they’re particularly vulnerable to depression. And then there’s the “Christmas hangover,” (not the one caused by too much eggnog) it’s the one that hits after the presents are opened, the stockings are empty, the meal is over, and we find ourselves thinking, “Is that it?” We can find it all very anti-climactic.

The Christmas blues and the Christmas hangover come together when expectations meet reality. We build up anticipation to a level that can’t possibly be met. We have plenty of help building these expectations. Social media, TV commercials and department stores paint the picture that our loneliness will be turned into joy when the gifts we want so badly ultimately satisfy us.

The problem is that we can’t possibly meet these unrealistic expectations. Sometimes instead of families coming together and bonding, they just come together and argue. There are times you get everything on your list and still you feel empty. Maybe this season is lonely because you have lost a loved one.

If we can feel this as believers, imagine what it’s like for someone who has yet find the real meaning of Christmas. Beneath plastic smiles and obligatory “cheer,” these can be dark, difficult times for those who have yet to meet the Savior, the one whom the season is about.

The thing we need to remember is that many people are searching for what Christians already have. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:23-24 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. 

We give gifts to not only commemorate the gifts brought to baby Jesus, but they also remind us of the gift of God’s Son to save us from our sins. Mild He lays His glory by; born that men no more may die! Let that be the carol you hold on to this Christmas. We have been given the gift of eternal life and ultimate peace.

ADVENT 11 - Turn on the Light

True confession: I’m afraid of the dark. My overactive imagination invents all kinds of hairy, vicious, stinging phantoms ready to attack me in the night. Perhaps that stems from my childhood when to be asked to retrieve an item from the dryer in our unfinished basement meant tiptoeing into a labyrinth of darkness, a place where no daylight ever shined. The only switched light source came from a dim stairway bulb, and the laundry area was waaay back in a corner. Experience taught me how to navigate this dungeon: Pray, run, hop to grab the first pull chain - LIGHT! Breathe… pray, run, run, run past my brother’s darkroom, lunge, and hop to grab the second pull chain. Phew! Retrieve the item and reverse the process, which was never half as bad leaving the darkness behind while walking into light. 

Zechariah knew something about the transformative power of light. On the 8th day of his son John’s life, he regained his speech and burst into a prophetic song, a mash-up of prophecies from Isaiah, Malachi, Psalms and Proverbs.

                                    “...And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

to give knowledge of salvation to his people

    in the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God,

    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79

What a picture of God’s heart! It is by God’s tender mercy that He sends His Light into the world, so that those living in darkness no longer need to fear. Ever since the Babylonian exile, the people of Judah had been waiting for God’s presence to return to Jerusalem. Though back in their homeland, they were still in darkness. Zechariah sees the coming of Messiah as an answer to the years of longing for God’s presence among them again. If those who knew God were in the dark, how much more so were the nations who surrounded them living in darkness, “without hope and without God in the world”? (Eph.2:12)

Enter: Jesus, the Son, the radiance of God’s glory (Heb.1:3), who illuminates the world with the knowledge of God and His ways, leading us to repentance and offering forgiveness. We don’t need to fear the night, or dark scary basements. The Living Word is a lamp to our stumbling feet that guides us into paths of peace. Real wholeness andshalom. We just need to turn on the Light. Phew!

ADVENT 10 - Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum

(Originally Posted December 9, 2020)

Generally speaking, I’m a bit of a Christmas music Scrooge. If it wasn’t for Halloween and the Monster Mash holding back the tide, I fear we would be inundated with the same five Christmas carols from Labor Day through New Year’s. Don’t get me wrong I love celebrating the birth of Christ. Unfortunately, everywhere you go you hear slightly different versions of those same 30 songs they wrote in the 1950s about Santa and chestnuts.

One song that was the focus of my ire until recently was “Little Drummer Boy.” I admit I didn’t like it because I misunderstood it. My assessment was of a kid that showing up to the manger and thinking, “what do babies like? Drum solos!” and then he wails away. However, if I had bothered to read the lyrics, I would have seen a much deeper and relatable story.

The Drummer Boy arrives at the same time as the Wise Men and saw the lavish gifts they offered. They brought luxurious things like frankincense and myrrh and actual gold. The Drummer Boy felt low because he didn’t have anything fancy like that, nothing fit to give a king. But he had his time and his talents, so he gave our newborn king the most important gift of all: his best.

As followers of Christ this is all we are called to give. There will be people who have more, more time, more money, more talents, but our focus need only be on what we have and how we use it. As we cheerfully give of our time and talents, however vast or meager they maybe, we become a beacon to the world shining a light and directing glory towards God.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus tells us, 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

People will notice how we use what we have. Even if all you have is a drum solo the king will smile at you because he knows you have given your best.

ADVENT 9 - I Don’t Like That Answer

(Originally Posted December 5, 2018)

How many times have you wanted something and just knew that it was yours? You can see it. You can picture that thing as being a part of your life. You think, “God wants me to have the desires of my heart.” And I really really want it, so God obviously wants me to have it. Then you find out that no, that thing, that job, that person, that house is NOT yours.

Writer Lewis Carroll, once said, “I have had prayers answered—most strangely so sometimes—but I think our Heavenly Father's loving-kindness has been even more evident in what He has refused me.” Hearing “no” doesn’t sit well with us. Think about being a kid and being told no. When you’re young you only see the prevention side, “no” is a barrier. As we mature however, “no” can become a gateway to better living. “No, do not touch that electrical outlet.” “No, don’t touch that hot stove.” “No, may not play in the middle of the street,” etc. Too often, we see only the prevention and not the protection.

At the end of King David’s life, he expresses a desire to build a house for the Lord. “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent” (2 Sam. 7:2; 1 Chron. 17:1). A passion arises in David to construct a temple for God—not for David’s renown but for the worship, honor, and glory of the almighty God. It’s a good desire, and the prophet Nathan even confirms his aspirations, saying, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you” (2 Sam. 7:3; 1 Chron. 17:2). 

David desired the good thing of constructing the Lord’s temple, but God had a better plan. God promises David that even though David would not build the temple he would raise up his offspring, Solomon, who would usher in a reign of peace and prosperity in God’s kingdom. 

When our friends receive a “no” we like to throw out the old saying, “When God closes a door, he opens a window.” What if he just wants you to be content in the room you are in?

How do you persist in seasons like this? Pray to be content in the room of quiet faithfulness. Pray to be okay with not knowing everything the future holds. Pray to be okay when you hear no, understanding that His deliverance of you is secure forever by the life of Christ. He might have said “no” to you in one thing, but we can rest in the eternal “yes” of Christ. And that’s the most important yes, we need. God doesn’t always open a window after He closes the door, but we can still praise him in the hallway.

ADVENT 8 - Rushing

(Originally Posted December 8, 2021)

We have a lot of traditions around this time of year. Some change and some remain steadfast. Our favorite Christmas songs come and go and favorite Christmas meals might change, but there is one tradition that has stood the test of time from the very beginning: traveling during the holidays. Mary and Joseph did it then, and we do it now. Whether you’re just going across town, across the country, or across the world, there is an excitement mixed with angst that comes with traveling during this time of year.

The traffic is bad, the airport is crowded, or you’re riding a donkey while you are “great with child” it all gets in the way of your ultimate goal of being at your destination. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to take care of some business. They didn’t know that while they were there, they would bring the greatest gift of all time into the world, much less that they would do it in someone’s shed.

Luke 2:4-8

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

This time of year, it is easy to get so focused on where we want to go that we forget to recognize where we are. Are the decorations perfect? Is my Christmas card perfect? Did I buy all the right gifts? Jesus, who lived a life of love and humility, began in the most humble of circumstances: wrapped in rags and laying in a feeding trough. He didn’t need to be born in a palace to grow up and change the world.

Don’t reach the end of December only having a credit card bill to remind you of what happened. Don’t run to have the perfect holiday. Run to be closer to Jesus. Run to be more like Jesus.

ADVENT 7 - Matthew 1:6 - And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah…

(Originally Posted December 11, 2019)

A hilarious suggestion popped up on my news feed the other day: extending the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The rationale was that there needed to be more than one month between family get togethers.

We can probably all relate to that sentiment, at least for a couple of weeks following one of these events. Of course, the hope is that over time the bad memories will fade and only the good ones will remain. Most of the time we forget about the fights and the political discussions (disagreements) and who did what to whom and we end up remembering that, when it comes right down to it, we really do love these crazy people we call family.

Over a long period of time, we tend to scrub our history of negativity even further. I recently went down a family-tree rabbit hole on ancestry.com. The old boat manifests and birth certificates that the software could find didn’t really give me much info other than that a former-relative existed; I had to fill in the rest of the details myself. With each new connection the program found, I imagined that the person lived a life filled with adventure and intrigue, faithfulness, and righteousness. It probably wasn’t true, but I certainly didn’t want to consider that I might have a few bad seeds in my family tree.

Matthew does just the opposite when he is recording Jesus’ family tree. He makes a special effort to include the bad seeds. This remark about David is case-in-point: in case anyone had forgotten, David’s son Solomon was born to Uriah’s wife. How did that happen? Well, long story short (Matthew is reminding us) David abused his power and impregnated another man’s wife before killing that man to cover it up. Yeah, that’s what Jesus’ ancestors were like.

Matthew is so intentional to include details like this because he wants us to know that these are the types of people that Jesus comes from and comes to, but I think there is another reason as well: he wants us to think about how even the people who screw up the most are still used by God for his redemptive purposes. David, despite all his flaws, was the King “after God’s own heart.” Solomon, the offspring of that otherwise hugely embarrassing error, becomes the son of the promise.

Yes, our families are probably messed up, and so are we. Matthew reminds us that Jesus’ family was not much different, and if they can be used for God’s redemptive purposes, then so can ours. Maybe that’s the reminder we need before we do it all over again and get together with them in just a couple of weeks. And that is really good news.

ADVENT 6 - Finding Shiloh

(Originally Posted December 4, 2019)

Genesis 49:10 (KJV) The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the unexpected, largely because that’s the title of this coming weeks sermon (teaser). I’ve also been thinking a lot about the word Shiloh, largely because that’s the name of the dog our family recently acquired. (I promised myself I wasn’t going to be one of those people who was always talking about their dog, but I digress.)

When the Israelites moved into the land of Canaan, God told them to put the tabernacle in the city of Shiloh. Excavations of the site in Israel have revealed that it was heavily fortified prior to the time of the Israelites, but by the time they got there the walls had crumbled and it was a relatively nondescript location. Shiloh has been translated in a lot of different ways, but basically it means a place of peace or tranquility (Think “Pleasantville”).  It may have seemed like a strange location for the very dwelling of God, but it wasn’t the city that gave the dwelling significance, it was the other way around: Shiloh meant something because it was the place of the Lord’s presence.

The other time Shiloh is mentioned is as a proper name. Jacob is giving his final blessings to his sons and the word Shiloh is used in his blessing to his son, Judah. Don’t get me started on the irony here: the dog we got for Judah was named Shiloh before we got her (providence?). A scepter is the mark of royalty; what Jacob is saying is that the royal line will not pass from the line of Judah until Shiloh appears. In most of our English bibles it is translated as something like “to the one to whom it belongs”. The point is that long before the monarchy in Israel, when David (from the tribe of Judah) would be crowned king, Jacob prophesied to his sons that there would be a Shiloh.

That Shiloh, the Messiah, was also quite nondescript. He wasn’t much to look at. Isaiah’s prophecies essentially tell us that he won’t be much to write home about. It was the fact that Jesus was the place where God dwelt among his people that gave him significance. And so, it is the thing that gives us significance.

We can either choose to think of ourselves as relatively nondescript, maybe not that special, or not that important. Maybe more of us should take that humble attitude. Yet when we remember that we are now the temple of God, that we are now the place where God dwells, we are given a significance far beyond what our humanity might suggest

I might even say that it is indeed unexpected.