Peaceably

Romans 12 is one of those chapters in the New Testament that is so densely packed with goodness that many volumes could be filled by thoroughly exploring just about any single verse. It talks about the gifts of grace. It talks about our call to be different in this world and not lost in unhealthy patterns. It calls us to be filled with love for our neighbor. It isn’t always stuff that is easy to do, but it’s all stuff that we would agree is right.

The verse that stood out to me today was Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Even at a face value, surface level reading, I think most people would agree that living peaceably is a good idea. No one wants to live in constant fear of conflict or walk on eggshells around their friends and neighbors. We want to have the freedom to be open and honest. We want to share our ideas in a way that leads to discussions not arguments.

We know that we don’t always live in a world like that, so let’s back up a step in the verse. It says, “so far as it depends on you.” This puts the responsibility on Christians to be the ones who take the hard road of kindness. We can’t control how other people react. It’s hard enough to control how we react and sometimes we don’t do that either. However, we can be the ones trying to bring peace into the world.

Now we make it all the way back to the beginning of the verse, “if possible.” This is a hugely conditional statement that expresses to us that living peaceably with absolutely everyone might not be possible. There are people that, for whatever reason, just don’t like you (for the record I think they’re wrong, and you’re great). There are people that need to work through their own inner turmoil. This doesn’t remove our responsibility to put forth the effort of living peaceably.

We can only control how we treat people. So, let’s be the people that bring peace.

Attention

My mug is kind of super gross and dirty right now. My daily cup of tea has turned the normally white mug a solid brown on the inside. This didn’t happen all at once, this is the build-up of several days of thinking, “eh clean enough,” and refilling it once again. Once I wash it (which I promise I’ll do as soon as I finish writing this) it will be pristine and white once again, but until then it’s just going to sit tea stained.

There are things in our life that are easy to neglect. Whether you are taking a principled stand of not solving someone else’s problem or you’re just focused on bigger issues there are things that can fall by the wayside and not get accomplished. Unfortunately, those things still need to get done. You need to have that conversation. You need address that repair. I need to wash my mug.

I’m sure many of us have an answer that pops into our heads when asked, “what have you been neglecting/forgetting/overlooking?” It’s easy to have a knee-jerk answer and think that we have everything covered, there is nowhere in our lives that needs work. However, 1 John 1:8-9 tells us, “8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We can all find an area in our life that could use a little work. Some may be sinful and must be addressed while others are more benign. But just because something isn’t a priority now doesn’t mean we can ignore it forever. Take some time and examine the aspects of your life that you may have been neglecting. Ask God to open your eyes to the things you need to see about yourself or about your life.

In the modern world, there are millions of things that clamor for your attention. Be sure to focus on what really matters.

Resolute

Just like that it is 2023. Feels like only 1 to 8 years ago it was 2019, and the world was full of the usual promise. There are times that we wake up and start wondering where the time all went. You have memories and experiences and feelings about your history. It definitely happened. You were definitely there. Unless you pass through an inflection point (think big change: a birth, death, marriage, move, etc.) it’s easy to just cruise through checking the boxes of existing. I went to work. I paid my bills. I sent that birthday card.

In our lives, nothing ever changes unless we decide to make a change. Certain things might be written into your genetic code like your height, your eye color, or your risk for certain diseases, but in everything else you have a say. It may not be easy; in fact, some changes will take a monumental effort on your part. In the end though, every day you put in the effort puts you one day closer to reaching your goal.

The joy and inspiration we have is that we don’t need to put in this effort alone. The writer of Hebrews 13:8-9 tells us, “8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.” We have a God who wants to see you be successful in the places where you put your effort.

We can grow and succeed, but we are also allowed to have bad days. We are allowed to fall short because we have God whose love is unchanging. When you take five steps towards your goal, God loves you. When you take two steps forward and three steps back, God loves you. When you feel like you’ve failed completely and need to start from scratch again, God loves you.

God’s love for you is unchanging. Since God is unchanging that means you can change. Pick a goal for 2023 change yourself for the better, even if it is hard.

Become resolute.

291,600 Seconds

The week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is weird. Many people use it to take a break from work to go visit family or friends. Some people desperately try to go back to work to avoid all the family and friends that came to visit. Maybe you spend it feeling thankful for the gifts you’ve been given. Maybe you spend it cruising the internet to buy yourself the gifts you “should” have been given. However, you spend your week, one thing is certain. The countdown clock for the new year is winding down to zero very soon.

What will you do? How will you spend the waning seconds of 2022? Too often we wait for the change of the calendar to be our impetus for change. As though one morning we will wake up with perfect drive and discipline. When I was in college, I would fall into the procrastination trap of “needing” to start a project right on the hour. “I will start this project at exactly 2:00pm,” but when I looked at the clock and it said, 2:07pm I’d throw up my hands and think, “Well I guess I have to wait until 3:00pm.” Or else (or else what I don’t know, I just didn’t want to start the project).

The truth is I should have probably started the project a week ago. It is never too early to do what you know is right. As followers of Christ, we have been made new. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 says, 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

From now on! Paul doesn’t say when you’re ready to start at the top of the hour. Paul doesn’t say at the stroke of midnight on the first day of January. It can start today. New Year’s Resolutions are great, but you can have New Month Resolutions. New Week Resolutions. New Day Resolutions. If you need it make a New Hour Resolution. Trust that God has called you to be a new creation whenever you start.

Happy New Year!

ADVENT 28 - Wrapping Up

(Originally Posted December 29, 2021)

Well, it looks like we made it. It’s the last week of the year, Christmas festivities are winding down, and we have one more party holiday to close out the season in New Year’s Eve. This year, 2021, has flown by faster than any year I can remember. It’s usually busyness and too much activity that makes time fly by; I never thought sameness could make that happen too. Trying to pin down when things happened, especially during the times we all stayed home, can be tricky. You need to use some memory context clues. Was it hot or cold outside? Was it sunny or rainy? Was it before or after I watched Tiger King? 

In this week, where the collective urge is to say, “That is now January me’s problem to deal with,” I hope you take some time to pause and reflect on the year—even if it feels like it barely happened. When I worked with students, we used to do an exercise called High/Low. You simple reflected on your day, your week, your month, or even your year and asked what a low point of your year was and what was a high point. You don’t need make a fancy chart and rank everything that happened you just take whatever comes to mind.

Most of us will have varying degrees of each experience, which can determine whether we view 2021 as an overall positive or negative year. If you’ve had a great year, praise God, use that joy to help encourage other people. If you’ve had a not-so-great year, that’s okay to admit also. All of us need to lean on the hope that we have that God wants to bless us and draw us closer to his glory.

1 Peter 1:2-9

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We have hope for the future! Our current circumstances test us, but we know our futures will be filled with glory. Celebrate when you can, and hold strong when you can’t.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

ADVENT 27 - Crash

(Originally Posted December 2, 2020)

I heard a story the other day about a couple, sleeping soundly in their bed, who were awakened by the terrifying crash of their neighbor’s tree tearing through the roof of their bedroom. Through no fault of their own, their night and their house were ruined. If this isn’t a metaphor for 2020, I don’t know what is. In January/February we heard about this nasty bug that was going around in Italy, and by March were all in lockdown. 

Out of nowhere this thing came along and ruined our year. Thankfully we are the people of hope, and we have someone to turn in these times of trouble. Psalm 147 says,

1 Praise the Lord. 
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.

Though we are scattered, exiled if you will, we know and can find comfort that the Lord will gather us together in the future. Though our heart breaks from cancelled plans and opportunities that feel lost, we know that our wounds can be healed. We worship a God who has counted the uncountable, and if God can know them so well how much more does God know us?

When this current trouble passes (and it will). You are not required to look back at this time fondly. The year 2020 doesn’t need to be celebrated as a time we all hunkered down to watch too many hours of television and assemble more puzzles than we have done in the previous decade. We can grieve it and grieve it together. However, in that grief we know that there is a God that will gather us from this in-home exile to be together once again.

How good it is to sing praises to our God!

ADVENT 26 - Remember, It's Christmas

(Originally Posted December 25, 2019)

Matthew 28:18-20 - “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It’s Christmas afternoon. The presents have been opened. Food has been eaten or is being prepared. Someone you know is realizing that their kid is more interested in the box than the expensive toy that came inside it. Extended family is commenting on how much someone has grown, and the weird uncle turns it into a self-deprecating fat joke. And today is the day to really settle in for a long winters nap.

Or maybe your day has been different. Maybe you’ve been so caught up in preparing for Christmas you forgot to celebrate it. Today is the day we celebrate the birth of our savior. An unimportant family had a baby in a cave and set Him in a feeding trough (if you had the same nativity set I had as a kid then you know that this made the donkey look very concerned). This birth that should be trivial, another kid to throw on the pile that is humanity, instead sent a shockwave through time. This is the point where everything changed.

An angel told some shepherds who were working in the nearby fields to come check out the big event that just happened. Shepherds who were pretty low on the social hierarchy ladder got to be the first witness to a turning point in history. Then a few months/years later some smart dudes came from far away to meet Him because they understood how important He was and would be.

Now 2019 is almost done. The next time you get another one of these emails we will be 1/5th into the 21stcentury. Time is flying and we are busier and more distracted than ever before. So, if you have spent too much time preparing this year take a minute for yourself (60 literal seconds), and just reflect on all the great things that God has done this year. Sure, you’ve faced challenges but for now what has gone right? Even if it is just for you, just for now, take a moment to celebrate.

“…behold, I am with you always…”

Merry Christmas

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.