Advent

Bursting Forth ~ A Morning Prayer

/ The Pastor

Holy Father, awesome God,

Your Word is life.
Your Word is our hope.
Your Word is our very breath.
You created with a word.
The serpent deceived with a false word.
Adam and Eve were expelled with a word of curse, warning and finally hope.
You created a people and nation with a word of promise.
You gave new life with a Word
and that Word is embodied in our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.

And so we come to this Advent season with anxious anticipation of this Word. May we not doubt.
May we not impose self-inflicted mutism when is comes to the Gospel,
but rather,
may we burst forth in praise
with what the birth of Jesus means for a dark and lost world.
May we sing the glories of your name
to a wearied people.
May we announce hope
to a hopeless word.

Send now Your Spirit, oh God,
that we may hear this Word
and be filled with awe,
so much so,
that we can’t wait to burst through these doors
and fill this world with the hope of the resurrection.
It’s through Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray,

Amen.

God bless you as you begin this Advent season. May the light of Christ shine brightly in and through your life to the glory of God.

The Pastor -|—

Unprepared: A prayer

/ The Pastor

Holy God, Advent is a season of preparation (like I need to tell you that), but I feel so unprepared.

There are so many people that need to hear the Good News of the Christ child.
There are so many hurts that need your healing touch.
There are so many lonely people that need to know your presence.
There are so many misdirected people following secular holiday idols.

I think of all of this and feel overwhelmed and therefore I feel so unprepared to meet the demands of ministry.  So I lay it out on the line for you this morning:
~ I fall back; trusting that your Holy Spirit will catch me.
~ I let go; trusting that your Holy Spirit will guide me.
~ I will wait; trusting that you will do something absolutely amazing.

So maybe it is a good thing that I feel unprepared because that leaves room for you to do something through me.  So I lift up to you those who don’t know Jesus, those who are hurting, those who are lonely and those who are misdirected.  Prepare me to minister to them; that they may know the true joy that is Jesus Christ our Savior born to us.

And may I continue to feel unprepared.

Amen!

The pastor -|—

About one thing

/ The Pastor

Happy 1st Sunday of Advent!!!

May your preparations this Christmas season bring you joy as we anxiously await the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May we not get caught up in the secular definitions of this season.
May we not lose sight of the meaning of this season.
May we not get caught up in the marketing hype of this season.

Christmas is about one thing and one thing only…
a baby
Jesus Christ
our Lord

Let’s prepare and celebrate rightly to the glory of God our Father…

Loving God, we praise for this gift of life, Jesus Christ our Lord.  We praise you that you came to us in such a humble way in order to show us your amazing love to a sinful people.  We praise you that we can have a sure and certain hope through faith in Jesus.  May our preparations this Advent season bring you glory and may we take advantage of every opportunity to proclaim the real meaning of this season. In Jesus name, AMEN!

Merry Advent 🙂

The Pastor -|—

It’s all about Jesus

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
[Matthew 1:18-21]

Here’s another remind for you ~ It’s all about Jesus.

And how can we dare say it’s about anything or anyone else?  I mean…he will save his people from their sins.  There you have it.  It’s pretty straight forward.  Forgiveness of sins…which means everlasting life.

Wow…that’s pretty awesome.

When Zechariah was met by the angel Gabriel and told of the wonderful news that he and his wife, Elizabeth (who was well beyond normal child-bearing years), was going to have a child, Zechariah was hesitant.

“Give me proof.”

The angel was a little miffed and said that he stands in the presence of God and shouldn’t have to give Zechariah proof.  Therefore Zechariah is struck silent until their baby (John the Baptist) was born.  Then Zechariah sang the praises of God.  Better late than never, but either way, God came through because our awesome and grace-filled God is faithful.

“he (Jesus) will save his people from their sins.”

You want proof?  Look to the cross:

cross-carrying-e1299578788837

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus DID save his people from their sins.

There you have it ~ It’s all about Jesus.  Praise be to God!

The pastor -|—

Do you remember?

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.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 room for them in the inn. [Luke 2:1-7]

Do you still remember?

Manger scene

Do you still remember what this season is all about?

Do you still remember why we run ourselves crazy and tired this time of the year?

Do you still remember?

For the past week or so, my wife and I have been preparing for our Christmas open house that we host every year at the parsonage.  I look forward to spending time with people over some Christmas goodies, hot apple cider (and of course some Christmas themed coffee) and some Christmas cheer.  I enjoy receiving people into our home and visiting.  But the preparations can be stressful… especially this year with more on our plate:
~ We are in the adoption process so we have paper work all over the place (not to mention the emotional toll this process takes).
~ My wife is recovering from minor knee surgery and is not as mobile as she would like to be.
~ Then there’s all the baking and cleaning (that my wife tries to do in her “limited” condition).

All of this adds up to stress and frayed nerves…

And many of you can probably relate to this.  I know I am not the only one running around trying to get a multitude of things done.  It’s crazy…and sometimes we forget.

This is why I am diving into the Christmas story EVERY day.  I don’t want to lose sight of the joy of this season.  I don’t want Satan to turn this season into something that it is not.  I don’t want to strive to make myself look good but rather God.  After all…

This is about a baby
This is about a Savior
This is about God’s amazing love.  And…

This is not about me (and it is not about you).  This is about what God has done and will do for you and for me.  We just can’t lose sight of this.  People around us (whether they know it or not) are counting on us not to lose sight of what this season TRULY means.

So I challenge you and encourage you to take some time EVERY day to read the Christmas story.  Soak in the wonderfulness and joy.  Bask in the grace and love of God.  Receive and be filled…and…

…remember.

It’s Christmas time…PRAISE BE TO GOD!

The pastor -|—

Waiting and questions

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

My wife and I are in the adoption process.

We started this journey back in June but didn’t tell the congregations I serve until October.  For me those fours months were long.  A couple very close friends knew (as they were praying for us) but I was looking forward to being more open about what we were doing.  My wife, on the other hand, wished we could keep this quiet for a little while longer.

You see ~ one of things that we were concerned about was all the questions we knew we were going to get.  Not just the initial questions following the news release but the follow up questions, “Any news yet?”  This would be especially hard if this process dragged out…and compound that with the number times that well-meaning people asked the question.

It has been nearly 2 months now since our announcement and the questions have come just like we thought.  Not everyday but I do get a couple questions per week.  Usually from someone I haven’t seen for a while.  But as time has gone on I have come to a realization…

…I look forward to those questions.

I thought it would be hard but it’s not.  The reason I look forward to those questions is because it tells me that Connie and I are not the only ones anxiously waiting.  We are not waiting alone.  And that feels good.  People are praying for us.  And there is something about waiting together that is powerful and encouraging.

And when I contemplate this waiting I can’t help but think of the season we are in: Advent.  This is a season of waiting as we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus AND await Jesus coming again…to bring us home.  It’s an anxious waiting and an exciting waiting.  But the difference between this waiting and our adoption waiting is that we have Good News to share right now:

Jesus has come.
Jesus will come again.
Hallelujah!

So we wait patiently and expectantly, knowing that our faithful God will come through for us.

So when I get that “Any news yet?” question maybe I should say, “Yes…there is Good News.  Jesus is coming.” And then say, “But we are still waiting.”

Waiting together.

So please keep asking the questions.  We appreciate your support and prayers.  And soon (God willing) I will have some “other” exciting news to share with you…but all in God’s timing.

Happy waiting and praise be to God 🙂

The pastor -|—

A season of…

/ The Pastor

It’s Advent…a season of:
waiting
watching
anticipation
hope

We are waiting for Christmas.
We are watching for Jesus.
We are anxiously anticipating God to fulfill all his promises.
We are hopeful in this cold, dark, chaotic world.

We can feel this way because the very thing that allows us to feel this way has been done.

The cross and the empty tomb.

Jesus died and rose FOR YOU and FOR ME.  In Jesus’ very own words:
“It is finished!”

But we wait for other things; other things that sometimes distracts us from what truly matters.  It is not that those “other things” should be forgotten about or that they are not important.  Its just that those “other things” should not become the gods we are waiting for. Sounds strange to say something like that: 

“The gods we are waiting for.“

If I’m playing baseball and I am up to bat; what I should be waiting for is the pitcher to throw the ball over the plate so I can attempt to hit it.  In that situation, if I am not waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball then I will definitely miss the ball.  The batter needs to be patient, wait and watch in order to be ready.

What are you truly watching and waiting for?
Are you watching and waiting for Jesus or some other worldly god?

During this Advent season fix your eyes on the manger.  Fix your eyes on Jesus.  Fix your eyes on God’s love.  Let this be what we are truly waiting for.

Happy Advent!

The pastor -|—

Merry Advent

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

It’s Advent.

A season of preparation.

But it doesn’t seem like I am doing a very good job:
–My lights are not up on the garage and house.
–The Christmas tree is not up.
–Not one single decoration is up in the house except from some pumpkin lights hanging in the kitchen (not very festive).
–I do have Christmas CDs in the CD player so that’s something.

Hopefully this weekend my wife and I will get on track…I hope.

Every year it seems like I make some kind of comment that I am not ready for Advent.
Every year Advent seems to sneak up on me.
Every year it seems I make some kind of comment about snow in connection with the Christmas season.

I almost sound like a broken record ~ so let’s not go there.

Because this preparation thing really has nothing to do with what we do on the outside.  Preparing during Advent really has nothing to do with hanging lights, putting up Christmas decorations, playing festive music or the like.  It is amazing how caught up we get in these preparations.  It is amazing that every year I need a slap in the face or a kick in the head to remind me that Advent preparations is one of the heart.

To prepare during Advent is to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ, is to turn our hearts towards the one who comes to baptize with the Holy Spirit.  John’s (the Baptist) baptism was one for repentance; something that had to be done often during his day.  But the baptism Jesus came to bring is once and for all.  It is not an outward adornment, but (like I said) one pertaining to the heart.  If preparing during Advent for Christmas is simply outward, then when Christmas is done it is often forgotten.  And let me tell you ~ that is not good.

To prepare during Advent is to:
–Engage scripture.
–Pray.
–Look to the Christ child.
–Remember God’s love for all creation.
–To see our neighbors who are in need.
–To give.
–To remember that God gave us the greatest gift ever.
–And…I could probably go on, but I will stop here.

So, even though I am going to put lights up today and begin decorating, I am going to try to focus on other things.   I am going to be festive through showing Christmas spirit where ever I go.  I am going to try to keep my eyes on the main thing.

And…God willing…keep the Christmas spirit alive long past this Christmas season.

Merry Advent everyone and God bless 🙂

edh -|—

Happy Advent

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Has anyone else been taken off guard by the arrival of Advent?  I certainly have been.  Part of it is the lack of snow and cold weather and part of it is…well…I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.  It just doesn’t quite feel like Advent yet.

This morning I walked into the sanctuary and saw the Christmas trees up and some of the decorations up (the rest get hung during our “Hanging of the Greens” service this morning).  It felt awkward, but I got a feeling that once I jump in with both feet, into the deep end (singing Christmas/Advent hymns, puting Christmas music in my CD player, decorating my office and house, etc) things will get better.  So maybe I should just get into the theme of Advent and wait, prepare and anticipate.  I know things will change.  I know the season will get better.  I know “Merry Christmas” will roll off the tongue.   I know all this will happen…much the same and even more…as I know that the days are coming when God will fulfill his gracious promises he made to us through Jesus Christ.

So I will continue to prepare, wait and anticipate…for many things…so bring it on.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!

-edh-

The Spirit of Christmas

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

img_f0517412aa1Don’t freak out…I know it’s not Thanksgiving yet, but I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the Advent sermon series I am pondering.  Sometimes it is hard to believe, but Advent is right around the corner and of course Christmas is close behind.  And since that is our reality, Advent planning needs to begin (if it hasn’t already).

I haven’t done an Advent sermon series since 2005 when I preached a series on 1 Peter (something I came across in some publication).  This year…my series is a little different.  The title of the series is “The Spirit of Christmas” with the following sermons topics:  “The Spirit of Hope”, “The Spirit of Life”, “The Spirit of Peace”, “The Spirit of Sharing” and ending on Christmas Eve with “The Spirit of Love”.  This idea came from a Hanging of the Greens worship service we are doing on Nov. 30; a service I found in a Hanging of the Greens book.

Each Christmas season, one of the things that really gets me going is seeing people totally miss the true spirit of Christmas.  It seems that with each passing year, Christmas becomes more and more commercialized (if that is even possible).  Each year I feel moved to submit a letter to the editor in our local newspaper to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas.  Each year I hear stories of how businesses and retail stores tell their employees that they can’t say “Merry Christmas” to the customers.  Heaven forbid if we offend anyone with those words.  So this sermon series really speaks to me and hopefully it will speak to others as well.

I haven’t totally thought out the scripture references for each theme (maybe you have some ideas for me), but hopefully I will have that done within the next week.  I am thinking a one day retreat away from my office might be in order.

In any case…I wanted to through this out to you and see what you think.  Is anyone else doing a Advent/Christmas sermon series?  Have you ever done one before?

God’s blessings to you as you prepare for the Christmas season.

-edh-