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A Christmas story
Wed, 12/23/2009 - 11:16 — Ryan DueckTuesdays are usually a bit different than other days for me. My wife works from 2-9 pm so I pick the kids up from school and work from home. Or at least I try to. Of course, there are inevitably numerous distractions, minor crises and irritants to put up with, as well as such essential tasks as dinner preparation, help with homework, the circus of bedtime, and any number of other things to deal with. Suffice to say, that Tuesday afternoon/evening is not typically the most productive time of my week.
Well, yesterday was no exception. I had the best of intentions of getting some sermon work done while my children played in idyllic silence and contentment (where might I have picked up that illusion of that possibility, I wonder?). As usual, this was not to be the case. There were the usual requests for snacks, help with the TV, squabbles and disagreements, and the usual commotion and activity. There was not much progress to report on the sermon front.
I looked over at the couch and saw my daughter poking around in an old book that my wife kept to record memories and pictures from our kids’ first years. She has always loved to hear stories and look at pictures from her earlier years. I put my computer down, pushed my books to the side, sat down beside her and just looked on as she turned the pages. Eventually, she started to ask me questions.... READ MORE.
Merry Incarnation!
Wed, 12/23/2009 - 11:13 — edsundaywintersThe whole idea that God took on flesh, came to us and lived among us, has challenged the human ability to understand and comprehend since that first Christmas. There are all kinds of questions and few, if any, answers. Answers that give us a thorough explanation of the details of how the creator of human beings becomes a human are not forthcoming. Mystery is the word that the church has often used through the centuries to explain that which is beyond explanation. That is what we say when we don’t know anything else to say. Granted, it is no small thing to be able to look into the pages of scripture, the annals of history, or the faces of the living, and utter a single word in response to the unbelievable, the incredible or even, the unthinkable.
Faith is the gift that enables us to believe what we would not otherwise believe or consider. It gently nudges us beyond the questions of how to look at why God did what God did. John’s gospel tells us that it is love that moved God to come into our world with flesh and bone. God loves us enough to come to where we live and experience life as we experience it. Faith gives us the ability to know that we are loved and accepted by God.
What we should not allow faith to do is to distort the reality in which we still live.... READ MORE.
Rejoice
Mon, 12/14/2009 - 11:52 — Carol Howard MerrittText: Philippians 4:4-7
I saw the car commercial, just slightly in my vision as I was walking through the basement. I was doing laundry, but I could tell that the ad was showing footage of a beautiful, expensive, luxury automobile, zooming at high speeds around the highway curves. And there was some sort of prattle going on, I don’t remember the monologue, but I think it was a man talking about how he was going to his holiday family reunion, and he was going to show them how successful he had become.
I smiled. The messages of this season are so interesting. You can show people how much you love them with a diamond. Your can make your children happy by buying them a video game. Now, you can finally let your brother and sister know that you got the biggest piece of the pie. You own the most toys. You won the ultimate tug-of-war, because you have a shiny car. Not only can you buy emotional security for your spouse, happy memories for your kids, but you can win the final grand victory for your sibling rivalry. In fact, if we believe the commercials, the only thing that money cannot buy is poverty. ... READ MORE.
Singing carols in Advent
Wed, 12/03/2008 - 09:57 — Bob CornwallIt's Advent, that season of preparation, to welcome the Christ child. But there's lots of pressure to jump start Christmas. Part of the problem is that once Thanksgiving hits, it's Christmas 24/7. So, why wait at church?
There are, of course, many wonderful Advent hymns and songs -- O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Com, O Long-Expected Jesus, Blessed Be the God of Israel (by Michael Perry, tune is Hal Hopson's Merle's Tune) -- but people want the carols, and they want them now... READ MORE.
