Day 119 And....

Get your party on. ;) Happy New Year!

Love you, Mom

Day 118 Celebrate!

So, says Jesus, it's time to celebrate!

It's happening! Not perhaps in the way you thought it would, but it's happening all right.... Resurrection, the ultimate hope of new life, is happening under your noses, and you can't see it.

But for those of us who can -- well, we're having a party, the same party that the angels are having in heaven, and you're not going to stop us.

This, it seems, is part at least of what it means that God's kingdom is coming "on earth as in heaven." The heavenly celebrations at the signs of renewal, the first flickers of a dawn that will soon flood the whole sky, are to be matched by the motley mob around Jesus here and there, in Matthew's house and Zacchaeus' house, in this tavern and that, with Mary Magdalene and her friends and anyone else who cares to join in.

This is what it looks like when God's in charge. This is how the campaign gets under way--and YOU are part of it, so celebrate--it's time!

-- NT Wright, Simply Jesus.

Day 117 Conflict as Adventure

Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 1 Peter 3:10-11

You know that I hate conflict. The word even sounds painful. It breaks down to the prefix con- and the suffix –flict. Con- is from the same source from which we developed the word constipation.  (Of course it does.) And –flict is the origin of afflicted, as in, What a drag! I’m afflicted with constipation. (Okay, I haven’t really checked that, but that’s the image—constipated affliction.)

I can’t stand the feeling I get when I experience tension with others. Conflict causes me more bodily stress than just about anything else I do. But conflict can be part of God’s strategy to transform us into the people He wants us to be.... God can use the conflict in our lives for His glory, and conflict can be part of God’s adventure for us. (Crap!)

How? We writing people know that the one factor present in all adventures is conflict. In order to have an adventure, you need some sort of obstacle to overcome.

Whenever we’re involved in conflict, we’re forced to overcome an obstacle. That’s when the adventure begins: in the middle of the conflict, we encounter a situation that is unclear, difficult, and tension filled, and we need a good Guide to navigate the path.

This is where Jesus comes in. Smack-dab in the middle of our battle, He joins us and offers us light to the other side. Light that honors us ourselves, the other person, and the relationship we share.

That’s our invitation in the middle of relational conflict: to see any such struggle as an invitation to Christ’s adventure in transformation. Christ extends His hand to us and invites us to walk with Him through the storm. As we seek Him, He transforms us into deeper, richer, and more meaningful people. Conflict is the catalyst that God uses to show Himself to us and to cause new growth to happen in our lives.

God, help Sarah to walk with you through the storm of conflict and use them as opportunities to trust you in shaping and transforming her life. Help her to maintain the respect she deserves in relationships--and give her joy! Amen. 

Day 104 Peace is Hidden

 It's the third Sunday of Advent when we focus on God's peace.

The Prince of Peace doesn't cling to his divine power. He is the one who refuses to turn stones into bread, jump from great and rule with great power; the one who says, Blessed are the poor, the gentle, those who mourn, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness. He is the one who touches the lame, the crippled, and the blind; the one who speaks words of forgiveness and encouragement; the one who dies alone, rejected and despised. Keep your eyes on him who becomes poor with the poor, weak with the weak, and who is rejected with the rejected. 

He is the source of all peace.

Where can this peace to be found? The answer is clear. In weakness. First of all, in our own weakness, in those places of our hearts where we feel most broken, most insecure, most in agony, most afraid. Why there? Because there our familiar ways of controlling our world are being stripped away; there we are called to let go from doing much, thinking much, and relying on our self-sufficiency. Right there where we are weakest the peace which is not of this world is hidden.

God, help us to claim the peace that remains unknown to so many and make it our own. Help us to claim that peace in our hearts so that we have new eyes to see and new ears to hear--and gradually recognize the same peace in places we would least expect it. Amen.

Day 104 Dream Big, Baby!

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6

This verse explains an Advent approach to justice. CS Lewis wrote, "I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives, such as the abolition of the slave trade, or prison reform, or factory acts, or tuberculosis, not by those who think they can achieve universal justice, or health, or peace. I think the art of life consists in tackling each immediate evil as well as we can... just as the dentist who can stop one toothache has deserved better of humanity than all the men who think they have some scheme for producing a perfectly healthy race.”

One could argue that Lewis’ definition of “limited objectives” was still quite lofty, but his point is good. Our Christian calling begins with small and tangible contexts as a means to a larger end.

The Bible tells the story of God and his redemptive “dream” for the world and for his people. But inside that story, the crux of salvation began not with a grand overture but with a baby born in a stable. The first recipients of the news of God’s grace were not those living in the palace of Jerusalem but the local farmers (shepherds) of Bethlehem. Likewise, our calling today begins on the street we live on, our places of employment, and among the people we meet every day. With God, may we during this Advent season dream big, but begin small.

Lord Jesus, may we embrace the humility you embodied as we live into your redemptive “dream” for the world. Help Sarah, while starting small, to be encouraged to keep dreaming big! Amen.

Day 102 Wake up! Fix this!

For a child has been born for us,
 a son given to us;
 authority rests upon his shoulders;
 and he is named
 Wonderful Counselor...  Isaiah 9:6

 A counselor in biblical times sat on the king’s counsel to give advice and plan the course ahead. But "wonderful" in Hebrew doesn’t mean “super great” like we use the word today. Instead, wonderful meant “beyond our understanding” or “difficult to comprehend.”

I like the idea behind putting these words together in Isaiah. It means that this child is the one who has a trusted plan. And as we know from experience, this plan is decidedly difficult to understand.

Isaiah, in the midst of dark, foreboding words to the king earlier in this passage – warnings of coming occupation, oppression, war, and separation from God – changes course in chapter nine. Suddenly he is saying to the people, “Look, I know it’s bad. But wait for it! You’ll see it soon! It’s hard to understand, it’s a mysterious plan, but it’s wonderful and hopeful and it’s coming."

Writer Anne Lamott says the best two prayers are, “Thank you thank you thank you,” and “Help me help me help me.” As people who seek justice, who find ourselves burdened by the oppression in the world, I bet we tend to go heavier on the “help me” prayers – the begging, hope-against-hope prayers in the midst of Isaiah-grade darkness. Against all hope, we beg God to intervene in Egypt and Syria. Come Lord Jesus, we beg. Wake up! Fix this!

But Advent is the time when we have to remind ourselves, in the midst of these fervent, begging prayers, that God is not our personal assistant. We know that the Gospel does not solve every problem or answer every question. To claim that the one we follow is a “wonderful counselor” does not mean that we miraculously get the right steps, that we get in on the plans, that we get to see how things will turn out in the end. It does not mean that all our prayers get answered right away, in the way we want, in the way we can see.

Instead, God offers us a way to live in the midst of problems that don't disappear. God offers us a way to live without answers. Advent reminds us that we often must wait, and that God acts in God’s own time, in God’s own ways, and for God’s own reasons.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, God’s faithful were again begging for a king who would prove stronger than the oppressive Roman rule. God did answer their begging prayers, just not in the way they wanted. The king God sent was a baby, born in a barn. He is our wonderful counselor – the one with the plan we can’t always understand.

Day 101 Sweeping Changes

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col. 1: 19-20

What is the kingdom of God like...a mustard seed, yeast? If he wanted to, God could bring in the fullness of his kingdom with a snap of His fingers....

The earth would be filled of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Justice would roll on like a mighty river, righteousness like a never-failing stream. 

 But He chooses not to do this. For some beautiful, inexplicable reason, God chooses to partner with...us... to usher in the reality of His kingdom. God doesn't need our help but -- He desires it. 

Perhaps it's because God’s Kingdom is marked by values beyond efficiency — values like freedom, trust, and patient sanctification. As Christians, we're called to be a people who live now in anticipation of the kingdom, and as we do it, we are formed into the people of God. 

Just when we delude ourselves into thinking that it is all up to us, we totally mess something up,  and God patiently helps us out.

We can't do everything, and instead of being discouraged by this, we can find great freedom! This allows us to do something, and to do it to the best of our abilities. 

We know that what we can do is small and incomplete, but it is a start: an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and to do the rest. So as you continue to work for justice in the midst of the present darkness of this world, remember that messiness comes with the territory. But every time we make a mess of the work of redemption, God is never far behind, sanctifying our efforts, steadily bringing His Kingdom, and thoroughly enjoying the process.

..... May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.
.... May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may wish for justice, freedom, and peace.
.... May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

....Amen.

Day 100! Something Hardly Noticeable

A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him. Isaiah 11:1-2
 
Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness.

I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events are the ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the "shoot that shall sprout from the stump."

When I have no eyes for the small signs of God's presence - the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends - I will always remain tempted to despair.

The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown young man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises. But the promise is hidden in the shoot that sprouts from the stump, a shoot that hardly anyone notices. 

Henri Nouwen, Gracias

Day 99 Come Any Other Way

Oh God,
come any other way,
but not as a child.

Come in a space ship
so we can call you alien,
and just a figment.

Wash up on shore
as a castaway, an unknown,
scraggly and salt soaked.

Walk into town as a vagabond
so we can look and call authorities
to distance us.

Stand by the side of the road
with a cardboard sign
so we can hand you a twenty and drive on.

But please don’t come as a baby.
Don’t come and coo and cry
and take our breath away.

Don’t come as we did,
dependant and humble
and wrapped up tight.

Just don’t, don’t be so vulnerable
as a wonder from a womb
bathed in the liquid of humanity.

Don’t come as a child, please.
For then we would need to
hold you in our arms.

Don’t come as an infant
so innocent and small
for we might get emotional.

Don’t come as we once were
to become as we
should be.

Don’t come in this mysterious way
for then we might come
and adore You.

Day 98 A "Short" Story

“...for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:13-14

 I like this story because it reminds me of your (short) self. ;p

Some years ago, my (then) teenage daughter was on her way to go sledding with friends on a Sunday afternoon. Before she left, I heard her in the garage rummaging around. Silence. Then a call, “Mom, I need help!” There she was on the stepladder, reaching as high as she could into the rafters trying to get her sled down…but to no avail.

“I’m trying to get the sled down, but I can’t reach it. Will you help me?” Hallelujah... In those years, it was not often that I got that kind of request from my daughter!

“Here, hop off; I’ll do it for you.” I grinned as I easily did for her what she couldn’t do for herself and sending her on her way with sled in tow!

What a precious picture of the salvation process.... My daughter could have stood all day on that stepladder believing that I was tall enough to help her. But it was only when she acted on what she knew to be true, calling out for help, that she received what she needed, what she couldn’t do on her own.

Real life begins with a personal dependence on Jesus, with calling out to Him to give us what we can never attain ourselves: a right relationship with the God of the Universe through faith in what He did for us on the Cross.

Day 97 Northern Lights

Heather Kooiman is a nurse who has been working for six summers on the Attawapiskat Fires Nation Reserve in Canada. She says she has learned that she is not only a bearer of Christ’s light there — she is also a recipient. 

"One night, while working at a kids camp in Mishkeegogamang, a small group of staff spent the evening with a family in the community. I’ve spent six summers on this reserve, and I know many of the children and their families. The people are so beautiful, but they have been so hurt by Christians who have told them that they can’t be both Native and Christian, so they chose to be Native. 

"As we sat laughing with our friends, one of the older children told us that we had to go outside because the northern lights were out. I had always wanted to see the northern lights and hurried outside with all the children. 

"We all stared at the sky in awe as the lights moved above us until the whole sky was dancing. I was giving a piggy-back ride to a 7-year-old boy and as he stared at the sky he said, “God created all this, and it’s awesome because God loves us.” Then his 5-year-old sister raised her hands to the sky and repeated, “Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me so much.”

"I am learning to change my outlook. I am learning that it is not only about me sharing my light, but recognizing the light in others. I am learning that, instead of getting lost in issues seen only at a glance, I am called to see people as Jesus created them — beautiful. I am learning that it’s in those moments that light can be seen and the darkness is overcome."

God, give us the ability to recognize the light when things are difficult. Please keep shining the light in places where we see none and help us to see it, especially those we think are unlikely to have it, and to learn from them. Amen. 

Day 95 Learning to Receive

We have in Mary’s story what some call the second creation story in the Bible. Again it is a creation that is ex nihilo, or out of nothing. Mary is the one quite willing to be the nothing.

God does not need worthiness ahead of time; God creates worthiness by the choice itself. And as I have said many other times, “God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.” It seems God will not come into the world unreceived or uninvited. God is gentle and does not come into your world unless you actually want God.

Presence is a reciprocal or mutual encounter. One can give it, but it has to be received or there is no presence. For many Catholics, Mary is indeed the model of how “real presence” effectively happens. It is not just through a priest’s transubstantiation of bread, but by the transformation of the persons who eat that bread.

 Lord, teach me to be receptive. Amen.

From Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, pp. 178-179

Day 94 When Worlds Collide

A prison cell in which one waits, hopes ... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Day 93 Gravity...it's the Law

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 2 Peter 1:12

Some of the basic habits in life cannot be overlooked without consequences. They're like gravity--they don't change and they're always true. Living as a Christ-follower is no different. While the Bible challenges us to move towards maturity in our faith, the call to remember the basics is also there.

There are some very foundational components of the Christian life that we need to remind ourselves of repeatedly in order to make sure that we don’t forget and move away from important areas like simple, loving devotion to Christ.

Take a minute today to think about how your life might be different if every day when you wake up you remind yourself of the basic truth that you are dead to sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. You ARE already a new creation today and every single day of your future!

Day 92 St Nick

So who is the man behind the legend of Santa Claus? Nicholas lived in the third century in Asia Minor, in what is now the country of Turkey. His parents died from an illness while Nicholas was a teenager and left him a large inheritance of money. Nicholas’ parents taught him about Jesus. As he grew older, he followed the teachings of Jesus and sold all his possessions, secretly giving money to those in need.

One of the most widely shared stories is how he helped a poor family with three daughters. The family had no money and could not provide a dowry for the girls to be married, so they were going to be sold into slavery. Nicholas learned about this. One night after the family was asleep, he rode by the house on his horse and tossed a bag of gold through the window. It is said to have landed in the girls’ stockings that were hung by the fire to dry. He did this three nights in a row to provide for each of the three daughters.

Nicholas became well-loved by the people and later became the Bishop of Myra. He died on December 6th in 343 A.D. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration in his honor, called St. Nicholas Day. On this day, children would give and receive small gifts of candy, chocolate initial letters, or riddles hidden in baked goods or in elaborate packaging. Children also hung stockings by the fire or placed shoes filled with carrots and hay for the horse, eagerly awaiting gifts from St. Nicholas. Gold balls or oranges were given to represent the gifts of gold once given by St. Nicholas.

Throughout the years, St. Nicholas gained popularity in Europe including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. This tradition came to America with the waves of European immigrants and over the centuries developed into our modern day legend of Santa Claus.

This is the story of the real St. Nick and he still remains a model of the compassionate and selfless life.

Day 91 First Sunday of Advent

Our waiting is always shaped by alertness to God's Word. It is waiting in the knowledge that someone wants to address us. 

The question is, are we home? Are we at our address, ready to respond to the doorbell? 

We need to wait together, to keep each other at home spiritually, so that when the Word comes it can become flesh in us. 

That is why the Book of God is always in the midst of those who gather. We read the Word so that the Word can become flesh and have a whole new life in us.

Day 90 Turn up the Volume

How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David? Psalm 89:46, 49

There have been plenty of times that I've asked God why in my life, usually in the most painful, crucial circumstances.Unbelievably, some people believe that to question God is the ultimate form of disobedience and weak faith. I couldn't disagree more.

The Bible is full of people who cried out to God, David being foremost. He cried out to God because he knew that He had been faithful in the past, and that he needed Him to be faithful again in the present. “God, where are you? I thought you were a loving God. Where’s this loving God that I thought you were?”

It's pretty clear that when we ask hard questions of God, we are standing in the stream of this ancient tradition, one that is captured time and again in the Bible.

Rather than being disobedient or faithless, it's in asking honest, gut-wrenching questions, the ones filled with anger and frustration, that we express a deep sense of faith in God. We cry out in frustration and in anger because we know that He is the only one who can do something about it.

In places in your life where you are struggling and hurt, you can come to God honestly with your questions, doubts, and frustrations. It's one of most faith-filled thing you can do.