Friday, December 30, 2016

Five memories or events from 2016

5 memories or events from 2016.
The highlight of the year for me was spending 2 nights at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Hubby and I had a hotel room on the 16th floor overlooking the falls, and I took a LOT of photos. Rainbows moving over the falls all afternoon, sunrise, sunset, a thunderstorm and the colored lights on the falls at night. And there's a small window you can open, to hear the falls during the night as we fell asleep. (and the trucks and buses in the morning...I closed that window pretty early!)


That trip was also our first time crossing an international border, so we had to get passports! We stopped at Port Huron, Michigan, dipped toes into Lake Huron, as we hadn't been to that Great Lake before. The border crossings were very smooth, just time consuming because of traffic backups. We knew that was likely. Funny, in the line to cross back into US, (into Detroit) the faster access line was moving more slowly than the line we were in!


This summer I also chaired our local Book Bag Bash, an event with a non-profit organization and several churches in which we give out backpacks filled with school supplies to needy families. There's also a free lunch, games, bounce houses--it's a few hours of fun for families. We began this at my church in 2012, giving out 162 backpacks the first year. We now host it at a city park, as we have outgrown the church grounds! This year, with 12 churches and about 75 volunteers, we gave 764 filled book bags. I have chaired this event from the beginning and have now 'retired' from it. We have an excellent team who will conduct it very well. And I may drop by to take photos ;)


My photography hobby has mushroomed. For a few years, I've managed the church Facebook page, and photo posts do very well there. The church secretary likes photos for the newsletter too.
 My personal photos of nature scenes are also well received. Many of us find a sense of God or higher power in Nature. To take a walk and get some good photos is so relaxing.


The negativity and divisiveness of the national news and election has been deeply distressing for me as well as many of us. For a few years I have worked with other pastors & churches, especially the African-American churches in town, to have community services. These have been well attended and received. We will be planning our Lenten series very soon and I look forward to helping in some way to bridge the divides in our city. We all have a lot more in common than we realize and we must learn to seek and celebrate the commonalities.
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity! –Psalm 133:1 NIV
Good Friday Community service at United Church of Beloit. \

Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Manger and the Cross

This week, midway through Advent, I'm leading a Bible study of prophecies of Jesus' birth, and editing a booklet of devotions for the Lenten season! The booklet is titled “What Wondrous Love is This”. As I was working on it, I was reminded of another time I read through Christmas and Good Friday texts all in the same day.
Several years ago, I was reading through the birth narratives for a Bible study. I'd been asked what is the significance of the baby Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes. I explained that is a sign that the baby Jesus was well cared for. Even though Mary didn't have a midwife or female relatives to help, she and Joseph knew what to do for the infant! Later that day, to write a devotion for a Lenten publication, I read the Good Friday story. And was struck by parallels in the texts.
In Luke chapter 2: “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger,...”

in Luke 23:{Joseph of Arimathea}asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock,..”



The baby Jesus was born to go to the Cross. The shadow of the cross lies over the manger. On the Silent Night, Holy Night of Christmas, we are just beginning to learn "What Wondrous Love is This!"


Holy God, as we prepare for the upcoming holidays, help us to always remember You first, to remember both the manger and the cross! That You chose to come from Heaven for both, purely out of love. Help us to revel in YOUR love, and share it with all we meet, this Christmas and always. In Jesus' Name, Amen.