Sharing Stories

 Sharing Stories (Given at Sun Valley Presbyterian Church)  

Psalm 148
148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
148:2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
148:3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
148:4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
148:6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
148:8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
148:9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
148:10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
148:11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
148:12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
148:14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

This past couple weeks, with all the hoopla over the new Star Wars movie, a couple of pastors' websites suggested that Christmas sermons could be titled "Long Ago in a Galilee, Far Far Away" 

Psalm of praise –don't you just love the imagery? When God is glorified, ALL of creation celebrates! All the heavens, all the creatures, in the oceans and in the mountains...and the mountains themselves will praise the Lord! And in that final verse....

14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

The Horn of an animal is a symbol of strength and confidence! Horn instruments are also symbolic of strength, as they are powerful and can be heard a long way! A horn was used as a call to worship! This could also be a play on words...God has raised a horn, he has raised a powerful leader....for all his faithful.

This song of praise tells a story, of all of creation praising God. From the highest heavens, to the earth itself and all her creatures, and all God's people.

Stories help us remember, help us figure out things and ideas, help us identify with one another, to find our common bonds. They help us laugh and cry together and learn together. Stories help us build community. Everyone has a story, everyone needs to be able to share their stories.

{GOSPEL LESSON}

Luke 2:41-52
2:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

This Gospel lesson seems to be one of those family stories that gets told often, maybe every year as the family is again on the road home from Jerusalem.

Luke says at the beginning of his Gospel that he set out to write “an orderly account” and that he “carefully investigated these things” So he isn't just repeating tales that were floating around 30 years after Jesus’ life. He talked to the sources as much as he could. Scholars believe that Luke personally spoke with Mary, mother of Jesus. This is the only story we have in the Scripture from Jesus’ life from the time between his infancy and the beginning of his ministry. Maybe this was one of those family stories that got told every so often. And it gives us some insight into Jesus’ formative years.

The family had gone to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival. This was, and is, the most important of holidays for Jewish people. The Passover commemorates the escape from enslavement in Egypt. Going to Jerusalem for the Passover was one of the things that a devout Jewish family did every year. So we see from this story that Mary and Joseph followed their faith, raising Jesus in their traditions.

In Biblical times, traveling could be a challenge. Ordinary people walked most places. And when making a lengthy trip, they traveled in groups.-extended families, neighbors. A trip like this, going to Jerusalem for Passover, would have had a lot of people going at the same time, so there could have been quite a contingent of people together. Women and children traveled together, the men together. So we can see that Mary and Joseph were not bad parents for losing him! Each would have assumed that Jesus was with the other group. Mary perhaps thinking Jesus, a young man of 12, was traveling with the men. Joseph, possibly thinking Jesus still a kid at only 12, thought he was with the women and children, helping out with younger kids. Families traveled during the daylight hours and made camp at night so they didn’t discover Jesus missing until then.

So - the Passover festival was done, at the end of a day's travel towards home, they realized that Jesus was not with them at all. He was lost. Knowing, as a parent myself, how anxious they must have been, they probably slept out of the exhaustion of travel, but wouldn’t have slept well! So the next morning they hurried back . And on the 3^rd day, searching through the city of Jerusalem, finally they find him at the Temple! He is talking with the rabbis. The rabbis, teachers of the Jewish faith, would welcome men to join them in the Temple courtyard. The rabbi would sit to teach, the men could stand and ask questions and discuss points of doctrine. So here is Jesus, 12 years old, sitting with the rabbis, discussing and answering! And they were all astonished at the depth of his knowledge. I think this point is one of the main reasons we have this story in Luke’s Gospel. The next piece is why scholars believe that Luke got this story right from Mary. We see her reaction is very much the parent of an adolescent! “Why have you treated us like this?! Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you!” And Jesus' reply is, “Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

This is an interesting family story isn't it?

We all have stories to tell....each of us individually, and our families...

our churches have a story too. We have the stories of our origins, and of things we have done with other churches. We tell of projects we have undertaken, such as building renovations!

it's important to tell our stories, and to tell them well. It's important to hear stories, to listen well when someone is telling their story! For it is only when we really listen to another that we can connect. Psychologists have found that our brains respond in certain ways we tell or listen to a story. They've used MRI scans to find that there is activity in certain areas of the brain of the story teller, and when people listen, they have activity in those same areas of their own brains! The emotions of the story teller are transferred in a sense, to the listeners.

It is in listening to each other that we connect, we find commonalities, and that we recognize that we all have 'stuff' inside-our emotions- and 'stuff' that we have gone through, that makes us who we are. As individuals, as families, and as communities...as churches :) it's in listening to one another, in those connections, that we remember...in the literal sense of the word...to bring to mind again, to again be members together! Sharing stories builds community.

When we hear a good story, we want to do 2 things. We want to tell one of our good stories too! And we want to tell somebody else the new story we just heard. When we share stories, when we tell a bit about ourselves, we are helping to know each other and understand where we've been and where we are going. We learn what we have in common. And how to work through whatever differences there are to embrace the commonalities. This is how we learn to truly love one another, as Jesus taught.

Going back to our Gospel lesson...

As I said, this story is the only one in the Bible from Jesus’ formative years. And this story of Jesus’ life is the last mention of Joseph in the Gospels. Throughout the Gospels we see several mentions of Mary, but no more mention of Joseph. The traditional belief is that he died some time before Jesus began his ministry. And since this was a typical family of the times, most likely Joseph was at least a few years older than Mary. In this time, men followed their father’s trade and generally would not marry until they were able to support a family. Women married soon after reaching child bearing age, so generally the husband was older than the wife.

So we learn from this story that Jesus grew up in a typical family. They followed the customs of their faith. They were parents who were anxious about their son. And after this, Luke writes that “as Jesus grew up, he increased in wisdom and in favor with God and people” This shows that Jesus grew intellectually, spiritually, and socially. So this was overall a healthy family for him to grow to adulthood.

Hearing this story, most of us who are parents or spend lots of time with kids, may find ourselves thinking about it from Joseph or Mary’s perspective. As a mom I certainly could relate to Mary's feelings!

Don't you think Mary would have remembered this incident, maybe each year as they traveled again to Jerusalem for the Passover, certainly on the way home from there! “Jesus, are you with us?” “Yes Mother!” She would remember the terrible anxiety of believing her son was lost, and how lost she felt as well!

And I am positive she remembered this incident many years later, after another trip to Jerusalem for the Passover. Another morning when she had to go to look for Jesus, on the 3^rd day, for a much different purpose. This time the women were going to a borrowed tomb, to anoint his lifeless crucified body. What anguish must have been in her heart that morning.

The baby Jesus, whose story we told just a few days ago, with our songs and readings, Jesus the adolescent who worried his mother, was born to go to the Cross. That was His story, His purpose.

But it's not the end of the story.

Because of course when the women went to the tomb, they found it empty!

Jesus had risen! The birth, death and resurrection is THE story, the greatest story.

so when we hear a great story? we want to share it! Share that story today. Tell others about the incomparable love of Jesus Christ. Tell them about the love that is here in Sun Valley Presbyterian, and in United Church of Beloit, and all over Beloit, and tell how we are looking ahead to the New Year together, to reach out in His Love.

Christmas Eve memories

As the #2 pastor in my church, I participate in the worship services, but I don't routinely preach the sermon on the “big” holidays. That is the job of the Senior Minister. But I did get to do just that in the 11 months that I served as solo pastor while we were seeking a new Senior Minister. In planning the Christmas Eve service, the music director and I chose scriptures to be read and music to tell the story, and I preached a short message. As we began the service, my friend John stood up to read. He reminded us that on Christmas Eve 1968 these same words from Genesis were read by the Apollo 8 astronauts as the TV audience watched the first-ever live footage of the Earth from the space capsule orbiting the moon.

Genesis 1 KJV

1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Many in the congregation that evening were old enough to remember that broadcast. Though I was in my early teens then, I was profoundly moved by the grainy images of Earth from space and the incredible beauty of the words being read. John's brief sharing of that memory was a powerful reminder of the beauty and timelessness of the Word of God.

John 1

In the beginning was the Word,  and the Word was with God,  and the Word was God.  2  He was with God in the beginning.  3  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  4  In him was life, and that life was the light  of all mankind.  5  The light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word here is Jesus. God's Son, present with God at the very beginning of time, became the living embodiment of the scriptures. These scriptures tell of God's creation, people, and love, even through the constant failings of the people!The scriptures tell of a savior, a messiah, who would redeem God's people.

At Christmas, we remember the birth of Jesus, the baby who gave up heaven to live in and with His own creation. Jesus became human to be with us as fully as possible, purely out of love. Jesus being human means that he felt hunger, thirst, fatigue. As an adult, He felt the aches and pains of a long's day's work, the struggle of a sleepless night. And He would ultimately face the worst form of execution that humanity could dole out, again purely out of love. As we celebrate this Christmas, let us remember that Love, that incomparable, nearly unfathomable love. Let us endeavor to live in that love throughout the holiday season and the coming year. Celebrate with the Bible, God's Word; and with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, always in our hearts.

Merry Christmas! 

"Earthrise" photo from the Apollo 8 mission. from Nasa.gov site.

What does the Lord require?

Laughing at myself...I put on music while editing a few entries for a Lenten devotional booklet. The music playing was instrumental Christmas. That worked until a song came on with a familiar lyric. Even though it was instrumental music, my head "heard" the lyric and so I was singing along in my mind. Since I am reading Lenten material and hearing Christmas, that didn't quite work out! So I switched to regular instrumental background music Soon a song that came on titled “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”

We certainly can NOT ‘cast our fate to the wind” but need to follow Jesus!! and again, laughing at myself and being reminded that we all can follow more closely.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

–Micah 6:8 NIV

Thank You, God for reminders every day and help me to draw near to you more and more. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A pause to refresh

This weekend was very nice, warm for December in the Midwest! Saturday I heard a woodpecker tapping away in a tree. I didn't remember that some of them are here all winter! I enjoyed watching the little bird for a few minutes. Then yesterday afternoon, I went outside and noticed these clouds. I love the look of the 'curls' against the blue sky, with bare tree branches echoing some of the cloud shapes. It was a fleeting few minutes as they blew past and heavier clouds rolled in. It reminded me that beauty comes in many forms and we may miss it if we fail to pay attention. Had I not gone outside, or if i'd been texting, or cleaning out my car, i would have missed these 'curly' clouds! 

How often do we miss a glimpse of beauty because we are so absorbed by tasks? There is so much in nature for us to enjoy. May I suggest you take a moment today to pause and take a look around you. and look up to see what there is. I pray you find some refreshment in nature today. 

Job 37:14-16 "Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders.

 Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? 

Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

Isaiah 9, Luke 1,Blessed Mary

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit

Isaiah 9: 6-7

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

Luke 1:26-45

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,40  where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.  41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  42  In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,and blessed is the child you will bear!  43  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord  should come to me?  44  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  45  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

There's a cartoon going around online among some of our pastor friends, 2 panels, the first, the pastor is in the sanctuary in front of the advent wreath with a couple of the candles lit, saying, “Slow down, shh, it's Advent”. 2^nd panel, same pastor in the office, with all around her, “Got the services planned, got the music yet?” “are the poinsettias ordered?, who;s making wreaths?” “Christmas party? At your place?” “Got your shopping done yet, Mom?”

Yes it's advent, the beautiful season when we attempt to slow down in anticipation of the birth of Jesus. And everywhere around us is hustle-bustle of planning, shopping, mailing, cleaning, baking, shopping, wrapping, cooking.... where is the rest? Where is the time to wait..in silence? To quietly embrace the mystery of the stories that happened so long ago, yet move us so powerfully today?

So let us have a moment of quiet.....

Holy God thank you for a chance to be still and wait...in anticipation of You. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You, oh Lord our Rock and Redeemer, amen.

Our scriptures this morning are from the Prophet Isaiah and from the gospel of Luke...Isaiah was writing to the Jewish people several hundred years before the time of Jesus. Isaiah's 61 chapters have many of the prophecies of Jesus, including those of birth and of the 'suffering servant' we read during Good Friday services. This particular verse is read this time of year. Chapt 9 is one of the very key chapters of all of the book of Isaiah and these verses powerfully point to the birth of Jesus! In Isaiah 7 -as Steve shared last week, is the prophecy of the virgin birth, here we are told more about that child...that he is indeed a descendant of King David and that his will be a reign of peace, justice and righteousness.....

and so we await that time...the birth of this child who will bring peace. And yet we await....

the candles we light during advent symbolize Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. On Christmas Eve we will light the center candle, which is pure white...the Christ candle.

Let's look at our Gospel lesson...

Luke himself, the author of this gospel and of the book of Acts, was not one of the people who followed Jesus, but came a bit later. He accompanied Paul, was 'the beloved physician” and bible scholars agree that Luke spoke personally-interviewed many of the people written about, including Mary herself.

Mary is a young woman, pledged to be married. In these times to be betrothed was more of a legal, binding covenant than even an engagement is in our time. A betrothal could only be ended by a divorce decree. But this was not the same as marriage. The couple did NOT live together..but were preparing for marriage, the young man working at his trade, and perhaps building a home, the young woman learning from her female relatives how to be a wife, homemaker and mother.

She lived in Nazareth, in Galilee. We've talked before about Nazareth, it had a reputation as a rough town. And Galilee didn't have good rep, either, people from Galilee were considered to be uncultured.

We know from later in Luke that she and Joseph were not financially well off, so they were not a remarkable couple in any way.

Well they were in one way...they were faithful. As in FULL of Faith. They kept to their traditions, raising Jesus well in their faith, and they each had a personal faith. Nevertheless, being a young woman, not yet married, living in a town in the middle of nowheresville....and an angel appears to her!! Greetings..you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you!”

and this angel tells her the most amazing things!! she is to become pregnant, by the holy spirit, and have a child who will be a savior....

I have a feeling there was a long pause before Mary spoke, a VERY long pause.

Can you imagine, just going about your business and an angel appears?! And says the most extraordinary things are about to happen!?

I do know someone who says he saw God, but he also wasn't taking his medication! So I think Mary paused a long time...but then she only asked, how will this be, she didn't ask in a doubtful way, she just wanted to know how it could happen, And the angel explained, and Mary's response was “I am the Lord's Servant. May it be as you have said...” She gave her consent, even tho she was not married. In this time, to be pregnant before marriage―she'd be considered an adulterer and could possibly be stoned to death. But she said “May it be to me as you have said.” Remarkable.

Perhaps the angel telling her about her cousin Elizabeth helped Mary.

Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist....this is a miracle pregnancy, she and her husband are OLD! (Sarah and Abraham all over again) but Elizabeth is pregnant at long last, with a son who will be a great prophet...the one who announces that Jesus is the Messiah! Elizabeth and Mary are relatives. So Mary goes to her.

author Barbara Brown Taylor writes “Elizabeth is the first one to hear what Mary has to say, maybe because she is the first one willing to listen.” BBT Home by Another Way

We have to be willing to listen. To listen to God and to one another. Mary was willing, because she listened well to the words of the angel. She knew she could trust because she followed her faith's teachings well, and she knew that even though she wasn't anyone special in the eyes of the world, she was special to God. As are ALL of God's children.

Mary knew that she was a child of God and so her faith helped her to say YES to this amazing life change! And she went to enjoy the company of her cousin Elizabeth, who was in the midst of an amazing life change, who was the first to recognize Mary as Blessed!

And said “Blessed is she who has believed the Lord will fulfill his promises to her!” Elizabeth is saying this to Mary but it applies to herself as well! Both of our scriptures this morning refer to this! Isaiah “the zeal of the Lord God almighty will accomplish this”

and the Angels says to Mary “For no word from God will ever fail.”

God's promises WILL be fulfilled...for all of God's Children! And the Lord has promised Hope, Peace, Love and Joy, because the Lord gave us Jesus.

Peace often must begin with ourselves: "Love is not a vague feeling or an abstract idea. When I love someone, I seek what is best for them. If I begin to take the love of Christ seriously, then I will work toward what is best for my neighbor. I will seek to bind up the wounds and bring about healing, no matter what the cost may be."  -Billy Graham, cited in Peace Prayers

(have you seen our signs outside the church? What do they say-- EVERYONE is invited!} because everyone is a child of God.

Mary, blessed Mary, received the grace of God, and became the means for the Incarnation, for God to become human in the world! This was no accident, but a wonderful expression of the free will given by God. Mary bore Jesus as her very own child, and we can bear Jesus in our hearts as our very own savior and bearer of Love and Light and of God's grace and peace..of Shalom. That perfect peace of God for which we all yearn. WE yes, even we who live in a nondescript town can be the bearers of Jesus to the world!

During his adult life, one of the stories about Jesus goes like this “A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

as a Mom, I suspect that Mary gave Jesus the LOOK when he said this....but she likely got the point too. That yes, we are to care for one another ...all the time!

yes we are to be Jesus' brothers and sisters and mother...by doing His will! By listening, heeding the Word of God, by following Jesus- by remembering that there is a BIG picture! God has love and plans that are FAR beyond what any one of us can fathom alone, but we are to help bring about those plans!!

it's a challenge to preach on Peace when the news has been so full of anything but. We pray for the families of those who were murdered. But there are atrocities happening every day. People do not have enough to eat, or a safe place to sleep. People act as if no one else matters and “SELF” must get ahead at any cost, shoving aside any concerns for others. We fear the stranger and sometimes even the neighbor! And Jesus weeps. I believe Jesus weeps every single day, over this country as He wept over Jerusalem.

Found a wonderful quote from Dr. David Lose: "It’s not violence that is the greatest threat to us today, but fear. Fear that drives us to forget who we are, to see people in need as the enemy, and to place securing our safety and comfort above meeting  the basic needs of those in distress. Fear is more dangerous than violence because fear can lead us to forget our deepest identity and betray our most cherished values." (11-15-2015)

Couldn't God just fix everything? If God is so great why is the world such a mess? Author Ann Spangler writes, “God.... decided to take the long way round, quelling the world's rebellion not by brute force but by the power of divine love. That strategy requires restraint. It takes patience. It means justice in a final sense has to be delayed. It means evil is played out to the bitter end so that love can draw as many people as possible into the kingdom.    To say it another way, the weeds and the wheat are allowed to grow up together until the world's last day.h

and what if WE who profess to love Our Lord are to be part of the response?

Richard Foster phrases it this way:"Human beings are so important to God that the divine purposes are worked out through the messiness and sprawl of human history. Apparently, it is more important to God that human beings learn his ways in freedom than it is to get things done efficiently."

We are to learn God's ways and accomplish God's will! Yes God could make the world perfect again. But in order for humans to be fully in relationship with God and each other as we are created to be, we are to learn God's ways and help bring about that perfect Shalom.

This is why Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again. Jesus came to show us the Kingdom of God. God's kingdom is a place of Shalom. Peace. The perfect peace of God, which is no fear or violence of any sort, everlasting peace! But Shalom is also safety and protection, well-being for all of God's creation, completeness and harmony, perfect harmony. That is what Jesus came to earth to bring. But He didn't come to bring it all by Himself. Although he could! He came to model it for us. We are to live as he did, and love as he did, and bring His kingdom to one another. We live in hard times, violence, divisiveness and anger everywhere. If we do everything WE can to live our faith, we shine a light into the darkness and the darkness can not comprehend that light. So we keep on living in the Light. Look! I have faith! I bring you a meal. I bring you a Vacation Bible school lesson. I bring you back packs filled with school supplies by volunteers from 12 churches in Beloit! Look we have beautiful music to share with you! We have cookies to bake with you! Its God's kingdom breaking out here in Beloit!! This is what we individuals are here for, this is what our church is here for. To reach out to ALL of God's Children in the Name of the beautiful babe for whom we wait once again.

an ahhh moment.

Behind on my blogging, and a few other things....

Here is a photo taken this week at one of my fave spots at Riverside Park. The mix of clouds and blue sky, sun sparkling on the river...so pretty and relaxing. 

Sometimes i just stop here for a few minutes on my way around town to say hello to the trees and sky and take a moment to relax. I pray you find an "ahh" moment today and every day :)
Shalom!

a Thanksgiving Prayer

Thanksgiving. It's a holiday that means lots of food, usually with family and friends, and maybe a football game on TV. Thanksgiving can be an attitude. We can remember to give thanks every day, not just once a year over a table groaning with food. I pray that we give thanks for a great meal, and remember those who do not have enough to eat most days. I pray that we are grateful for our homes and remember those without. And I pray that we, who are so richly blessed, help out the less fortunate by giving our money and our time to organizations devoted to their assistance. I pray also for those who serve and protect, in our military, in police and fire departments. And for those who must work on holidays, in hospitals and care facilities, and in restaurants and other businesses, and emergency personnel.

I pray for those who are grieving this holiday season. Many of us have lost loved ones this year. The first round of holidays after a loss is rough. And even if it's been many years, sometimes the ache of loss wells up unexpectedly. If you know someone who may be grieving or lonely, do give a call or send a note or message. Even a quick “hello” means a lot at these times.

I pray that each of us remembers how much we have every day. And that we know that even if our budget is tight, we are rich in love. We love because God first loved us. And God so loved the world--the ENTIRE world, all of creation--that God sent God's only Son, our Lord Jesus. It in His Name we pray, Amen.  

letter writing

Monday evening....It's been a day of odds and ends. It was a day off, mostly. I drove by the church building and took photos of the roofing crew at work, then emailed pics to the church secretary and put one on Facebook. I also went to the riverfront and took some pics. A highlight of the day was getting a letter from a dear friend who lives in another city. She and I have been friends since grade school! We've both had ups and downs, and we don't always stay in touch as well as we'd like. So a nice long letter was a real treat. And I am grateful that I had time to write a nice long letter back to her! My note to her has a Maya Angelou stamp on it, and hers to me has a Jimi Hendrix stamp :) We are both proud children of the Baby Boom era! Glad our US Postal Service honors such a variety of people on stamps. It's a fun way to add some “personality” to mail.

I must admit, I do not write letters often. When I do, I type, my handwriting was always bad and it's gotten worse over the years. I can type faster than I can write longhand. When I have “serious” writing to do, like a sermon or bible study, then I do make notes longhand on a writing tablet, or write it out completely that way. Not sure why, but when I am 'stuck', writing longhand seems to help. I have read that writing longhand stimulates more areas of the brain than typing on a computer. So for a recent start to a writing project, I bought a set of writing tablets, in different colors, and gel pens. I haven't done all that much with them, but they look great!

So I am “catching up” on my blog posts. I pray it's been a nice day for you too, dear reader. Shalom.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Ooops, behind in my blogging. But we knew that would happen didn't we?

It's Thanksgiving week. I like to cook the big dinner, for a couple reasons. I like the leftovers! And with allergy issues, I'm picky. Over the years we've modified the menu a bit to be healthier. We have turkey for sure! For sides, we have roasted or steamed vegetables, and/or salad; sweet potatoes steamed or baked, with butter, no sweetener. Yes, we have potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and dessert. And one can choose to eat those things in moderation-or not! :)

This year we will spend the holiday at the apartment of older son and his girlfriend. She and I will cook together. We did phase 1 of the shopping yesterday and had fun and were quite efficient! Phase 2, the fresh veggies etc will be purchased Tuesday. It's working out well, and I think we are beginning a new tradition.

Holiday traditions are important. Sometimes when our life circumstances change, we want our traditions to stay exactly the same, but that's not feasible. We need to be able to honor traditions, but perhaps modify them to honor our new situation. My family is honoring my wish to cook, but at their apartment, which quite frankly has a much better kitchen!

I pray your holiday is wonderful, with people you love, with some old and new traditions, and some healthy choices along with some treats! 

I don't have a past photo of Thanksgiving dinner, 

so here is the "cornucopia" decorations from church :)

what do you hope people remember?

(a bit late...ok a day late...)

NaBloPoMo Day 18: What do you hope people remember about you after you're gone?

well I am pretty sure people will remember my laugh. I hear enough comments about it! (I have a rather boisterous laugh, my mom was always telling me to quiet down...and it never worked!)

I hope people know how much I love my family, they mean everything to me.

And I hope that folks remember that I love the Lord and have tried to help others see that God is present through all our lives, in good times and bad. 

naptime!

another day to post another blog entry! I had a couple meetings this morning, and now i am home and had some lunch and it's raining. I love the sound of rain....and love to fall asleep to the sound of rain. So i am about to take a nap.

I love naps. It's often hard for me to stay asleep all night. I always have, I suspect it's some genetic or biochemical thing. but i don't care enough to get a sleep study and all that jazz...I just read a while until i can fall back to sleep. and then i have a little afternoon siesta. 

The cat always sleeps all afternoon!

One thing we can count on, Our Loving Lord never sleeps or even naps! Scripture tells us in Psalm 121, "He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" 

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Blog and Photo Posting Month

It's NaBloPoMo -National Blog Posting Month, which follows the tradition of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. The latter is an event in which people commit to write a novel, 50,000 words in 30 days time. That is a LOT of work, but an effective way to establish a good daily writing practice if one does not already have one. I am not a novelist, but have thought in the past couple years of doing some sort of writing practice in November. I happened to come across info about Blog Posting Month, and well, here I am.

Just came across NaPhoPoMo, National Photo Posting Month! Some people are posting photographs every day during November. I have been doing that, putting a photo with most of these blog posts, not even aware that it was a thing. Most of these photos are one I have taken in the past, but a few are current, taken the day of the posting or one day before.

So without realizing it, I have been “killing two birds with one stone”, so to speak, posting a short written blog and photos every day. Thank you for reading my posts, and I hope you enjoy the photos too. My nature photos are depictions of beauty, sometimes a glimpse of something lovely in the ordinary. I believe that one aspect of God is beauty, seen in the midst of the ordinary. As when we see a colorful sunset or sunrise. The light of the full moon in a clear night sky. Or when the colors of a Maple or Oak tree in autumn are brilliant in the midst of evergreens. Or the flashing red feathers of Cardinal against the backdrop of snow. The glimmer or raindrops on a new leaf in spring. I pray that when I post a photo or two on my blog or on Facebook, or show them to friends, that people are seeing a glimpse of the glory of God's creation.

Happy writing, blog, or photo posting month, or just happy November to you. And again, thank you for following my blog.  

 More info about "NaPhoPoMo"

Photo taken summer of 2014, at Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area (just west of Monroe, WI)

a photo

NaBloPoMo Day 15: Something quick... a YouTube share, a picture, a haiku.. Short and Sweet Sunday.

one of my favorite photos taken at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota this summer. No filters or photo alterations at all. 

Prayers for Paris and all of us

There has been horrific violence on innocent people. As I write, details are sketchy, all that is known for sure is that there are more than 100 deaths and 300 people injured. It is the worst attack in the city of Paris since World War II.

This type of attack is so disturbing. It happened on a Friday evening, not on a battle field but in restaurants, a sports stadium, and a concert venue. People were out for fun at the end of the usual work week. That we may not be safe when out for an evening is appalling.

Humans need to feel safe and secure. If we do not, we can not function well for long. That is why terror attacks are prevalent and it also why news media cover them so avidly.

It is appalling also that we may not be safe in schools or churches. Sadly, many people are not truly safe in their own homes, as they may be subject to abuse. Sadly too, those who grow up in violence seem to learn that violence is the norm and often subject others to it.

Some may ask, where is God in all this?

God's promise is to be with us, always. Every person affected by these acts of terror is a child of God. Every single human being born was, or is, or will be, a child of God, even those who carry out terrible acts upon others. I believe God weeps because of violence happening to and through the acts of God's children.

I know that God promises to be with us always. We do not always perceive it. But God is present in those who help the victims, in the first responders, the doctors and nurses, and in the bystanders who offer aid to the injured or comfort to the dying. That God is present in those of us the world over who see the news and react in fear or anger. God urges us to think and pray..that even a thought, “those poor people”, is indeed a prayer of compassion.

We can pray. We can pray for those responders, for the victims and their families. We can pray for government officials in every country as they react and determine strategies for the future. And we can pray that those who act in violence will realize the error of their ways and that atrocities will cease and desist. We can pray that ALL of God's children, everywhere, know that God is Love and we are created to care for one another, not to hate. That hate and terror are acts of evil. We can pray that all of the children of Abraham, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, one day live in the love and peace of God as we were created for.

I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.  

ideal day off

NaBloPoMo Day 13: Describe your ideal day off. What would you do with your time?

Good coffee, a leisurely breakfast, from which all the calories and fat grams were removed, of course! Read a little, write a little. Take a walk outside-it's my ideal so the weather is perfect to be outdoors! In fact, if we are dreaming, let's dream big and make that walk happen on a nice sandy beach! In Florida! 

And a nice lunch with great people, my family and a couple of close friends. The kind of folks that it's OK to have silence with, because we don't have to constantly fill the holes! But the silences mostly don't last too long, because we do have so much in common and have such fun things to say when we are together! So there would be laughter and hugs.

And then maybe a nap or some shopping..and then a lovely dinner with my hubby. And maybe another walk on that beach, at sunset. And I could take a few photographs :) Then some more reading and writing and a great night's sleep. And, since it's my “ideal”, let's do it all again tomorrow! 

Pensacola Beach Florida, June 2013.   ahhhhhhh