Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

What makes Christmas Christmas for us? Singing carols? Christmas trees? Decorations? Lights? Presents? Special foods and treats? Hallmark Specials? Shopping? Credit card debt? Parties with family and friends? If we didn’t have any of those things, would it still be Christmas? I think so, because Christmas is something that transcends all our traditions. Christmas is about God’s favor. Some people think that if God favors us, we’re going to get all everything we think we deserve. God is like Santa Claus, and if we’re been good little boys and girls, we’ll get everything on our list. Other people think that if God favors us, we’re God’s favorites. We belong to an exclusive group, a chosen few who truly deserve God’s love. God’s favor is an expression of God’s unconditional, inclusive love for all of us, no matter what part of the world we live in or what our first language is, the belief system we’r...

Matthew 1:18-25 Any of the people from the story of the first Christmas, the wise mean, the shepherds and Mary could wonder, like Joseph, “Why me?” Why were gentiles, the wise men, given the privilege to be the first people to acknowledge Jesus as King? Why were the poor shepherds chosen to be the first invited to see the newborn Messiah? Why was Mary given the honor to give birth to God’s only Son?  Did Joseph ever ask, “Why me?”  Why not?  I think he was the right person to be Jesus’ stepfather. Maybe he’s the kind of person the world needs today. Have you ever set up a nativity scene? Hmm. Is this one a shepherd or is this Joseph. If we’re lucky, the shepherd is holding a lamb. Hint: Joseph is usually the one holding the lantern. Isn’t that how we think of him – just the guy in the background holding a lantern. He does get to lead the donkey. That’s an important job, isn’t it? God didn’t choose Joseph to be a bit player in the story of Chr...

Luke 1:26-38 "Who me?" When God "favors" us as God favored Mary, what is our reaction?   Do you remember the movie called Terminator with Arnold Schwarzeneggar?  Scwarzeneggar plays a cyborg assassin from the future who has come back to kill a single young woman, Sara Conner.  Why?  Sarah is going to have a child who will play an important part in the future.  Sara receives this news when a man suddenly appears out of a very bright light and announces that she's going to have a baby who will save mankind. Sarah's response:  "I can't even balance my checkbook.  I didn't ask for this 'honor,' and I don't want it." Who, me?  Why me?  Can't be! When Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that God had chosen her to give birth to the Savior of humanity, he said, "Greetings, favored one!  the Lord is with you....Don't be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God, and now you will conceive in your w...

Luke 2:8-20 Watching and waiting ... That's something the wise men and the shepherds had in common.  The wise men were waiting and watching for signs and omens; the shepherds were waiting and watching for ... predators.  Shepherds were very observant, noticing things others would miss, because their lives and their livelihood depended on it.  You know what the first rule of shepherding is?  Keep your eyes open and on those sheep because:  (1) They tend to wander off and get themselves into trouble,  and (2) they will bite. If we, like the wise men and the shepherds are watching and waiting, we shouldn't be surprised to encounter God in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways.  Just be prepared never to be the same again. Being a shepherd wasn't on the top ten list of professions in Israel.  First of all, you always smelled like wet sheep.  The pay wasn't that good, you were out in all kinds of weather, and you neve...

Isaiah 9:2,6 Matthew 2:1-12 During Advent, this year, we're going to experience the first Christmas through the stories of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds.  It may seem odd, but we're going to kick off this series with the Wise Men. Remember what it was like as a child waiting for Christmas to come? When my little sister, Paula, and I were children, we were given strict orders that we couldn't get out of bed on Christmas morning until we knew our mother had started breakfast.  Awake usually before dawn, we watched the sky lighten outside our window as we waited for signs that Mom was up.  When we heard cupboard doors opening and closing and smelled the bacon frying, we were up like a flash. As adults, we still spend a lot of time waiting in the weeks before Christmas, usually in lines or cruising up and down the streets and in parking lots looking for an empty parking space.  And when we do find one, doesn't it feel like it's a sign that God loves us and tha...

Psalm 34:1-8 I Kings 19:11-13 At the end of a Thanksgiving meal, were you ever asked, "Did you save room for dessert?" Were you ever told, "No snacking before dinner, you'll ruin your appetite for the main course?" Jesus is the reason for the season of Advent and Christmas, kind of the main course of the celebration.  With everything that goes along with the weeks before Christmas on top of the responsibilities and activities of everyday living, even I have trouble saving room for Jesus.  So, let's make the journey together as we look at scripture and some practical ways to save room for Jesus in our lives during a very busy time of the year. REALITY CHECK Let's start with a reality check.  Life doesn't stop happening just because Christmas is coming.  Adding additional activities to an already full life is naturally going to be stressful.  Our attitude is also going to be affected by major event that have happened d...

TEN MINUTE RETREAT A ten-minute retreat can happen anywhere -- in a favorite armchair, at your desk, on a park bench or in your car in the grocery store parking lot. Begin with deep breathing.  With each exhale, release tension from your body beginning with your feet and moving upward.  When you reach your shoulders, allow them to drop down, away from your neck.  Let your face muscles relax and go slack.  Take your time on this step. Now, imagine the Christmas star shining down on you with the pure light of God's grace.  It forms a dome over you where only peace, joy, love and hope may enter. Continue the deep breathing.  Each time you breath, bring God's grace into all parts of your body.  Exhale, and repeat four times.  Now inhale and feel peace come over you.  Inhale again and feel joy fill you.  Inhale and experience the warmth of Christ's love for you.  Inhale and allow hope to replace the stress and worry you carry. ...

Jeremiah 29:11-13 Isaiah 43:15-21 NEW AND IMPROVED! I'm a bit skeptical when a product is advertised as "new and improved."  Sometimes all that means is that the product is in a new package, it's now more expensive, and it's not all that improved.  I don't know about you, but "New Coke" was a big disappointment for me. Augustine said that the church should always be reformed -- that is always reforming, becoming renewed and changing to meet the challenges of our current reality.  So, what does it mean whent God is calling the church to do a "new thing?" Our current reality as Christians and as the church is one of rapid change.  Technology continues to change, almost daily, yet the human condition remains the same.  The cultural differences between one generation to the next are much more different than in the past, yet human needs remain the same.  Our challenge as the church in a time of great change is to cont...

Psalm 94:3-7,22-23 Romans 8:18-25 Imagine that you are a fish living in a small, peaceful pond when a pebble is tossed in by someone.  You and the other residents are momentarily startled.  Later, a large rock is thrown in, and you all are frightened and run for hiding where you heal from the trauma and wait for the water to grow quiet again.  But what if rock after rock is being constantly thrown into the pond and the water is never calm and there is not enough time to process what is happening.  You and your fellow creatures don't have time to recover and are in a constant state of anxiousness and fear. When our lives and life in our society and world are like this, then the people of God cry out in lament, giving voice to their suffering, and ask, "How Long, O Lord?" There is nothing new about suffering.  As history and the Bible can attest, it has been around for ages, part of the human condition from one generation to the next.  We can recogn...

Isaiah 40:28-31 Exodus 32:1-8 The chorus of Greg Brown's song, "Waiting," goes like this: " Everybody just a-waitin' an' a-waitin' Everybody just a-waitin' an' a-waitin' Everybody just a-waitin' an' a waitin' and a-waitin' Everybody just waitin' their time away" It's true.  We do spend a lot of our time waiting.  For example, each year, we spend 72 hours on hold and 38 hours waiting in traffic.  Waiting in line is one thing, but waiting upon the Lord is totally another. There are times in our lives when waiting tries our patience, like waiting in doctors' offices or traveling, especially with children -- "are we there yet?"  But when we're waiting to hear news that might possibly be bad, or uncertain of the future, or sitting by the bedside of our dying loved one, waiting can almost be unbearable.  These are the kinds of times that stress us out and make us anxious. That was h...

Exodus 13:17-22, Exodus 14 Our God is a dangerous God.  Not because of his wrath or his power, but because of his reckless love for us that refuses to leave us where and as we are.  We wants so much more for us. God’s dangerous and reckless love often asks us to step out and take risks so we can move forward into God’s future for us.  As threatening as that might be to us, as we read the stories of God’s people, we will find reason to imagine, hope and have faith in the great things God will do for us and through us. "Stuck In The Middle With You" Well, I don't know why I came here tonight I got the feeling that something ain't right I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right Here I am, stuck in the middle with you. Performed by Stealer’s Wheel Songwriters: Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WROJl...

Exodus 1, 2:23-25 Our God is an awesome God, and Our God is a dangerous God.  Not because God is fickle or unreliable; not because God is capricious or unjust.  God can be perceived as threatening because God loves us too much to allow us to remain where and as we are, even when those places may feel dangerous to us.  Times had changed.  Egypt was no longer a welcoming refuge for the Hebrew people.  Where once they prospered, they were now forced into poverty and slavery.  Things just weren't working out for them there, but then again, maybe they were never meant to stay there forever. Times have changed.  Our culture no longer sees the church as the center of the community.  Where once the pews were filled and we prospered, we are now in competition with so many other things for people's time, service and gifts.  Things don't always work out if we remain as we are, doing the same things, wanting our culture to change so that we ...