Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

LOVE John 3:16-17 Pathway to Heaven by Mark Bradford As a small child, I learned "Silent Night, Holy Night" by heart.  In verse 3, I heard and sang, "Son of God loves pure light."  It's been only recently, that I've really looked at the printed lyric and realized that it's "Son of God, love's pure light."  What a difference that apostrophe makes.  Without that apostrophe, it sounds as if Jesus came into the world to find the pure and perfect.  With the apostrophe, Christ is described as a gift of God's unconditional, perfect love for us.  " “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."  (John 3:17) Today we're going to open that gift of God's saving love. Christmas mornings at our home when I was a child was agonizing!  My sister, Paula, and I were under strict orders

Nehemiah 8:9-10             And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the  Lord  your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.  Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our  Lord ; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the  Lord  is your strength.” Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light Radiant beams from Thy Holy Face With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth! Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth! "Silent Night, Holy Night"; Words:  Joseph Mohr; Lyrics: Franz Xaver Gruber; 1818. Friday, December 21, is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.  With the dawn of December 22, we look forward to the days getting longer, and even though there's

Luke 1:26-18, 2:8-14;  John 14:27    Silent Night, Holy Night. Shepherds quake, at the sight.  ("Silent Night, Holy Night, verse 2; Words:  Joseph Mohr, Lyrics:  Franz Xaver Gruber; 1818) When we say, "Peace be with you," what kind of peace are we talking about?  Peace, like the absence of war and conflict?  Peace and quiet, like a cabin by lake in the middle of the woods or that time in the morning before the rest of the world is up for the day?  Or peace of mind, when we fall asleep without a care in the world because we're safe and warm in our homes and all is right with the world? The problem with those kinds of peace is that they're all temporary.  At any moment, they can be disturbed by what I call "Holy crap!" events.  That's when everything seems to be under control and my future seems secure, and something happens, and my life is turned upside down. Mary had one of those "Holy crap!&quo

Psalm 23:5-6 Disconsolation:  adjective, without consolation or solace; hopelessly unhappy; inconsolable; causing dejection; cheerless; gloomy.       Dictionary.com -- https//www.dictionary.com/browse/disconsolation When I was a second grade teacher, answering the questions of children was so much easier.  I could tell them why the sky was blue and why it rained with simplified scientific explanations.  When one of my students came to me sobbing, I was able to assure her that, despite what her little friends told her, the tooth she swallowed would not chew her stomach up with a basic overview of the human gastro-intestinal system.  Everything, I told her, would work out in the end, and the tooth fairy would understand because this kind of thing happened all the time. It was easy to help them discover the answers for themselves ("That's an interesting question.  Let's look it up together!") or ask leading questions to awaken empathic thinking, like, "Why

Isaiah 9:2 John 1:1-5 Advent:  the arrival of a notable person, thing or event, like the 200th anniversary debut of the Christmas hymn, "Silent Night, Holy Night.  On Christmas Eve in 1818, Father Joseph Mohr, the young priest of St. Nicholas parish church in Obendorf discovered that the church organ was broken.  Stories differ on the cause -- some say it was mice and others say it was rust.  At any rate, Father Mohr realized that there was little chance of fixing the instrubent before the evening service.  So, he pulled out a poem he had written several years before called "Stile Nacht" and took it to the schoolmaster and organist of a nearby town, Franz Xaver Grueber.  Grueber wrote a melody to accompany the poem for guitar.  Just in time for the Christmas Eve service, Gruber had the music written, and the hymn was played for the first time that night. With the help of this beloved hymn,  celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ,  we're going to explore the the

Matthew 6:24-34 " Don't Worry, Be Happy " In 1988, when Bobby McFerrin released his a cappella hit, "Don't Worry,Be Happy," I was, well, a lot younger.  These days, I'm much more pragmatic,and a bit more cynical.  Let's be real, here, folks.  These days -- what don't we worry about?  Yet, Jesus' advice to us in Matthew 6:24-34 in these troubling times is just that, "Don't Worry!" Sometimes, I feel like I'm living in a box.  It's a box I've carefully constructed.  The walls are made out of everything I don't have and concerns about keeping what I do have.  I've reinforced the sides with all my limitations.  Into it, I've packed it full everything I worry about, from paying the bills to how I'm going to handle all the changes that have been happening to me.   Then I've crawled into and pulled it shut after me.  It's confining and gets a bit stuffy, and the view stinks.  It's

Galatians 5:13-14 Philippians 2:4-8 I remember on summer break during my college years when my good friend Sherry, an elementary physical education major, attempted to teach me how to play tennis.  I thought that if she could teach kindergartners how to skip, she could teach me how to play tennis.  How wrong I was. I still remember some of the basics.  First, no talking during the game.  My hope was that the experience not only would give me a sport I would continue to play for the rest of my life but it would also give us another opportunity for female bonding.  Imagine my disappointment.  How can you put two good friends together in one space and not allow them to talk. I also remember the importance of having the correct grip and to follow-through, especially when serving the ball.  When I stop and think about it, grip and follow-through are equally important when it comes to serving others as a disciple of Jesus. As Christians, we need to have a firm grip on,

To a melody played on the strings of our souls And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón ... Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente Canten a coro, let it be known Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón "Proud Corazon" From the movie Coco Written by Germaine Franco and Adrian Molina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGo0UL0Dt18 The closer we get to All Saints Sunday, the more often I find the song, "Proud Corazon" from the movie, Coco , playing in my head.  This animated film takes place during the celebration of Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Coco's home village in Mexico.  Amid themes of family, forgiveness and reconcilliation, the young boy realizes that his family, past and present, is part of who he is and will always be with him. When the Apostle Paul wrote, " Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesse

Matthew 10:1-10 St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words. And one way we do that is when our service done in the name of Christ becomes an invitation to experience Jesus and the promise that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. J    Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke for them. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.    As we read the paper, listen to the news and talk to our neighbors as we go about our lives, don’t we see the same thing in our community and in the world? So many needs. So much hopelessness, and contention. So many people living in fear, prisoners of their circumstances, with little power to make changes in their lives without help. J   Jesus

Acts 9:10-19 "Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's Glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than others." Hebrews 1:1-4 God, the Father, sent his Son Jesus whom he gave all authority into the world that we might be saved. To whom has Christ sent us? During a storm, an infant watches drops of water run down window panes. The child experience this, but it’s not until an adult gives her the words to name it, she doesn’t know that what she sees is rain. A young man, blind from birth, through the gift of medical scie

Mark 9:38-41,50 Listen to this performance of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.  Did you notice that not everyone is singing or playing the same notes?  In some parts, all the members of the choir are not singing all the same words.  Yet with this diversity of instrumental and vocal voices united by Handel's composition create a powerful harmony.  You know, I think there's a lesson in that for us and for the church. Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah Previously in Mark 9, Jesus chastised the disciples for arguing among themselves about which of them was the greatest of all the disciples.  It what seems like in an attempt to redeem himself and his fellow disciples, John spoke up, saying, "But we did a good thing the other day.  We came across some guy who was casting out evil spirits in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn't following us!"  He wasn't following them.  He wasn't one of them.  He wasn't a

Ephesians 4:1-6 “Variety is the very spice of life, That give it all its flavor.”      William Cowper’s poem, “The Task (1785) What I’ve learned in cooking is that a variety of spices will blend together and bring out and enhance the flavor of the basic ingredients of the dish.   Without them, food would be bland, and if we depend on only one of them, that particular seasoning may overpower the taste of the dish.   So too can the life and "flavor" of a local church become if its members are all the same. Diversity in a community of faith is a wonderful spice in the life of a healthy church -- diversity in ages, economic groups, educational levels, ethnicity, life styles, and opinions.   This is why: 1.        Our ideas and beliefs are informed, strengthened and enriched by being in conversations with people who are different than ourselves. 2.        In the church, the Holy Spirit is present and active in our relationships with each other and g