When I was in elementary school I became enamored with the art of juggling. As I watched demonstrations of juggling by the pros, it seemed impossible that someone could keep that many items in the air at once. Please note, I never became a great juggler, but I am able to pick up three similiarly-sized items and juggle them even to this day. With a little practice I am sure I could add more items successfully.
In the time leading up to Christmas we are often juggling--family, work, concerts, office parties, and many other activities. It seems impossible that we will ever be able to get everything done, keep everyone happy, actually enjoy the holiday. But like the younger me staring at the skilled jugglers, don't too quickly declare your mission impossible and raise the white flag. Work to become more skilled at concentration, balance, and timing. You might surprise yourself and handle the busyness without a core melt down.
Live and learn. Learn and live. Live and learn. It could be that over a lifetime God can help you learn to juggle and be happy.
plou
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
HOPE
This week we will be remembering that Advent is a season of hope. In a world of rising debt, violence, anxiety, etc., we need to hear that anything's possible and that everything is going to be alright thanks to a God that loves us. Here are some thoughts from Susan Hanson.
[T]he blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.—Matthew 11:5
Nothing will remain as it is—that’s the Advent message in Matthew’s account of the Gospel. Jesus himself will make the same observation later on in his parable of the vineyard: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Lest we get too hung up on specifics—and yes, Jesus did do the things he promised—what Matthew is really talking about here is radical change. Leprosy, blindness, deafness—in Jesus’ day, these weren’t temporary conditions; once a person was afflicted, he typically remained so for life. The idea, then, that an individual could be cured was astounding. Add raising the dead and bringing good news to the poor, and we have quite a list of impossible feats.
And yet, that’s exactly what Matthew foretells. In the new age that the Messiah would usher in, the old assumptions simply wouldn’t apply. Why not imagine the lame walking? Why not envision the deaf hearing and the blind seeing again? Why not think of a world in which the poor would be given hope and the lifeless, breath? Why not believe that God has the power to resurrect our own tired hearts? Nervous with expectation, we dare to admit that we do.
A Prayer
O God, who desires only what is good, help us to be open to your healing grace, and make us agents of change in the world. Amen.
[T]he blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.—Matthew 11:5
Nothing will remain as it is—that’s the Advent message in Matthew’s account of the Gospel. Jesus himself will make the same observation later on in his parable of the vineyard: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Lest we get too hung up on specifics—and yes, Jesus did do the things he promised—what Matthew is really talking about here is radical change. Leprosy, blindness, deafness—in Jesus’ day, these weren’t temporary conditions; once a person was afflicted, he typically remained so for life. The idea, then, that an individual could be cured was astounding. Add raising the dead and bringing good news to the poor, and we have quite a list of impossible feats.
And yet, that’s exactly what Matthew foretells. In the new age that the Messiah would usher in, the old assumptions simply wouldn’t apply. Why not imagine the lame walking? Why not envision the deaf hearing and the blind seeing again? Why not think of a world in which the poor would be given hope and the lifeless, breath? Why not believe that God has the power to resurrect our own tired hearts? Nervous with expectation, we dare to admit that we do.
A Prayer
O God, who desires only what is good, help us to be open to your healing grace, and make us agents of change in the world. Amen.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Advent
A Word for Advent from Pastor Lou
Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
7 Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil.
8 Then you will gain renewed health and vitality. (New Living Translation)
Twice in an hour this scripture was handed to me as if I needed to hear it. First, I heard one of the presidential candidates asked about “that scripture he often quotes,” and he noted Proverbs 3:5-6. Then, moments later, I received my daily Upper Room e-mail and there was the same quotation offered from a different perspective. I thought, maybe God is trying to tell me something.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” That’s easier said than done. But as my mother always says, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
I want to venture in God! Don’t you? So let each of us pray, “Today, Lord, help me to trust. Help me to let go of the wanderings and musings of my own mind and accept the mind of Christ. Immerse me in your wisdom and love, so that as I move, it will always be toward you. Help me to find solid footing as I accept your will and choose to move closer to You.
This is Advent.
plou
Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
7 Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil.
8 Then you will gain renewed health and vitality. (New Living Translation)
Twice in an hour this scripture was handed to me as if I needed to hear it. First, I heard one of the presidential candidates asked about “that scripture he often quotes,” and he noted Proverbs 3:5-6. Then, moments later, I received my daily Upper Room e-mail and there was the same quotation offered from a different perspective. I thought, maybe God is trying to tell me something.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” That’s easier said than done. But as my mother always says, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
I want to venture in God! Don’t you? So let each of us pray, “Today, Lord, help me to trust. Help me to let go of the wanderings and musings of my own mind and accept the mind of Christ. Immerse me in your wisdom and love, so that as I move, it will always be toward you. Help me to find solid footing as I accept your will and choose to move closer to You.
This is Advent.
plou
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