Rounding third and heading for home

A true friend encourages us, comforts us, supports us like a big easy chair, offering us a safe refuge from the world.—H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


We are almost there. We have paused to remember the promise of the Prophet Isaiah (64:1-9) as we lit the Candle of Hope. We conjured up images of a wild man clothed in camel’s hair (Mark 1:1-8), and lit the Candle of Love. Last Sunday, we heard about John’s call from God (John 1:19-28), reflected, perhaps, on where God is working in our lives, as we lit the Angel’s Candle, the pink Candle of Joy. Finally, this week we light the Candle of Peace. The waiting is almost over, the journey nearly complete.

Peace. It’s an elusive thing, isn’t it? We know, far too well, it seems, how to wage war, but we can’t seem to figure out how to “wage peace.” Maybe that’s what this season of waiting is for: to give us good reason to slow down and remember.

Remember shepherds, lowly and uneducated—yet these are the ones with whom the angel first shared the Good News.

Remember Wise Men, not Jewish Pharisees or Roman soldiers, seeking the Christ Child in a manger.

Remember Mary. And Joseph. And Elizabeth. And Zechariah. And on and on. Peace comes in realizing God used them all, inviting them and us to come, see the new thing God is doing. Offering the invitation to believe that we, too, are part of a greater Plan we may never understand, but knowing, trusting that the door is open wide, and it’s time to come home. Welcome home. You are safe here.


Monday Reflect today on a time when God’s promise came to pass in your life. Give thanks. 2 Samuel 7:5-11

Tuesday How do you respond when you recognize an open door in your life? Are you quick to respond or reluctant or timid? Luke 1:26-38

Wednesday It’s Christmas Eve. Take a few minutes to stand outside seeking a star in your life. Listen to the pensive quiet of the night. Matthew 2:1-12

Thursday Christmas Day Tell a family member of friend about a favorite Christmas memory. How are you feeling—this year? Is your heart at rest? Romans 16:25-27

Friday In England, today is Boxing Day, a day to give little gifts to the people who make our world a better place on a regular basis, like the mail carrier or the person who cuts your hair. Consider offering a random act of kindness to someone today. Titus 2:11-14

Saturday Did you receive a gift you really can’t use? Instead of returning it, consider donating it to charity—or return it and donate the cash. (Or both!) 1 Samuel 1:21-28

Sunday Have you made your commitment to God and Church in the Circle for 2015? How will your gifts and talents be used in ministry to the Kingdom in the New Year? Revelation 22-12-16


I love you, not just for now, but for always, and I dream of the day you’ll gather me in your arms again. –Nicholas Sparks

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritual dehydration

  Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up. –Pearl S. Buck   The past two years (at least) have been exhausting, haven’t they? We had a pandemic that physically left us anxious and afraid. Our churches, where we go for nourishment, were closed or online longer than we wanted—and even now, we are careful. Politically, we have been divided against one another, and those wounds are still bleeding in many cases. We need to take care of ourselves. And it’s never been more difficult. What to do? How do I make time in our busy schedules—for me ? The simple answer: Whatever it takes. Remember when we would fly to a vacation destination? How the flight attendant would remind us that if the cabin loses pressure, the oxygen masks would drop down out of the ceiling? And that before we offer to help anyone else, we need to have our own masks in place ? Good advice for life in general. Today: Pause. Take inventory ...
Read more

What are you waiting for?

  The waiting is the hardest part. –Tom Petty   We spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for the coffee to finish dripping. Waiting for the light to turn green. Waiting for the next available agent. It’s inevitable, really. We cannot always be first, and if we aren’t first, we’ll have to wait. But I think the more important thing is to ask yourself: How am I at waiting? Do I find myself getting anxious and fidgety? Am I worrying about things not going the way I really need them to go? Is my attitude rubbing off on people around me? The best way to wait is not to worry where we are in line, or gripe about wasted time. The best way to wait—is to be right there , in the moment of waiting. The disciples waited in fear; we wait in hope. Why not use this waiting time to pray? Welcome God’s presence into your heart. Ask God to bring you into the moment. Inquire what God would ask of you in this moment . Thank God for wisdom, patience, humor. . . . Take a d-e...
Read more

Don't be afraid.

Living is a great deal more than simply not dying. It is carrying out a mission, committing oneself to fashion some meaning that will attain eternity. –Leonardo Boff When asked, “What are you afraid of?” we offer a myriad of answers: snakes, spiders, flying in an airplane. But when pressed, many people, believers and non-believers alike, will admit that the one thing they fear most, at the core of their being, is death. Most of us enjoy having control over our lives, and frankly, we have very little control over, or way of knowing, how or when our earthly journey will end. And we have even fewer concrete answers about what will happen next. We have the profession of our faith and the occasional “crossing-over” story—but. No wonder death is near the top of that list. But sometimes, as I look around, it seems like people are less fearful about dying—and more afraid of living. Really cutting loose and enjoying our time together as human beings privileged to live in God’s am...
Read more