Lord of all lands and peoples,
We gather here to pauses and reflect on your nature, your goodness.
Our agenda feels barren of goodness,
And your agenda, dripping like chocolate, is rich and pleasing.
We admit, O Lord, the essence of our lives cannot be purchased in any store.
We do admit our continuing attempt to purchase life.
Only to, once more, experience the emptiness that our love for lavish gifts offers.
Dear Jesus of the lowly manger, give us ears to listen to the music of the falling snow,
Give us eyes to see the majesty in creation as you have created all things and called them good.
Give us noses to smell the presence of the Spirit moving in our days.
Give us hearts to feel the pain of sin and the joy of new life in and around us.
Let our hands move to receive you and then offer peace.
Let our feet run to you in the breathless passion of the shepherds.
Let our mouths speak of love, as even the words we speak become tools of reconciliation.
This night, Father, allow us to share what we have experienced of you,
Allow us to remember your ways as higher than our own,
Allow us to sing your carols of gladness and praise.
May you hold your people from all lands in your care
as you breath upon us once more your words of life.
As we together recall the words of prayer you taught us to pray saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is on heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Notes for Sunday January 04, 2009
Read: Ephesians 1
Christmas has been described as a “one size fits all” holiday. Today we make Christmas be whatever we need it to be at the moment. And frankly Christmas is quite athletic, in that it can do many things and change plans on the go to accommodate the needs of a particular situation.
The Apostle Paul seems to not have heard about our modern idea of Christmas and the many ways we can make it change to meet our needs. He had only one focus, one message. His letter to the church in Ephesus outlines that message.
1. We are destined for adoption as his children.
2. In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance.
3. Believers are marked with a seal of the promised Holy Spirit.
Try as we might to change the message of the season to meet our needs at the moment, isn’t this word from Paul the real message of the season? I think so. I like to think of it like a “magic marker.”
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14
Sermon Title: “Magic Marker”
Christmas has been described as a “one size fits all” holiday. Today we make Christmas be whatever we need it to be at the moment. And frankly Christmas is quite athletic, in that it can do many things and change plans on the go to accommodate the needs of a particular situation.
The Apostle Paul seems to not have heard about our modern idea of Christmas and the many ways we can make it change to meet our needs. He had only one focus, one message. His letter to the church in Ephesus outlines that message.
1. We are destined for adoption as his children.
2. In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance.
3. Believers are marked with a seal of the promised Holy Spirit.
Try as we might to change the message of the season to meet our needs at the moment, isn’t this word from Paul the real message of the season? I think so. I like to think of it like a “magic marker.”
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14
Sermon Title: “Magic Marker”
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Notes for Sunday December 28, 2008
Read: Luke 2
Has Christmas grown larger than Jesus? Is it possible for Christmas to grow beyond the savior’s birth? Were we to reinvent Christmas, would we cause the thing to look and act like it does today? How would we change Christmas? What parts or pieces would we keep and hold in high esteem in secure places? And what would be thrown out, to be trod upon underfoot, lost forever in the midst of a world hungry for more?
Wow, all I wanted to do was have a nice easy little sermon this week. A sermon we can rest our weary souls upon. I was looking for a sermon to cheer us as we have sought new life in the midst of the hustle of the season. I was looking for a sermon to offer grace in the midst of ungrateful grabbing. I titled the sermon, “Surviving Christmas.” Some years, and for some it is every year, mere survival is our goal through the season.
I want to take a surprising look at Christmas. December 28 will put us right in the midst of the Christmas season. Our anxiety and depression surrounding the season is almost always found leading into the season, not the season it’s self. We worry about a multitude of possible things which never happen. They concern us far more, take far too much of our energy and resources, than the real possibilities for life knocking on our doors.
Can we laugh at ourselves and those around us? Can we find new life by taking a fresh look, even a humorous look at the story following Jesus birth? I would keep joy and laughter in Christmas. I will try.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 2:22-40
Sermon Title: “Surviving Christmas”
Has Christmas grown larger than Jesus? Is it possible for Christmas to grow beyond the savior’s birth? Were we to reinvent Christmas, would we cause the thing to look and act like it does today? How would we change Christmas? What parts or pieces would we keep and hold in high esteem in secure places? And what would be thrown out, to be trod upon underfoot, lost forever in the midst of a world hungry for more?
Wow, all I wanted to do was have a nice easy little sermon this week. A sermon we can rest our weary souls upon. I was looking for a sermon to cheer us as we have sought new life in the midst of the hustle of the season. I was looking for a sermon to offer grace in the midst of ungrateful grabbing. I titled the sermon, “Surviving Christmas.” Some years, and for some it is every year, mere survival is our goal through the season.
I want to take a surprising look at Christmas. December 28 will put us right in the midst of the Christmas season. Our anxiety and depression surrounding the season is almost always found leading into the season, not the season it’s self. We worry about a multitude of possible things which never happen. They concern us far more, take far too much of our energy and resources, than the real possibilities for life knocking on our doors.
Can we laugh at ourselves and those around us? Can we find new life by taking a fresh look, even a humorous look at the story following Jesus birth? I would keep joy and laughter in Christmas. I will try.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 2:22-40
Sermon Title: “Surviving Christmas”
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Notes for Sunday December 21, 2008
Read: Luke 1
A person said to me the other day, “the devil is in the details.” It is a common way of sharing feelings of uncertainty and disorder in the world around us. Being a big picture guy, I often struggle with details. If you are like me you simply want to move forward and not hassle with the fine print. I get bogged down, feeling like I am just hacking my way through the rain-forest of life. Fine motor skills were never given high marks on my report card.
The other side of the same coin reflects those who not only enjoy, but encourage interaction with the details of life. These folks are wonderfully made to work within a project, moving with the moments of a season. They reflect the fullness of God in the handiwork of God’s glory. As much as I struggle with the details, these persons soar in the same environment and it is beautiful to watch.
God is surely in the midst of the details, not the devil. For I find that when I am willing to let go of my fear and need to control the details of the environment around me, I experience God. Over and over my experience of Christmas has been one of God’s in-breaking through or even over the top of the mountain of details to offer peace, grace, and hope.
I pray this is also your experience of Christmas. Not so much one of a baby in a manger, but of a risen Christ who calms the wind and waves. Not so much of a present colorfully wrapped under a green tree, but of a sense of belonging and hopeful anticipation for God’s reign on earth to reclaim all that is born of the darkness. After all, God is in all the details.
Here are my sermon points for next Sunday based on writing by B.W. Johnson, 1891:
"In the angel's message we have, (1) An assurance, Fear not. (2) A promise, Thou shalt bring forth a son. (3) A command, Thou shalt call his name Jesus. (4) A prophecy, He shall be great, the Son of the Highest, sit on David's throne, reign forever."
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Sermon Title: “God is in the Details”
A person said to me the other day, “the devil is in the details.” It is a common way of sharing feelings of uncertainty and disorder in the world around us. Being a big picture guy, I often struggle with details. If you are like me you simply want to move forward and not hassle with the fine print. I get bogged down, feeling like I am just hacking my way through the rain-forest of life. Fine motor skills were never given high marks on my report card.
The other side of the same coin reflects those who not only enjoy, but encourage interaction with the details of life. These folks are wonderfully made to work within a project, moving with the moments of a season. They reflect the fullness of God in the handiwork of God’s glory. As much as I struggle with the details, these persons soar in the same environment and it is beautiful to watch.
God is surely in the midst of the details, not the devil. For I find that when I am willing to let go of my fear and need to control the details of the environment around me, I experience God. Over and over my experience of Christmas has been one of God’s in-breaking through or even over the top of the mountain of details to offer peace, grace, and hope.
I pray this is also your experience of Christmas. Not so much one of a baby in a manger, but of a risen Christ who calms the wind and waves. Not so much of a present colorfully wrapped under a green tree, but of a sense of belonging and hopeful anticipation for God’s reign on earth to reclaim all that is born of the darkness. After all, God is in all the details.
Here are my sermon points for next Sunday based on writing by B.W. Johnson, 1891:
"In the angel's message we have, (1) An assurance, Fear not. (2) A promise, Thou shalt bring forth a son. (3) A command, Thou shalt call his name Jesus. (4) A prophecy, He shall be great, the Son of the Highest, sit on David's throne, reign forever."
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Sermon Title: “God is in the Details”
Thursday, December 04, 2008
The Light Has Passed
The light has passsed
into the night of tomorrow
into the fragrance of flowers
into the day of dreams
without a smile or good word
for the light has a mission
to return another day.
The light has passed
I gave my time away
even in the darkness now
I never will forget
for my eyes betray my steps.
The light has passed
with the first snowfall
The light has passed
on a cold November evening
to return at winter's ending.
-D.A. Weesner
into the night of tomorrow
into the fragrance of flowers
into the day of dreams
without a smile or good word
for the light has a mission
to return another day.
The light has passed
I gave my time away
even in the darkness now
I never will forget
for my eyes betray my steps.
The light has passed
with the first snowfall
The light has passed
on a cold November evening
to return at winter's ending.
-D.A. Weesner
Oddly Betrayed
Isn’t this what the people wanted
all hope and truth and revelation?
Yet the longer the gift becomes given
the receptions grows less than warm.
Seems the arrival of something new and unexpected,
something long hoped for,
more than we have prayed, longed,
wanted for our children or neighbors
has led to disillusionment, unsettled lives,
and a feeling of broken trusts.
Is it always like this?
It is always like this!
The gift, more than our wildest,
presents us with more issues, reveals our humanness.
We stumble under the weight,
it is too much for us,
we are not worthy,
we are not ready
we are just not.
Strange the response …
We feel oddly betrayed
the Giver feels oddly betrayed
the Gift is oddly betrayed.
- D.A. Weesner
all hope and truth and revelation?
Yet the longer the gift becomes given
the receptions grows less than warm.
Seems the arrival of something new and unexpected,
something long hoped for,
more than we have prayed, longed,
wanted for our children or neighbors
has led to disillusionment, unsettled lives,
and a feeling of broken trusts.
Is it always like this?
It is always like this!
The gift, more than our wildest,
presents us with more issues, reveals our humanness.
We stumble under the weight,
it is too much for us,
we are not worthy,
we are not ready
we are just not.
Strange the response …
We feel oddly betrayed
the Giver feels oddly betrayed
the Gift is oddly betrayed.
- D.A. Weesner
Sermon Notes for Sunday December 14, 2008
Read: 1 Thessalonians
Rejoice always is the word from Paul to the early church. What is happening does not matter. If your life is wonderful or difficult, rejoice. Rejoicing comes along with sharing. I can not recall experiencing a time of sharing without some rejoicing along side. Advent should be the easiest time to rejoice as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ.
There are however two places of rub as I see it. The first is that we are not called to be happy Christians, rather ones who rejoice. There is a difference here and it is not particularly subtle. As you have been around me you have probably heard my rant about Christmas smiles and happiness that is so false it could be scrapped off like frosting on a cake. Happy all the time, is not in the Bible. However, a deep foundational joy is in the Bible. I want that unmovable rejoicing which comes from the knowledge that my savior lives. I have joy because I know that God’s amazing grace offers a perfection into my life. I am happy because my mother-in-law makes amazing pecan pie. See the difference?
The second rub is like the first in that our lives are not always pleasant. As pastor Bill Tenny-Brittian says, "Jesus was not born in Bethlehem to make the darkness more manageable." Jesus comes into our lives to make a change, not just to help us cope. Most of what we see of Christmas preparations around us are about helping people get along easier with the world as it is. However that is just not the case for Christmas. Jesus comes into the world and the world will no longer be the same again. Everything changes. This message is just as counter-culture today as it was 2000 years ago. It is also just as true and life-giving.
Now based on that kind of savior and the passage at hand for direction, how is your Christmas season rejoicing going?
Rejoice always is the word from Paul to the early church. What is happening does not matter. If your life is wonderful or difficult, rejoice. Rejoicing comes along with sharing. I can not recall experiencing a time of sharing without some rejoicing along side. Advent should be the easiest time to rejoice as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ.
There are however two places of rub as I see it. The first is that we are not called to be happy Christians, rather ones who rejoice. There is a difference here and it is not particularly subtle. As you have been around me you have probably heard my rant about Christmas smiles and happiness that is so false it could be scrapped off like frosting on a cake. Happy all the time, is not in the Bible. However, a deep foundational joy is in the Bible. I want that unmovable rejoicing which comes from the knowledge that my savior lives. I have joy because I know that God’s amazing grace offers a perfection into my life. I am happy because my mother-in-law makes amazing pecan pie. See the difference?
The second rub is like the first in that our lives are not always pleasant. As pastor Bill Tenny-Brittian says, "Jesus was not born in Bethlehem to make the darkness more manageable." Jesus comes into our lives to make a change, not just to help us cope. Most of what we see of Christmas preparations around us are about helping people get along easier with the world as it is. However that is just not the case for Christmas. Jesus comes into the world and the world will no longer be the same again. Everything changes. This message is just as counter-culture today as it was 2000 years ago. It is also just as true and life-giving.
Now based on that kind of savior and the passage at hand for direction, how is your Christmas season rejoicing going?
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