Archive - November, 2006

Preparing for Advent

Text: Psalm 89:1-4

There are those songs.  You know the songs of which I speak. Songs laced with a hypnotic melody that cause them to be forever burned into our memory.  Songs so infectious that they appear to jump from one person to another like a bad cold. A young man on a subway is singing a little tune. An older gentleman sitting near him exits and whistles the tune as he scurries down the sidewalk.  A lady passing by picks up the tune and carries it with her to the waiting elevator and its only occupant – you.  She exits on the third floor and by the fifth floor, your toe is tapping and the humming begins. Despite your best efforts, you can’t stop it.  By the seventh floor, you give up the fight and belt out your off-key rendition of “I Write the Songs”.

The writer of the 89th Psalm understands about infectious songs.  He has a song so infectious he can’t help but sing it.  He has a song that must be released or he’ll burst.  It is a song of God’s amazing love and faithfulness. Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are.  I’ll never quit telling the story of your love.” (Psalm 89:1 – the Message)

This Advent season may we be unable to stop ourselves.  May we belt out the beautiful song of God’s lavish love and fidelity.  May our ceaseless humming of this amazing melody pour out onto all who share space with us and go on to infect the entire world this Advent season.

Let the Anticipation Begin

It was a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday for me this year.  Good times with family and very little pressing agenda.  For those two things, I am thankful.

One of the traditions that I carry on from my childhood days is putting up Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  Although it was a Christmas_pictures_002little odd to be putting up trees and lights in 70 degree weather. It is abnormally warm here which I love but for those of us who associate cold with Christmas it is slightly unsettling.

It is a great time to put up outside decorations and so I am contemplating how to decorate my new home.  It is my first Christmas here so there is some adjusting of decor and such to make it fit.  I did get a "new" Christmas tree up.  I got my parents tree from them.  It was too big for their family room and with my high ceilings, it made a better fit here.  As you can see, it is a big tree.  But it looks great!!!

I love Christmas.  It is the time of year when the kingdom of God on earth seems most possible.  It may be difficult to see that as we watch footage of people fighting and trampling one another in a quest for a cheap toy but don’t focus there.   More people are thinking about others, gathering with family, giving of self to serve others and seeking joy.  If there is ever a season to believe that the reign of God is possible on earth and in our lives, it is the season where we celebrate Emmanuel – God with us.

Page 1 of 3123»