Week full of surprises

This week went by way too fast! It was filled with a few surprises (some good and some bad) but overall it was a wonderful Christmas week. My grandma drove 2 hours from the north country and showed up at my parents house last Sunday morning. No one expected her to come for Christmas. That was a very good surprise. Then, my brother and his girlfriend arrived safe and sound from WA after having a little problem with the airlines. It was truly a blessing to see them. We spent a lot of time catching up and playing a ton of Canasta.

In between family time, I was preparing for the big Christmas Eve services. That's where the not-so-good surprise comes in. In all my attempts to be super organized, my worst nightmare happened. See, I started off at church #2 to get everything all set before I went to church #1. Well, I happened to leave my manuscript(sermon) for church #1 at church #2. So, when I arrived at church #1 I freaked out. Here I was, on one of the biggest days of the church year, without my manuscript. So, I calmed down and scribbled on a piece of paper to recall all my key points. All said and done, it all went well and almost everyone had no idea of my mishap. Talk about preaching from the heart!

I tried to shake off what happened at church #1 and walked into church #2, ready for the festivities. Worship went beautifully and it was an added bonus that most of my family was present. After worship, I went home to grab Duke and my packed bags and headed to my parents. It was a wonderful Christmas day and Santa was very good to me. Yet, what made it wonderful was just being with family and friends. I definitely felt the joy of Christmas this year as we recalled old memories and made new ones.

The final surprise was that despite my mishaps, or any of our mistakes, the joy of Christmas comes. It is not dependent upon a perfect evening. It is not dependent upon anything we do or don't do. Christmas comes. Christ comes. Joy comes. Hope comes. One woman, on her way out the door at church #2 said "Thank you. This gave me hope." Why was I surprised to hear such a thing. Why was I surprised that God showed up? Why was I surprised that hope was found? Where have you felt the joy and hope of Christmas?

Jesus in Philadelphia?

I was getting my boots on and getting ready to leave the church when I heard one of the Sunday School kids talking. She was telling some of the other kids that Jesus was coming and he was going to be in Philadelphia! I am not kidding. She was dead serious. I asked her to repeat what I thought I heard her say. She said that Jesus was going to be in Philadelphia next week. Some of the other kids started laughing. She started to get upset and said "I'm not kidding, Jesus is coming to Philadelphia, and I know that it is true because I saw it on the news." She couldn't have been more serious. I would have liked to talk with her more about what she "heard" on the news (maybe she got Jesus and Santa mixed up?!) but I had to run to the other church.

Yet, I started to think about how serious she was, and how positive she was that Jesus was coming. Isn't that what Advent should be all about. Shouldn't we be taking Jesus' coming seriously. We have this time called Advent to prepare our hearts and our lives for Jesus to enter. We hear the story of how God came to earth in a little baby. We have been reading about the second coming of Christ in the lectionary. Yet, how serious do we take it.

How are we really preparing for Christ to come? That little girl on Sunday made me aware of how, as we get older, we grow more skeptical. Maybe we get so skeptical that we fail to see the truth in front of us. That little girl is positive that Jesus is showing up. Are we?

"And a child shall lead them".

Sweet Honey in the Rock

Last night, I attended a concert unlike any other. I saw Sweet Honey In The Rock at SUNY Oswego. It was amazing. The group is made up of six African-American women who blend their voices in a mix of blues, gospel, and jazz. They were awesome. One of my favorites that they sang was "I Remember I Believe" . They were also on NPR recently. In the show, they sing another one of my favorite spirituals with a twist, "Do What the Spirit Say Do" (to hear the song...go about 7:00 minuted into the interview). Most of their music is about freedom, justice, and truth. It was exactly what my spirit needed and I left the concert uplifted and renewed. It was truly a blessing to me. If you ever have the chance to see and experience them I highly recommend that you do so.

I went to the concert with a few people and had a great time. Yet, on the way home, one person made a comment that bothered me. This person said that they liked the concert but thought SHIR talked too much about how 'bad' the white man is. I disagreed with her (that was not the ethos of the concert) but tried to respect where she was coming from. It was just interesting to me that we spent 2 hours listening about freedom and justice (for ALL people) and a few comments were turned into how 'bad' the white man is (because some of the songs reminded us how we need to learn from history). Racism rears its ugly head in many different ways...most of the time it comes from ignorance or failing to recognize that racism is systemic and not something that happened to people long ago.

Sweet Honey In The Rock is a group that evoked so many emotions for me and rekindled my spirit. What lately has rekindled yours?

Reunions

Saturday night I had my 10 year high school reunion. I can not believe that it has been ten years since I graduated. Sometimes, it seems like just yesterday that I was caught up in the drama that comes with being in high school. Then, on other days, it seems like ages ago. I know that I am a very different person than I was 10 years and I'll be the first to say that being a minister was definitely NOT on the radar. Yet, when I showed up at the reunion it seemed like I had traveled in a time machine. We were, on the most part, sitting with our own cliques. As one friend said, "It's like sitting in the lunch room again." Don't get me wrong, there was some mingling...but mostly we stayed close to our friends.

It was interesting to see what some people are doing with their lives and to see that they have accomplished so much. Then, there were some who haven't really done anything since graduation and are stuck in time. (Please, we are 28 and they were playing beer pong!) Overall, not what I expected, but I am glad that I went.

It is amazing to see how God works in our lives and what God calls us to do. I am thankful that I am not the same person I was in high school and I am thankful for great group of friends I grew up with who have supported and encouraged me along the way; friends I met 20 years ago with whom I can't imagine my life without. I wonder...will our 20th be the same? Hopefully no beer pong. Hopefully surrounded by friends and remembering the drama and the events that helped to shape us.

Life

Life. Life is complicated. Life is wonderful. Life is short. Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is a gift.

A few days ago, the congregation I serve, and the community I live in, lost a dear friend. He died suddenly Thursday morning. Now everyone is dealing with shock, grief, and sadness. This man was not perfect but he was a truly good man who loved deeply. He was also thankful for the gift of life. He was thankful for his wife and family. He was thankful for the ability to serve God. He was thankful for his gift of music.

I say that he was thankful because I KNOW he was. Why? Because he took every opportunity to say it. He told his loved ones that he loved them. He told the church how much he loved the community that surrounded him and believed 100% in the mission and ministry they are doing. He also sang and played music from his heart...a gift that he used to bring glory to God and joy to people.

How often we tell/show others what we are thankful for? Do we tell those we love that we are thankful for what they bring to our lives? Do we share with people the blessings in our lives? How good are we at telling God we are thankful? Thankful for the gifts that have been given to us. Thankful for the gift of family(however you define family). Thankful for the gift of second chances. Thankful for the gift of life.

Each day is precious. Life is precious. How do you show your thankfulness?

Duke Therapy

For those of you who do not know who this beautiful boxer dog is....his name is Duke and he is my 100lb. 2 year old. He can be quite a handful! I spent the entire day at a conference for 'Safe Sanctuaries' and it was an excellent presentation. I knew that I would be gone all day (plus and hour drive each way) and that it would be a long day for Duke in his crate. He didn't seem to be too mad at me when I arrived home. I swear that sometimes he has no idea how long he has been alone. I just took a picture of him after his evening "freak out". He will take his purple toy in his mouth and run around the house like crazy. It is quite entertaining and I just step aside during the episode. Sometimes I wish I had his energy! More than anything though I enjoy his company(especially for keeping my feet warm while I sleep) even if he is a terror at times. He is also a work in progress! Sometimes, in the busy hectic world of parish ministry, he is the only thing that can keep me sane....and through the grace of God.~

Might as well try

So, I am new to this whole blogging thing and I hope that I can keep it up! I have wanted to do it for a long time now, but just got around to it. It is almost 9pm and ready to rest a bit before bed. It was nice to have most of the day off (Veterans Day). We celebrated Veterans Day in church on Sunday and I was amazed at the number of men and women who have served in the armed forces. There were a ton! I truly am grateful for their service and their courage. The prayer I shared with the congregation was:

God of the ages,

We thank You for all who have served in the armed forces of this country.

We thank You for the freedom their sacrifice has earned and guarded for us.

Help us to prize this freedom and use it well.

We ask You to bless all living veterans in a special way today,

as well as the families of all veterans.

Comfort those who grieve for those who gave the last full measure of devotion. Strengthen those who bear physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds.

Stand with those who provide care to them.

Move us to reach out to sisters and brothers who are veterans,

or relatives of veterans, or who currently serve in the military.

We pray for the day when no one needs to serve in the military.

Help us to live now in anticipation of that day, as people who long for peace,

who pray for peace, and who seek to be peacemakers in this world. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I did not write the prayer and can not track down the author but it touched me. So, as I sit here thinking about the day I had 'free' from work, I am reminded of all those who have served this country and risked their lives. I also hope and pray for a day when there will be no need for a military; when peace is more than something we hope for and becomes a reality.~