Messy Christmas

It is no secret that life is messy. Just turn on the news and/or walk out the front door. People are recovering from natural disasters, and some are victims of war and violence. Others are just trying to make ends meet by feeding and housing their families. Sometimes life seems dark. Many people look at our children and youth and talk about how they are our future, the future of our communities, our world, and our churches. I believe they are the communities, the world, and the churches TODAY! This picture is of the gifts my mother received at her assisted living facility this past week. Gulf Breeze Middle and High School students came and sang Christmas Carols with the residents. They then handed out gifts and visited with them. They didn’t just hand them a gift and say, “Merry Christmas”, they took time to sit and visit with each resident. As we quickly approach Christmas Day, we are reminded in John 1:5, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." Thank you to all who encourage our children and youth to be lights that shine!

Give Thanks

In Luke 17 we read of Jesus traveling to Jerusalem where he is approached by 10 lepers who want to be healed. Jesus' instructions are for them to go present themselves to the priests and as they leave to do so they are healed. What an amazing sight that must have been. As Jesus moved on, one leper returned to say “Thank you”. Ten were healed, however, only one returned to convey their thankfulness. How often do we find ourselves in situations such as this? Yes, we are busy, yes, life is complicated, the excuses are endless. How often do we forget to THANK YOU for all we have and those around us? How often do we forget to thank God?

Max Lucado is a preacher in San Antonio, Texas and prolific Christian author. He shares about living as an American in Brazil. One day, as he was walking along the street on his way to the University to teach a class, he felt a tug on his pants leg. Turning around, he saw a little boy about 5 or 6 years old with dark beady eyes and a dirty little face. The little boy looked up at the big American and said, "Bread, Sir." He was a little beggar boy and Lucado said, "There are always little beggar boys in the streets of Brazil. Usually, I turn away from them because there are so many, and you can't feed them all. But there was something so compelling about this little boy that I couldn't turn away. So, taking his hand, I said, `Come with me' and I took him into a coffee shop." Max told the owner, "I'll have a cup of coffee and give the boy a piece of pastry...whatever he wants." Since the coffee counter was at the other end of the store, Max walked on and got a cup of coffee, forgetting about the little boy because beggar boys usually get the bread and then run back out into the street and disappear. But this one didn't. After he got his pastry, he went over to the big American and just stood there until Lucado felt his staring eyes. Lucado said, "I turned and looked at him. Standing up, his eyes just about hit my belt buckle. Then slowly his eyes came up until they met mine. The little boy, holding his pastry in one hand, looked up and said, 'Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.'" Lucado said, "I was so touched by the boy's thanks that I would have bought him the store. I sat there for another 30 minutes, late for my class, just thinking about a little beggar boy who came back and said, `Thank you.'"

This lad had an attitude of thankfulness, and it was expressed. If we have this attitude, it will show. We will be expressive; we will be praising God; we will have joy in our hearts. Let your attitude of thankfulness show today and every day. Thanks be to God!

Praise

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 113)

I finished dinner Sunday evening and trudged to the closet to get my walking shoes. I still needed to put in about 3000 steps to reach my goal for the day. I did not want to walk; it had been raining on and off all day and curling up in the chair watching television was so much easier. However, I put on the shoes and hit the pavement. As I came out of the breezeway of my apartment building and made a left, I had no words but stood in awe. After the day's dreariness, the clouds parted, and the sky was purple, orange, and pink. It was the most amazing sunset I had seen in a while. The dread I had felt a few minutes earlier melted away.

I am reminded of a camp song that uses the words found in Psalm 113, the one listed above. “From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised. Praise ye the Lord, praise ye the Lord. From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised.”

I get caught up at times in all that is going on around me, responsibilities, commitments and more. I find that I forget to praise God for all that I have. This song and Psalm remind me that from the time the sun comes up until it goes down, I need to be praising God. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, a simple thank you for this day is good and or whatever you are thankful for. Praising God needs to be number one for us. So, remember, “from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised. So, praise ye the Lord, praise ye the Lord. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised”.

Unprecedented

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.   John 3:16

Unprecedented, unprecedented event. These words appear to have become the buzz phrase over the last few years with regards to the situation the world finds itself in. Big words like this require a dictionary definition. The definition for "unprecedented" is "without previous instance, never before known or experienced. I believe this is an accurate description of life. Most instances in our lives are unprecedented for us as individuals. Our first steps, our first word and so on. There are many situations in history that have been unprecedented, World War 1 and 2, other conflicts, the flu epidemic in the early 1900's, 9/11 and then there is Jesus. Unprecedented that God would come into this world as a baby, grow up, share the good news of God's love with others, die on a cross to pay for my sins and then be resurrected. Something never known before or experienced. But isn't that like God? The Bible is full of stories and experiences of things never seen before.

In each of the previously mentioned unprecedented situations life changed. Our lifestyles have and continue to change as we adapt and adjust. I do know that God is right here in the middle of all of this with us and good is coming out of the not so good. God is with you in the unprecedented and always.

A colleague shared a benediction I would like to leave you with:

May the Lord disturb you and trouble you
May the Lord set an impossible task before you and dare you to meet it
May the Lord give you the strength to do your best
And then, but ONLY then
May you be granted the Lord’s peace.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Pushing Through The Noise

We live in a society that more times than not centers around individualism. Bookstores are full of self-help literature and media focuses on how "I" can succeed. It takes the right clothes, car, make-up, exercise equipment, and so on to make me the best. Self-centeredness is all around us. The "all about me" mindset is woven throughout the story of the Prodigal Son. The younger son wants, receives, and squanders his inheritance and then comes groveling home while the father has been grieving his loss and the older son has remained faithful and hardworking. Two self-centered sons, one who was lost and has returned; one who was always there and never lacked, treated with grace and respect. While our society touts an "all about me, self-centered" image that is not what is laid out in this parable. You see when we mature in our faith, we can shift the focus off ourselves and show grace to others, as was demonstrated by the loving father for both of his sons.

I like Disney movies. In 2003 Disney/Pixar released "Finding Nemo". Marlin is a clownfish who lives in an anemone in the Great Barrier Reef. His wife, Coral, and almost all their eggs are killed in a barracuda attack and only one damaged egg remains, Nemo. Given the circumstances, Marlin is overprotective of Nemo, who, because of the attack, was born with a stunted right fin. On Nemo's first day of school, Marlin embarrasses Nemo, and the two argue. While Marlin is talking to Nemo's teacher, Nemo defiantly approaches a nearby speedboat, (sounds a little like our prodigal son) where he is captured by a pair of scuba divers and taken to an aquarium tank in a dentist's office in Sydney, Australia. There Nemo realizes that his actions were not the smartest and works with the others in the tank to make his way back to his father. At the same time, Marlin moves heaven and ocean to find his son, the prodigal son. Meetings with sharks, jellyfish, Crush and sea turtles, and encounters with self-centered seagulls whose chant is "mine, mine, mine" can't stop Marlin from his mission, to find his son and welcome him home with love and grace. Nemo escapes and makes his way back to the ocean and comes upon his father. Apologies from Nemo are offered, and Nemo is greeted with the love and grace that a father can offer.

The prodigal son, the one who was reckless and defiant has returned having turned away from his self-centeredness and now truly sees and respects those around him. When we give into the noise around us and buy into our culture today, we lose sight of what God is calling us to do. We are called to demonstrate grace and unconditional love as did the father and Marlin. No matter how far away we move from God, no matter how wasteful we are with the gifts God gives us, God is always pleased when we turn back to him. God never leaves us. Hear that again. God NEVER leaves us. God’s unconditional love is always present, and God’s arms are always open. We are being called to look beyond ourselves and emulate the love and grace of Jesus Christ for all to see. Pushing through the noise and allowing God to shift the focus off our self-centeredness and onto demonstrating graciousness and unconditional love for others is the call. So, will you push past all the noise and allow God to provide clarity of purpose, and clear direction, and then respond to his call?