Only God is That Important

"If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' making money, running here and there— Then you'll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! God says so! (Isaiah 58:13, 14 MSG)

We spend our time on a lot of important things these days...

• The texts that are so important we have to read them while we are driving
• The phone calls that are so important we have to take them at the table in a restaurant
• The job that is so important we neglect to give our family enough attention
• The appointments that are so important to keep that we disappoint the special child in our life
• The special activites we have our children in that are so important it keeps them from spontaneous play

I read a devotion this morning about a pastor who said she once allowed herself to be available to her congregation at any hour of the day or night for any reason.  She said she finally realized... "only God is THAT important!"

While many of the the things we do in our lives are certainly very important, and each of us is valuable and important in the things we have been called to do in our lives, we have to recognize what can wait and what can't.  Ask anyone who has lost a loved one to texting and driving how important that text was.  Ask the spouse of the person constantly on the phone at the dinner table how important they think those calls are.  Ask an adult whose childhood was so rigorously scheduled that they don't remember enjoying being a child how important those soccer practices were.

Only God is that important.

And yet few of us treat God as that important.  Too many of us would rather look forward to get to a red light so we can answer a text rather than turn off the phone and use the drive time to talk to God.  A lot of us would be quicker to answer a phone call in a resaurant than bless the food when it comes.  Though there are many who might feel they are too needed at the office to use all their vacation time, few would use any vacation time to do charity work.  

We may say God is the most important thing in our lives, but do our actions prove it?  What is really important in your life?  What do you stop everything else to do? What do you put at risk in order to do it?  Lives?  Family?  Friends?  Health?  Well-being?  Only God is that important, and he offers abundant life in return, not the limited life of these other things.

We all struggle with needing to be needed.  We all struggle with how to divvy up our time in a fast-paced demanding world.  All the more reason to spend a lot of time in prayer.  God will guide you if you let him... if you make him the most important thing in your life.

Father,

Help us to see the things we think are important in their proper perspective.  Help us to see if we are hurting others in the process and help us to prioritize our life by putting you as number one and allowing you to number everything else.  Amen.

Joys:  a wonderful Youth Sunday service; waking to birdsong; time with my granddaughters

Starshine

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. (Psalm 148:3 NIV)

Last night I watched the movie "The Impossible."  It is a true story about how a family survived and coped with the tragedy of the 2004 Thailand tsunami.  In one scene, one of the little boys from that family and an adult are talking about the boys interest in astronomy and the stars in particular.  She asked him if he knew that some of the stars they were seeing had burned out many years ago.  He said, "You mean they are dead?"  She said that they were but we could still benefit from their life.  He asked, "How can you tell which ones are dead?"  She responded, "You can't."

We are made of stardust.  And shouldn't our lives be like that of the stars?  Shouldn't the light we shine today continue to burn... continue to brighten the lives of others long after we are gone?  The only way we can do that is to touch the lives of others in positive ways.

Stars die every day, but we don't notice because their light shines on.  People we have never heard of die every day too.  And we don't notice because we didn't know them.  Certainly they are missed by their family and friends, but those little things they did in their life... their kind actions, their smiles, their helping hands, their passing on knowledge... all of these things and more burn on and on and put one more dot of light in a dark world.

We don't have to have the blazing light of a Mother Teresa.  Only a very small percentage of the stars we see at night are named by people, though God knows each of their names.  But each time we share God's love through words or action with another we can be sure that light will burn on after us.  Maybe no one but God will every be able to specifically say, "This light over here came from Karen,"  but it will be there just the same.

Where will you leave a little starshine today?

Amazing God,
Even the stars that have been gone much longer than we have been alive still shine their light on us.  Help us to shine like the stars, Lord.  Help us to bring some star shine to our little corner of the world today.  Amen.

Joys:  Going through photos and the memories and joy they inspire; movies about overcoming tragedy; the beautiful shade of Springtime green

I Just Wanna Be a.... Chicken??

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37 NIV)

I had a blast in my preschool Sunday school class yesterday.  The lectionary for this week is right on target for that age group... Good Shepherd Sunday.  We decorated paper sheep with cotton balls and sang, "I Just Wanna Be a Sheep."  The little ones loved making sheep ears on their own heads while they sung, "baa, baa, baa."  They loved it so much in fact, that they made it into more of an "Old McDonald's Farm" song, adding verses of other animals!  I really cracked them up (and encouraged their antics) when I would sigh heavily and roll my eyes and say, "We are NOT God's cows!  We are God's SHEEP!"

But when they got to "I just wanna be a chicken...."  it gave me pause for thought.  There are many times when we certainly are God's chickens.  We are likened to sheep because of our propensity for wandering and getting ourselves into trouble.  We need a shepherd to keep bringing us back.  But we can also be compared to chickens.  At least sheep listen to the shepherd's call.  Chickens are afraid even of the "chickenherder's" voice.

Sheep come when they hear the voice of their shepherd.  Chickens scatter.  Sheep are calmed by that soothing, loving voice.  Chickens become agitated.

We are chickens when we are afraid to follow God's direction because we might have to give up something we love.  We are chickens when we are afraid to obey his promptings, because it might be hard.  We are chickens when we are afraid to do what He asks, because our friends might get mad.  We are chickens.

Jesus still longs to gather us as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.  Let us be willing.... and let us be sheep, not chickens.

Lord Jesus,
We just want to be sheep.  Give us hearts to follow you.  Help us to know your voice so that we hear you when you call.  Help us to not be fearful chickens.  Amen.

Joys:  Having Emma at church; my cute little Sunday school class and how I can learn even from them; great weekend

It Could Have Been Me

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13, 14 NIV)

Wow.  I read a powerful devotion this morning related to the Boston bombing.  It wasn't comforting... it was convicting.  It may be too soon to allow it to sink in.  I left it after starting to read it, but was drawn back to finish it.  Here is a little bit of it.  It is written by a UCC Stillspeaking Daily Devotional writer, Mary Luti who is a theological school professor:

No "monster" did this. A human being did it, one not as distant from us as we need to believe. We ourselves did not plant the bombs, but we could have. Another person planted them, but he might not have; he might have done good instead, because he was and still is capable of it. You may not want to hear this about that person, or about yourself. I don't like thinking of myself this way. But it's a denial we cannot afford anymore. This is a truth we need to know and build on.
It's damaging to the quest for peace to keep carving out exceptional cities, exceptional tragedies, exceptional monsters, and postures of exceptional morality and innocence. The world's healing depends in part on owning our intimate kinship with the enemy—the one out there, the one within. God speaks our names in the same breath.
Jesus said to love him. That's the heart of the gospel, but it's a lot to ask. Let's start with a confession of our own dust, and go from there.

Peace and healing start with acknowledging that it could have been us.  Oh, maybe not the way we are now.  But what if our parents had taught us to hate ourselves and others?  What if we had been brought up in a desparately poor country riddled with violence?  What if we hadn't had the love and the privilege and the plenty-of-everything rained down upon us all our lives?  The possibility is in us. There is our choice, yes.  But it's more complicated than that.  A person who has had a wonderful, loving life rarely chooses to kill.  But one who has learned to hate may.  It it could have been me or you.  It's in us.

The most powerful statement I found in that devotion was "the world's healing depends in part on owning our intimate kinship with the enemy - the one out there, the one within."  We cannot fully heal from things like this until we acknowledge this.  It's hard.  And as related to the bombings, probably too soon.  But let it roll around in your head and your heart.  There is a profound truth here.

Lord Jesus,
You didn''t ask us to only love those who do good.  You said to love our enemies as well.  We confess it is often too difficult.  Help us to "confess ou own dust, and go from there."  Amen.

Joys:  Profound words that convict, but help me to grow; weddings, weddings, weddings!; Spring

*I highly recommend the Still Speaking Daily Devotionals.  If you would like to subscribe, here is a link: http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/

Serving the Meal

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. (Genesis 18:6-8 NIV)

Most people sitting in church on a Sunday morning have the luxury of not even having to question how the Communion Meal came to be on the altar.  As far as they are concerned, God reached down with the bread and the wine and set it there moments before they entered the sanctuary.

In reality... a committee had to be formed (Worship & Music) and then a subcommittee (Altar Guild).  Guidelines whether written or orally communicated have to be taught to each member.  The vessels have to be purchased.  The elements also must be purchased on a regular basis.  The linens must be purchased and cared for with regular laundering.  The appropriate colors must be hung for each season or special Sunday of the year.  Brass must regularly be polished to a high shine.  Flowers for the altar need to be purchased and changed weekly. Candles need to be changed or filled with liquid wax.  The lector Bible needs to be turned to the right page for that Sunday with the readings appropriately marked.  The baptismal water needs to be freshened up. And then someone must pour the wine into each of those tiny little cups and place the wafers into the appropriate vessel.  They need to know about how many will be served.  These people also need to know about special needs such as grape juice and gluten-free wafers and how to handle them.  They need to know what to do with the host wafer. They need to set all these things up in a specific way on the altar.

This is all in preparation for the meal.  There is so much more that goes into a weekly worship service... music preparations, bulletins, Powerpoint slides, cleaning, maintenance of musical instruments, computers, projectors, etc.  A sermon has to be prepared. And hey... who cleans out all the candy wrappers, crumpled up bulletins and half-chewed gum from the book racks in the pews and keeps them stocked with special giving envelopes, prayer stars, prayer request cards and pastor communication cards?

A lot of this is done by paid staff.  But very much of it is done by volunteers.  If it weren't for church members who know that THEY are the church, we wouldn't have Communion on Sunday.  We wouldn't have worship... or even a church.

In your prayers, please often remember those who serve in your church.  Remember the paid staff and especially remember those who give their time to be sure you have The Meal whenever it is scheduled.  How do you serve in your church?  There is plenty to do!

Father,
Thank you for those who are willing to serve in humble, behind-the-scenes ways.  Thank you for the love and care that they show as they prepare the Table and every other aspect of our weekly worship experience.  Amen.

Joys:  altar guild members; finally... green on the trees and warm, beautiful weather; sleeping in

Look For the Helpers

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

Yet another trajedy.  Is it just me, or are they coming faster and more furiously than ever?  Does it just seem like more because of the over-coverage by the media?  Whatever it is, it's still hard to take.  This latest will be all over the news for days.  More than just bad news... awful news.

The question is often asked... Why is there never this kind of extended media coverage of the good things that happen?  Believe it or not, there is  a "Good News Network" that only reports good news... but it's not very popular.  Why?  I think it is because "good" news really isn't "news" at all.... because "good" is still normal and normal is not news.  It is when the worst things happen that our interest is piqued.  And that is... thankfully... because, even though it seems like it is happening more and more, these terrible things are still not what we expect.

A quote from Fred Rogers:  "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world."

So as the news of this latest disaster unfolds, look for the helpers.  They are not "news" because they are what is normal.  Most people in this world are not disaster creators, they are helpers.  And that is good news... so it is not really news at all.

Whether it is applied to the great disaster in Boston, or to one of the recent disasters that still have people grieving in their wakes, or to a more private disaster in the life of a friend or neighbor, be a helper today.  You may not make the news, but that's a good thing.  It means that helpers are still normal.

Holy God,
Have mercy on us.  Help us.  Heal us.  Amen.

Joys:  The helpers; nice weekend with Richard; fun sleepover with Cece Sunday night

Teach Your Children Well

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NIV)

The Christian faith has many beautiful traditions.  But so do other faiths, and when I hear of some of them, I wish we could incorporate them in some way into our own church.  We can do so as individuals, I guess, but that doesn't have the same power as knowing that all of our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing the same thing.

I love our Lutheran practice of baptizing infants.  It is a wonderful way to teach them that they belong to God and it is by nothing they have done or haven't done.  God simply claims them and loves them from birth.  They are a part of the family and part of the body of Christ right away because God chooses them, not the other way around.

A Jewish tradition I have loved ever since the first time I watched Fiddler on the Roof is the tradition of blessing the children at the table of the the Sabbath dinner.  What a wonderfully beautiful way of letting children know they are loved and blessed and important.

This morning I read of an awesome Muslim tradition.  The moment a baby is born  the "adhan" or "call to prayer" is whispered in the baby's ear.  Translated, the words "God is great" are the first words the infant hears outside the womb.  Wonderful!

Sadly, we mostly rely on our places of worship to teach our children about God.  But that should be first and foremost the family's duty.  "God is great" (the adhan) should be the first thing they hear from their parents and then they should hear it again and again as they grow.  "God loves you and you belong to him" (baptism) is another important lesson that should begin in infancy.  "You are important and your gifts and talents are of great use in this world"(Sabbath blessing) is the message that should be placed in the hearts of our children on a regular basis.

I'm sure if we keep our ears open and receptive to other cultures, we could find other ways of instructing the children in our care all about the greatness and love of the God who gave everything for us.

Lord Jesus,
At your baptism, your Father spoke his delight in you.  May each of us, though we may no longer be children, hear those words spoken to our hearts.  And may we instill those words in the hearts of our children and grandchildren.  Amen.

Joys:  Cecelia's quick recovery from her tonsilectomy; time with Emma... she is getting so big and so much fun to play with; a long weekend with Richard

Dancing Through Easter

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. (Matthew 9:14, 15 NIV)

Did you ever wonder why Lent is said to be 40 days, when actually, if you count the days from Ash Wednesday until the day before Easter there are 46 days?  It is because Sundays are not counted.  And Sundays are not counted because every Sunday is a celebration of the Ressurection... a "mini-Easter."    That's right, folks!  If you wanted to be technical about it, you could have broken your Lenten fast each and every Sunday throughout Lent!

And remember, Easter Sunday may be over, but for the next 50 days we will be celebrating the Easter season of the church year.  (Can we have a chocolate bunny for each day of Easter?)  St. Augustine said Christians are an "Easter people" and the church calendar is set up to reflect that.  50 days of Easter and Easter every Sunday!  Wouldn't it be great if we celebrated each of those days as we do the one special Easter Sunday?  I don't especially mean all the pomp and circumstance and work that goes into it... but the excitement.  Shouldn't we be just as excited about the empty tomb this coming Sunday as we were last Sunday?  Shouldn't we be that excited about the empty tomb every Sunday?... and every day?

I would like to challenge you to commit to this Easter season as fully as you did to Lent.  But instead of fasting, celebrate!  Was it a challenge to study more, pray more and give more during Lent?  If you stuck to it, it probably got easier by Easter and now you can study more, pray more and give more, not as a fast, but as a celebration!  And that was what Lent was all about... turning our fasting into celebration... our mourning into dancing.

We've got 46 more days of the Easter season... let's continue to celebrate and dance through them!

Lord Jesus,
Help us to keep Easter joy in our hearts.  Amen.

Joys:  A relaxing few days off of work; Spring, sunshine and warm weather each of my days off; Easter season

Hey, That's Not Jesus!

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:8 NIV)

Cecelia has taken communion ever since she was old enough to hold out her hand to receive it.  And she has always called it "getting some Jesus."  She will walk into the church and see communion set up and exclaim, "Oh yay!  We're getting Jesus today!"  Almost always, the bread is in the form of wafers.  Sunday we had real bread.  As we sat in our pew waiting our turn to go forward, Cecelia noticed the real bread and said, "Hey, that's not Jesus!  It's bread!"

How quickly we grab onto traditions and make it our religion!  If it's not organ music we say, "That's not Jesus!"  If we admit mistakes and as a result become more inclusive in our church and ministry, people shout, "That's not Jesus!"  Sometimes it can be as simple as moving the piano to the other side of the sanctuary.  There will still be folks who shout, "Hey, that's not Jesus!"

But almost always, it is still Jesus... just Jesus in a different way than we are used to him.  We must learn to separate tradition from faith or our churches will die.  When our heads are trying to tell us that "that's not Jesus," we must dig deeply into our hearts in prayer and meditative listening.  Where would we find Jesus is the situation?  What would Jesus say if he were talking to the pharasees who loved their traditions?

One thing we have learned from the stories of Jesus in the Gospels... he is always surprising us by showing up in unlikely places.  It may be bread instead of wafers, but he is still the very same Jesus, offering love, grace and hope.

Lord Jesus,
Open our hearts to your presence even when we think you can't possibly be there.  Amen.

Joys:  Finally... some real Spring!; sleeping with the windows open; a nice long walk

New Life

As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. (Luke 24:15, 16 NIV)

He is risen!

We had a beautiful infant baptism at church yesterday.  Appropriately, Cecelia (my 4-year-old granddaughter) pronounces "baptized" as "bath-tized."  I just love baptisms, and how much more beautiful when they are on Easter Sunday.  Talk about new life!  It's all around us... Spring, ressurection, baptism!

When we read about the period of Jesus' ressurection time on earth, it can be confusing.  Sometimes it seems he is in a real, solid earthly body... he eats, he has his scars, he is able to be touched.  But then other times, not so much... he passes through locked doors, his followers don't immediately recognize him.  So what's up with that?

I'm no theologian, so I could be really off base.  But my opinion is, it is all about this "new life" thing.  It is something we can't fully grasp until we ourselves our ressurected.  We will be "real" but we will be "more real" than we are now.  Jesus' ressurected body was "real" but it was "more real" than we can understand.  It was better.  It was perfect.  It was what new life is all about.

I think even the witnesses... those who actually saw and interacted with the risen Jesus... were confused and weren't quite sure WHAT they were seeing, but they certainly knew WHO they were seeing, and that is what really matters.  New life.  We have it in bath-tism, but we will have it differently and perfectly in ressurection.

Lord Jesus,
There is so much that we don't - and can't possibly - understand.  Help us in our need to know to realize that some things just need to be accepted in faith.  One day we will know.  Amen.

Joys:  Some time off after a busy Lent and Holy Week; "bath-tisms"; Getting the whole family together even after it seemed like it wasn't going to happen.