This one is delayed due to a trip to the orthopedics office on Wednesday.  Don’t ask.

Advent week 4 – Wednesday

Psalm 72
Psalm 111, 113
2 Samuel 7:1-17
Titus 2:11-3:8a
Luke 1:39-48a (48b-56)

Praise the Lord!  The psalms for this evening sing the praises of the Lord’s deeds and.gifts. They praise the name of the Lord who is seated on high. The language soars as though to reach toward God. These are magnificent prayers and I am humbled.In about 45 lines the psalmists have created  a stirring trbute to the glories of the Lord.They foreshadow the joy that is to come as that Lord which they praise  comes to us as an infant in a manger.
I often aspire to such language in my prayer, language fitting to the subject. I fear it ain’t gonna happen.
Perhaps I can find a more simple prayer. There’s one I can use in Luke’s story. Only three words. But they scare me. Do I dare speak them as Mary does? Do I heve the courage to accept the consequences?Will I heve the strength to follow through? I believe God will give me what I need to answer yes to both questions. So I’ll pray in Mary’s words, “Here am I”.

Christmas Eve day.  All this waiting for the coming of a wonderful celebration of new life.  And I find myself still making and crossing off lists.  I sit down this morning and realize that I was to write the e-devotion.  One more thing to do. It certainly didn’t seem like too much a few weeks ago.  I read the selections for the day again, but I can not focus.  They are happy and positive readings, talking of grace and gladness and the glory of God and equality among all people.  I still don’t know where to begin.  Maybe one more cup of coffee?  But as I sit in prayer, I realize that I do not have to do this alone. If God can’t give me the words this morning, he can give me the resources. What wonderful books are on my shelf. So I pull a few down and look for something appropriate.

And here it is, from Dinner Table Devotions by Nancy Guthrie:

When you’re really in trouble, you want someone strong to show up to save you-a real hero.  And as people living in this world, we are really in trouble, really in need of someone who can save us from our slavery to sin.  And God send someone to save us. But this Savior didn’t seem strong.  He seemed ordinary and weak.  God sent us Savior in the form of a baby.

The prophet Isaiah assured us that was no ordinary baby and he grew up to be no ordinary man.  As the Wonderful Counselor, he has the best ideas and strategies; He’s the wisest and most perfect teacher.  If we listen to him, we’ll know what to do.  It is good that he is strong and mighty, because the enemy of sin overpowers us.  As the Mighty God, he uses his power on our behalf, helping us overcome sin. We can find protection in him when we’re tempted.  As the Everlasting Father, he cares for us lovingly, with affection that has no limits.  We can entrust ourselves to him.  As the Prince of Peace, he invites us into his Kingdom of full and perfect happiness, giving us the assurance of safety and security.  If we submit to him, we will live lives of blessed obedience to him.

Who could ask for more at Christmas than a baby who became our strong deliverer and our source of security and satisfaction forever?

I could consider this one more thing to cross off my list, but it says more to me.  It is important to spend time in the glory of prayer, and for that I give thanks.

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!

Advent 4 Tuesday

AM Psalm 66, 67
PM Psalm 116, 117
1 Samuel 2:1b-10
Titus 2:1-10
Luke 1:26-38

The story of Hannah’s appeal to God for a son in 1 Samuel and the quite surprising and unsolicited visit from the angel Gabriel to the maiden Mary, Mother of Jesus, serve as remarkable poles on the continuum of God’s action for those at the margins of society.

The commonality here is that God acts in an unexpected and largely irrational way to get his voice into the world.

Hannah is beyond years for a son by all accounts and yet through her steadfast prayer and petitioning she becomes pregnant by her husband Elkanah and brings the prophet Samuel into the world. Samuel is God’s vehicle for the call and anointing of David to be the archetypal King of Israel.

Mary is enlisted to redeem the kingdom not through her ardent desire and dedication but because God chooses her, partly because she’s engaged to a descendant of David’s line.  Of course it wasn’t that simple.

At each end of these disparate stories is the God who delights in surprise and is well-versed in undoing our notions of royalty and worth.  As the final days unfold before we celebrate the Nativity as the gateway to the Incarnation, expect the unexpected and allow surprise to lighten the dark, cold nights of this winter.

As you await God’s next surprise, continue to fervently pray for the desires of your heart and prepare to be led into new things by unexpected pathways knowing that God’s way is always to give the perfect gift at the perfect time if we are but ready to receive it.

Friday in the second week of Advent

Psalm 31
Haggai 1:1-15
Revelation 2:18-29
Matthew 23:27-39

Love the Lord, all you who worship him;*
The Lord protects the faithful,
But repays to the full those who act haughtily.                   Psalm 31:23

Haggai is condemning those who live in beautiful houses while the house of the Lord lies in
ruins, John is condemning Jezebel and all those who lie with her, and Jesus is still ranting at the
scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites!    I went to the psalms in hope of some comic relief…

This is a gentler warning, but a warning never the less.  Faithfulness is one thing.  My way or the highway
is another.  Keep my eyes on Jesus.  Keep my eyes on justice and mercy.  May the holy one change my heart.

Thursday in the Second Week of Advent
Psalm 37: 1-18 (AM) or Psalm 37:19-42 (PM); Amos 9:1-10; Revelation 2:8-17; Matthew 23:13-26

The words of Jesus in Matthew 23 are scarcely recognizable as belonging to the rabbi from Nazareth – at least as his words are normally heard or read by most of us, as we follow along in the Sunday lectionary.  These harsh words of judgment seem out of place, an embarrassment and a stumbling block. And yet…
I need to “hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest” the difficult sayings of Jesus, or the oracles of the prophets like Amos, or even the visions of the seer John, no less than the “comfortable” – and comforting – words of Scripture.  Texts of Scripture that feel like refreshing waters for parched souls, or the longed-for embrace of the lover of one’s soul, or really good news in the midst of dreary gray days are indeed wonderful.  But sometimes, one really is called out of the warm and familiar nesting places of one’s life to stand in the howling gale, or in the frigid stillness of a winter’s night, to listen for the bracing and awe-full words of the Creator’s “reality check”.  While I usually associate the urgent call to repentance with the weeks of Lent, Jesus’ “woes” call me to face up to God’s testing and trying of my Advent “righteousness,” my end-of-the-year acts of compassion and generosity, my faltering attempts to demonstrate my love for others and my love for God, all the while “majoring in the minors” of my culturally conditioned preparations for the holy day just around the corner.  It’s not easy, or comfortable, letting the holy fire of God’s love and justice purge away the dross of my life, but I know it’s necessary, unavoidable, and perhaps even to be welcomed during this Advent season.  I just want to finish my Christmas cards, my wrapping, my baking – first! – and then, the work of purification, refining, refocusing can take place…oops!
And, that’s when I remember, it’s not about me and my agenda or my calendar; it’s about God, and the fullness of time, the Reign of God and its righteousness, God’s justice and God’s judgment, and, thankfully, God’s mercy and God’s Love.  So, let me listen, let me read, let me ruminate upon even the “uncomfortable” words of Scripture in these moments, in this Advent, and hear the Divine Passion for the renewal of Creation, the restoration of relationship, the reordering of lives, in these urgent, angry, frustrated and frustrating words of woe.

Today’s Readings: Morning, Psalm 26, 28;
Evening: Psalm 36, 39
Amos 7:10-17;
Rev. 1:9-16;
Matt. 22:34-46

When I was asked to write the Advent e-devotion for today, my impression of the readings was fairly bleak, leaving me to ask, “What have I gotten myself into?” Sometimes, waiting and seeing with fresh eyes can be helpful.

Psalm 28:7 acclaims, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Today, reading this for about the fourteenth time, I heard it! All this angst created by telling myself I have no business being here, sending a reflection to only Jane knows who! But today, after waiting and watching and – finally – listening, there was my message.

My heart trusts, so I am helped. My heart exults, and my song gives thanks. It happens every time I remember to put God first, then me, then everything else. And every time I do this, and it works, it makes me wonder what’s so hard about doing this every second of every minute of every hour of every day? Because I’m in too much of a hurry, because it’s too much about me.

It’s still Advent. If I slow down and listen and wait, it won’t slip away from me this year. “To thee, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me…” If I slow down, I’ll hear and trust and exult and want to sing every day! For the Lord is so very, very good to me – all the time.

Monday of the second week of Advent

Psalm 25
Amos 7:1-9
Revelation to John 1:1-8
Matthew 22:23-33

Amos isn’t happy in this passage.  Of course, Amos rarely is. The book of Amos begins with an
introduction of Amos and then this statement:

The Lord roars from Zion,
Shouts aloud from Jerusalem;
And the pastures of the shepherds shall languish,
And the summit of Carmel shall wither.

So it’s no surprise that today’s reading is a judgment of the people.  God is watching, we’re told.
There are consequences to our actions.   There have always been consequences to our
actions—that’s nothing new.  I just need to pay better attention.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

AM Psalm 148, 149,150                 PM Psalm 114, 115
Amos 6:1-14        2 Thessalonians 1:5-12             Luke 1;57-68

The snowblower is still in the shed, I can’t find the Christmas tree stand, the lights on the porch wreathes are flickering (they’re not supposed to), I have to bring a dessert to a party tonight and have no idea what it will be,I might have accidentally deleted my Christmas card list. Welcome to my Advent.

Fortunately,the psalms for this morning help bring me back to the anticipationof the season. They are all songs of praise that with great power remind us of the wonder, the greatness, the love, the gifts of God. We feel the glory that awaits in the coming of the child. The joy and celebration of these psalms foretell holy days to come. “Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him all his host!’

Saturday December 5

9Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.*Psalm 20:9
In prayer, we ask for many things.  Help for people in need, countries in distress, soldiers lost in battle and those still fighting. We ask for personal blessings and sometimes selfish wishes.  And we praise and thank God.  But I have to remind myself to listen to his answers.  It is sometimes difficult in this busy Christmas season to find the time to do just that-sit and listen.  Listen to the Lord speaking to our hearts and our minds.
18for they said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.’19It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to*  eternal life. Jude 1:19-21
Every year I enter the malls and search for gifts and review my kids wish lists and overspend and wonder why I do it? Am I indulging in ungodly lusts?  I know that prayer alone will not do the Christmas shopping for me, or bake the goodies for the parties, or cook the Christmas dinner, but I have chosen to take a step back this year.  Perhaps the current state of the economy has helped me choose, but I will spend less money and spend more time this year. Time with friends, time with family, time with community and time in prayer.
And so I am reminded, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ Matthew 22:21
Have a blessed Advent

Throughout Advent, I’ll be posting the reflections of parishioners and friends of St. Luke’s Church in Worcester that are part of our e-devotions for the Advent Season.  Here follows our first offering.

The season of Advent, the time of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the start of the liturgical year in our church, begins on a different date each year. This year it’s today, Nov. 29. Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. That means that the First Sunday of Advent can fall as early as November 27 or as late as December 3.

The Synod of Mâcon in Gaul (modern day France) in A.D. 581 is our first firm witness of what we might call the season of Advent. It states that the liturgical norms for Lent be kept from November 11 to December 24. The connection made here between Advent and Lent reflects the reason why the penitential color of purple is common to both Advent and Lent. Some folks fast and do penance during Advent, for others it is simply a time to reflect upon the coming of Jesus. It’s counter cultural in this country to slow down in this season leading up to Christmas, but we shall try.

The Advent wreath is a rather modern invention. It derives to a 19th century German custom, apparently Lutheran in origin. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. Three candles are purple and one is rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming. The light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world.