By Johanna Johnson
“There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” (John 1:6-7)
Like John, we are also called to testify to the light. How do you let the light of Christ within you, which comes to us at Christmas, shine in the world?
Perhaps you are like a mirror, reflecting the light of Christ in the world. You see good in the world, and you try to mimic it. You look to good examples of godly living, and are inspired to follow suit. I find myself doing this as I look to my grandparents’ amazing witness in the world as loving, hospitable, gracious, God-fearing people. I try to live up to their example.
Perhaps you are more like a window. When people look at you, they see Christ inside you. They see light pouring out of you, like light pours out of the uncovered windows of a house at night. I love driving by my church at night when there is something going on in the sanctuary. Normally, during the day, we enjoy our beautiful stained glass windows from the inside, but at night, when it’s dark outside and the light is from within, our sanctuary boasts a gorgeous stained glass cross of many colors directly toward Highway 41. And along the sides of the building, our windows project the illumined story of Jesus for all to see.
Perhaps you are like a taper candle. My family has a tradition of candle-lighting during this season. We begin in a dark room and light one candle at a time, bearing witness with each candle to an experience of Christ’s light in the world. My grandparents liked to tell a story of my uncle John. When he was a child participating in this tradition, he used to try to find the very darkest corner of the room, and carry a lit taper to light a candle there. Do you look for those dark corners into which you can bring some light? It’s often much easier, at least safer, to stay on the well-lit major thoroughfares of life, and avoid the dark corners of the world. But perhaps you are like a taper, bringing light even into the darkness.
Or maybe you are like the crystals my mom likes to hang in her kitchen window, which, when they meet the morning light, throw rainbows all over the kitchen. Maybe you refract light all over a room, bringing unexpected splashes of color and promise into the world.
How does the light of Christ work in your life? Do you put it under a bushel? (No!) How do you let it shine? How do you testify to the light?
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Gifts
Have you found the perfect gift for everyone?
One woman went Christmas shopping with her two children. There were many hours of looking at row after row of toys, and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she was finally ready to leave the store.
As they headed toward the elevator, she was feeling what so many of us feel during the Christmas holiday. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every open house, taste all the holiday food and treats, and get that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.
Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way into the elevator and dragged her two kids in with her with all the bags of stuff.
When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."
From the back of the elevator she heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified him."
Wow! In the midst of the craziness someone had her mind set on the reality of Christmas. The reality of baby Jesus in a manger, the Word made Flesh, the Word Incarnate. It’s not about the gifts under the tree, it’s not about the big dinner tonight! It’s about the gift of love, the gift of the Word made Flesh. The ultimate gift, a gift of forgiveness.
One woman went Christmas shopping with her two children. There were many hours of looking at row after row of toys, and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she was finally ready to leave the store.
As they headed toward the elevator, she was feeling what so many of us feel during the Christmas holiday. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every open house, taste all the holiday food and treats, and get that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.
Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way into the elevator and dragged her two kids in with her with all the bags of stuff.
When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."
From the back of the elevator she heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified him."
Wow! In the midst of the craziness someone had her mind set on the reality of Christmas. The reality of baby Jesus in a manger, the Word made Flesh, the Word Incarnate. It’s not about the gifts under the tree, it’s not about the big dinner tonight! It’s about the gift of love, the gift of the Word made Flesh. The ultimate gift, a gift of forgiveness.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Anyone Thirsty?
At times I miss watching the snow gently fall from the sky and the trees slowly being covered with a white frosting. It is always so peaceful and beautiful.
There are many beautiful things about winter but I also remember the things that drove me crazy. The beautiful snow that turns into a dirty mess on the side of the road. The heat dries out the air. My skin begins to crack, my lips long for moisture, the static cling drives me crazy, AND I always seem to be thirsty.
Thirst is something we humans experience in all seasons. There are different types of thirst. After a long run we need a drink of water. After a salty meal or a night’s sleep we are thirsty. Our bodies are made up of 80% water so it is no wonder that we thirst for something to drink daily. Then there is the type of thirst that means we are longing for something. We thirst to see our family at Christmas time. We thirst for a closer relationship with God.
These two meanings of thirst are woven throughout the Gospel of John. The writer of John uses thirst to link both of the meanings together. Thirst referred to in the Gospel of John is much more passionate than we have been trained to imagine. It is like a fisherman standing in a river on a hot sunny day with water running everywhere but no water to drink.
We long for a close relationship with God. We thirst to see God’s presence in our lives. The Gospel of John shares with us the abundant life given to us through Christ in his life, death, and resurrection; so, that we may never be thirsty.
Jesus shares with the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I [Jesus] give them will never be thirsty.” (Jn 4: 13-14)
Jesus describes himself as the bread from heaven, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (Jn 6:35).
At the feast of Tabernacles, “On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink’” (John 7:37-38).
While Jesus is on the cross Jesus shares in our thirst, “After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I am thirsty’” (Jn 19:28).
Jesus shared in our thirst. Jesus walked with us, died for us, and rose so that we may have eternal life. Jesus overcame death. That is the news of abundant life. As the dryness of winter sets in and you continue to fill those glasses of water may you remember that God is with you. That Christ has given you new and abundant life. Let us rejoice!
There are many beautiful things about winter but I also remember the things that drove me crazy. The beautiful snow that turns into a dirty mess on the side of the road. The heat dries out the air. My skin begins to crack, my lips long for moisture, the static cling drives me crazy, AND I always seem to be thirsty.
Thirst is something we humans experience in all seasons. There are different types of thirst. After a long run we need a drink of water. After a salty meal or a night’s sleep we are thirsty. Our bodies are made up of 80% water so it is no wonder that we thirst for something to drink daily. Then there is the type of thirst that means we are longing for something. We thirst to see our family at Christmas time. We thirst for a closer relationship with God.
These two meanings of thirst are woven throughout the Gospel of John. The writer of John uses thirst to link both of the meanings together. Thirst referred to in the Gospel of John is much more passionate than we have been trained to imagine. It is like a fisherman standing in a river on a hot sunny day with water running everywhere but no water to drink.
We long for a close relationship with God. We thirst to see God’s presence in our lives. The Gospel of John shares with us the abundant life given to us through Christ in his life, death, and resurrection; so, that we may never be thirsty.
Jesus shares with the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I [Jesus] give them will never be thirsty.” (Jn 4: 13-14)
Jesus describes himself as the bread from heaven, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (Jn 6:35).
At the feast of Tabernacles, “On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink’” (John 7:37-38).
While Jesus is on the cross Jesus shares in our thirst, “After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I am thirsty’” (Jn 19:28).
Jesus shared in our thirst. Jesus walked with us, died for us, and rose so that we may have eternal life. Jesus overcame death. That is the news of abundant life. As the dryness of winter sets in and you continue to fill those glasses of water may you remember that God is with you. That Christ has given you new and abundant life. Let us rejoice!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
by Pastor Bobbie Blackburn
I love Christmas decorations – especially the outside ones! When I was growing up in Miami my Grandpa Blackburn (he was a woodworker) created some pretty neat ones for our house. Daddy put them up every year along with strings of different colored ‘big’ lights under the eves. (They didn’t yet have the beautiful icicle lights).
As I was driving to the Church the week after Thanksgiving, I was examining the houses that already had Christmas decorations up. At one house, I noticed a couple of piles of bright-colored material laying in the yard. It took a few minutes before I made the connection: These were the ‘new’ Christmas decorations – the kind that you have to pump air into for them to take shape and life! During the daytime, they just lay in the grass – lifeless and unimpressive. But come the evening, when the air pump is plugged in – WOW! A huge figure comes to life to grace the neighborhood with a vigilant reminder that Christ’s birth is coming.
There is a connection between us and these new Christmas decorations. When we are not connected to our energy source – we can spend precious time just laying around, lifeless and shapeless, not adding a thing to the Kingdom of God. When we allow Christmas cards and parties and baking and shopping to become “Holiday Preparations” instead of “Soul Preparations” for the birth of our Savior, we can resemble the deflated, uninteresting piles of material in the front yard.
BUT – fill us with the Spirit’s power and presence – sit us at the feet of God in worship and fill us with grace and forgiveness and love and peace – and WOW! We are no longer piles of lifeless material – we are gifted with eternal life and bearers of God, too, into God’s world. May it be so. Amen.
I love Christmas decorations – especially the outside ones! When I was growing up in Miami my Grandpa Blackburn (he was a woodworker) created some pretty neat ones for our house. Daddy put them up every year along with strings of different colored ‘big’ lights under the eves. (They didn’t yet have the beautiful icicle lights).
As I was driving to the Church the week after Thanksgiving, I was examining the houses that already had Christmas decorations up. At one house, I noticed a couple of piles of bright-colored material laying in the yard. It took a few minutes before I made the connection: These were the ‘new’ Christmas decorations – the kind that you have to pump air into for them to take shape and life! During the daytime, they just lay in the grass – lifeless and unimpressive. But come the evening, when the air pump is plugged in – WOW! A huge figure comes to life to grace the neighborhood with a vigilant reminder that Christ’s birth is coming.
There is a connection between us and these new Christmas decorations. When we are not connected to our energy source – we can spend precious time just laying around, lifeless and shapeless, not adding a thing to the Kingdom of God. When we allow Christmas cards and parties and baking and shopping to become “Holiday Preparations” instead of “Soul Preparations” for the birth of our Savior, we can resemble the deflated, uninteresting piles of material in the front yard.
BUT – fill us with the Spirit’s power and presence – sit us at the feet of God in worship and fill us with grace and forgiveness and love and peace – and WOW! We are no longer piles of lifeless material – we are gifted with eternal life and bearers of God, too, into God’s world. May it be so. Amen.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Advent Brights
Over Thanksgiving I was blessed to be with my family in Michigan, where I grew up. I have lived most of my life in the small town of Cedar Springs, MI. However, for the past 7+ years I have lived in larger cities.
When I visit Michigan there is always something that catches me off guard. Usually, something that used to be common place. Life in the city makes me forget some of the realities of country living.
In the city I often use my brights to remind a fellow driver that they forgot to turn on their lights. It is actually easy to forget to turn on your headlights because there are so many streetlights you don’t need headlights to see. One night when I was driving home in the country I was having trouble seeing. Then I remembered I have the option to turn on my brights. So, I turned on the bright lights and suddenly the street was much more visible. I almost forgot that I had to option to use bright headlights to see well.
We can get so caught up in everyday living that we limit our interaction with the world. This happens even in our life of faith. Something we’ve always understood about God can change when we see a bigger picture, beyond our focused reality.
God continues to reveal himself/herself in numerous ways and at different times. Just as my bright lights were used for warning someone in the city they are also used to light a clear path in the country. Both are true. This is why we can have so many debates about how God interacts with the world. This is why we believe in one God with three names the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This Advent as we light more candles each week may God illuminate his interaction with the world just as he did on the day of Jesus birth.
When I visit Michigan there is always something that catches me off guard. Usually, something that used to be common place. Life in the city makes me forget some of the realities of country living.
In the city I often use my brights to remind a fellow driver that they forgot to turn on their lights. It is actually easy to forget to turn on your headlights because there are so many streetlights you don’t need headlights to see. One night when I was driving home in the country I was having trouble seeing. Then I remembered I have the option to turn on my brights. So, I turned on the bright lights and suddenly the street was much more visible. I almost forgot that I had to option to use bright headlights to see well.
We can get so caught up in everyday living that we limit our interaction with the world. This happens even in our life of faith. Something we’ve always understood about God can change when we see a bigger picture, beyond our focused reality.
God continues to reveal himself/herself in numerous ways and at different times. Just as my bright lights were used for warning someone in the city they are also used to light a clear path in the country. Both are true. This is why we can have so many debates about how God interacts with the world. This is why we believe in one God with three names the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This Advent as we light more candles each week may God illuminate his interaction with the world just as he did on the day of Jesus birth.
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