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!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Joy of Giving Thanks
The immigrants from England, Pilgrims, brought with them an ancient English custom of a harvest festival. This festival was a time of dancing, singing, sports, games, and of course, feasting. Since then Americans, an interracial mix of many nations, have adapted this festival into what we celebrate today, Thanksgiving.
The festival of harvest has turned into a festival of eating too much followed by a nap and some football. Most of us are blessed to not think about harvesting. Instead, we have the luxury of going to the nearest grocer to find a year around supply of most anything we can eat. We don’t show up at a grocer and wonder if there will be apples. We have the gift of assuming that no matter the season the store will provide apples.
This reality allows us the comfort of not thinking about how our food gets to the table. The people who harvest often don’t come to mind at the Thanksgiving table as we give thanks for our many blessings.
We have become separated from the life sustaining earth; instead there are days when our feet don’t even touch the soil. We have become separated from any injustice in the fields; instead we assume they are immigrants and are lucky to be in this country. We are separated from the slaughterhouse; instead we complain about the price tag.
Our call from God is not to get caught up in our luxurious living so we can become more separated from God’s creation. Our call is to thank God for our luxurious living by turning our hearts from our wants and needs to the needs of our neighbor.
This Thanksgiving, let us reconnect with all of creation so our hearts will be changed though the real joy of giving thanks.
The festival of harvest has turned into a festival of eating too much followed by a nap and some football. Most of us are blessed to not think about harvesting. Instead, we have the luxury of going to the nearest grocer to find a year around supply of most anything we can eat. We don’t show up at a grocer and wonder if there will be apples. We have the gift of assuming that no matter the season the store will provide apples.
This reality allows us the comfort of not thinking about how our food gets to the table. The people who harvest often don’t come to mind at the Thanksgiving table as we give thanks for our many blessings.
We have become separated from the life sustaining earth; instead there are days when our feet don’t even touch the soil. We have become separated from any injustice in the fields; instead we assume they are immigrants and are lucky to be in this country. We are separated from the slaughterhouse; instead we complain about the price tag.
Our call from God is not to get caught up in our luxurious living so we can become more separated from God’s creation. Our call is to thank God for our luxurious living by turning our hearts from our wants and needs to the needs of our neighbor.
This Thanksgiving, let us reconnect with all of creation so our hearts will be changed though the real joy of giving thanks.
Romans 8:18-21
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The end of the WORLD!
When is the end going to be?
We thought it was:
In the 60’s – the Cuban Missile Crisis
In the 80’s fear of a nuclear war
Then we had the millennium
Now we have the box office hit 2012 – the end of the Mayan Calendar
If we happen to make it to 2013 we’ll still want to know the end of the story. I believe Newton said something about 2060?
It’s not just in the BIG picture that we want to know the end. It’s also in our personal life decisions. Let’s say you’re going to invest money. You’ll weigh all your options wanting to know the outcome before making a decision. Every day we are trying to figure out the end of the story so we can do the “right” thing. However, the truth is we don’t get to know the end of the story.
So, what can we do?
Approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22). I am not talking about the assurances we have in the finite but the assurance we have in Christ. We continue to approach because story is not over.
The story did not end with the people of the Old Testament. The story did not end with the people of the New Testament. We are God’s living story in the world today. God’s living Word is in you.
We may not get to know the end of the story – but how awesome that we get to be a part of the story!
We thought it was:
In the 60’s – the Cuban Missile Crisis
In the 80’s fear of a nuclear war
Then we had the millennium
Now we have the box office hit 2012 – the end of the Mayan Calendar
If we happen to make it to 2013 we’ll still want to know the end of the story. I believe Newton said something about 2060?
It’s not just in the BIG picture that we want to know the end. It’s also in our personal life decisions. Let’s say you’re going to invest money. You’ll weigh all your options wanting to know the outcome before making a decision. Every day we are trying to figure out the end of the story so we can do the “right” thing. However, the truth is we don’t get to know the end of the story.
So, what can we do?
Approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22). I am not talking about the assurances we have in the finite but the assurance we have in Christ. We continue to approach because story is not over.
The story did not end with the people of the Old Testament. The story did not end with the people of the New Testament. We are God’s living story in the world today. God’s living Word is in you.
We may not get to know the end of the story – but how awesome that we get to be a part of the story!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Technology - does it bring us together or isolate us more?
I am part of a generation that fell on the cusp of a drastic change. In high school during class we would write notes by hand, fold them in unique ways, and pass them to one another in the hall between classes. Then we would sit in the next hour class hoping our friend would have a moment to write a note back. Then we would have to plan to run into one another in the hallway again between classes for another exchange.
Now I am in the workforce five states from my hometown. I can text an old high school friend, who I connected with after all these years over facebook, and instantly get a response.
I learned to type in high school on a typewriter. By college I had a laptop computer and my very first email account. In college my friends and I didn’t even think about cell phones and a year after graduation we had them by our side.
This change is obvious and may seem simple as most of us quickly adapt to a world that can network like never before. However, this change is putting stress on the church. An older generation experiences worship differently than the younger generation – yet we are called to worship together.
Let’s say we bring a video into worship to reach the younger crowd. A man in their 60’s responds, “It was so fasted paced it left me out of breath and all I was doing was watching a video.”
On the other hand, a twenty-three year old who watched the same video said, “It is too slow.” In this electronic age we are being wired differently. Our brains process information differently and therefore, we experience worship differently.
It is no surprise that those most influenced by electronic culture participate in church at far lower levels than those of previous generations. Article after article is being written about meeting this technology generation on the web: Facebook, Blogger, MySpace, and YouTube… and I won’t deny these can be great tools that the church can embrace.
However, we can’t just get on the internet and stare at a monitor while typing on a keyboard and call it church. In Greek the word for church, ecclesia, means assembly or call out. It is a gathering of those who are called out. We must continue to gather and find a way to not be even more isolated on Sunday morning. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The most segregated time in America is on Sunday between the hours of 10-11am.”
What is your denomination? What is your style of worship? What is your ethnicity? What is your sexuality? What is your age?
These labels are human instituted, yet, we continue to worship where our labels place us. We are called out by God to gather as one body in Christ. May the Spirit guide our hearts to see our human instituted labels less and our gracious gift of being one in Christ more!
Now I am in the workforce five states from my hometown. I can text an old high school friend, who I connected with after all these years over facebook, and instantly get a response.
I learned to type in high school on a typewriter. By college I had a laptop computer and my very first email account. In college my friends and I didn’t even think about cell phones and a year after graduation we had them by our side.
This change is obvious and may seem simple as most of us quickly adapt to a world that can network like never before. However, this change is putting stress on the church. An older generation experiences worship differently than the younger generation – yet we are called to worship together.
Let’s say we bring a video into worship to reach the younger crowd. A man in their 60’s responds, “It was so fasted paced it left me out of breath and all I was doing was watching a video.”
On the other hand, a twenty-three year old who watched the same video said, “It is too slow.” In this electronic age we are being wired differently. Our brains process information differently and therefore, we experience worship differently.
It is no surprise that those most influenced by electronic culture participate in church at far lower levels than those of previous generations. Article after article is being written about meeting this technology generation on the web: Facebook, Blogger, MySpace, and YouTube… and I won’t deny these can be great tools that the church can embrace.
However, we can’t just get on the internet and stare at a monitor while typing on a keyboard and call it church. In Greek the word for church, ecclesia, means assembly or call out. It is a gathering of those who are called out. We must continue to gather and find a way to not be even more isolated on Sunday morning. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The most segregated time in America is on Sunday between the hours of 10-11am.”
What is your denomination? What is your style of worship? What is your ethnicity? What is your sexuality? What is your age?
These labels are human instituted, yet, we continue to worship where our labels place us. We are called out by God to gather as one body in Christ. May the Spirit guide our hearts to see our human instituted labels less and our gracious gift of being one in Christ more!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Do you carry a bottle of Purell?
I just read an article titled, “Goodbye, Hand Shake.” Yep, you guessed it… the question on the table is will H1N1 spell end of the handshake greeting? Some churches have stopped sharing the peace with one another in fear of spreading a virus. Some pastors have stopped shaking hands with parishioners after services. The common cup at Communion is switching to individual cup. It’s becoming more and more common to carry a bottle of Purell with you at all times.
Recently, I was in the airport. As I was checking out with a bottle of water the clerk asked, “Would you like a bottle of Purell with this?”
I responded, “Is it free?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’ll pass I already have a bottle in my purse.”
That’s right not only is it being pushed at a check out in the airport, but I too am guilty and carry a bottle with me. It’s almost a new addiction. So, the question I struggle with is: What does this new fear of touch mean for the Christian community?
After all we are a community already hurting in the age of technology. Now we add the element of physical-virus-spreading-contact!
As I am thinking about this and reading scripture, I had to laugh out loud when I read the story of the blind man in Mark 8. Jesus is asked to touch him so he will be healed. As I am debating this hand shake issue I was intrigued by the story because Jesus takes the blind man by his hand. However, I had to laugh out loud when the story got even better. Jesus spits on him!
Now I am not encouraging us to spit on one another, we’re not Jesus. However scripture reveals to us a healing element in touch.
In Matthew 8 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched a Leper so he may be healed.
In Mark 10 people were bringing their children to Jesus so he may touch them.
In Matthew 9 a woman who was living with a lifelong hemorrhage reached out to touch Jesus cloak so she may be healed.
Now we may not have the healing powers of Christ, but there is something special – life giving in touch. Current day research verifies this reality. Children must be held, people who hug get sick less, and even a soft nudge of a cat or dog has the power to lower blood pressure.
I don’t know… I’d rather risk physical-virus-spreading-contact than give up the physical-healing-power-of-touch.
Recently, I was in the airport. As I was checking out with a bottle of water the clerk asked, “Would you like a bottle of Purell with this?”
I responded, “Is it free?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’ll pass I already have a bottle in my purse.”
That’s right not only is it being pushed at a check out in the airport, but I too am guilty and carry a bottle with me. It’s almost a new addiction. So, the question I struggle with is: What does this new fear of touch mean for the Christian community?
After all we are a community already hurting in the age of technology. Now we add the element of physical-virus-spreading-contact!
As I am thinking about this and reading scripture, I had to laugh out loud when I read the story of the blind man in Mark 8. Jesus is asked to touch him so he will be healed. As I am debating this hand shake issue I was intrigued by the story because Jesus takes the blind man by his hand. However, I had to laugh out loud when the story got even better. Jesus spits on him!
Now I am not encouraging us to spit on one another, we’re not Jesus. However scripture reveals to us a healing element in touch.
In Matthew 8 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched a Leper so he may be healed.
In Mark 10 people were bringing their children to Jesus so he may touch them.
In Matthew 9 a woman who was living with a lifelong hemorrhage reached out to touch Jesus cloak so she may be healed.
Now we may not have the healing powers of Christ, but there is something special – life giving in touch. Current day research verifies this reality. Children must be held, people who hug get sick less, and even a soft nudge of a cat or dog has the power to lower blood pressure.
I don’t know… I’d rather risk physical-virus-spreading-contact than give up the physical-healing-power-of-touch.
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