Wow! And I thought that end of semester finals were tough! As interns, we have just finished our first Advent/Christmas season where we not only attend more church services than usual - we are leading and/or preaching at those services! I did not know that a person could be so tired.
This is the comment that I left for Pastor David on his post at Postings from Prairie Hill. He has just completed his first season as a solo pastor; I guess his comments give me something to look forward to - being very tired!
Yet, it has been a time of great uplifting, as well. We each did things that we had not done before, such as three services each Wednesday of Advent, chanting Evening Prayer (LBW) for the first time, and multiple services on Christmas Eve. A lot of work - yes. A lot of planning - yes. A little nerve-wracking - at times. But oh so uplifting. Even the noontime service with only a few people - worth every minute.
In some ways, I look forward to the Lenten season where we have Wednesday services for 6 weeks instead of 3, but I also dread it. Twice as long - I have to believe that I will be twice as tired by the Monday after Easter; but if it is even half as uplifting as Advent has been, I believe I can make it through.
The season of Advent - the waiting, the anticipation, will be different from Lent, which is more reflective, but it is still a special time in the church, one which leads the preacher into a more contemplative time as he/she prepares for each service, each sermon. More time spent preparing, a feeling of being more prepared; a better connection with the word proclaimed and with the receiver of the word.
In the meantime, we are enjoying a few days off, time to have a late Christmas celebration with family, to have a little after-Christmas snow at Mom's (which we would not have in Mobile), and a chance to recharge before beginning the New Year. It is also a chance to connect with many whom we have not seen since we left on internship. Sunday will be at our home congregation in Charlotte, where we have not been since last Good Friday.
Time with family, time with friends, time to rest. Gifts from God, gifts to be treasured, gifts to be shared. May each of you have time to relax, and to recharge, and we wish each of you a most blessed New Year!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Merry Christmas
To those who read this blog, but may not receive our email updates, we would like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas!This picture is of Vicar Ray, who was the preacher at Bethel Lutheran in Biloxi last week. Bethel was nicely decorated and included their children's pageant during the worship service.
As we reach the end of the Advent season - our watching and waiting almost over - we anticipate the birth of the Christ child - the babe in the manger. We wait - because we know He is coming. We watch - for miracles do happen. We are breathless with anticipation - because we already know what His birth means, and where it will lead. We celebrate, because our Savior has come.
We wish you a very Merry and Holy Christmas season, filled with the warmth of time spent with family, and with the knowledge that Jesus has come, God become flesh, for you - and for us.
Monday, December 18, 2006
How real is your Christmas?
An article caught my eye on one of the on-line news links a week or so ago. A story about the church in Alaska that was targeted by PETA because they advertised a “live nativity scene” prompted the following thoughts:
The question this raises – can you be convicted of being a Christian if your baby Jesus is plastic? Is your faith any more real than your animals? Is political correctness more important than truth? Just how real is your faith?
While I in no way want to suggest that using (or misusing) live animals just to make your nativity scene more realistic (there are many dangers – to both people and animals that are not given thorough consideration), it is an interesting parallel to our faith. How real is your faith? Is it a plastic doll, in a manger of straw? Or is it the son of God, the one who became flesh and lived among us? Is the whole manger scene too “real” for us? Or do we want it to be a “nice story” that we tell because it sounds good?
It reminds me of the old question (usually raised at Lent, not Advent), if you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In this case, do our Advent practices prepare us for the coming of the Christ Child? Or for a holiday season of shopping and partying?
On Dec. 1, a new movie opened that re-tells the story, The Nativity Story. Having seen this movie, it is both a “feel-good” Christmas movie, and a realistic tale of what Mary and Joseph might have had to endure. It just might be a great way to celebrate the Advent season and begin the Christmas season…
The question this raises – can you be convicted of being a Christian if your baby Jesus is plastic? Is your faith any more real than your animals? Is political correctness more important than truth? Just how real is your faith?
While I in no way want to suggest that using (or misusing) live animals just to make your nativity scene more realistic (there are many dangers – to both people and animals that are not given thorough consideration), it is an interesting parallel to our faith. How real is your faith? Is it a plastic doll, in a manger of straw? Or is it the son of God, the one who became flesh and lived among us? Is the whole manger scene too “real” for us? Or do we want it to be a “nice story” that we tell because it sounds good?
It reminds me of the old question (usually raised at Lent, not Advent), if you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In this case, do our Advent practices prepare us for the coming of the Christ Child? Or for a holiday season of shopping and partying?
On Dec. 1, a new movie opened that re-tells the story, The Nativity Story. Having seen this movie, it is both a “feel-good” Christmas movie, and a realistic tale of what Mary and Joseph might have had to endure. It just might be a great way to celebrate the Advent season and begin the Christmas season…
Friday, December 15, 2006
On becoming an angel
No, I don’t mean dressing up as a member of the heavenly host as part of a Sunday School Christmas pageant. Or even magically being transformed into a heavenly being after death. I’m thinking about being an angel, right here on earth.
At its most basic, ‘angel’ simply means ‘messenger.’ From malak in Hebrew to angelos in Greek, the Scriptures - both the Old and New Testaments - contain many stories about angels serving as messengers of God. Think of the beginning of the Gospel of Luke: the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah to foretell the birth of John the Baptist; then later tells Mary that she will bear a son, the son of the Most High, to be named Jesus.
This week, I realized that I had become an angel – a messenger for God – for a woman in Bayou La Batre. The story begins a few weeks ago, when our congregation began collecting toys to give to children in the Bayou. After the pile of donated toy trucks, games, and baby dolls had begun to collect in the narthex, we realized that LDR was not planning to distribute Christmas gifts, so we didn’t have an automatic outlet for the items we had collected.
After a bit of research, I discovered that the Bayou La Batre police department was partnering with the local Lions club to distribute toys in this area that was hit so hard by Hurricane Katrina – and is recovering so slowly. I called their contact number and talked with a local woman who is helping to organize this project.
What does this have to do with being an angel, you ask? Well, after a couple of phone calls to her; to arrange delivery of toys and stuffed animals donated by members of our church, a local senior citizen’s group, and more toys purchased with funds that have been donated by individuals and congregations from all over the US, she told me this about the morning I first called her:
“You know, just that morning, I was sitting in my chair, praying to God, crying, and asking what we would do if we didn’t have enough toys for all the children that needed them. Then the phone rang, and it was you, and you told me that you had toys already gathered and were able to buy even more, once you knew what we needed…”
I had the joy of receiving that type of miracle several times last winter at the Distribution Center in Ocean Springs; but this time I realized that I had become an angel, a messenger of God, to this lovely woman who is working so hard to make Christmas merry for the children of Bayou La Batre. What an incredible experience!
She and I are both convinced now that somehow, there will be enough toys for the 600+ children that may not receive any gifts besides the ones this project can give to them...
At its most basic, ‘angel’ simply means ‘messenger.’ From malak in Hebrew to angelos in Greek, the Scriptures - both the Old and New Testaments - contain many stories about angels serving as messengers of God. Think of the beginning of the Gospel of Luke: the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah to foretell the birth of John the Baptist; then later tells Mary that she will bear a son, the son of the Most High, to be named Jesus.
This week, I realized that I had become an angel – a messenger for God – for a woman in Bayou La Batre. The story begins a few weeks ago, when our congregation began collecting toys to give to children in the Bayou. After the pile of donated toy trucks, games, and baby dolls had begun to collect in the narthex, we realized that LDR was not planning to distribute Christmas gifts, so we didn’t have an automatic outlet for the items we had collected.
After a bit of research, I discovered that the Bayou La Batre police department was partnering with the local Lions club to distribute toys in this area that was hit so hard by Hurricane Katrina – and is recovering so slowly. I called their contact number and talked with a local woman who is helping to organize this project.
What does this have to do with being an angel, you ask? Well, after a couple of phone calls to her; to arrange delivery of toys and stuffed animals donated by members of our church, a local senior citizen’s group, and more toys purchased with funds that have been donated by individuals and congregations from all over the US, she told me this about the morning I first called her:
“You know, just that morning, I was sitting in my chair, praying to God, crying, and asking what we would do if we didn’t have enough toys for all the children that needed them. Then the phone rang, and it was you, and you told me that you had toys already gathered and were able to buy even more, once you knew what we needed…”
I had the joy of receiving that type of miracle several times last winter at the Distribution Center in Ocean Springs; but this time I realized that I had become an angel, a messenger of God, to this lovely woman who is working so hard to make Christmas merry for the children of Bayou La Batre. What an incredible experience!
She and I are both convinced now that somehow, there will be enough toys for the 600+ children that may not receive any gifts besides the ones this project can give to them...
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Progress!
To borrow a phrase from Garrison Keillor, “It’s been a busy week here in Mobile.” A significant part of internship is to complete a project in the internship setting – and of course write about it in a paper which is submitted to faculty on campus. Our project has grown out of our work with LDR. Since a major component of LDR’s plan for our work this year was congregational disaster preparedness, we selected this area for our project.
We have spent about half of each week in October and November reading and researching on this topic, compiling resources from LDR, other organizations like the American Red Cross and VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster), and government agencies including FEMA, Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Using the information from all this research, we have compiled a CD of resources and prepared a presentation which can be given to congregations to help them plan and prepare for disasters BEFORE they occur.
Two big deadlines were on our calendar this week. First, we reported on our progress and gave our presentation for a group of LDR staff members here in Alabama. Second, after some quick revisions, we gave the presentation to members of our internship congregation. We really worked hard to get the information together and prepare the Powerpoint presentation and a script, so that we won’t leave out any important information. It was quite a relief to come home Thursday evening and relax because both of those initial presentations were done!!
We still need to make some additional revisions and complete a manual that congregational teams can use as a guide for preparations, but the bulk of the research is behind us. We are already in the process of contacting Lutheran congregations all over the state of Alabama and will begin traveling with the presentation soon.
But for now, our attention has shifted from LDR to the congregation. We are busy today preparing for the Adult Sunday school class and worship tomorrow, and the first midweek Advent worship this week. As I go back to work on my sermon for Wednesday, I'll leave you with these words - the first verse from "The Advent of Our God" (hymn #22 from the Lutheran Book of Worship, written by Charles Coffin.)
"The advent of our God shall be our theme for prayer;
Come, let us meet him on the road and place for him prepare."
We have spent about half of each week in October and November reading and researching on this topic, compiling resources from LDR, other organizations like the American Red Cross and VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster), and government agencies including FEMA, Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Using the information from all this research, we have compiled a CD of resources and prepared a presentation which can be given to congregations to help them plan and prepare for disasters BEFORE they occur.
Two big deadlines were on our calendar this week. First, we reported on our progress and gave our presentation for a group of LDR staff members here in Alabama. Second, after some quick revisions, we gave the presentation to members of our internship congregation. We really worked hard to get the information together and prepare the Powerpoint presentation and a script, so that we won’t leave out any important information. It was quite a relief to come home Thursday evening and relax because both of those initial presentations were done!!
We still need to make some additional revisions and complete a manual that congregational teams can use as a guide for preparations, but the bulk of the research is behind us. We are already in the process of contacting Lutheran congregations all over the state of Alabama and will begin traveling with the presentation soon.
But for now, our attention has shifted from LDR to the congregation. We are busy today preparing for the Adult Sunday school class and worship tomorrow, and the first midweek Advent worship this week. As I go back to work on my sermon for Wednesday, I'll leave you with these words - the first verse from "The Advent of Our God" (hymn #22 from the Lutheran Book of Worship, written by Charles Coffin.)
"The advent of our God shall be our theme for prayer;
Come, let us meet him on the road and place for him prepare."
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