Community

When we moved to our home here in a smaller city in Alabama, we hardly knew anyone. At our church, though, the people welcomed us unconditionally -- even though we were strangers, outsiders, so to speak. That's what the community of Christ does. When we are called to belong to God, we also belong to one another. St. Paul writes in I Corinthians 12 of us needing one another, supporting and helping one another. God sends us to each other, to meet needs and serve one another.

I personally experience the benefits of this community often. Just a few weeks ago, my husband and I were singing in the choir. Our almost-eighteen-month-old boy was being his usual squirmy self, so after the second song, I took him out to try to get him to fall asleep. This is a somewhat arduous task. It involves walking back and forth in the hallway, until the motion lulls him to sleep. He's not the smallest of kids. Our pastor's wife, after I had made one or two laps of the hallway, came out to ask if I would like her to take him for me. Normally, I like to try to be self-sufficient, but I'm slowly learning to accept these gifts that God sends to me. I gladly relinquished him to her capable care and went back into church to enjoy the sermon (perhaps the first time in several weeks).

Some people that I know believe that they can survive apart from this community, the Body of Christ. Now, we as Christians certainly can survive apart, but how sad I feel for those individuals, that they are not experiencing the benefits of this particular means that God has of providing for His children. And it's not only about help with kids -- as Christians, we receive spiritual encouragement, as well as social, emotional, physical, and mental benefit.

Thank You, Lord, for the community of believers into which we are called. Help us to appreciate Your goodness to us, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Christmas Cards

I have been working on getting our Christmas cards together for the last week or so. Yesterday and today, I am signing them. In the past, I always watched a favorite movie or television show with my husband while preforming this rather mindless task.

1. Write names of recipients.

2. Write greeting: "Merry Christmas! May Christ be born anew in you this Christmas!"

3. Sign our names.

4. Next card. Repeat #1-3.

This year, I am working on them while my husband is at work. I let my daughter watch a kid's show so I wouldn't be distracted from the cards. And I started thinking about what the greeting means, for the individual receiving the cards.

(A note about the greeting: Several years ago, a pastor of mine gave a sermon in which he told of a monastic order who greeted one another with "May Christ be born anew in you" at Christmastime rather than with "Merry Christmas." It spoke more to the purpose of that first Christmas than the typical greeting.)

So as I signed cards, I started to pray for the people receiving each card. I know I'm not the first person to think of doing this. But for whatever reason, it had never occurred to me before this year. I don't know exactly what each person might need while I pray; some people I talk to often and others may not have heard from since last Christmas. But God knows what is on each person's heart. So whether it be a strengthening of faith, a renewal or beginning of belief, a need for comfort -- all these things, God knows.

My prayer for my readers - both those I know of and those I don't - is that Christ may be born anew in you! May God bless you with joy and peace in this season. Christ is born!

Whose Job Is It?

We all have responsibilities. Some of mine, as a wife and mother, include cleaning the house and making sure meals are on the table, caring for my kids and making sure they're healthy in body, mind, and soul, caring for and supporting my husband. I have responsibilities at church, where I am a member of the choir and the LWML, as well as a school where I volunteer. We all have responsibilities.

Some people try to shirk their responsibilities and pass them off to others. "I don't have to help with this or that; it'll get done without me because someone else will do it." There are also people who try to take every responsibility upon themselves. "If I want something done right, I have to do it myself!" Then there are those who will do both, with different things. I am one of those. I take on too much of what I really enjoy and try to avoid the unpleasant things. It does not make for good balance. But that is another post.

What about the responsibility of our faith? Of our salvation? This, too, can be problematic when people want to take too much or too little responsibility for a life of faith.

During church today, one of the readings included Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." The Apostle Paul is speaking here about the partnership in the Gospel that the church in Philippi has entered with him. Isn't that what our faith is about? We believe and are saved by faith through God's wonderful grace, but it doesn't end there. We are brought into partnership with all Christians, all believers, to share that grace and mercy that has already been (and is daily being) poured out on us. But look back at the verse. It says that "he [God] who began a good work in you." It does not say "You began this good work." Who is responsibile for our salvation? Jesus, of course! Then Paul continues, "will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." So God starts it and finishes it! We do have the responsibility of sharing God's Word of grace and mercy, as well as remaining faithful, but He does not leave us alone in this. The Holy Spirit is with us, giving us all that we need to do the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do! (Ephesians 2:10) He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and we can rest in the knowledge that it is not on our shoulders, but is a yoke shared with Him (Matthew 11:29)!

Open Thou My Lips

I had a very productive day today. I cleaned the family room, made the dough for the first Christmas cookies of the season, got some outside work done, and started getting Christmas decorations out of the closet. As I type this, the tree is a long, skinny stick with two layers of nice, full branches at the bottom and the little mini-tree at the top. Is this any indication that my day did not end in the same manner it started?

Earlier today, my seventeen-month-old son got into my purse and ate two (that I know of) pieces of gum. His breath was minty fresh, but it gave him some tummy problems. He had diarrhea twice before dinner. When I was getting him ready for his bath, I took off the diaper too soon and the floor got wet (not diarrhea, thank goodness!). After cleaning that up, I found a spot in his bedroom that our puppy wet. I cleaned that up, left the odor-removing spray to soak in, then returned to the bathtub to find my laughing baby boy sitting in cloudy water. I won't elaborate further. I got him and the tub cleaned up (though not disinfected), then got him dressed and ready for bed. Remembering that I needed to dry the spot on the floor, I set him down until I finished. After throwing away the paper towels and washing my hands, I found my son laughing and throwing bath toys into the (still not disinfected) bathtub.

The verse "Oh Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise" (Psalm 51:15) comes to mind. When I found my little boy, I opened my lips, but my mouth did not show forth praise. Heart rate accelerating with every word, I yelled at him, scolding all the way to his bedroom. He just looked at me, not crying or laughing or anything. As soon as my emotional lapse of sanity had passed, I felt awful. He was just a little toddler, doing what he did every other evening after his bath; germs mean nothing to him. And the puppy is a puppy; it's something of a miracle that he is not having more accidents than he is. And I really need to remember to keep my purse out of reach.

I knew I needed to apologize. He wouldn't necessarily understand me, but I told him that Mommy was sorry for yelling and please forgive her. I hugged him and when he put his head on my shoulder and grabbed my ponytail with one hand like he does every other night, I knew that he forgave me. Then I prayed, confessed to God, asked Him to help me be a better mommy. I knew that when I entered the room, I was in no way able to say my son's bedtime prayer, until I had repented. Peace pushed out the tension I felt in my body, tears released the pain, and my little boy's sweet snuggling was a balm to my heart.

This Advent season, we look for the coming of our Lord, the Anointed One of God not as a powerful and mighty king, but as a tiny baby. He subjected Himself to all the stresses of daily life, to the pain of loved ones disappointing, to the censure of the world for not doing what they wanted Him to do. Why? To forgive wretched sinners like myself. To forgive wretched sinners like you. So we might be made right with God and equipped with His Spirit for service to others.

Lord Jesus, Bethlehem Child, Suffering Servant at Calvary, forgive me for the sins which caused You to humble Yourself, to subject Yourself to a humiliating and terrible death. Thank You for the forgiveness that Your blood bought. Thank You for the promise of Life that Your resurrection offers. Guide me with Your hand, that I may be a voice of Your love, mercy, and peace to those around me. Amen.

Oh Come, Oh Come Immanuel

There are many things that people want. Some things are small, like wanting that light at the next intersection to stay green until you're through it. Some things are of greater importance, like a couple trying to have a baby for years. But all people have experienced that yearning, that hoping for something yet to come.

During the season of Advent, the Church experiences that same yearning, but for a much more consequential thing: the coming of the Messiah. We, as New Testament people, know that He has come already, that He has lived a perfect life, that He gave that life on the cross for the sins of the world, and that He rose again on Easter morning, triumphing over death, sin, and the devil. He offers that victory to us, as well.

But are we living in a perfect world? No. We wait, we yearn, for His second coming, when He will restore all things. There will be a new heaven and a new earth; every tear will be dried from our eyes, and there will be no pain or death.

And so we wait. Of course, we enjoy the blessings that God gives us and our time here on earth, but we never forget that we are an Advent people, looking for the coming (again) of our Lord.

Oh come, oh come Immanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel

Shall come to Thee, oh Israel.