Christmas Invitation to Communion

I come to invite you to join us

In Communion.

Our statement of identity says that:

"We are Disciples of Christ

A movement for wholeness

In a fragmented world.

As part of the one body of Christ,

We welcome all to the Lord's Table

As God has welcomed us."

When I think of Christmas,

The baby in the manger,

I am not surprised that we all love this holiday

Despite its commercialization and too often, frantic pace.

We remember that

God came as a baby.

We  can hold a baby.  We could hold God.

I think deep within in each of us
Is the desire to be in control.

God as a baby gives us control

And sets Christmas in a special place.

But Christmas leads us to Easter,

And a Savior who did not conquer by might

But became the Lamb of God,

A living sacrifice,

Out of our control.

When we take the bread and wine,

We follow Jesus' command:
"Do this in remembrance of me."

In Communion,
God is in control.

I feel at peace with myself

When I take the bread and cup

And know that I do God's will.

That now the Christ holds me.

Join us at the Lord's Table.

Let Jesus cradle you.

Christmas Day 2012 - The Word

Photo by bahoootah qtr

"In the beginning was the Word,

And the is Word was with God,

And the Word was God."

"And the Word was made flesh

And dwelt among us..."

The Gospel of John

Speaks the message of Christmas.

Jesus is God in action,

The instrument of creation,

The instrument of salvation.

God shed his majesty to experience

The world

As one of those made in his image.
As human,
He could experience death.

Resurrected,
He could demonstrate everlasting life.

The Christmas Babe:
Fully God and Fully Human.
He comes with promise of
Life Eternal
Embraced in His Love.

The Gift of the Christmas Babe

Christmas Babe sleeping in a manger,

How great is your gift of

Everlasting life.

Glory to God incarnate!

Your kingdom endures forever.

Let us seek to become more like you

As we follow your example on earth

And in heaven.

As we light the Advent candles

Let us be filled with your love.

Strengthen our faith

So that we may be an example to others

And lead no one astray.

The world beckons with selfishness and avarice.

Help us respond with compassion and generosity.

Nothing is ours.

All is God's.

The Babe born 
Long ago
In another land

Became a man

Who led the way
To life beyond the grave.

Christmas Eve 2011

Photo by nz willowherb

Christmas Eve has arrived
With blustery winds
And driving rain.

Cold that pierces the body

And scenes of avarice that pierce the soul.
Winter,

Not the season of
Our savior's birth
But of our celebration.
Shepherds were in the hills
With their flocks;
The night breezes were warm
When Jesus was born.
Spring,
His time of birth,
His time of death.
Better to celebrate with joy
And anticipation in winter's chill
Than obscure the Easter message.
Shepherds.
Flocks.
Lambs.
Bethlehem.
The Lamb of God is born.

A Christmas Babe- The Word at Advent

Photo by bahoootah qtr

"In the beginning was the Word,

And the is Word was with God,

And the Word was God."

"And the Word was made flesh

And dwelt among us..."

The Gospel of John

Speaks the message of Advent.

Christ is God in action,

The instrument of creation,

The instrument of salvation.

God shed his majesty to experience

The world

As one of those made in his image.
As human,
He could experience death.

Resurrected,
He could demonstrate everlasting life.

The Christmas Babe:
Fully God and Fully Human.
He comes with promise of
Life Eternal
Embraced in His Love.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day dawns with anticipation.

What waits under the tree?

There will be turkey and ham,

Sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, 

Green beans and steaming rolls,

And desserts galore.

Family and friends gather

To enjoy the food,

And the company.

Amid the festivities

We shall light the Advent wreath.

And the Christ Candle

To commemorate the true meaning of Christmas.

Over two thousand years ago,

God chose to put as much of himself as he could

Into human form.

To experience his creation from within.

To experience all that it means to be human.

To experience death.

Death.

Only that God could not know,

As Christ he could.

He understands the bitter grief

Of separation caused by death.

The Comforter holds our hand

Through life and death

With the knowledge gained by Jesus.

Thank you,

God,

For stooping so low.

Thank you for the promise

That after death

There is so much more.

Photo By Average Jane

The Word at Advent

"In the beginning was the Word,

And the is Word was with God,

And the Word was God."

"And the Word was made flesh

And dwelt among us..."

These quotes from the Gospel of John

Speak the message of Advent.

Christ is God in action,

The instrument of creation,

The instrument of salvation.

God shed his majesty to experience

The world

As one of those made in his image.
As human,
He could experience death.

Resurrected,
He could demonstrate everlasting life.

The Christmas Babe:
Fully God and Fully Human.
He comes with promise of
Life Eternal
Embraced in His Love.

Photo by bahoootah qtr

Gifts of the Magi

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea

In the days of Herod, the king,

Behold there came wise men from the east..."

The Bible does not count the wise men,

But we do.

Why?

Are we so determine to quantify the world

That we ignore quality?

We look to a person's wealth
To define their standing in the community.
God looks to how a person treats
The least among us.

The wise men brought three gifts:

Gold for virtue and kingship.
Frankincense for prayer and priestship.
Myrrh for suffering and death.

As Christmas comes,

What can we offer God
The author of Creation?
What he most wants:
Love,

Faith,

 Obedience.
My prayer at Advent must be:

Lord, make me a servant in your image,

today, tomorrow and forever.

A Prayer for Advent

Christmas Babe who comes to a manger,

How great is your gift to us:

Everlasting Life.

Glory to you!

Your kingdom endures forever.

Let us seek to become more like you

As we follow your example on Earth

And in Heaven.

As we light the Advent candles

Let us be filled with your Love.

Strengthen our faith

So that we may be an example to others

And lead no one astray.

The world beckons with selfishness and avarice.

Help us respond with compassion and generosity.

Nothing is ours.

All is yours.

A Babe born 
Long ago
And
Far Away

Became a man

Who taught us all
How to live

Forever.

Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Advent 2010

"And the angel said unto them,

Fear not; for behold,

I bring you good tidings of great joy,

Which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day

In the city of David

A Savior,

Who is Christ the Lord"

Luke's gospel echoes through the ages.

In this season,
Do we hear the physician's words?

I fear not.

Carols fill the halls and malls of commerce

Until we no longer comprehend their meaning.

Today,

I will listen with my heart to Luke,

And know Christ excludes no one from his love

For he came "to all people."
No exclusivity,
No unique faith,
Just the manifestation of God
In a baby. 

Great Joy!

The message of Advent.

Photo by aharden

Advent For Evangelicals

Christmas approaches
With the burden of tradition.

The city is decorated in holiday glitz.

We search for gifts amid the crowds.
Shouldn't we read the prophet's words?

Shouldn't we search for the Bethlehem babe?

Shouldn't we listen for the angel's message?

"Peace on Earth."

An old tradition calls to us from the past.

We, who abandoned the trappings of the Church,

Are called once more to Advent.

Let us remember
That a child born two thousand years ago

Changed the world.

His message is simple and unadorned.

Love God

And Love your neighbor.
Listen for His words.
"I am come."

Photo by daveiam

Happy Birthday!

We have much to thank God for:

For a baby born some two thousand years ago,
For the man that baby became,
For the teachings of the Son of Man,
For his sacrifice on the cross,
For the resurrection,
For the Comforter that dwells with us.
Thanks, too, for the food, family and fellowship
We will share this day.
Christmas can be summed in three words:
Happy Birthday Jesus.

Photo by Ardyiii

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has arrived
With blustery winds
And driving cold.
Not the season of
Our savior's birth
But the time of our celebration.
Shepherds were in the hills
With their flocks;
The night breezes were warm
When Jesus was born.
Spring,
His time of birth,
His time of death.
Better to celebrate with joy
And anticipation in winter's chill,
Than obscure the Easter message.
Shepherds.
Flocks.
Lambs.
The Lamb of God is come.

Photo by nz willowherb

The Advent God is Brown

Kittens tumble under the Christmas tree,
Black, white, gray or orange
Born to a calico mother.
Cats see no difference because of hue.
Why are we not more like these furry creatures
And see only the humanness of others
Not the skin tint passed by generations?
What color were you, Lord?
Not the pale hue of northern climes.
In a land scorched by the sun
You were neither white nor black.
We cannot choose the color of our skin,
But you could.
Why do we forget?

Photo by adrigu

An Advent Tree

A
Star
Glistens
At the top of
A tree trimmed
With objects held dear.
A symbol of life everlasting
Erected in remembrance of God.
Festooned not with glitter and glitz
But with hope and the promise

Of

Love

Photo by mtungate

A Bow at Advent

Christmas carols fill the air.

The Hallelujah Chorus rouses us from our seats

As we follow a tradition set by an earthly king.

Christians say we acknowledge no king but Jesus.

Do we really know Christ as our sovereign?

Does God govern our lives?

Let us understand the sovereignty of God,

And understand that in His kingdom

No one is diminished who bows before
Isaiah's
Wonderful Counselor and
Prince of Peace.

Photo by stevendamron

Advent in the Gospel of Mark

"And it came to pass, in those days,

That Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,

And was baptized by John in the Jordan."

Thus Jesus appears for the first time
In the Gospel of Mark,

At the start of his ministry,

A man grown.

And God speaks:

"Thou art my beloved Son,

In whom I am well pleased."

From birth
Jesus knew God's love.

How wonderful to have that love proclaimed.

At Christmas may we all

Know God's love

And have that love proclaimed
In our hearts.

The Word At Advent

"In the beginning was the Word,

And the is Word was with God,

And the Word was God."

"And the Word was made flesh

And dwelt among us..."

These quotes from the Gospel of John

Speak the message of Advent.

Christ is God in action,

The instrument of creation,

The instrument of salvation.

God shed his majesty to experience

The world

As one of those made in his image.
As human,
He could experience death.

Resurrected,
He demonstrated everlasting life.

What greater gift can there be?

Photo by bahoootah qtr

How Many Wise Men?

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea

In the days of Herod, the king,

Behold there came wise men from the east..."

The Bible does not count the wise men,

But we do.

Why?

Are we so determine to quantify the world

That we fail to know the quality of our surroundings?

Is a person's worth counted in dollars or

How well they serve others?
We look to a person's wealth
To define their character.
God looks to how a person treats
The least among us.
My prayer at Advent must be

"Lord, make me a servant in your image,

today, tomorrow and forever."

The wise men did bring three gifts:

"Gold, and frankincense,

And myrrh."

As Christmas comes,

Let me offer gifts to God:

Love,

Faith,

And Humility.

A Light to the Gentiles

"Simeon was devout and righteous,

Waiting for the consolation of Israel..."

Christ promised to return,

But do we believe He will?
His followers believed
Christ would return within their lifetimes.
Every generation needs to share that belief.

Are we devout and righteous,
As Simeon was?

Do we look forward to the Second Coming
As Simeon looked for the First?
As Christmas approaches let us

Remember the joy of Simeon

As he held the baby Jesus in his hands.

"For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles,

And the glory to thy people, Israel."

These are the words of Advent:

Christ comes for all.