Music of Advent - Of the Father's Love Begotten

(For the beginning of this series of readings go here.)

Week 1, Monday – John 1:1-14

Of the Father’s Love Begotten by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius trans. 1859

Of the Father’s love begotten ere the worlds began to be,

he is Alpha and Omega — he the source, the ending he,

of the things that are, that have been,

and that future years shall see evermore and evermore.

While we are busily looking at the manger, the shepherds, the magi, and the virgin this time of year, let us not overlook the nativity story found in John 1.  In the beginning reflects the beginning of Genesis, the story of divine creation.   God’s love for creation began at the very beginning.

Much like the love of a mother for a child long before the child takes his or her first breath in the world, so is God’s love for us.  God does not love us because we are perfect, but because God is perfect—not because we are good, but because God is good.  The idea of the Christ, the salvation of humanity, came at the very beginning because of God’s great love for us. 

This extraordinary love of God in spite of our humanness, even toward the worst of humanity, does not give us carte blanche, to be able to do whatever we want.  God also gave us the ability to respond to the divine love with love of our own.  Our response in love to the God who dreamed us into existence is the only way we can truly appreciate the salvation of Christ during the Christian year, beginning with Advent.

As we look for mangers and nativity sets with Christmas tunes playing in the background, let us not forget to look for signs of the creation around us and remember that in the beginning we are God’s beloved. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. John 1:1-3a

The Music of Advent - 1st Sunday - Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus

First Sunday of Advent – Psalm 65

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus by Charles Wesley, 1744

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,

born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

let us find our rest in thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,

hope of all the earth thou art;

Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

We begin the Advent journey with a prayer—a plea for the coming of the One who would free God’s people, heal the sick and liberate the oppressed, the fore-told Messiah.  God enfleshed and living among us and with us that we may come to know God in a human way—a God who can relate to humanity as we never understood before.  This prayer is the inhalation of breath just before we hold it for a moment.  It literally takes our breath away.

As you begin Advent, do you find that you are holding your breath?  Waiting.  Perhaps the waiting is one of anticipation of good things to come—family gatherings, church activities, communities events, parties.  Or perhaps the waiting is one of dread—memories of loved ones gone, of bouts of depression or anxiety, fear of the future, pain.  Maybe we even have a little of both anticipation and dread as the Advent season begins. 

Advent is a time of prayer, a prayer of petition for all that troubles us and a prayer of praise for all that blesses us.  This prayer has been echoed throughout all time, from the beginning of Creation to the end of our existence—Come, Lord come. Show us the Divine, that we may reflect God’s glory, even in the midst of troubled or joyous lives.

The psalmist, the singer of songs of praise and petition, writes in Psalm 124, a tale of remembrance of God’s provision of salvation in the turmoil of life.  Much like we anticipation the saving work of God through the Christ, the one who delivers.  Let us remember as we begin this season of waiting...

By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.  Psalm 65:5

The Day After Tomorrow...

Do you remember the movie, The Day After Tomorrow released in 2004?  In it, Dennis Quaid warned others in various venues about his environmental concerns.  His words fell on deaf ears, probably because their heads were buried ostrich-like in the sands of self-interest.  The rest of movie was predominately about his trek across a frozen, snow covered New York to rescue his son and others during the catastrophic superstorm.

However, it is the end of the movie that I woke up thinking about this morning.  In the end, while the northern third of the world was covered with uninhabitable ice and snow, everyone below the Mason-Dixon line was being evacuated to Mexico.  In 2004, I thought it ironic that the demographic who hated the immigration of our neighbors to the south into our country, now found themselves crossing the river headed south to get into a safer place to live.  Today, however, it wasn't the irony in my thoughts.

I wonder why I woke up thinking about this today.  Could it be that our country is precariously perched on a precipice that prophets have warned about, but no one heeded?  Could it be that our country is so virulently divided that we are devouring ourselves?  You can taste the acrid bitterness in the fall air.  

At the very end of the movie, after many deaths and much trauma, faced with the reality that they were wrong and the buried heads are plucked from the sands, they seem to work together--because they must to survive.  When they were forced by circumstances, they became what they should have been all along.

I am reminded of Galatians 5:14-15 which says, "For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."  We have broken the law of love.  We have devoured one another, and we will pay the price, even if we weren't the ones purchasing the end product.  

Now what?  What will we do the day after tomorrow?  The choice is ours, we can continue on stubbornly fighting with one another.  We can despair and respond in fear and anger.  We have choices.  

Let all who are under the law of Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves, to pray for those who persecute us, to love our enemies, and to love so that the world might know we are Christ's followers humble ourselves and pray this prayer of confession found in the Book of Worship of the United Methodist Church:

Merciful God,we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.  We have failed to be an obedient church.  We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.  Forgive us, we pray.  Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And let us keep repeating this daily...hourly...until we begin to be recognized once again by our love for one another.  And let us keep working for the rights of all humanity to live in peace.

The Holy Spirit and Coffee

I am a coffee lover.  I started drinking coffee as a child, when my mother would put coffee in my milk to entice me to drink the milk.  As I got older, the less milk was in my coffee.  Long ago, I weened myself from any additives that would take away from the rich flavor of the coffee. No sugar, no creamer, no froth, nothing.  Just pure, rich, dark coffee.  The older I got and my tastes matured, the darker the coffee roast I preferred.  As soon as I awake in the morning, I make my way in the dark through the house to the kitchen where, without turning on a light, I reach into the cabinet for my cup and the rack where we keep the K-Cups holding my preferred blend.  I lift the arm of the machine, insert the cup, lower it and select the largest brew size possible.  Making sure my cup is placed on the drip tray in just the right spot, I wait the minute for my fresh steaming cup of coffee.  I then will make my way to the chair I sit in to have my morning time of prayer, email, journaling, and meditation (not always in any particular order).  I sit the cup on the coaster on the table beside my chair, sit down and situate myself, and then pick up my cup, holding it close just smelling the wonderful aroma and watching the steam rise.  Then…I take my first sip of the day.  It is the best thing ever.  The rest of the cup is wonderful as well, but it isn’t nearly as celebrated as that first sip.  Then I continue with my day. 

This morning as I was performing this ritual, and as I was meditating on blessings and things I am thankful for, and people to whom I am grateful, I thought, “hey, the Holy Spirit is like coffee!”  Let me explain. 

I love God.  I love all the natures of God, and the Holy Spirit, in my thinking, is the most important nature of God.  The Holy Spirit represents that presence of God with us, not just in the cosmos.  We are all unique and important to God, and God is the God of all nature.  Not either/or, but both/and.  This is all a part of our understanding of the Holy Spirit.  The divine presence of God is made possible in the Spirit of God.  The guidance, comfort, wisdom, and inspiration from God comes from the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and in our world. 

Long ago, I was introduced to the knowledge of the Holy Spirit in diluted ways.  Stories in Sunday school and VBS, snippets of sermons a few times a year, other little ways the Holy Spirit was referenced.  I was not brought up in a Pentecostal or charismatic church so the Holy Spirit was referenced in less imminent ways.  Gifts of the Spirit, baptism of the Spirit, all of these doctrines were foreign to me.  As I got older, I began to develop my own understanding, my own experience of and with the Holy Spirit.  The less diluted my experience, the more significance I found in the working of the Holy Spirit in all our lives. 

Now, as I have matured in faith, I feel that the Spirit of God is with me and that I can find my way through the dark of the world to where I can sit and experience the presence of Spirit that is always present.  The more I removed anything that would dilute my experience of the presence of the Spirit, the richer my experience became.  I savor the presence of the Spirit in my life, and every morning, that first “good morning God” is always the best.  I prepare myself and my surroundings to be able to clear my mind, engage my spirit, and to observe the Spirit at work in the world.  The Spirit is present with me throughout the day, but occasionally, I will re-enact that first good morning sip of the Spirit at other times of the day when I especially need to feel that presence of God with me. 

See, God is made known in many ways through the work of the Spirit, even in observing my own patterns and deep love of coffee.  Do you have any rituals that you can relate to the presence of the Spirit?  Perhaps your preferred beverage of choice is a soda or a cup of tea? 

Good morning and may your day be filled with the experience of the Holy Spirit in your life. 

Changes

As I was logging on to begin today, I see that my last post was December 2015.  I really should do better, but every time I say I will, I don't.  However, I am trying something new.  I have it written into my calendar that "blog" pops up periodically on my things to do list.  I'm sure I have never put off anything that is on my to do list!  *chuckle*

(Blogged while listening to Changes by David Bowie)

I have recently moved to a new appointment.  (Ch-ch-ch-changes) Many changes are taking place.  Change of address, work, community.  Change of people, routine, and staff.  I love some changes and hate others.  I like the change of season from scorching hot to cooler fall.  I hate software updates that do not ask my opinion on whether or not I want it.  Moving to a new community has its challenges and blessings.  There is no Pizza Hut here for delivery, but I love my new house and feel very comfortable here.  

Time may change me...
Of course, this is the oldest I have been to move into a new appointment (duh).  I find that perhaps I am not adjusting as well as I have in the past.  Perhaps it is because this time I am taking time to figure out how to ease in, rather than rushing in.  I find I am much more comfortable with coming in and making changes.  Churches even expect it.  New pastor, new ideas.  Maybe this time we can grow!  But then they become trained to do what the pastor wants, rather than to come up with something lasting that is truly the congregation's identity.  I want to hold out for the quality that comes with patience.   

Perhaps this is why I have been reflective about change in general.  During a recent morning meditation, I had the thought:

If you don't believe anything will change, you will not do what you are doing for very long.

Meaning if you are doing something, putting time and energy into something, that you hope will bring about something better--a better world, a better community, a better church, or even a better you--you must believe that the change can and will happen.  I find we often think we want change, but our own actions defeat the very change we want to make because we really do not believe it is possible.  We want to be ecologically friendly, but do not think any actions we put into place will make any real difference.  So we continue on as before.  

This brings to mind the prayer of Mother Teresa now Saint Teresa of Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.
-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

Another thought I had that morning was:

If you do believe things will change as a result of your work, you must be open to change.  

That may seem to make sense, if you work toward change things will change.  I do not know how many congregations that want change (more funds, more members, more outreach, more impact), but do not really want things to change.  It seems they want to bring in more money and new people, but want these new people to do exactly the same things that have always been done.  Another example, I want to lose weight, begin an exercise program, and overall become a healthier me.  However, I find that as much as I want this change, I also want cookies, pie, candy, ice cream, and all the other goodies I can find.  

(Cue Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie)

What I have noticed in life is that change happens whether you want it or not (software updates, etc.), and you have a choice in how you handle it.  You can work actively to bring about change that is positive, helpful, and makes things better.  You can actively work against change which will bring about change that is negative, detrimental, and makes things worse.  You can passively accept whatever the wind and life blow your way.  The choice is yours.  When we work toward positive change, it is life-giving and life-bringing.  When we work against change, that will happen anyway, it brings death.  

What changes are you facing in your life?  Even good changes like a new baby or new job bring stress.  Other changes such as a divorce or death, being fired or an illness, bring even more.  How can you actively work to bring about change that is good and positive, knowing that we can never stop change from happening.  

Grace and peace.