Matthew 2

I'm amazed by how God speaks to Joseph in these dreams through angels. First of all, if an angel started talking to me in my sleep, I think I might just freak out. Second, why doesn't God speak to me so directly? Heck, I'll settle for an e-mail...something would be nice.

Scandal

I read the birth story from Matthew today. What really kind of struck me today was the scandal of it all. It's kind of surprising that Hollywood hasn't picked up more on the scandal in the Bible, for there's plenty of it. My goodness, the birth of our Savior is born out of scandal. Here are Mary and Joseph engaged to get married and suddenly Mary shows up pregnant. Now if I'm understanding church politics correctly, I'm pretty sure that if Dawn showed up for worship on Sunday pregnant I would be absolutely done for as a pastor and I would be the talk of the town, if not a wider region. Yet this is how God comes to us. Of course, it's scandalous simply for God to break into our world. God is God and was just fine in God's heavenly realm, there really was no reason for God to break into this world other than for God's great love for us. It is a scandalous, never ending, sort of love. It is a love for you and a love for me. It's beautiful.

Luke 1:39-80

Funny, isn't it, how when folks have an encounter with God it has a way of stirring things up and humbling a person. Perhaps you have experienced it in your life, in your own way. When has God touched your life? How was it changed?

Luke 1:1-38

Today, I decided to veer away from Romans for a while and head over to Luke as Christmas quickly rushes in. Today brought the prelude, or the beginning of the birth story. Here we had the angel Gabriel announcing to Elizabeth and Mary that they will have children. Once again we have God working through the unlikeliest of people: Elizabeth who is old and barren (kind of reminds you of Sarah a bit) and Mary who is a virgin. Yet we see that God is capable of anything. When we read these stories it is easy to see a tranquil seen off acceptance. As I read through this year I see fear, but acceptance and faith.

We read that Mary pondered these things. When we read this the temptation is to picture something like a monk or a nun pondering the greatness of God. Perhaps that is what she was doing. However, my hunch is the ponderings were more along the lines of, "YIKES!!! What the %@$&?!!!" First of all an angel has just spoken to her. I don't think angels are like the serene figurines we find in book stores, because every time they show up in the bible they have to start with, "Fear not!" These people were scared to the point of needing to clean their undergarments. Second, Mary was just told that as a virgin she was going to have a baby and on top of that this baby is the son of God. That sounds to me like a huge, impossible responsibility. Yet, through her fear she discovers that there is enough faith to accept this calling set before her by Gabriel, by God.

Romans 9:25-33

Not much to say today... I was struck by how God comes to us, despite us. I suppose it's kind of like God sending his son to us. How God became flesh in that little baby child, born in a manger. We sure didn't deserve that gift, that saving grace, but we got it anyway.

Romans 9:14-24

I'm struck by the image of the potter and the clay. I suppose it's in part because I chose that image from Jeremiah for my ordination. Yet, with Paul's analogy we are the clay and God is the potter. So who are we to try and tell the potter how to mold us? Still, how often do we do that? I think sometimes it grows out of fear. We can see the right thing to do, but it's easier, or so it seems, for us to try and coax a different plan out than it is to do the right thing. I do it all the time. It's kind of like when I was a kid and I would see another kid getting teased viciously when we were out on the playground. I knew even then the right thing to do was to try and help the poor kid. Instead, it just seemed easier, safer, to join in the teasing. Often God seems to be trying to help me become more patient, compassionate, or loving, but it seems that instead of allowing God to mold me I fight back and try and tell God how I should be molded. I try and justify my impatience, lack of compassion and love. I pray today that God would mold me and give me the courage to follow that plan God has for me.

Romans 9:6-13

I don't really have anything profound to say today. However, I will share that I love how Paul shows here how God has a way of turning everything upside down. What we see in our worldly ways as the way to go about it, God turns those things on its head and goes about it in God's own way. Despite our best efforts to create rules and order God has a way of calling people despite what we might think would be best. It's kind of fun.

Romans 9:1-5

Truth, it seems to be a commodity in short supplies sometimes these days. Could they make the fine print any smaller? Or when making a major purchase you can't help but wonder if they were up front with everything and you're really getting the bargain it appears to be.

Of course, on the other hand we sometimes feel like Col. Jessup played by Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men" when he makes that famous impassioned speech that begins with, "You can't HANDLE the Truth!!" And he's right, sometimes the truth is too much, we don't want to hear it. Who wants to hear that a loved one has been diagnosed with terminal cancer or been killed in a car accident. Honestly, who can handle it? What if the truth is God wants you to love your gay cousin, despite you believing it is wrong and sinful? What if the truth is God wants you to love and support George W. Bush, even though you think our being in Iraq is despicable? What if?...

The truth is hard. The truth is often hard to come by. The truth is often hard to handle. The truth is God loves us desperately.

Romans 8:31-39

What great promise and hope!! This is one of my favorite passages. One of my favorite sermons. I can just imagine Paul getting all fired up like some fancy preacher we see on TV as we flip through the channels. It's incredible. I do so much in my life, often unintentionally, that ends up being attempts to place barriers between myself and God. I'm often my own worst enemy when it comes to trying to tell other people about God. I am often my own worst enemy when it comes to my own faith life. Yet Paul proclaims to us today that it doesn't matter. No matter what we do to try and get in the way, whether it be build walls or dig ditches, nothing is ever going to stop God from clinging to us with His love, with His grace. Now that is by far the best gift I can receive this Christmas!!

... Perhaps some of you parents know what Paul is talking about. No matter what your kids do to drive you nuts, to hurt you, and so on and so forth, you still can't help but love them. Hard to imagine anyone could love that much, but we do and God does so much more.

Shopper's Psalm

This is from a friend I met while in Nome.

"A Shopper's Psalm"

I'm weary, Lord.
Bone tired.
In spite of the fact that my shopping's half done I need to crash.
The crush
of the crowd has gotten to me.
So, too, the deafening sounds
of a pre-Christmas city
throbbing with incarnate greed.
I need to be reminded
that this season's more
than plastic Santas,
perpetual sales,
and Muzak.
I need back
on the track
of reflection.
I've derailed, Lord.
My emotional fuel is leaking.
I'm about to explode.
And then I see it.
A miniature creche
in a gift shop window.
A guardian father;
a grateful young mom;
a baby asleep on the hay.
A trio maintaining their harmony
despite the dis-chord all around them.
And with my nose pressed against the frosted pane my inner pain subsides.
At once I am rested,
renewed, and revived.
And I linger
and ponder
God's peace.

By Greg Asimakoupoulous

God's Grace at Work

Here is a fun story I came across...

"Anne Lamott, author of the wonderful book Traveling Mercies tells of how in her church babies get passed around the moment they're brought into the sanctuary - everyone takes care of everyone else's babies. Every baby instantly has more parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles than he ever knew.

Imagine what that teaches children about Christian community! What they learn about love even as infants! For the adults everyone gets a chance to remember the miracle of birth, God's hand in our human being.

If there is a heresy today it is that we're so preoccupied with other things that we fail to pay attention to the fact of God's spectacular grace at work in and through our humanity, God's miraculous unmerited love in evidence around us. God's Son born to bring us Second Birth while we labor under the assumption that we have to do it all ourselves."

Peter Buehler, With God Nothing Is Impossible

Romans 8:28-30

All things work for good. I must admit sometimes I wonder. There are days when I just can't imagine what good could ever come out of the current situation. Paul promises us that Good will come, that God is good all the time. I guess if it is of our own doing good is not going to come of a bad situation, but as long as God is in control...

I also like this notion that ALL are called and ALL are equipped for ministry. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why I can't be involved. When I was a kid at the top of the list was, "We have a pastor to do that." The truth is ALL of us are called to be ministers. The truth is God will, and does, equip you for the ministry to which you are called.

Thanks be to God!!

Romans 8:28-30

All things work for good. I must admit sometimes I wonder. There are days when I just can't imagine what good could ever come out of the current situation. Paul promises us that Good will come, that God is good all the time. I guess if it is of our own doing good is not going to come of a bad situation, but as long as God is in control...

I also like this notion that ALL are called and ALL are equipped for ministry. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why I can't be involved. When I was a kid at the top of the list was, "We have a pastor to do that." The truth is ALL of us are called to be ministers. The truth is God will, and does, equip you for the ministry to which you are called.

Thanks be to God!!

Romans 8:26-27

I know, I'm a preacher. Word's really ought to be a gift. Yet, here's the problem. Word's often fail me. This is particularly true when it comes time to pray. Sure, I encourage others to just pray what's on your heart, tell God what you're thinking about, etc. Sometimes it's just not that easy. It seems particularly hard when there are lots of things weighing on you. Where do you begin? What do you say? This is the beauty of these two verses for me.

"The Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." What a wonderful turn of phrase that is. I get a vision of the Spirit that looks almost like a deep sea diver, plunging to the very depths of my heart to discover what is truly there only to plunge even further into the depths of God's heart to plant those worries, concerns, and cares. While there I see the spirit mining bits and pieces of God's immense love to bring back and deposit in my heart. This brings great hope and reassurance for me. The Holy Spirit is able to communicate with God those things that are just beyond words, the Spirit speaks when I am simply unable... What a blessing!!!

Romans 8:10-25

Some things I think I think about this passage:

How can you read Paul and still think it's all about you?

Because we wait with Hope during this Advent season, we can do so with patience. Paul even says so.

I've recently had a couple of friends have babies. One had terrible long labor pains. Somehow, because of that, this section sounded a little different to me today.

Verse 18 reminds me of our reading from 1 Thessalonians this coming Sunday and our call to be thankful IN all things.... note that is IN all things and not FOR all things.

Romans 8:1-9

What do you think about this section? I get a sense of "Monkey See, Monkey Do". Where is your focus? Where are you looking? To the spirit or to the flesh? Far too often I think I look towards my own fleshly abilities to solve challenges instead of to the Spirit. I think this is a fun challenge.

Romans 8:1-9

What do you think about this section? I get a sense of "Monkey See, Monkey Do". Where is your focus? Where are you looking? To the spirit or to the flesh? Far too often I think I look towards my own fleshly abilities to solve challenges instead of to the Spirit. I think this is a fun challenge.

Romans 7:14-25

I think this section is a real tongue twister. It seems whenever I try and reference this section when I'm talking to someone I end up saying, "What I don't want to do I do do" and that just makes the 8th grade boy in me giggle.

That aside, I think Paul is getting at something kind of juicy here. I've had a notion for a while that sin is kind of like an addiction. Just like an alcoholic knows that more drinking is going to be bad for him, will destroy the liver, etc., we also know that continuing to act in sin is bad for us. Yet both of us end up doing what we shouldn't. It seems we just can't help ourselves. Part of the problem is in many ways it feels good in the moment. To cuss out the car that cut you off on the road feels good at the time as it relieves stress. To have sex outside of marriage feels good in the moment. To pass on some juicy gossip about a neighbor feels good at the time. To dig into your job to the point of neglect towards family and/or worship feels good as you see how much your accomplishing. Of course sin feels good, or else I don't think we would be tempted by it. The problem is the price you pay later. Is it really worth the price? No! Do go ahead and do it anyway? Quite often.

There is good news from Paul, though. He reminds us that this "addiction" is really only of the flesh, the earthly portion of us. One day that will die away. Yet, when it comes to eternal, spiritual, matters God is fully in control of that portion of your life. Gracias a Dios! Thanks be to God!!

Romans 7:7-13

I'm struck by how Paul writes about the law being a good thing. It sounds to me kind of like a spiritual vaccination. I'm not sure how doctors figured out that if you put a little bit of something like polio into the body you could become immune to polio. Somehow, by pointing out this wretched disease your body is able to recognize it and therefore fight it properly. Paul seems to be suggesting something similar here, I think. By introducing the law into your life you are made aware of the sin that is present and you are better able to confront it. So in a way, I guess, the law allows us, or helps us, to live in God's grace. Now that sounds like a good thing.

What do you make of what Paul is saying here in Romans 7?