Merry Christmas to All

Luke 2:10-14
¹⁰But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

before and "after" the snow and of me in church

Some "after" shots

ok, here are some after shots....with the understanding that the snow is not done yet. We already have 12 inches and more will be on the way tomorrow. ugh...And GUESS WHAT? I saw some CrAzY people today. I had to go pick up something and there were people jogging...jogging in the snow! oh my....

Before the Storm

So if you are watching any sort of news, you know that New England is in the middle of a snow storm on Friday evening, with one to follow on Sunday. I have posted a couple of "before" pictures. I will try and get "after" pictures when I am able because, it's not done yet.

I almost made it without snow. I can't help but laugh since last year we had 22 inches of snow before Christmas. And we have been threatened that we will get that much in the next 48 hours. I am just grateful that I do not have the sinus infection that I did last year. (knocking on wood)

I can't help but laugh that this is not Richmond and the panic that comes with the anticipated flurry, however there were many people at the grocery store, including me. I was only there because I have friends coming over tomorrow night for dinner and I needed some wine. Wait - did I say that?

Church work and ministry are very trying at times. You are trying to minister to so many different people, who have so many different opinions on how you should be doing things. In the midst of the Advent season, you schedule your most busy time of year, even though, you are supposed to be "waiting" and "anticipating" the coming of the Christ child.

I wish I could just say, "sit and wait". Wait for the hope and love that comes with the manger. Wait for the joy and peace that comes with the promised gift. But it's hard. We have a job to do. We have a message to get to the people. You are holding onto so much as a pastor and you can't find a way to find peace, hope, joy and love yourself because you are trying to remind others that we are supposed to wait. phew.

So what do you do? You pray that others find it in the midst of their waiting, like the following:

• I am worried for my aunt who is without her husband for the first Christmas in almost 50 years. Her boys, her friends, and her spirit are the rocks of her life. I hope she holds onto that this Christmas.
• I am worried about my friend Bill, who has an incurable cancer now. His faith is unshakable though. He ministers and inspires people beyond his imagination and reach.
• I am worried about transition and my friend who is unhappy with a current situation. How can I help? I can't. I can't fix it no matter how hard I think or how hard I pray. God has control over this one and I have to let go. I can only pray that peace, comfort, and patience comes before it's time.
• I am worried about a family who can't take hold of the positive change that they see in front of them. I worry about the one who takes on all their comments, looks, and reactions, with painful hurt that they will never be satisfied or say that they are proud. But then, they are not the ones whom she needs to impress. The only One is the one that is already honored to call her one of his is impressed with the call that she has answered.
  

What is wonderful though, is that Isaiah (chapter 9:2-7 - you can click this link to the text - http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=96734196 ) reminds me that in the midst of the darkness, we can look to the light of hope and promise that will come before us soon, very soon. That is what Advent is all about....finding hope in the midst of the darkness; promise in the midst of the pain; love in the midst of the storm; and peace in the blessing of a child. Picture if you will, that innocent child, wrapped in cloth, with his little fingers wrapped around yours. The love that brings us new life, new promise and a new journey that we are blessed to travel.

Before the storm - you have your shovel ready and you look outside at how deep it is getting and you wonder if you will make it through the trenches. Then you wake up in the morning to a beautiful blanket of snow and you know it is going to be ok. You are in awe of the trees trimmed in white, the children laughing as they fly down the hill, the sun that shines off the glow of the glitter of snow, and the hope that tomorrow is going to bring a brighter day. You are going to have to walk through the drifts and get the car cleared off. You may even get stuck on the road. But you know, that eventually the snow will melt and life will go on - because God has made it all possible when you look up in the midst of the storm and you see a child with a smile as bright as the Son.

Saying thank you to the one that baptized me

I just got off the phone with my first pastor, Fred Moffat. He is in his late 90s now, retired and living in Kentucky. I found out recently that his wife Jane passed away last week after suffering a bad fall and the late stages of Alzheimer’s. I had not talked to Fred and Jane in years. They moved back to Kentucky after serving at East Highland Park (which is now New Highland) for 10 years.

Fred was the pastor who baptized me at the age of 20. He was the one to answer all my questions about baptism, what baptism means, what a life with Christ means, and what that decision is about. He was basically the one who started me on the journey and after my baptism, gave me a lit candle and a dash of salt – “you are the light of the world and the salt of the earth,” he said.

Being a University of Kentucky graduate, he was also the one who started my competitive nature between Kentucky and Duke. When Kentucky beat Duke on a Saturday night, Fred wore his Kentucky tie to church on that Sunday and in the pulpit, he looked at me and just rubbed his tie. I tried to figure out how to “return the favor” when Duke and Christian Laettner beat Kentucky, but if you can picture a 6’5”white haired, Harley riding pastor standing in front of you; it’s a little intimidating. So I just smiled and moved on.

Anyway, while we were talking on the phone, I realized that he did not know that I am currently serving as a minister and that made me also realize that I never said thank you to him. I’m sure I did when he consoled me after my dad died. I am sure I did before he left our church for retirement. But I never said thank you for starting me on the journey that ultimately finds me serving a church with his witness in my foundation. So I thanked him. He smiled in a way that I was able to “see” it over the phone…and then he did something I was not expecting…he returned the favor. He gave me some wise counsel and then we said goodbye.

So it begs the question, have you thanked the one who baptized you? You just might find an unexpected gift – someone who understands.