Tag: Advent

Hopeful or Hope-filled

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love (Romans 5:5, NLT)

Yesterday began the new litergical Church year and the observance of Advent in preparation for Christmas. Around the world pastors went to before their congregations with a message of hope. My pastor was among them.

The question our pastor asked to consider was whether we are hopeful or hope-filled. The distinction he made between the two: hope is typically based in wishes, not certainty. While followers of Christ Jesus have a hope that is settled on the promises and provision of God. The very names we identify our God by should bring a stalwart and solid foundation for our hope: God the Lord (Adonai); God our Peace (Jehovah Shalom); God our Provider (Jehovah Jireh); and God the Covenant Keeper (Yahweh).

So as we face unknown and uncertain times in our lives, and prepare with hope for this season of Advent, I pray that we will face it with the confidence Paul describes in the text above: the hope we have from God will not disappoint us.

Now I’m already anticipating the questions and arguments–probably because I had them myself. “How can you be sure?” “God didn’t give me what I asked for.” “They still died and begged God for more time.” “I am still in pain.” “How can God expect me to wait longer for…” Disappointment upon disappointment.

And that’s where it could end, where we throw up our hands, and toss in the towel. Until we consider a concept that has been twisted and the distortions uplifted to support the disappointments. Ready? We don’t think like God.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that we don’t have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and in the Old Testament, Isaiah declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD (Isaiah 55:8, NIV).

Instead, if we allow God, believe God’s best is always for us, God will give us the desires of our heart (see Psalm 37:4). Believing this this truly enables us to echo with the psalmist, “The Lord is my provider, I have everything I need (Psalm 23:1).”

That’s the hope we build on and live into. That is the hope that will not disappoint. That hope is surely more than a thimble full of wishes.

A Prayer for Hope: Lord, I maintain my hope in You and I hold onto the assurance that what I am praying for is already accomplished in the name of Jesus. Your Word promises “no good thing does He withhold from those that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). I wait upon You for Your definition of the “good thing” You will not withhold from me. As David prayed in Psalm 18:1: “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (biblestudytools.com, 6/20/22)

2020 Advent Unmuting Challenge

So this challenge was made on Twitter and I decided to give it a try.

November 29: Abundance of Caution: Mark 13:33

Text: And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!

When my dad was dying from cancer, I rode back to the house with my mom across Columbus. I remarked at how well I thought she was doing well in spite of everything. I told her I couldn’t remember her driving on the interstate. She laughed and added that was probably because she and Dad had been “blotto” most of the time.

At the time of this conversation, I was in a CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) program in Kansas City. I had been doing a lot of reading on children of alcoholics. The descriptions lined up with many of my behaviors, especially my hyper vigilance: always watching for the other shoe to drop, and being ready for some emotional explosion or melt down.

Always ready. On guard. Alert! Anticipate and expect the worst.

When began my faith journey as a freshman in high school, I gravitated toward these kinds of verses of warning. They had a familiar feel. I could handle this.

My struggle came when I had to understand and incorporate grace. The tension between what I understood as be alert and relax was confusing and unsettling. How would I make it work?

As life has unfolded, I have learned that it’s just as easy to choose to anticipate the positive as it is the negative. After all, I know well, that we will get what we look for.

So I now longer read these verses with the lenses of doom and gloom. I will be ready, not out of fear, but out of an expectation for God to bring good out of whatever I face.

Advent: Give Big

030179A5-9E7F-495B-B319-B0BB64AB615D

Day Eight: Go and Sell All…And Give

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21, NLT)

One day a well-to-do young man came to Jesus. He wanted to know what good deed he needed to do to guarantee eternal life. In the conversation that followed the man was quick to point out his perfect keeping of the Law—I assume he was pretty proud of himself and expected Jesus to give a free-pass into heaven.

I wonder if Jesus was smiling…stifling a laugh at his arrogance and pride…and his self-absorbed confusion about what was truly important. The purpose of the Law is to make sure that we are loving God supremely and caring for our neighbor. To point out how clearly confused the wealthy man was, Jesus gave him an instruction that struck at the heart of his problem: he hadn’t done either requirement. 

Truth for the rich young man was that his amassed wealth was his god, and he wasn’t willing to part with it for anyone…even if it meant missing heaven.

Some of the saddest words in scripture (in my opinion) are attributed then to this man: he went away sad.

This Advent season we have looked into the scriptures to see  the “good thing” we need to do. We have thought about how God values small things. In a time when bright lights, sweet treats, cozy parties serve to cover our real need, we have taken time to focus on God’s valuing of honesty.  Finally, we have pondered the greatness of God’s gift in his son, our savior—and his invitation to be cheerful generous givers.

My prayer is that we have learned what “good thing” we have each needed to address, that we have made sure God is supreme, and our neighbor is cared for.

Because I don’t want any of us to go away sad.

PRAYER: O come, o come, Emmanuel. O come let us adore him…and share the joy he wants to bring to our lives, and to the world. Amen. May it ever be true. Make it true precious God. Make it true.

Advent: Give Big

0C510DEB-21AA-4DC0-84C7-128A8E3B62F6

Day Seven: Cups of Cold Water

“And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” (Matthew 10:42, NLT)

I had been sick for days. The flu attacked me. I could barely lift my head off the pillow. I had moved to Kansas City with the girls to complete my Master of Divinity at Nazarene Theological Seminary. Nelson had stayed in Ohio to finish a building project. We knew very few people and had only a few Sundays prior started attending a church. I had no doctor. I wasn’t sure how we were going to get through this.

Then there was a knock on my door.

I pulled myself out of the bed, and padded to the door. I peeked around the curtain and saw a lady from church standing there with a casserole dish, and huge smile.

I opened the door a crack. Told her I was very sick and didn’t dare invite her in. She quickly apologized for waking me, and went on to say someone from church had mentioned how sick I was, so she brought over a “kid-friendly” tater tot casserole that could be warmed up in the microwave. She then issued her second apology: “It’s not much. Just a casserole.”

Maybe to her, but to me, it was pure gold. I thanked her profusely and received her gift. 

We may look at the things we do as small and insignificant—no more than a cup of cold water. But they are life-giving to ones receiving. Paul picks up on this in his letter to the Corinthians: Little is much when God is in it. 

Don’t be concerned about how small your gift may seem to you. That casserole fed my girls for two days. And in two days I was strong enough to get up and make their meals. 

Never minimize the gift God invites you to give. He’ll make it be enough. And bless you in the process.

TO PONDER: Think of a time when someone showed up right on time with exactly what you needed—shared a cup of cold water with you. Ask God to show you how you can pay that gift forward.

TO DISCUSS: What small gifts can you do, offer, give, to someone around you? A cup of cold water may end up looking like a casserole, or a ride to the doctor, or an offer to clean someone’s home. Our gifts of time and talent are just as valuable as the monetary offerings that someone else might give.

PRAYER: God, thank you for the times when someone has shone up right on time with the cup of water I needed. Thank you for the ways you are moving in people’s lives to make those gifts arrive right on time. Help me to respond when you lead me to give, how you lead me to give. Amen.

Advent: Give Big

57319357-6D2F-47AC-8A53-B6DFC590FFD0

Day Six: God Gave

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.“ (John 3:16, NLT)

You see today’s verse on signs at sporting events. Children earn stars and badges for memorizing it in Sunday School and VBS. Many a funeral message has been drawn from its truth.

Why is it so popular?

Because in one sentence we find out who God is, how much he values us, and the message he wants us to share. 

According to one of the early church fathers, each of us was created with a god-shaped hole, an empty spot only God can fill. The good news is everything we need now and for eternity has been provided by the One who can fill that hole. His love for us is that great. He proves it in the manger…and on the cross…and in the empty tomb.

God so loved the world. All inclusive. There is no person you will ever meet—no matter badly you want to judge their actions—for whom this gift was not given. 

And to receive this gift, all they—we—have to do is believe it is really for us. That God is really for us…all. 

Now that’s good news!

 

TO PONDER: ls there someone in your sphere of influence, where you live, or work, or do business who needs to hear this good news? What keeps you from sharing God’s love with others? Have you asked God to help you overcome whatever is holding you back?

TO DISCUSS: Not everyone is open to hearing this good news. What are the barriers holding people back from believing and receiving? How will you speak this truth, in love, into their lives?

PRAYER: God, imagining the cost of this gift…the immensity—that you love the world! I confess I’m not always that good. Forgive me when I judge others unworthy: because of what they’ve done, or how they live. Help me remember I stood on the outside wishing for this great gift. Show me how to live and love with your great big kind of love. Amen.

Advent: Give Big

305D6CA4-A0E4-4C25-A0A1-D50E3E965372

Day Five: When It’s In Your Power to Give

Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. (Proverbs 3:27, Good News Translation)

Many years ago I went to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game with a friend. We had so much fun. When the game was over we entered the slow moving hoard trying to escape the stadium and head home. 

As we moved toward the escalators there was disheveled, dirty beggar with a sign seeking for any donation that could be thrown his way. Our slow inching forward gave me a very sad perspective. The mob split and gave wide berth to the man…and no one dropped anything in his bucket.

Each time I remember this, my heart aches. There wasn’t a person scooting by who lacked the means to help in some way. We had all spent an enormous amount on our entertainment and treats…but we couldn’t help someone else?

Recently, a man who had been released from jail stopped by church for help. I had no cash on hand, but I had a few fast food restaurant gift cards in my wallet. They weren’t full, but between the three, he could probably get a few meals. His gratitude seemed real as he took them from my hand.

Many people hold the opinion that giving in these kinds of situations only enables people to not learn to do for themselves. Maybe. But when we have the means, shouldn’t we give? God has blessed us to be a blessing to others.

TO PONDER: Have you ever been the recipient of the generosity of others? Have you ever felt like you were begging, or depending on the favor of others? 

TO DISCUSS: How we decided who, when, and how to give to those in need? Is God seeking more from us?

PRAYER: Jesus, you had to depend on the generosity of others. They housed you. They fed you. You told us that when we do for others in need, we are doing for you. Help us to see you in the faces and lives of those in need and show us how our means can meet their need. Amen. 

Advent: Give Big

694CE4F6-20D2-43A9-AFC6-73C33E6D428E

Day Four: Try and Outgive God

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” (Malachi 3:10, NLT) 

Did you know that money is one of the most frequently mentioned topics in the Bible? It is. And that poses a delicate dilemma for pastors: how to bring messages to the folks in the pews that open their eyes…and their wallets.

Why is it so difficult? People don’t like to be told what to do with their money. But even more than that, I think we cling to our cash for a sense of security. Try living without, and wondering if we’ll be able to make the ends meet…or just at each other from a distance. What’s that about?

Fear. Fear that there won’t be enough to pay the bills. Fear of having to go without. Fear of having to do with less.

Our verse today is one of my favorite challenges in scripture.  Set in the context of giving offerings, the message was as difficult to receive to the original hearers, as we find it today. 

TO PONDER: What could you do that would like you were trying to outgive God? Have you withheld your gifts out of fear? Our you more concerned with using your means to increase your sense of security and comfort? 

TO DISCUSS: Accountability enables growth and progress. Is there someone whose help you could enlist in this challenge? What ways has God poured his blessings into your life? Beyond monetary offerings, what ways could you return a tithe of your time and talents to him?

PRAYER: God, you are so generous. Forgive us for giving into the fear of what might be and show us not only how to be wiser stewards of your blessings in our lives—but show us  how we could never outgive you. And help us to know how we can be more faithful and generous. Amen.

Advent: Give Big

AF904F57-8737-4B61-9B85-6E88933002FB

Day Three: Blessed to Give 

And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35, NLT)

I remember pouring over the “Wish Books” that came to our house from Penney’s and Sears. Years later, our daughters did the same thing.Watching them page through those catalogues, I began to wonder if it would be easier for them to just cross out what they didn’t want.

Things changed for me when I began to earn an allowance, and was able to purchase gifts for others. I never had much money, but thankfully things cost a lot less.

I’ll never forget the first gift I bought for my brother. I spent less than a quarter on a box of paper clips. I’m not sure why I chose those, but I couldn’t have been more proud. In that gesture a seed was planted—the giving seed. I would rather buy for others. I want to watch them open their gifts. I have been so blessed and I want to pass it on.

Oh, please don’t get me wrong. I love getting gifts. Gifts from family and friends that demonstrate their love and generosity. And while my heart is always touched by a thoughtful gift, giving to someone else still trumps receiving.

TO PONDER: What brings more joy to you during the holidays: giving or receiving? How can you surprise someone this season with an unexpected gift?

TO DISCUSS: There are so many charitable organizations who go above and beyond during this holidays to bless others who are hurting and in need. What organizations would you consider partnering with? Other than a gift wrapped in shiny paper with a bow, are there other ways to give of yourself to bless others?

PRAYER: God, thank you for understanding that we like to receive—but show us the greater joy comes in giving. Giving of our time, our talents, our finances. Help to reach out and bless others, as we have been blessed. Amen.

Advent: Give Big

Day Two: All I Need

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)

Do you ever repeat yourself? As a wife, mom, and grandmother, I repeat myself a lot. I’m not sure it’s always the most effect method of getting my message across—but that hasn’t stopped me.

I love passages in the Bible where words are repeated. Today’s is one of my most favorite. 

Repeating the word “all” over and over in this verse emphasizes the completeness of God’s blessings in our lives. We have everything that we need. This is a true established from long ago (see Psalm 23:1–we have everything we need). 

But God’s blessings are not to merely flow into our lives: we are blessed to be a blessing. We are given so we can give. We will not only do good things. We will ABOUND in them.

TO PONDER: Having recently come through the season of Thanksgiving, you may have your blessings fresh in your mind, but take some time to count your blessings again. Consider some things or occurrences that didn’t seem like blessings at the time, but worked out for the good.

TO DISCUSS: Talk with a friend or family member, write a letter, or send an email thanking someone for the blessing they have been in your life.

PRAYER: God, you are so abundantly generous. Sometimes we take your blessings for granted, or we hoard them unto ourselves. Show us how the completeness of our blessings, of your provisions, equips us to bless—and how we can abound in working for you.

Advent: Give Big—God Did!

8E6FEF72-0A5F-4B62-AEB2-997F7AEA7FA9

Day One: Giving Cheerfully

“Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give (2 Corinthians 9:8, CEV).”

It was two weeks until Christmas. I stood in the doorway of the playroom looking at the toys laying scattered all over the floor. I was not looking forward to convincing the girls that we needed to go through their hoard and decide what toys it was time to let go of. I knew the job had to be done or there would be no room for the toys that were about to come. 

After their afternoon nap, I took them to the playroom and began to describe what we needed to do and why. I was pleasantly surprised that they were so willing. Perhaps it had more to do with framing the task with making room for new more than sharing with others, but either way, they went to work gleefully setting the toys they were done with. 

We put the outgrown toys in a box, and then I invited them to pray for the girls and boys who would be receiving their toys and thanking God in advance for what they would be receiving.

Christmas held new meaning for them…and for me.

As I walked through the days up to Christmas Eve, I was more aware of how blessed I was and what a joy it was to give to others.

TO PONDER: Have you discovered the joy of giving? What have you held onto that you could release into the lives of others to bless them? 

TO DISCUSS: When I think of becoming a cheerful giver, I am always reminded of the process Ebenezer Scrooge went through, changing from his miserly ways to the joy of blessing others. The spiritual implications of this story make it worth taking the time to read the story or watch the movie…or just talk about it with a friend or family member. How can you become a happier giver

of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give (2 Corinthians 9:8, CEV).”

It was two weeks until Christmas. I stood in the doorway of the playroom looking at the toys laying scattered all over the floor. I was not looking forward to convincing the girls that we needed to go through their hoard and decide what toys it was time to let go of. I knew the job had to be done or there would be no room for the toys that were about to come. 

After their afternoon nap, I took them to the playroom and began to describe what we needed to do and why. I was pleasantly surprised that they were so willing. Perhaps it had more to do with framing the task with making room for new more than sharing with others, but either way, they went to work gleefully setting the toys they were done with. 

We put the outgrown toys in a box, and then I invited them to pray for the girls and boys who would be receiving their toys and thanking God in advance for what they would be receiving.

Christmas held new meaning for them…and for me.

As I walked through the days up to Christmas Eve, I was more aware of how blessed I was and what a joy it was to give to others.

TO PONDER: Have you discovered the joy of giving? What have you held onto that you could release into the lives of others to bless them? 

TO DISCUSS: When I think of becoming a cheerful giver, I am always reminded of the process Ebenezer Scrooge went through, changing from his miserly ways to the joy of blessing others. The spiritual implications of this story make it worth taking the time to read the story or watch the movie…or just talk about it with a friend or family member. How can you become a happier giver?

%d bloggers like this: