When I was 6 years old, we spent the evening of Christmas Eve with friends of my Mom’s. It was a different Christmas for us that year. It was the first year I remember Mom decorating for Christmas since she and my Dad separated and divorced. We had our “Christmas tree” decorated ready for presents to appear under the tree. Our Christmas tree that year was a tumbleweed we found coming back from the ranch one day. My brother and I thought it was neat because we had a tree like no one else. I am beginning to think that was our tree because that’s the best Mom could do that year.
That Christmas Eve my brother and I played with Mom’s friend’s son until dinner. We ate dinner and we played some more while the adults visited and watched a Christmas movie. For me, the mystery of Christmas had started to fade. I was not sure I bought into the whole story Mom and Dad were telling me about how our presents showed up on Christmas morning.
We left Mom’s friends house way past my brother’s and my bed time. When my Mom, my brother, and I returned to our apartment there under the tree were presents that were not there when we left. My little 6 year old mind was blown away. For a few days the mystery of Christmas returned.
When I got into High School, I asked my Mom about that Christmas, because I could not understand how it happened. My Mom told me that during the dinner preparations her friends had run out of something that we had at the house. She swore up and down she poked her head in where we were playing and told us she was running to the house and would be right back. I don’t remember that. While at home she took a little time to do a little more “decorating.”
It’s hard to forget that Christmas. I remember my brother and I received what we thought were a lot of presents, though I don’t really remember what they were. What I do remember is that there’s something about Christmas I didn’t understand.
Later on during one of my classes at Seminary I began to understand something I began to learn that Christmas many years before. My professor was lecturing on our understanding of our faith and said “Too often we try to dissect a mystery to understand it. Mysteries are not to be understood, mysteries are to be experienced.”
May this Christmas Season be a special celebration with your family, not because the gifts you give but because of the time you spend with family and friends. This Christmas Season may you and your family experience the mystery of Christmas.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Hope & Encouragement
Last weekend I was able to go “home” for a couple of days. As my wife and I drove around my hometown I remembered things I have not thought of in many, many years.
I remember growing up, there were numerous things I wanted to be when I grew up. For a time I wanted to be an architect and design beautiful buildings for others to be awe-struck by. For a moment or two I wanted to be an archeologist who would unearth important artifacts relating to humanities past. There was another time I wanted to be a lawyer, to defend those who had experienced nothing but injustice in their lives. Then I wanted to be a teacher and impact the lives of my students to go on to do great things with their lives.
Growing up my parents encouraged me to think about what it was I wanted to do with my life. At times they might have encouraged me a little more in one direction than another. Through the encouragement of my parents, through my interactions with teachers, Church Leaders, Boy Scout Leaders, the adults in my life let me know that I could dream about what my future might be like as I became interested in different career fields.
The more places I live, the more people I work with, the longer I serve in places where people are in need looking for assistance; I am learning this is not what many other people experienced growing up. Too many are told they will never be this or that, they could never complete… Too many are handicapped with the restrictions placed on them by friends and family.
The Advent and Christmas seasons are about hope, about being encouraged to do more than we think is possible… Who in your life needs to be given the gift of Hope? Who in your life needs to be encouraged to dare to dream a Big Dream of what could be? Maybe you need to dream again, to be encouraged during these holidays.
May the celebration of the seasons give you hope and encouragement. May your life be changed because of this hope, and may you impact the life of someone else during the holidays.
I remember growing up, there were numerous things I wanted to be when I grew up. For a time I wanted to be an architect and design beautiful buildings for others to be awe-struck by. For a moment or two I wanted to be an archeologist who would unearth important artifacts relating to humanities past. There was another time I wanted to be a lawyer, to defend those who had experienced nothing but injustice in their lives. Then I wanted to be a teacher and impact the lives of my students to go on to do great things with their lives.
Growing up my parents encouraged me to think about what it was I wanted to do with my life. At times they might have encouraged me a little more in one direction than another. Through the encouragement of my parents, through my interactions with teachers, Church Leaders, Boy Scout Leaders, the adults in my life let me know that I could dream about what my future might be like as I became interested in different career fields.
The more places I live, the more people I work with, the longer I serve in places where people are in need looking for assistance; I am learning this is not what many other people experienced growing up. Too many are told they will never be this or that, they could never complete… Too many are handicapped with the restrictions placed on them by friends and family.
The Advent and Christmas seasons are about hope, about being encouraged to do more than we think is possible… Who in your life needs to be given the gift of Hope? Who in your life needs to be encouraged to dare to dream a Big Dream of what could be? Maybe you need to dream again, to be encouraged during these holidays.
May the celebration of the seasons give you hope and encouragement. May your life be changed because of this hope, and may you impact the life of someone else during the holidays.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Family
This past weekend I had the honor and privilege of officiating my “little sister’s” wedding. Terra is not my biological sister, but she has become my sister over the last 16 years. Terra’s family invited me to become a part of their family not long after my mother past away. Missy & Bobbie (Mom & Dad), Keith, Sarah, and Terra have become family.
My in-laws took our children for the weekend so that my wife and I could be a part of this weekend. It was interesting driving around my home town and seeing the changes that have taken place over the past few years. Since my wife and I were childless for the weekend, we had opportunities to visit with family and friends that we had not had a chance to really visit with in awhile (because we are usually chasing 4 kids around).
To be honest I was a little nervous as I prepared to stand before family and friends (many of whom I had not seen in some time) as Terra and her fiancé, Tyler joined their lives together. Tyler not only committed to share the rest of his life with Terra, but also to Terra’s almost 7 year old little girl, Gracie. They included Gracie in the wedding ceremony and in the reception after. Tyler not only proclaimed his vows to Terra, but he also got down on his knees and offered vows to Gracie. Tyler and Terra exchanged rings and gave Gracie a charm bracelet with special charms that will remind her of them coming together as a family.
It was a privilege to watch Tyler’s and Terra’s faces as we rehearsed the ceremony and then as we preformed the ceremony. There were expressions of relief on their faces; this day is finally here, and all our planning and work and stress have finally come to fruition. There were expressions of joy and love as they professed before family and friends their commitment to each other. There were also expressions that are hard to put into words, but I think I have an idea of what some of the expressions were…
No matter how much premarital counseling Tyler and Terra had, no matter how much advice given to them before their big day, they will be facing things they never could have prepared themselves for. When you become family you don’t know what exactly that means for the future, you might have an idea of what it means here and now, but very little of the twists and turns that come because you have chosen to share your life with others…
Missy & Bobbie could not have expected everything that has happened over the past 16 years when they invited me to be a part of their family. My wife and I could never have expected everything that has happened over the past 10 years when we made a decision to become a family. Tyler and Terra cannot expect everything that will happen over the rest of their lives as they make decisions to be a family.
We may not know the good or the bad the future holds, but that is not what really matters. What really matters is that we have made a decision to share our lives with other people who become “family”. Sometimes that decision takes everything we have to stay committed to it. At other times it is the easiest thing we have ever done. Who have you chosen to share your life with? Who has become a part of your family, or “family”? Take some time during these seasons of Advent and Christmas to thank them for being a part of your life, for sharing their life with you, and for walking with you through the good and bad of this journey of life.
My in-laws took our children for the weekend so that my wife and I could be a part of this weekend. It was interesting driving around my home town and seeing the changes that have taken place over the past few years. Since my wife and I were childless for the weekend, we had opportunities to visit with family and friends that we had not had a chance to really visit with in awhile (because we are usually chasing 4 kids around).
To be honest I was a little nervous as I prepared to stand before family and friends (many of whom I had not seen in some time) as Terra and her fiancé, Tyler joined their lives together. Tyler not only committed to share the rest of his life with Terra, but also to Terra’s almost 7 year old little girl, Gracie. They included Gracie in the wedding ceremony and in the reception after. Tyler not only proclaimed his vows to Terra, but he also got down on his knees and offered vows to Gracie. Tyler and Terra exchanged rings and gave Gracie a charm bracelet with special charms that will remind her of them coming together as a family.
It was a privilege to watch Tyler’s and Terra’s faces as we rehearsed the ceremony and then as we preformed the ceremony. There were expressions of relief on their faces; this day is finally here, and all our planning and work and stress have finally come to fruition. There were expressions of joy and love as they professed before family and friends their commitment to each other. There were also expressions that are hard to put into words, but I think I have an idea of what some of the expressions were…
No matter how much premarital counseling Tyler and Terra had, no matter how much advice given to them before their big day, they will be facing things they never could have prepared themselves for. When you become family you don’t know what exactly that means for the future, you might have an idea of what it means here and now, but very little of the twists and turns that come because you have chosen to share your life with others…
Missy & Bobbie could not have expected everything that has happened over the past 16 years when they invited me to be a part of their family. My wife and I could never have expected everything that has happened over the past 10 years when we made a decision to become a family. Tyler and Terra cannot expect everything that will happen over the rest of their lives as they make decisions to be a family.
We may not know the good or the bad the future holds, but that is not what really matters. What really matters is that we have made a decision to share our lives with other people who become “family”. Sometimes that decision takes everything we have to stay committed to it. At other times it is the easiest thing we have ever done. Who have you chosen to share your life with? Who has become a part of your family, or “family”? Take some time during these seasons of Advent and Christmas to thank them for being a part of your life, for sharing their life with you, and for walking with you through the good and bad of this journey of life.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Advent
The Church Calendar tells us that for the next four weeks we are in the Season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation and a time of waiting for Christ to come into our lives in new and fresh ways.
We do not like to wait, and we really do not like to prepare for things. We like to show up and stuff happen. We like for stuff to happen now. But, there are times we have to wait. There are times whatever it is we are waiting for has to happen sometime in the future. While we don’t like to prepare for things, more often than not, it is better for us to prepare ourselves than to just show up.
Sometimes in waiting and preparing it feels like “it” will never get here. But then we begin to see movement, or glimmers of hope. Finally things are beginning to happen. Things might not be the way we hope for them to be, but there is some excitement, there is some movement, possibly even some momentum is being built…
I think our community has experienced a sort of Advent of its own. I know that there have been some in our community waiting, maybe even preparing for things to “happen” here. They have waited and waited and waited. Some gave up hope and moved away thinking nothing will ever happen here. But there were those that remained hopeful, those that continued to wait…
There are changes taking place in our community. Some have been longing for these changes, others have been dreading them. There is talk of new homes being built, new businesses that might come to town, a health clinic. There is a new Elementary School; there is a new Fine Arts Center at the High School. Different churches and organizations have joined together in conversation to prepare to assist those that the CCRC assisted before it closed.
For some things are not changing fast enough, for others change is happening to quickly. However, if we as a community can condition ourselves to wait and prepare we may be surprised with the way we experience our community in new and fresh ways, much like those in the church wait and prepare and experience Christ in new and fresh ways during the holiday season.
We do not like to wait, and we really do not like to prepare for things. We like to show up and stuff happen. We like for stuff to happen now. But, there are times we have to wait. There are times whatever it is we are waiting for has to happen sometime in the future. While we don’t like to prepare for things, more often than not, it is better for us to prepare ourselves than to just show up.
Sometimes in waiting and preparing it feels like “it” will never get here. But then we begin to see movement, or glimmers of hope. Finally things are beginning to happen. Things might not be the way we hope for them to be, but there is some excitement, there is some movement, possibly even some momentum is being built…
I think our community has experienced a sort of Advent of its own. I know that there have been some in our community waiting, maybe even preparing for things to “happen” here. They have waited and waited and waited. Some gave up hope and moved away thinking nothing will ever happen here. But there were those that remained hopeful, those that continued to wait…
There are changes taking place in our community. Some have been longing for these changes, others have been dreading them. There is talk of new homes being built, new businesses that might come to town, a health clinic. There is a new Elementary School; there is a new Fine Arts Center at the High School. Different churches and organizations have joined together in conversation to prepare to assist those that the CCRC assisted before it closed.
For some things are not changing fast enough, for others change is happening to quickly. However, if we as a community can condition ourselves to wait and prepare we may be surprised with the way we experience our community in new and fresh ways, much like those in the church wait and prepare and experience Christ in new and fresh ways during the holiday season.
Thanksgiving
I started seeing ads for Black Friday this morning. But they were not really for this Friday, these discounts and holiday specials begin today, or some begin on Thursday to save me money on those hot gifts of the season.
When I lived in Kentucky with my wife, a store in a neighboring community would take down their Back to School decorations in September and put up their Christmas decorations. That bothered me a bit. What I felt they were telling me was that the weeks in September, the weeks leading up to Halloween/All Hallows Eve/All Saints day, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and the weeks of Advent really didn’t matter, let’s skip all that and go directly to Christmas.
Each year it seems like events and holidays during the fall are not ways to prepare for Christmas but speed bumps before Christmas. Let’s just skip all this other stuff and go directly to Christmas. This might not be so bad, but for most people they pack up Christmas just as its getting started. The Season of Christmas begins on Christmas day lasting 12 days (The Twelve Days of Christmas is more than just a song) and ending on January 5, the following day being the beginning of Epiphany.
These holidays are not just speed bumps but were put in place by those who have gone before us to help us all pause and to all focus on something that should be important. What if we forgot the Black Friday deals and focused on spending time with our families to share about what we have to be thankful for in our lives. Might that change the way we spend the rest of our Thanksgiving holiday? Might it change what we do in the weeks leading up to the Christmas season?
My hope for my family is that as family begins to arrive at our house on Wednesday and Thursday we can enjoy the time we have together. As we sit down together to share a meal, watch a movie, or a football game, that we can remember the numerous things we have to be thankful for. That is my hope for your family as well.
I am very thankful for this community. Because of your efforts 80+ families are being fed through food boxes this thanksgiving season. Because of your donations Backpacks for Kids received additional funds to continue giving hope to kids and families. Because 40+ people from our community gave up their own Christmas’s last year the Clyde First United Methodist Church was able to provide a warm place to wait out the ice on I-20, several meals were eaten with strangers, music was shared, and lives were touched as our community extended hospitality to those passing through.
Thank you Clyde for making a difference in the lives of those in our community and in the lives of those we may never see again.
When I lived in Kentucky with my wife, a store in a neighboring community would take down their Back to School decorations in September and put up their Christmas decorations. That bothered me a bit. What I felt they were telling me was that the weeks in September, the weeks leading up to Halloween/All Hallows Eve/All Saints day, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and the weeks of Advent really didn’t matter, let’s skip all that and go directly to Christmas.
Each year it seems like events and holidays during the fall are not ways to prepare for Christmas but speed bumps before Christmas. Let’s just skip all this other stuff and go directly to Christmas. This might not be so bad, but for most people they pack up Christmas just as its getting started. The Season of Christmas begins on Christmas day lasting 12 days (The Twelve Days of Christmas is more than just a song) and ending on January 5, the following day being the beginning of Epiphany.
These holidays are not just speed bumps but were put in place by those who have gone before us to help us all pause and to all focus on something that should be important. What if we forgot the Black Friday deals and focused on spending time with our families to share about what we have to be thankful for in our lives. Might that change the way we spend the rest of our Thanksgiving holiday? Might it change what we do in the weeks leading up to the Christmas season?
My hope for my family is that as family begins to arrive at our house on Wednesday and Thursday we can enjoy the time we have together. As we sit down together to share a meal, watch a movie, or a football game, that we can remember the numerous things we have to be thankful for. That is my hope for your family as well.
I am very thankful for this community. Because of your efforts 80+ families are being fed through food boxes this thanksgiving season. Because of your donations Backpacks for Kids received additional funds to continue giving hope to kids and families. Because 40+ people from our community gave up their own Christmas’s last year the Clyde First United Methodist Church was able to provide a warm place to wait out the ice on I-20, several meals were eaten with strangers, music was shared, and lives were touched as our community extended hospitality to those passing through.
Thank you Clyde for making a difference in the lives of those in our community and in the lives of those we may never see again.
Holiday Seasons
It seems that each year Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier. It received an e-mail this morning (11-22-10) that Black Friday specials begin today. Watching the Today show this morning I caught several commercials stating that you can begin receiving huge discounts in store beginning Thanksgiving Day.
The world around us wants to rush to Christmas. The world can’t prepare early enough. The world can’t get there quick enough. Buy now pay later. Stand in line for exclusive early morning deals (it doesn’t matter that you weren’t planning on buying a new computer, or TV, etc… but at this price you’ve gotta pick one up). Rush to school Christmas parties, community Christmas parties, office Christmas parties.
So much to do and not enough time….
BUT WAIT….. That’s not what this season is about! This is a season of giving thanks for all that God has done in our lives. This season leads into a season of expectant waiting, and that season leads into the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
We give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us, and for providing so much and so frequently for us. As we give thanks, this should help us to see how much we have, and how much we can actually do without. Then we enter into a time of expectant waiting, and a time to prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ. This time of preparation gives meaning to the time of celebrating the birth of Christ.
If we do not give thanks, how can we really prepare? If we do not prepare, how can we really celebrate?
Too often this is a time we prepare for ourselves, forgetting what these seasons are really about. It’s not my birthday, it’s not your birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday. We must stop acting like it’s ours and let it be Jesus’!
The early Christians gave gifts to show others they love them and that God loved them. My family really doesn’t need more gifts (of stuff), but I still have that urge to get something for those that I love. I believe what Jesus wants more for his birthday is for His followers to impact the lives of others. We are impacting families in our community as we make donations of time, money and food items through Common Ground Mission and Backpack for Kids. We are impacting families and individuals in our county, our area, our region, our state, our nation, and our world through our contributions to our shared ministries (monies each United Methodist Church pools together to do ministries we could not do on our own).
We have another opportunity to impact individuals, families, and a community this holiday season. People are dying from a lack of clean water. In fact, it's the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water borne illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. The solution to this problem is directly beneath our feet. Drilling a fresh water well is a relatively inexpensive, yet permanent solution to this epidemic. This Christmas Eve, we will be taking an offering to help drill a well for a community on the continent of Africa.
But this isn’t just about drilling a well. It’s about a community organizing; it’s about the formation of a water committee to ensure the longevity of the project and local ownership, and the training of a technician to maintain the water system and health and hygiene education. Drilling a well for a community is also about freeing women to help their families and communities in other ways. It is typically women who collect water, some spending 15 – 20 hours per week and walking up to 7 miles during the dry season. A local well gives these women time and energy for child care, education, or for providing an additional income for the family.
May this season of Thanksgiving, of Advent, and of Christmas be different and may we be different because we have chosen to seek gifts that honor Jesus; that impact lives, families and communities. Gifts that give hope, help, and show God’s love through our actions.
The world around us wants to rush to Christmas. The world can’t prepare early enough. The world can’t get there quick enough. Buy now pay later. Stand in line for exclusive early morning deals (it doesn’t matter that you weren’t planning on buying a new computer, or TV, etc… but at this price you’ve gotta pick one up). Rush to school Christmas parties, community Christmas parties, office Christmas parties.
So much to do and not enough time….
BUT WAIT….. That’s not what this season is about! This is a season of giving thanks for all that God has done in our lives. This season leads into a season of expectant waiting, and that season leads into the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
We give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us, and for providing so much and so frequently for us. As we give thanks, this should help us to see how much we have, and how much we can actually do without. Then we enter into a time of expectant waiting, and a time to prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ. This time of preparation gives meaning to the time of celebrating the birth of Christ.
If we do not give thanks, how can we really prepare? If we do not prepare, how can we really celebrate?
Too often this is a time we prepare for ourselves, forgetting what these seasons are really about. It’s not my birthday, it’s not your birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday. We must stop acting like it’s ours and let it be Jesus’!
The early Christians gave gifts to show others they love them and that God loved them. My family really doesn’t need more gifts (of stuff), but I still have that urge to get something for those that I love. I believe what Jesus wants more for his birthday is for His followers to impact the lives of others. We are impacting families in our community as we make donations of time, money and food items through Common Ground Mission and Backpack for Kids. We are impacting families and individuals in our county, our area, our region, our state, our nation, and our world through our contributions to our shared ministries (monies each United Methodist Church pools together to do ministries we could not do on our own).
We have another opportunity to impact individuals, families, and a community this holiday season. People are dying from a lack of clean water. In fact, it's the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water borne illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. The solution to this problem is directly beneath our feet. Drilling a fresh water well is a relatively inexpensive, yet permanent solution to this epidemic. This Christmas Eve, we will be taking an offering to help drill a well for a community on the continent of Africa.
But this isn’t just about drilling a well. It’s about a community organizing; it’s about the formation of a water committee to ensure the longevity of the project and local ownership, and the training of a technician to maintain the water system and health and hygiene education. Drilling a well for a community is also about freeing women to help their families and communities in other ways. It is typically women who collect water, some spending 15 – 20 hours per week and walking up to 7 miles during the dry season. A local well gives these women time and energy for child care, education, or for providing an additional income for the family.
May this season of Thanksgiving, of Advent, and of Christmas be different and may we be different because we have chosen to seek gifts that honor Jesus; that impact lives, families and communities. Gifts that give hope, help, and show God’s love through our actions.
Holiday Seasons
It seems that each year Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier. It received an e-mail this morning (11-22-10) that Black Friday specials begin today. Watching the Today show this morning I caught several commercials stating that you can begin receiving huge discounts in store beginning Thanksgiving Day.
The world around us wants to rush to Christmas. The world can’t prepare early enough. The world can’t get there quick enough. Buy now pay later. Stand in line for exclusive early morning deals (it doesn’t matter that you weren’t planning on buying a new computer, or TV, etc… but at this price you’ve gotta pick one up). Rush to school Christmas parties, community Christmas parties, office Christmas parties.
So much to do and not enough time….
BUT WAIT….. That’s not what this season is about! This is a season of giving thanks for all that God has done in our lives. This season leads into a season of expectant waiting, and that season leads into the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
We give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us, and for providing so much and so frequently for us. As we give thanks, this should help us to see how much we have, and how much we can actually do without. Then we enter into a time of expectant waiting, and a time to prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ. This time of preparation gives meaning to the time of celebrating the birth of Christ.
If we do not give thanks, how can we really prepare? If we do not prepare, how can we really celebrate?
Too often this is a time we prepare for ourselves, forgetting what these seasons are really about. It’s not my birthday, it’s not your birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday. We must stop acting like it’s ours and let it be Jesus’!
The early Christians gave gifts to show others they love them and that God loved them. My family really doesn’t need more gifts (of stuff), but I still have that urge to get something for those that I love. I believe what Jesus wants more for his birthday is for His followers to impact the lives of others. We are impacting families in our community as we make donations of time, money and food items through Common Ground Mission and Backpack for Kids. We are impacting families and individuals in our county, our area, our region, our state, our nation, and our world through our contributions to our shared ministries (monies each United Methodist Church pools together to do ministries we could not do on our own).
We have another opportunity to impact individuals, families, and a community this holiday season. People are dying from a lack of clean water. In fact, it's the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water borne illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. The solution to this problem is directly beneath our feet. Drilling a fresh water well is a relatively inexpensive, yet permanent solution to this epidemic. This Christmas Eve, we will be taking an offering to help drill a well for a community on the continent of Africa.
But this isn’t just about drilling a well. It’s about a community organizing; it’s about the formation of a water committee to ensure the longevity of the project and local ownership, and the training of a technician to maintain the water system and health and hygiene education. Drilling a well for a community is also about freeing women to help their families and communities in other ways. It is typically women who collect water, some spending 15 – 20 hours per week and walking up to 7 miles during the dry season. A local well gives these women time and energy for child care, education, or for providing an additional income for the family.
May this season of Thanksgiving, of Advent, and of Christmas be different and may we be different because we have chosen to seek gifts that honor Jesus; that impact lives, families and communities. Gifts that give hope, help, and show God’s love through our actions.
The world around us wants to rush to Christmas. The world can’t prepare early enough. The world can’t get there quick enough. Buy now pay later. Stand in line for exclusive early morning deals (it doesn’t matter that you weren’t planning on buying a new computer, or TV, etc… but at this price you’ve gotta pick one up). Rush to school Christmas parties, community Christmas parties, office Christmas parties.
So much to do and not enough time….
BUT WAIT….. That’s not what this season is about! This is a season of giving thanks for all that God has done in our lives. This season leads into a season of expectant waiting, and that season leads into the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
We give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us, and for providing so much and so frequently for us. As we give thanks, this should help us to see how much we have, and how much we can actually do without. Then we enter into a time of expectant waiting, and a time to prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ. This time of preparation gives meaning to the time of celebrating the birth of Christ.
If we do not give thanks, how can we really prepare? If we do not prepare, how can we really celebrate?
Too often this is a time we prepare for ourselves, forgetting what these seasons are really about. It’s not my birthday, it’s not your birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday. We must stop acting like it’s ours and let it be Jesus’!
The early Christians gave gifts to show others they love them and that God loved them. My family really doesn’t need more gifts (of stuff), but I still have that urge to get something for those that I love. I believe what Jesus wants more for his birthday is for His followers to impact the lives of others. We are impacting families in our community as we make donations of time, money and food items through Common Ground Mission and Backpack for Kids. We are impacting families and individuals in our county, our area, our region, our state, our nation, and our world through our contributions to our shared ministries (monies each United Methodist Church pools together to do ministries we could not do on our own).
We have another opportunity to impact individuals, families, and a community this holiday season. People are dying from a lack of clean water. In fact, it's the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water borne illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. The solution to this problem is directly beneath our feet. Drilling a fresh water well is a relatively inexpensive, yet permanent solution to this epidemic. This Christmas Eve, we will be taking an offering to help drill a well for a community on the continent of Africa.
But this isn’t just about drilling a well. It’s about a community organizing; it’s about the formation of a water committee to ensure the longevity of the project and local ownership, and the training of a technician to maintain the water system and health and hygiene education. Drilling a well for a community is also about freeing women to help their families and communities in other ways. It is typically women who collect water, some spending 15 – 20 hours per week and walking up to 7 miles during the dry season. A local well gives these women time and energy for child care, education, or for providing an additional income for the family.
May this season of Thanksgiving, of Advent, and of Christmas be different and may we be different because we have chosen to seek gifts that honor Jesus; that impact lives, families and communities. Gifts that give hope, help, and show God’s love through our actions.
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