ps from pk Christmas is the night the world begins again.
I referenced the song “Better Days” by Goo Goo Dolls in my sermon last Sunday. Take a listen to it again by clicking HERE.
The Bridge and the Chorus go like this:
I wish everyone was loved tonight and we’d somehow stop this endless fight. Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days.
So take these words, And sing out loud. Because everyone, Is forgiven now.
‘Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again.
This is the beauty of Christmas. This is the wonder of God born to Mary and birthed in a manger. That on this night, the world does begin again. We talk a lot about resurrection and Easter as being the beginning of new life but I think this song is right. None of the stuff we usually focus on when it comes to Jesus could have happened if it weren’t for this night. Before Jesus could teach us how to love, before Jesus could heal, before Jesus could die on a cross, and be resurrected, before any of that, Jesus had to be born.
Through this miracle and wonder of God on earth, we are filled with hope that Christ is giving us a new way. A way to that shows everyone IS loved. A way that shows ALL is forgiven.
May you rest in the hope of better days this season. May you know that Christ enters into every day, not just Christmas, and that you are loved, and you are forgiven, by his presence here in our lives each and every day. Amen.
ps from ps “I came not to be served, but to serve.” Jesus, in Mark’s gospel…and Matthew’s….and John’s. Seems important when three out of four mention it.
We just moved through Christ the King Sunday in the church year. (I’m sure most of you exchanged Hallmark greeting cards this past weekend to mark it.). A weekend where we remember that the type of king that Jesus came to be is not our normal paradigm. To serve and not be served.
He was different from what they expected. He brought them more than they could have imagined. He shattered paradigms and boundaries and reach and heights and depths. A different kind of king. We are now invited into a perspective change and wonder what that could look like.
And as we come out of that invitation, culturally, we move into our most wonderful, frantic, crowded, busy, stressful and amazing seasons – Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas. A time where we spend more. Do more. Gather more. Eat more. Love more. Hurt more. Just….more.
And I wonder today, how can Jesus invitation to “serve and not be served” shape this season? How can a faith that invites us to focus on the poor and hungry be held in tension with a life that calls us to shop extravagently ranging from local to Amazon? How can we hold the tension between the joy of gathering with loved ones and the grief of seeing empty chairs?
The answers today will be different shapes for all of us. I just know that this coming season brings more opportunities for a lot more things. I hope you will wonder with me.
Enjoy the blessings of Thanksgiving this week. Honor the people that are around your table. Take time to remember and grieve those who aren’t. I hope and pray that each table and meal you gather around this season will remind you just how blessed by God you are and give you a chance to wonder how to live those blessings out.
Lord, we give thanks for many things and your invitation to wonder what to do about them. Amen.
In a 24 hour period at St. Paul’s, a recovery group shared stories of healing and offered each other strength. Burritos were prepped and sent out into the community. Bikes were worked on and new volunteers were recruited. Student art was proudly displayed and showed off in the Family Support Center. The youngest among us were cared for during pre-school at Pixie Village and voices were raised together in sacred song with the Lutheran Chorale.
Our buildings were literally bursting with joy and promise, community and support. Blessings overflowing! Right out of our buildings and into the world.
BUT WAIT! There’s more!
We also welcomed the al-Hafyan family to Buffalo! They arrived at the airport late Tuesday night. Our refugee resettlement team and others used their blessings of time to help clean and set up the Kahle House. Other team members used their blessings to grocery shop and order a Syrian meal. And you all answered the call to bless the family and house with furniture and groceries.
In the wait for the al-Hafyan family to arrive, we wondered if we’d done enough. If we had the right things in the house or the right supports in place. But God’s blessings overflow!
We discovered at the airport that the al-Hafyan family was greeted not only by St. Paul’s, and their caseworker, but by extended FAMILY! The family’s parents and siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins were all there. Grandma met a grandchild for the first time in the arrival area. Brothers too long separated embraced. After being separated for over 9 years a family was reunited. (Mostly. There are still some siblings in Jordan)
Suddenly what felt like too little felt like abundance. A house once empty is now overflowing with laughter and a family ready to begin life here in the United States. Overflowing joy and promise. Overflowing community and support.
May we experience God’s blessings of joy and promise, community and support in our own lives. May it fill us up to overflowing so that it can burst out from us and into the world.
ps from ps What an interesting couple hours. Spent some time today walking around the St. Paul’s Eggertsville Campus neighborhood dropping off bags for the Tiger’s Den Food Pantry Thanksgiving drive. Had some great conversations with new and old neighbors and some St. Paul’s missionaries as well.
Noticed the changing leaves left in the trees and down on the ground on a beautiful fall WNY day. Something else stood out to me though as I went from porch to porch. It didn’t matter weather the house was a ranch or a colonial, had a Bills flag or not, large house and small one….there was one consistency.
Amazon packages.
I would guess that at least every other house had an Amazon package on the porch or in the door. Maybe your neighborhood or porch is the same way.
Made me acutely aware of how much shopping has changed for so many.
So has church I guess. As many churches struggle with engagement of their community and church attendance, like many “mom and pop” local stores, they are closing. And yet at the same time, there is a rise in digital engagement, online worship experiences, spiritually focused social media posts and podcasts over live sermons.
There is no right or wrong. There is just change.
Yesterday, a friend shared with me the official sale of his family’s business, the Amherst Bee. The in-print news business is shifting and changing as well.
If you let yourself consider all of it, the changes could overwhelm you. That is, if you forget the constant force, presence and grace of God throughout it all.
That hasn’t changed. That won’t change.
I wonder if Jesus would order sandals through Amazon? I wonder if he’d read the Buffalo News on the digital version?
Not sure. And not sure what other changes are coming next.
But today, in and amongst all the changes, I loved remembering the constant Force that warmed my face with the chilly breeze on a nice walk around the neighborhood. God’s presence.
ps from ps/pk Now that we are through the election, we realize that there are a range of emotions and reactions out there, ranging from celebrations to layers of grief. No matter where you at with the results our calling as children of God at St. Paul’s hasn’t changed one bit. We are still called to reach beyond ourselves and empower people with the good news of Jesus Christ!
We offer today some reflections from Bishop Tim Smith of the NC Synod who shared this: “Democracy (or, okay, Republic) holds as its highest good the will of the people, based on the old Greek and later Enlightenment principle that divinity, good, resides ultimately in people through a divine spark. Our life’s calling in that system is to fan that spark into a flame. Lutheranism, no matter how you slice it, has a much lower view of humanity, insisting that “we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves.” Therefore, our only hope is in the Christ who claims and loves us nevertheless and frees us to serve our neighbor, especially those on the margins. That is to say, our hope resides not in the will of the masses, but in the way of Christ. Entirely counter-cultural. That was true yesterday, and true today. Our calling is the same. Regardless of election results, people of faith, and Lutherans in particular, stay the course. Strive to follow Christ. Carry on.”
We invite you to be good to yourself today, be gentle with others who may be hurting, be watchful for those around you in need, be active in sharing the blessings you have and be ready to carry on as the church that God needs us to be as we strive to follow Christ together.
Lord, thank you for loving all of us. Continue to call us into the world to be your church and follow your lead. Amen
Six high school students affirmed their faith through the Rite of Confirmation this past Sunday. It was incredible! They each shared a favorite scripture verse and then shared with the congregation moments in their lives that taught them about being a follower of Christ. They shared stories of joy, but also of pain. They shared with honesty the times when they felt alone or were full of doubt and yet they confirmed their faith anyways. Then most beautifully of all, they shared the hope that God will get them through the hard times and that they will be able to shout for joy again.
These are the scripture verses our students chose. I invite you to read them and consider what they mean for you.
Elias Rodriguez: Joshua 1:9 “I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Ella Winkler: Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous; do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.” Jillian Bland: Psalm 46:5 “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day.” Maggie Skinner: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Oliver Magin: Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Ryan Fortune: Psalm 118:6 “The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
May we all be filled with that hope this week.
Dear God, when we are in the midst of darkness and doubt, help us to feel you with us. When we feel alone or afraid, send people who will encourage and guide us. When we aren’t sure what the future holds, remind us that you have a plan. When faith feels far, spark hope within us. Amen.
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