Prepare Ye

This is the text for my Christmas Eve sermon. I am focusing on Joseph and Mary and leaving the rest of the Birth Narrative to Christmas Day. My texts for this sermon are Luke 1.26-38, Matthew 1.18-25 and Luke 2.1-7. You may be thinking, Pastor, where’s the rest? Why are you stopping there? Where are the angels Harking? The shepherds shepherding? The Wise Men? The little drummer boy? Where is the rest of Christmas?? Relax. It’s still there; except for the drummer boy. The harking angels and shepherds are still there in Luke’s Gospel, and I’m going to talk about them tomorrow morning (9 a.m. at Our Savior’s and 10:45 at Emmanuel). As for the Wise Men, we celebrate their visitation to the newborn Christ on Epiphany, which is Sunday, January 6 (9 a.m. at Our Savior’s and 10:45 at Emmanuel). But tonight, I want to focus on this tiny family, Mary, Joseph and their newborn bundle of joy, Jesus. I imagine them all huddled together; Mary looking adoringly at her baby, Joseph lo...

A video from Dr. Mark Oldenburg of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg about getting more out of Lent.

And here is the sermon I wish I would have given. From the Sarcastic Lutheran .

One of my favorite prayer resources is the Church of Scotland's Pray Now site . Here is their devotion for February 17. Money Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ -- Mark 12:43–4 Prayer We got our money’s worth that night in a garden, Lord, when silver changed hands as quickly as a kiss condemned. For you saved us from squandering our souls. We got our money’s worth that day on a hillside when we gambled with your innocence and landed a bargain. For you reclaimed our torn and shabby lives. We got our money’s worth that morning we cursed our empty nets and the hardship they hauled home while you bought our breakfast and our freedom. For you rescued us from a world of no rewards. You invest so much in us, L...

This is a great post about what evangelism is/isn't/could be/should be. The example that is used is of a church that gives turkeys to the homeless for Thanksgiving, forgetting that the homeless don't have ovens in which to cook the turkeys. Too often we focus our efforts on what we think people need rather than actually asking what people need or what the ramifications of our actions, the unintended consequences.

I want to commend this article to people: it compares some of the pressures faced by parish pastors and quarterbacks. As a former football coach, these connections were easy to make. I think it provides a different perspective for people who may be familiar with one or the other vocations, and I hope it may be thought provoking for both communities. The website, Faith & Leadership , is produced by the Duke Divinity School. It is a worthwhile read and I suggest everyone find ways to read it, either bookmarking it or subscribing to the feeds in any of the ways that make reading it accessible to you.

A number of my classmates, as well as others from around the PA area are on a trip to the areas of Greece and Turkey that are referred to Paul's letters and the book of Revelation. Follow them through Norma's blog at Epiphanies and Revelation.

I spent part of this week in Myrtle Beach with my mother. She has been visiting me here in the Garden since before Thanksgiving. I promised her that if she came down here, she would be out of the cold and snow. Boy, did I screw that one up. So we went to Myrtle Beach, and while it was cold for them, it was a great respite for us. This is a combination of different versions of the sermon I gave today (January 17). It was not the sermon I thought I would give when we headed to Myrtle Beach. I was mentally writing a sermon on gifts. That shows up in here. I thought about the greatness of the proclamation of the Isaiah text. That shows up in here. I decided against preaching about the bossiness of the mother of Jesus, at least while my mom was in attendance. But it shows up in here. I don't know what I think of this sermon. I'm conflicted with faith in the face of the death in Haiti. That shows up big time in here. ‘ You save humans and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your s...

Another great devotional from Pray Now . ( this devotional ) Elemental - Fire The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so they might travel by day and by night. Exodus13.21 Prayer It will burn, child. Swift and sharp as the slice of shimmering steel. It will burn, child. Scorching and shocking as words spat in heated haste. It will burn, child. Stinging and scabbing as fresh scars smart with rage. And so we learn, Lord, to fear the fire should it hurt and harm us; damage and deny us; wound and waste us. Then you come, guiding God, shimmering and flickering and shouting Yes, child, it will burn, but see me. Yes, child, it will burn, bu...

So I' m checking my Facebook account, and see a message from my good friend (& future Bishop) Faithful Yet Changing who has a message to pray for Glen Beck. And my response is the title of this post, "Are You Freakin ' Nuts??" Politically, I score just left of center, but that is because I hold a couple of far right positions which balance out some of my far left positions. But in the past year or so, I have found myself leaning farther and farther left, mostly in response to the morons (and I apologize to all of the real morons for lumping them in with this group) at Fixed Noise, like Beck, O'Riley & Hannity . The venom they spout comes from either ignoring facts or not being able to understand them or being so deluded that they actually believe the crap they spread. I only clicked on the link because it is Future Bishop Faithful Yet Changing 's birthday, and I was hoping this was going to be a joke, kind of like being Rick rolled. But it wasn'...

Please check out a new blog by one of my classmates who is also on internship, Faithful Yet Changing .

From Pray Now by the Church of Scotland God rested on the seventh day. - Genesis 2:2 Prayer God, I'm wabbit,* I'm weary, I'm worn out. Often it feels as if I'm running on half empty. Harassed because it seems I've never enough time to do everything. Frustrated with my lack of energy to do things as well as I'd like, or within the timescales I, or others, have set. Meltdown and breakdown,
 exasperation and exhaustion,
 sometimes feel just one more step, one more task, away. 
And yet,
I know, God, you want it other wise
 for me, for my neighbors, for our world.
 When I pause to listen to my body, to nature,
to you, 
there is a rhythm which jolts us from frenetic
 twenty-first-century living.
 A rhythm where rest and relaxation,
 fallow periods and holidays are built in.
 Not add-ons or extras to be earned. Forgive me God,
when I abuse your creation -
pushing myself and others too hard.
 Help me to follow Jesus' example,
to learn to do nothing regularly,
to...

I'm in the Garden, and have been since the 1st, sorry I haven't blogged, but it's been a busy two weeks. I'll blog properly, but I wanted to share this from the Church of Scotland's Pray Now series. Sometimes, I go to that place called Lonely I go there by myself or with companions and stay a long while or just for a short time. It's a place that aches with abandonment A place where even the tears have run dry. And I long to know God Will I ever find you there? No one talks about visiting this place It carries a stigma hidden in many disguises. The child in the playground that no one plays with The awkward teenager - too big, too small, too fat, too tall The clubber dancing wildly fearing the day's end The person with learning disabilities that has never known a friend The single person left out by couples who dine The parent longing for adult conversation The widow/er grieving a companionship of love The old person at home or in a home, wondering if this i...

Just In Case You Were Wondering ... … why Steve King (R-Iowa) was the only member of the House of Representatives to vote against a resolution recognizing the free labor provided by slaves in the building of the U.S. Capitol. In addition to the resolution itself, a plaque will be placed in the House Visitors Center stating that the Capitol was built in part by slave labor. So why did Rep. King vote against the resolution? We’ve gotten an explanation from Rep. Steve King (R-IA) for why he was the lone vote against acknowledging the role of slaves in building the U.S. Capitol. He did it to protest “a several year effort by liberals in Congress to scrub references to America’s Christian heritage from our nation’s Capitol”: Our Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone of our great nation and should not be held hostage to yet another effort to place guilt on future Americans for the sins of some of their ancestors. So there you have it. Leastways, that’s as good ...

I saw this online today . Rarely does someone who so richly deserves such an honor receive it. Bravo, Coach T. Well done. I never played for Coach T. But he was my math teacher for a couple of years in high school. He was as demanding an instructor as he was a coach. He was also a mentor when I ran the Youth Sports Program in Saginaw. He was always there to lend a hand and to help out, to do what was in the best interest of the kids. He was, and is, a class act.

So, I checked my Facebook page when I got back to my apartment after class today (because I would NEVER check it during classes) and in the top right corner of the new (and notably inferior) layout of my home page is a box labeled as "People You May Know" and it gave me the opportunity to add as a friend Rev. Sarah Vorhees Hershberger. That's right, the same Rev. Sarah Vorhees Hershberger who is the center of the Lutheran Universe. I have 8 friends who are friends with her. Wow, I am this close to being relevant. Or I am REALLY enjoying the Sudafed for my sinus congestion. Unfortunately, the combo of the Sudafed and the name I gave this post will probably cause me to relive the most terrible experience of my life, when I went to DisneyWorld and got stuck inside the Small World ride when it broke down. I heard this wonderful song for 30 minutes straight. AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGG!!

One of my professors here at The LTS (and my professor for OT in the NT) was named Biblioblogger of the Month , and I thought it would be nice to spread his acclaim around to the thousands (counting in base 2) of readers I have who regularly visit (or stumble accidentally) across this little corner of cyberspace. (Plus, he still has to read my project on Isaiah 40:3 that is scheduled to go WAY over the page limit.) So, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! BTW, in an honest and not totally sucking up manner, his CrossMarks site is pretty awesome.

This is another great devotional from Pray Now from the Church of Scotland. Relationships of Power - Sarah and Hagar Abram said to Sarai, 'Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her as you please.' Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her. - Genesis 1 Prayer Power, for us, is such a tricky business. We ascribe it slickly to you - God of power and might - And instantly you challenge us, Revealed in the flux of worldly power As the powerless, crucified God. But power, and who has it, still shapes our relationships - our lives. We expertly read its flows, its peaks and troughs. A shake of filings on a sheet of paper reveals the field of a magnet. A sprinkling of people in a story Reveals to us the field and play of power. We are not innocent, or naïve, where power is concerned. It is Sarah's house; she writes the rules, sets the emotional thermostat. That is power! The power to make life hell - albeit from sheer insecurity. Hers is the present, and hers th...

Another great devotional from Pray Now from the Church of Scotland. Astonishing relationships - Zacchaeus and Jesus When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him,'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.' Luke 19:5 Prayer When we feel we are unimportant and not noticed You see in us the potential and possibility we fear to live up to You surprise us with an unexpected, 'I choose you.' When our wealthy lives are lived out at the expense of the poor You encourage us to be uncomfortable with our extravagance You challenge us with an unexpected, 'I choose you.' When we worry that our bodies may be too fat or too small You see that which is deep within us and be...

From Pray Now from the Church of Scotland Astonishing relationships - Anna and Simeon . . .or mine eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. . . Luke 2:30 - 31 Prayer There is subversion in waiting, in the tenacity of those who hope and dare to long for revelation, for justice, for truth. And subversive beyond that is when old eyes recognise, fulfilled in a newborn, the hope they have been harbouring for generations. May we see in each new generation, the evolving of the world, in lives that will carry on our story, with the chance for a new revelation of Gospel. The subversion of old age, is the placing in each younger generation, the ongoing story of faith, and the whole hope of the Gospel. May we recognise what is good to pass on, and the right time in which to pass it. Readings Luke 2:25-38 Simeon and Anna Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 A time for everything Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 Remember old age Job 32:6-10 Not only the old are wise Blessing May Go...