Author: lakewooducc

This is the day that we celebrate the nativity of Jesus the Christ.  Interestingly, scholars think that Jesus was actually born sometime in the spring.  And yet the feast day of his nativity was set at the end of December.  

Well, in the long days of darkness, people need a celebration of light.  In the spring, the church has the celebration of Easter.  Something was needed in the dead of winter.  Also, the Romans had a big winter festival at the end of December.  All of the people were busy with their revelries.  But the followers of Jesus eschewed Roman God’s and Roman festivities.  So, they came up with a season of celebration of their own:  Christmas, the feast day of the nativity of Jesus.  And the 12 days following, up until Epiphany, the celebration of the wise ones visiting Jesus.  So, Christians had their own festival.  Twelve days worth.  And that celebration has now become the most celebrated holiday in the world!  (Thank you, Santa, presents, shopping, and capitalism!) 

But for those who are followers of Jesus, or attempting to be followers of Jesus, regardless of when he was actually born, the celebration of Christmas, of Jesus’ birthday, is a celebration of JOY!  Of the love of God breaking into human history in an earth shattering way!  That has changed history for all time.  And that has impacted our very lives.  

The singular characteristic of Christmas is and must be JOY!  Whatever is wrong in our lives and in our society and in our world, still Christmas reminds us of the joy that Divine Love intends for all Creation.  Joy is subversive in the presence of pain, of sadness, of grief, of despair.  Joy!  

Mary’s song, the Magnificat explodes with joy!  My spirit rejoices.  Joy! Looked with favor upon a lowly servant.  Joy!  All generations will call me blessed.  Joy!  The Mighty One has done great things for me.  Joy!  God’s mercy is for the faithful from generation to generation.  Joy!  Strength scattering the proud.  Joy!  Brought down the powerful.  Joy!  Lifted the lowly.  Joy!  Filled the hungry with good things.  Joy!  Sent the rich away empty.  Joy!  Helped Israel and fulfilled the promises to the ancestors.  Joy!   

Whatever your circumstances this Christmas, make space for JOY!!!

Prayer:  Joy to the world!  Christ the Savior is born!  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

It is finally Christmas Eve.  Most of us will go to church tonight.  We will finally celebrate the nativity of Jesus, our Savior, and the Savior of the world.  

To me, what is most important about Jesus is that he shows us who we are.  Who we can be.  We, too, are to be vessels of the Holy Spirit.  

Christmas is not just about Jesus being born.  It is about Christ being born in each and every one of us.  In the beloved carol, “O little Town of Bethlehem,” there is the prayer, “be born in us today.”  

Meister Eckhart, a mystic of the 14th century said this:  “We are all meant to be mothers of God…for God is always needing to be born.” 

An eternal theme of the spiritual life meets us at Christmas.  How are we vessels for Christ?  How are we temples of the Holy Spirit?  How is Divine Love seeking to to be born in us?  To make a home in us?  To impact the world through us?  

The spiritual life for a Christian is not just about who Jesus was and what he did.  It is about who we are and what we are to do.  This is a time to consider the question so beautifully posed by poet Mary Oliver:  “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Prayer:  As we celebrate the nativity of Jesus, may we remember that the power of Divine Love is seeking to be born in us, today.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

Pay attention.  This is another timeless theme of the spiritual life.  Paying attention.  To our lives.  To our spirits.  To our feelings.  To others.  To the presence of the sacred, the holy.  

In the stories of the nativity of Jesus in the gospels, there are lots of special ‘signs.’  Joseph has dreams.  Elizabeth’s baby kicks.  Mary entertains the angel Gabriel.  The wise ones see and follow a star.  The shepherds see the skies open up and hear the songs of angels.  There is one magnificent manifestation after another.  But these are only impactful because someone is paying attention.

Joseph could have dismissed his dreams as indigestion.  Of course baby’s kick inside the mother.  Why does Elizabeth think that is some kind of sign?  Mary could have turned up the radio or the podcast she was listening to and ignored Gabriel.  Had he gone to other young women before Mary?  The shepherds could have been fast asleep in the fields and missed the whole show with the angels.  The wise ones could have dismissed the star as some kind of anomaly, noted it in their charts, and gone home to bed for the night. 

All of the characters in these stories are paying attention.  They are open.  They have space in their lives, time, for the breaking in of something important.  They are not so distracted by entertainments and information and greed that they miss the power of Divine Love active in their lives.  

We can be so heavily scheduled and distracted by a million things, literally a million or more with smart phones and the internet, that we may very well miss how God is seeking to love us into wholeness.  In these last days before Christmas, may we remember to pay attention.  

Prayer:  As advent comes to a close, may I remember to pay attention.  May I seek to be aware of the power of love in my life and in the world around me.  Always.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

For these last few devotions of the Advent season, we turn to classic spiritual themes that are highlighted in the Magnificat, the Song of Mary.

We start with the Beatles:    

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

After Gabriel has visited Mary, the story of the annunciation concludes, “Let it be with me according to your word.”  

So, an important theme as we come to the end of our spiritual preparations for Christas is surrender.  Let it be.  Acceptance.  Yes, we have our plans.  Mary was a poor young woman from a small village but still she undoubtedly had plans and dreams for her life.  Yet when confronted by God’s agenda, she surrenders.  Let it be.  She does not fight or contest God’s plans as many male prophets have done before her.  No, she submits.  Surrenders.  

We can spend a lot of energy – spiritual, physical, emotional, verbal – countering God’s plans and intentions for our lives.  We are masters of making excuses.  Offering counter strategies.  Scheming our dreams.  All the while ignoring or combatting what God is trying to do in our lives.  

How can this be a season of surrender for us?  When we simply say to God’s dream for our world, for our lives, Let it be.  To the God of justice.  Let it be.  To the God of the nonviolent Jesus.  Let it be.  To the God  whose love confronts at every turn in the natural world.  Let it be.  

Prayer:  Advent was once called ‘the little Lent.’ In this holy season, may we re-turn our lives to God.  Let it be.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

The phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” was part of Bill Clinton’s winning strategy for president in 1992.   Well, the economy is important.  It really controls reality for most people in this country.  The economy dictates how many jobs a person has to have to feed the family.  The economy dictates access to healthcare.  The economy controls people’s ability to take care of basic needs like housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.  It even influences what Christmas gifts will be given.

The economy controls the wellbeing of a vast majority of the population of our country.  So, for politicians, the economy should be a main concern.  Unfortunately, in recent decades, the economy has been doctored to make the rich richer.  And, consequently, the poor, poorer.  But the rich contribute to political campaigns, not the poor, so the preferences of the rich are catered to by politicians.  They have to keep those donations flowing in.

And, of course, we have all kinds of data and charts and graphs documenting the state of things economically.  They show that the wealth gap in America is growing not shrinking.  And for those of us not inclined toward the analysis of economic data, there is the grocery store.  You can get a pretty good read on things as you traverse the aisles with list in hand.  And we know one thing for sure at the moment, prices are not going down.  It is often cheaper for a family to get discounted meals at a fast food joint then go to the store and buy actual food and prepare it at home.  No wonder America is having a health crisis.  

This highlights something that I think is of interest in the Magnificat.  The song of Mary is an economic manifesto.  Mary refers to her own servile status.  The proud, arrogant, and powerful are scattered.  Those are the rich.  You aren’t proud, arrogant, or powerful without money to back it up.  And the rich are sent away empty.  And the lowly are lifted up.  That’s the poor.  Those with little money, land, education, and access to power.  Lifted up.  Filled with good things.  

This Magnificat is very much an economic manifesto.  It doesn’t refer to gender, to race, to ethnicity.  Fix the economy and many other problems are solved.  There is the mention of promises fulfilled to God’s servant, Israel, in terms of economic well-being.  A complete shift in the power structure.  Based on economics.  But it is for all, not just for some.

It’s all well and good to talk about how God loves everyone.  It’s another thing to announce a complete toppling of current economic realities.  That’s what Mary does.  That’s what loving everyone amounts to.

Prayer:  To much of the world, we are the haves.  We are the ones with financial resources.  Help us to be part of God’s economic revolution announced by Mary.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.