Author: lakewooducc

Tuesday Dec. 6, 2022

In today’s world, we are practically forced to use GPS. Whatever program it is, I am sure that most of us are using one. In part we must use GPS because paper maps are harder to come by. And the assumption has become that we will be using GPS, so we get directions and information accordingly.

As you can probably tell, I don’t like using GPS. I use it. I know how to do it. I can see certain advantages that it provides. But I use it grudgingly. And I miss my maps.

I am involved on a regular basis with family members who constantly use GPS to steer their lives. Even when going places they have been over and over. Places they go on a regular basis. And if there is someone in the car who knows EXACTLY where to go and can instruct and inform the driver, the GPS is still on. As back up. We won’t digress into how scientists say this is changing our brains and not for the better.

But here is one plus for GPS. Re-routing. When you make a wrong turn or when there is a traffic snarl, there is an immediate re-routing. A new path. A better way.

As we think about seeking Christ this advent season, part of the journey is repentance. The word repent is key to the preaching of John the Baptizer and it is part of Jesus’ first teaching. And what does ‘repent’ mean? Change direction. On our journey seeking Christ, it is often necessary to repent. To come to terms with how we are off track. To seek forgiveness. And to try to get back on the path of Divine Love. We can find ourselves off in the weeds. Or heading in the wrong direction. And we need to repent and change course. We need to re-route.

So this Advent season is a time to look around. Consider. Take in the signs. See where we are headed. And then to be open to course correction. To rerouting as needed. GPS will probably not show you the way on this journey. But prayer, quiet, journaling, walking, music, church, therapy, the Bible, spiritual direction, these tools may help you to see where you are and where you are heading and make any course corrections needed.

Don’t be afraid. You can do it. Even without GPS!

Prayer

May we be open to seeing where we are and where we are heading. May we train our sights on Divine Love. May we rely on Christ for rerouting. Amen.

Dec. 7, 2022

December 7. For many this date is as seared into memory as, say, 9/11. When we hear ‘9/11’ we all know what is being referred to.

Well, it was that way with December 7. I was not alive when the cataclysmic events occurred on December 7. But I know about them. And when I see the date, that is what I think of. I wonder if my kids hear ‘December 7’ and know what to associate with that date. I don’t know. Here in America we tend to have short memories. In Europe, the people have much longer memories.

What about remembering? It can be good. To know what has gone on. To be grateful for what has come before. To learn from past mistakes. To understand why things are the way they are. To bond people together with a shared heritage.

Remembering can also bring up pain, anger, and the desire for retribution or justice.

This season as we seek Christ, maybe we can think about what in our past or our sense of the past needs healing. How do we need Christ the healer to help us deal with our memories and the stories we have been told so that we can live fully and freely into the future? We can choose to give the past power to make us stronger and to be a foundation for a future of peace. Seeking Christ will help us to find needed healing.

Give some thought to the power you give to the past in your life.

Prayer

We remember the events of December 7 and their aftermath. We pray that we might learn from the past and heal from that past so that we can live into a future of peace and joy. Amen.

Dec. 8, 2022

These covid years have been strange. It was like we were going down the highway and then in March of 2020 there was an accident. The highway had to be closed and we were directed down an exit ramp onto a detour. The way was not clearly marked. And we kind of wandered off all over the place.

Now it seems like the highway is open again; maybe even all the lanes. And the on ramp is open. But we don’t quite seem to be finding the way back to the way things were.

Maybe that is good. Maybe we don’t want to be going back to how things were. Maybe being derailed, being on lock down, being quarantined, being limited and confined, has taught us to see things in a different way. Maybe we have greater appreciation for some things. Maybe we have discovered that we are happier without some things that we thought were important.

So, maybe instead of trying to find the on ramp back to life as we knew it, maybe we can be looking for something different. Something more reflective of what we have come to know during these years of covid.

I know that some people in our congregation have found that the church is more important to them and they are much more connected and involved at church now than they were.

Maybe we are not finding our way back to ‘normal’ because we don’t really want to go there. Maybe we want to be part of a different reality, a different future, a different kind of life.

Just like a new baby drastically changes the life of a family, we can think about the coming of Christ as an opening for transition and transformation in our lives. This is a season to welcome Christ and to let Christ lead us further into the reality of Love.

Prayer

In these dark, quiet days of Advent, may we open ourselves to being led in new directions. Amen.

Dec. 9, 2022

This season is a time to Seek Christ. It is a time to prepare for the celebration of Christmas so we think about why we even have this holiday marking the birth of a baby over 2000 years ago in a foreign land. Why would this matter to us? It matters to us because we feel that the life and ministry of Jesus show us the fullest human expression of Divine Love. The Christ.

But maybe there are those days when we wonder. Is this anything? Does this really mean anything? Does it make any difference? We still see people around us doing terrible things. We still find ourselves beset with scary thoughts. Life seems like a struggle for many, many people and it appears to be getting worse.

Maybe this Christmas thing is just a capitalist, consumerist Santa scheme that feeds the global corporate world? Of course if you think that, then you probably are not reading this devotion!

I had a kind of crazy experience while I was buying something on line recently. You know these shopping websites often invite you to engage in a chat as you are selecting your purchases. A little box pops up. In the box appears a message like, “How can I help today?“ or “Do you have any questions?” I tend to find these chat boxes annoying.

Well, I was looking into purchasing some shoes from a website. The company is based in Spain though I was on an English version of the website. I mention Spain because to me, as an American, having spent considerable time in Spain, some of the things that go on in Spain are strange and inscrutable. And that is one of the things we love about Spain. So, as I was looking to make a purchase from a Spanish company on an American website, the little chat box popped up. Oh that. I thought, let me see how to close that and get rid of it. It was then that I noticed the message in the chat box. I am telling you, this really happened. Right there in the chat box was a message from David: “Hi! Can I help you with your doubt?”

Right there in the process of buying a pair of shoes, I was confronted with an existential question of moral/religious/philosophical import. Can I help you with your doubt? Well, I would like a lot of help with my doubt, thank you very much. Especially at this time of year. Certain things floor me. Like the destitution around us. Why are there so many poor people in such a rich country? And another thing. I am stunned by the generosity that we see this time of year. People helping others. Donating things. Supporting nonprofits doing important work like the church. There is an incredible outpouring this time of year. But then I have to wonder, why only at Christmas? Why isn’t this going on all year long? Why isn’t this incredible generosity manifesting as justice, which might then eliminate much of the pressing need? Can things really change? David wanted to help me with my doubt. I didn’t know where to begin.

If there is a deeper, spiritual, Christian, meaning to Christmas, if it is really about the Christ, then why are there these problems? So, I have my doubts about Christmas. And many other things.

What really soothes my soul is Love. If I choose to look for the love that is happening all around me, that calms my doubts and fears. If I think back to the many expressions of love and kindness that have graced the living of our days, it is remarkable. People are doing good, kind, nice, helpful, generous things for others all of the time. And it is beautiful. And it is remarkable.

Can I help you with your doubt? That is something we all need from time to time. And one way to respond is to look for love – everywhere, anywhere, in yourself, in others, in the beauty of nature. Look for the love. And there is plenty of it to see especially this time of year!

Prayer

May we be people of love. May we give and receive love freely. And may that help us to live with our doubts. Amen.

Dec. 10, 2022

Ten years ago today was an unforgettable day for the people of Newtown, Connecticut where Sandy Hook Elementary School is located. Ten years ago, on December 10, 2012, 26 people were killed at the school: Twenty children ages 6 and 7 years old and six adult staff members. The shooter also took his own life.

I am sure that every year at this time, the town, the school, the families, are remembering. I imagine that it must be hard to feel merry and bright even these ten years on. I also think that it is Divine Love and healing that has enabled them to go on. To get up. To face another day at school. Another year without one who was beloved. They have been sustained by a power stronger than death.

Somehow, in a situation seemingly saturated with evil, devoid of love, the light of Divine Love cannot be ultimately extinguished. And perhaps it is in such a horrendous situation that the compassion of Christ is felt most deeply.

Christ was not on vacation that day. Not taking a day off. But working overtime.

Yes, we want to work with every fiber of our being to prevent such a heinous incident from happening ever again. That is the Christ within us. Wanting to save others and prevent harm. The Christ in us also seeks to reach out to those who are in deep pain with comfort and compassion.

May we recommit ourselves to creating a world that is safe and supportive of ALL children. Like Jesus, may we welcome all children with acceptance and love. Maybe that would have helped the young man responsible for the shooting at Sandy Hook.

Prayer

We so want to be in a reality where all children are loved and provided for. Where we don’t ever again hear about another mass shooting anywhere. May we remember that with Christ all things are possible even the silencing of guns and the healing of broken hearts. May we continue to work to create the world of God’s dreams. Amen.