Prayers – Page 14 – Lakewood United Church of Christ

Advent 2011 Final Daily Reflection

For what is our hope, or joy, or the crown in which we glory in our Savior Jesus at the Coming?
It’s you: you are our glory and joy.
I Thessalonians 2:19

On Christmas Eve in church, we sang “Joy to the World” with gleeful delight. Christmas day we also celebrated the birth of Christ with joyful singing. After the service, I attended a brunch hosted by a parishioner. Then it was home to open presents and prepare Christmas dinner. We had our whole family and five guests as well. Then, there was clean up and bed about midnight.

With such a full day, I did not have time to write this final daily reflection of the 2011 Advent season. I couldn’t do it because I was occupied with being/experiencing/living the joy of the holy day. This brings us to the scripture verse quoted above. The writer tells the readers that they are joy. Joy is embodied. It is incarnated. You are joy. I am joy. This implies that joy is not something to be accomplished or achieved or performed or acquired. We are joy. And it is in our nature to live that joy.

Mahatma Gandhi is known for saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Given the scripture above, we could say, “Be the joy you wish to see in the world.” Consider taking a moment to think about how you have been joy this holy day season.

Prayer
We are grateful for the blessing of joy. May we always remember that we are joy. It is part of our nature, our composition. Let us seek to live joy for ourselves, others, and the world. Amen.

This is the last in this series of daily on line reflections for the Advent season. This was a first time initiative for Lakewood UCC. Comments and suggestions would be appreciated as this ministry is evaluated and future offerings are considered. Thank you!

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 28

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23a

We think of this as a season of giving. We embrace the opportunity to give to others. We enjoy the gifts we receive. It is a time we are generous to the organizations and concerns that we feel are making a difference in the world. Giving gives us joy.

In the verse above, the writer of Galatians tells us that the fruit of the Spirit of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Fruit is that which is produced by the plant or tree. It is the produce of the plant. But fruit is intended to be eaten. To be enjoyed. To be consumed. Fruit left on the tree rots and fall to the ground becoming debris. It is wasted.

Joy, as a fruit, is to be enjoyed, shared, given away, relished, consumed. It is not just to be kept to oneself and hoarded. Joy is meant to be spread and savored.

In her poem, “Welcome Morning,” Ann Sexton reminds us,

The Joy that isn’t shared, I’ve heard,
dies young.

So tomorrow is Christmas Day. A day to experience joy. Are you waiting for someone to give joy to you? Are you waiting for joy to happen to you? Try giving some joy away, and then you will be assured of experiencing joy, savoring it, relishing it, taking delight in it. Don’t waste the fruit of your faith. Give some joy away and you will be giving God’s Joy to the World!

Prayer
There are times when we are waiting for joy to come to us from someone or somewhere else. Joy is a fruit of our faith; let us bear it and share it. Then we will be sure that the world knows the joy God intends for the world and for all people when we take responsibility for helping it happen. Whatever our circumstances this Christmas, may we find and share the joy! Amen.

The theme for this Advent season at Lakewood United Church of Christ is JOY to the World. Each day during the Advent season, a reflection on a scripture passage related to JOY will be posted. We hope these daily reflections help you to have a joy-filled Advent.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 27

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of God stood before them, and the glory of God shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2: 8-12

Well, today, we tread on sacred ground with a discussion of Santa. We moved to Florida in November of 1990 and we had one child in school. Our oldest son was in first grade at Azalea Elementary School. When the holidays approached, there was a winter concert at the school. We went eagerly looking forward to seeing the children perform. In the course of the concert, there was a brief introduction of Hanukkah, including reference to the rebellion and the oil in the lamps lasting seven days and nights, and several Hanukkah songs were sung. There was a brief explanation of Kwanzaa and several songs were sung. All was well until they got to Christmas. As an introduction to Christmas we were told that Christmas was a holiday in which children received presents from Santa Claus who went from house to house in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and brought the presents down the chimney and placed them under the Christmas tree. The school children proceeded to sing several songs about Santa, etc. Hmmmmm.

The Santa myth is a lovely, magical story that adds delight to this season. BUT, for us as Christians, it should not eclipse Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Jesus, who is the most important figure in the Christian religion. Christmas began as a take off from a pagan winter festival, and the way the school described it, we’ve come full cycle back to that same kind of event. But despite what the school had to say, Christmas is still celebrated by millions as a significant religious holy day.

This brings us to joy. The Santa version of Christmas is a fun festival providing a reason for gifts and parties and silly traditions like leaving cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas eve. Presents can be a delight and bring happiness. And there is nothing wrong with that. But eventually the toy will break, the clothes will wear out, the gift will be enjoyed and then fade. Just think back to gifts of Christmases past. But, Christmas, as the celebration of the birth of Jesus, signifies so much more.

As the angels proclaim in the beautiful story cited above, Christmas is about “good news of great joy for all people.” Christmas is about the creation of a new reality. It is about the incalculable power of love. It is about liberation from the tyranny of self absorption. It is about a vision of justice and peace for all people. Christmas is about a new world order that benefits all people, even those who do not celebrate Christmas. Christmas is about unconditional, universal divine love at the heart of creation. No naughty or nice. Christmas is about joy; the abiding experience of goodness, love, and hope at the essence of life as we know it. It is so much more than a toy under a tree bedecked with blinking lights. The Christmas of faith is big enough to incorporate the Santa Christmas, but the Santa Christmas will never have the meaning and significance of the faith Christmas. Sure, we should enjoy the toys and trinkets under the tree, but we should also look for so much more: Joy to the world!

Prayer
Keep our eyes wide so that we don’t miss the deepest mystery and magic of this holy time. As Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and magi let their lives be changed and transformed by the birth of Jesus, may we, too, celebrate this birth with great expectations for ourselves and for the world. May we expect and find true joy. Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 26

Then you changed my despair into a dance —
you stripped me of my death shroud
and clothed me with joy.

Psalm 30:11

A few times a month, I attend a Taize service at a nearby church on Thursday evenings. It involves singing of chants from Taize, France, a scripture reading, prayer concerns from those present, and silence. It is simple and beautiful. Typically, 6-9 people come. And a few prayer concerns are shared.

This evening, just a few days before Christmas, I didn’t think there would be many people there. But the attendance was more than I expected. Then, in this season of joy and gratitude, I didn’t think that there would be many prayer concerns shared. Wrong again. There were may more than usual. I wondered about this.

Maybe since we are so close to Christmas, so close to celebrating the birth of Jesus, our expectations are heightened. Jesus is the one we associate with transformation, hope, and healing. Christmas is about celebrating that God is with us, offering us love and healing. So maybe we are more bold this time of year to express our need and our hopes and our dreams for ourselves, for the world, and for others.

At the beginning of Psalm 30, the writer tell us, “I praise you, O God, because you raised me up and kept my enemies from gloating over me. I cried to you for help, YHWH, my God, and you healed me. You brought me back from the realm of the dead, YHWH; you spared me from going down into the Pit.” Clearly the writer has seen some pretty dark times, desperate times. Yet at the end of the Psalm, the writer’s grief and fear and despair have turned into joy.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we see that event as the fulfillment of God’s promises. Jesus is the embodiment of all God wants for us. He is an agent of new life and hope, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. Maybe with Christmas so close, our hopes are heightened, and magic of the season emboldens us to expect marvelous things!

So this day, what are your prayer concerns? Who weighs on your heart? What are your needs, the needs of the world, the needs of those close to you? Consider speaking these things out loud, sharing them with a friend or family member, or writing them down. Then, with hope and joy, entrust them to God. Expect to be surprised by the God who transforms despair into a dance, and takes on flesh and blood as a vulnerable newborn in a bed of hay.

Prayer
This season is filled with songs, stories, and movies of magical transformation. These images reflect the great transformation introduced by God through Christ Jesus. Mourning into dancing. A death shroud into clothing of joy. With God, truly anything is possible. May we offer our hopes and dreams to God, this holy season, and expect to be surprised by joy. Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 25

The word of YHWH [Yahweh] Omnipotent was addressed to me as follows; “YHWH Omnipotent says this. The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth are to become gladness and happiness and days of joyful feasting for the House of Judah. But love the truth and justice.”
Zechariah 8: 18-19

The holidays are a time we associate with festivities that may involve a lot of eating. Magazines at the grocery check out feature ways to avoid gaining weight over the holidays. The stores feature all kinds of delectable delicacies that are generally only available this time of year. Candied fruit, finocchio, chestnuts, and other specialties are featured. I know at our house, we usually use more heavy whipping cream between Thanksgiving and Christmas than we do the other 11 months of the year combined! We associate festive celebrations with food. If there is a reason to rejoice, then there is a reason to eat!

In the scripture from Zechariah, we see this association of feasting and joy. Celebration is connected with feasting. At first the people observed a fast once a year. Then twice a year. The directive to fast 4 months of the year in the verse above is double the directive given just a chapter earlier in Zechariah. So much fasting, a ritual of mourning and repentance. The people evidently had a lot to be sorry for.

But the words of the prophet indicate that all that fasting is to be turned into joyful celebration and feasting. This is because the people have returned to God. They have taken up God’s way again. They are redeemed. They are practicing authentic justice and compassion. They have abandoned defrauding the socially vulnerable. They no longer plot harm to one another. They are to feast for 4 months of the year because they have become a new people.

In AA and other twelve step programs, there is a common saying, “Fake it ‘til you make it.” The idea is to stop drinking (or using) and not drink, even if your thinking and character have not yet been transformed by the twelve step process and lifestyle. As you try to become a better person by working the 12 steps, do the right thing , even though your heart is not in it, and it doesn’t come naturally (yet). Act right, do the right thing, and eventually it will feel right to you.

Maybe we can apply this to the message from Zechariah. This holiday season as we feast, maybe we can fake it until we make it. Maybe we can celebrate with joy that we are living God’s way, shown to us in Jesus. Maybe we can celebrate with joy that we are generous people. We often are this time of year. If now, why not all year? Maybe we can celebrate with joy that we have become more just and fair in society. Maybe we can celebrate with joy that we are more compassionate and understanding. Maybe we can celebrate with joy that we are not taking advantage of others in any way; that there are no victims of our choices. Maybe if we celebrate all of this with our feasting this season, it will become more real for us, and we will have cause for joy not only this month, or two months, or fourth months of the year, but all 12 months of the year!

So, this Christmas do your best to feast joyfully with gladness and happiness, loving truth and justice. May our feasting call forth the world of joy that Jesus came to inaugurate. Bon appetite and pass the whipped cream!

Prayer
Each and every day is a gift with potential and imminent opportunity; a cause for celebration. Sometimes we are too busy and too consumed with our agendas to see it. Feasting is a way to recognize the gift. To celebrate the potential. To enact the hope and joy God intends for us. May we nourish and feed that which fosters our connection with God and one another in truth and justice. Amen.