Thursday, December 4

Today’s Readings: Psalm 39; Hosea 5:15-6:10; Matthew 3:11-17; 2 Peter 3:11-18; Psalm 19

One of the many reasons I love the season of Advent is because the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament take a more prominent role in the life of our faith communities than they do at any other time of the year (except, perhaps, during the season of Lent leading up to Easter). I can never get enough of the words from the prophets, for they provide us with such a clear sense of what is really important. In today’s reading from Hosea, for instance, we are told that God says: “I’m after love that lasts, not more religion. I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings” (Hosea 6:6 from The Message). During this Advent season – when it is so easy to get so caught up in the practices and rituals of our faith that we forget why we do them in the first place – take time to ground yourself in the love and first-hand knowledge of God. And when you do find yourself in worship services where religious rituals are practiced during this Advent season (i.e. lighting of the Advent candles, Communion, singing of Advent hymns, etc.) stop and ask yourself, “Why are we doing this?” That simple question will help move you beyond the practice of empty religious ritual into the realm of transformative spiritual experience. Til next time…

Wednesday, December 3

Today’s Readings: Psalm 93; Hosea 5:1-14; Matthew 3:1-10; 2 Peter 3:1-10; Psalm 39

As someone who is an ENTJ on the Myers-Briggs personality indicator, I would have to say that patience is definitely not one of my strengths. I’m someone who likes to make things happen. And when I say that, the hidden implication is that I often make things happen on MY time schedule. Needless to say, today’s reading from 2 Peter is a huge challenge for me on at least two levels. First, the author’s words in verses 8-9 (“...with God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with God’s promise as some measure lateness”) remind me that my preferred time frame isn’t necessarily God’s preferred time frame. Second, the author challenges my need for control when he wrote in verse 10: “But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief”. While these words are a challenge to hear at any time during the year, they are especially difficult to hear during the Advent. That’s because many of us are overwhelmed with duties and obligations during the Christmas season. As a result, many of us have things planned down to the very last second (i.e. pick up my nephew's present at Toys R Us at 9:15 AM; meet my friend Kathy for coffee at 10:00 AM; get to the holiday luncheon at 11:45 AM...). If anything goes awry in our daily schedule, some of us can barely handle it. If that’s where you are this holiday season, remember today’s words from 2 Peter and start to let go of your stress and anxiety. For while you may prefer to operate under the illusion that you are in complete control of things, the truth is you aren’t. That humbling sense of awareness might be the best Christmas present you receive this season. Til next time…

Tuesday, December 2

Today’s Readings: Psalm 2; Hosea 4:11-16; Luke 21:29-36; 2 Peter 1:12-21; Psalm 14

As a member of the United Church of Christ, there is something that sets our congregational system apart from other congregational systems. That something has to do with the way we ordain our clergy. There are some congregational systems, for instance, that ask just two things of their candidates for ordained ministry: (1) they ask that the candidate articulate a sense of their call; and (2) they ask that the candidate receive proper training. That’s all that’s required in order for a person to be ordained. In the United Church of Christ, however, candidates for ordination are required to get something else beside those two things – they are required to find a faith community that will call them to serve before the individual can be ordained. Without a call to serve (translation: a job), a candidate cannot be ordained. And why do we ask that of our candidates? We ask that because our tradition tells us that the call we receive isn’t just a two-way street between God and the individual; our call should also be recognized by God’s other children as well. This notion of God’s work involving more than just two parties was picked up in today’s reading from 2 Peter where – in speaking of one of God’s ways of communicating with us – the author wrote: “The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart” (2 Peter 1:20 from The Message). Those words remind us that the essential elements of our faith are nearly always bigger than just ourselves. They involve others in the process. During this holiday season - when we might be tempted to keep our celebration to ourselves, I would invite you to look for opportunities to invite others in your experience. You might be surprised at how that invitation deepens your understanding of your own faith. Til next time…

Monday, December 1

Today’s Readings: Psalm 12; Hosea 4:1-10; Luke 21:20-28; 2 Peter 1:1-11; Psalm 53

One of my all-time favorite bumper stickers reads: “Stop Acting Like God – Start Acting Like Jesus”. That bumper sticker really nails our tendency to try to control things we have no control over. I was reminded of that bumper sticker by today’s second reading from Psalms. Psalm 53 begins by talking of God’s fervent attempt to find a decent person. Unfortunately, God is unable to locate one. In speaking of the people whom God bumps into during God’s quest, the psalmist describes them as “sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd”. That simple phrase calls to mind one of the greatest challenges we human beings face: the challenge to own up to our limitations. Whether we are trying to fix the world by electing the perfect candidate, finding the perfect financial advisor to give us complete security, or partnering with the perfect spouse to give us absolute personal fulfillment – we constantly face the temptation to try to play the role of Shepherd rather than sheep. Today, find some time to examine your approach toward life and look for areas where you have control issues. When you find an area of your life where you’re trying to maintain the façade of complete control, turn it over to the One who really can shepherd you through all things. Til next time…