Thursday, December 25

Today’s Readings: Psalm 98; Isaiah 52:7-10; John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-4

There are many passages in the Bible that get a bad rap because of the way they have been used by some. Today’s passage from the Gospel of John is one of those passages. Some folks use the passage primarily as a weapon in the debate about Christology. Those who have a high Christology (i.e. those emphasize Jesus’ divinity) use it against those who have a low Christology (i.e. those who emphasize Jesus’ humanity). For me, to use the passage solely within the context of that debate would be a huge mistake! The way I experience the passage is that it invites us to think about the essence of Christ as being foundational in all of creation. This means that things like Christ’s compassion, love, mercy, justice, healing, and reconciliation permeate all aspects of creation. What a wonderful thought! Today – on this Christmas Day – I would invite you to think about the ways in which the essence of Christ is foundational in your life. May you have a Merry Christmas and may your life exude the essence of the Christ-child whom today we welcome. Til next time…

Wednesday, December 24

Today’s Readings: Psalm 96; Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:1-20; Titus 2:11-14

One of my favorite verses in all of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament is included in today’s reading from the book of Isaiah. That verse is Isaiah 9:6 which reads: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (NRSV). Why do I like that verse so much? I like it because it invites us to think of the expression of the Divine that we Christians know as Jesus in a variety of ways. One of my favorite ways of thinking about the Christ-child comes from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of that same verse. Peterson paraphrases the word “peace” as “wholeness”. His interpretation of the verse from The Message reads: “His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings” (emphasis added). I love that language because it suggests that one of the Christ-child’s purposes is to point us toward wholeness. I can think of no better descriptor of Jesus than that. This Christmas Eve I would invite you to think of your own descriptor(s) for this baby whose birth we have so eagerly awaited. Those descriptors will go a long way in determining the ways in which you relate to the Divine. Til next time…

Tuesday, December 23

Today’s Readings: Psalm 96; 1 Chronicles 16:19-27; John 5:30-47; Colossians 1:24-29; Psalm 48

One of the lines from today’s first Psalm really captured my attention. Psalm 96: 8-9 reads: “Bring gifts and celebrate; bow before the beauty of God; then to your knees-everyone worship” (The Message). That line helped me realize that while I’ve thought about gifts I need to get for the people in my life this holiday season – I haven’t thought much about what gift I should get God. And then it hit me what “gift” God might like. You see I have a second cousin who lives in Oregon that I haven’t talked with much since I came out fourteen years ago. In fact, I haven’t talked to her at all since I met my partner Mike back in 2001. When Mike and I had our wedding in 2003, we did send her an invitation; but the invitation was never acknowledged. The only time I hear from her these days is at Christmas. She always sends a card – and each year the card is addressed only to me. Every year I throw away her card out without opening it because I feel as if it is an offense to my family since she refuses to acknowledge Mike and my relationship. This year, however, I’ve decided to do something different. M gift to God will be extending a bit of the grace that God has given me to my second cousin. I’ll open her card and actually display it with the other cards I receive. In other words, I’ll break my usual pattern and bring a little less bitterness and animosity into the world this Christmas. That will be my gift to God. What will yours be? Til next time…

Monday, December 22

Today’s Readings: Psalm 75; 1 Chronicles 16:8-18; Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 3:7-13; Psalm 77

I had a very tight family growing up that spent as much time together as possible. Each of us led busy lives that took us in dozens of different directions, however, so we didn’t get to spend as much time together as we would have liked. My dad Bob worked 6 days a week at the post office and volunteered his time to serve on the local school board. My mom Freda was a homemaker who volunteered tons of hours in our church’s women’s groups; she also volunteered to serve on our city’s planning commission. My oldest brother Gene worked for the Air National Guard and volunteered on the local Search and Rescue chapter. My second brother Keith worked in a warehouse and served as a union shop steward. My sister Karen worked in the volunteer services division of a local hospital and volunteered in the Christian Education and music departments of her church. Because of our hectic schedules, we had to make the most of each opportunity we could find to hang out – and holidays were the only time we could count on to get every one together. As a result, they took on added importance. My mom had a habit of doing something that greatly annoyed one of my siblings. Whenever she would find someone who was going to be alone for the holidays, she would invite them over to enjoy the holiday with us. This drove one of my brothers insane. He felt like our family was losing what little time we had together since we would include “strangers”. One of my most memorable Christmases was the time we included Beth (a blind woman who had just moved into our community) and her five year old son in our holiday celebration. As I thought about my mom’s holiday practice this holiday season, I realized it was her own way of living into Jesus’ words from today’s passage from Matthew: “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…” (Matthew 25:35 from The Message). We often think of the acts that Jesus spoke of that were indicators of a rich spiritual life – the things we do for “the least of these” – as being part of on organized, missional effort (i.e. let’s go down with the church group and serve lunch at the soup kitchen, let’s be a part of the church’s service at the prison, etc). While those collective expressions of one’s faith are important contributions, my mom taught me that most often the opportunities we have to do for the least of these happen spontaneously within the context of our individual lives. Today, I would encourage you to be more aware of these opportunities as they spring up around you and make the most of them. Til next time…