2012 F irst A dvent P lymouth R eflections
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2012
F irst
A dvent
P lymouth
R eflections
Advent Anonymous
Advent. Is it a time of anticipation? Of waiting? Sometimes it seems
like we spend our lives waiting. As children, we can’t wait to grow up,
get our braces off, graduate, move out! Then we anticipate finding
our calling, our life’s work, our perfect partner, our soul mate. And
we plan! Weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, milestones. At
some point we wake to the finality of life and we add worry, dread,
fear and sorrow to our waiting. Aware we will have to
part from the people we love, that they will leave
us or we will leave them, we move through
our lives weighed down, heavy. As we yearn
for or lean away from the future, we all too
easily lose sight of the gift that is Now.
So we reach Advent. Advent is not so
much the days on the calendar but rather ‘a
call.’ A call for Coming into Being. An
invitation for us to ‘Be’. To step out of our
human heaviness and into the realm of
abundance. This day, open yourself to the
smells, the sounds, the feelings of each
moment. Savor each one. Embrace what
you encounter. Immerse yourself in all that
is this magical, dreadful, sorrowful, joyful,
wondrous instant. Be sad, be angry,
be grateful. Come. Be.
Sunday, December 2
Jeremiah 33:14-16 ● Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 ● Luke 21:25-36
FAITH
“The days are surely coming," proclaims Jeremiah for this first Sunday in Advent,
"when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel." What is it about
these words and those that follow that open such an ache of longing in our
hearts? It is as if the words themselves have a ticket to bypass all our defenses
and go straight to that place where our deepest yearning hides—a yearning that
believes itself safely concealed and protected.
This is odd. We work so hard to hide and protect our most profound
hope—that it is really possible that there be peace on earth, goodwill to all
people, a common-wealth of dignity and a table plentiful enough for all. It is not
that we do not work for it (we do). Rather, it is the risk of believing that it could
really happen that is so dangerous . . . dangerous because, in daring to believe,
we know how our heart will break to see just one starving child, never mind one
hundred million of them. Yet the days ARE surely coming, says the Lord.
This is the vulnerable strength and powerful weakness of Advent: promises
of love incarnate come to invite all humanity to transfigure into the image of
God.
The defenseless potency of an infant.
The breath-stopping hope of God’s will
burgeoning
beyond our hearts’ secret hiding places.
Born to set all people free.
Borne to invite us into being incarnations of God’s love.
Born to en-courage us to unlock
from the inside
the door to our deepest longing and let it
and us
walk
Prometheus-like
unbound.
George Anastos
Monday, December 3
Psalm 90 ● Numbers 17:1-11 ● 2 Peter 3:1-18
FAITH
I mentioned to an associate something about an event at First Plymouth once,
and this conversation ensued:
“How can you believe all that religion stuff?”
“What stuff?”
“You know, walking on water, rising from the dead, the existence of God.
You’re an intelligent person, and you know none of that can be proved. How
can you believe it?”
“Well, that’s why it’s called a faith. We have to take things on faith
sometimes that can’t be proven. Don’t you take some things on faith?”
“No. If it can’t be scientifically proven, Craig, I don’t believe it.”
“As a person of science, then, do you accept the fact that, as
astrophysicists tell us, the universe is expanding?”
“Sure.“
“Well, then, if the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is the universe trapped in some big balloon, and as it expands it
pushes the skin of the balloon out further? Or is it just expanding into some
void? Either way, how big is the space it is expanding into? Why is it empty?
Where did it come from? How did it get made? If it has no ending, how can
that be? Doesn’t everything have to have a beginning and an end?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know either. But, like you, I take it on faith that the universe is
expanding into something. There is probably an explanation, but perhaps
human brains are not capable of understanding it. I accept that there are
things I am incapable of understanding, things that no human can totally
understand. But I have faith that they are true.”
“Hmm, when you put it that way, it’s something to think about.”
“Yes, and thinking about it is one of the reasons I attend church.
I’mconstantly working to understand that which I will probably never
understand. Some call it a ‘faith journey.’ It isn’t necessarily an easy trip.”
Craig Eley
Tuesday, December 4
Psalm 90 ● 2 Samuel 7: 18-29 ● Revelation 22: 12-16
FAITH
Reading Psalm 90 reminded me of one of the most memorable experiences of
my college years, when Leonard Bernstein came to Portland and conducted the
performance of his Symphony No. 3, Kadish. This performance included the
Oregon Symphony, an enormous choir composed of the premier choirs from
colleges and universities throughout the state, and renowned soloists for the
narrator and solo vocalist. Not only was this one of the most powerful and
moving artistic expressions I have ever experienced, it was inspirational in
presenting a completely different attitude of how to be present in one’s
relationship with God. The Kadish is a prayer in which the person who is
praying, becomes angry with God, questioning why there is such disorder and
suffering in this world. It’s a one-sided dialog where the petitioner is in a true
relationship with his God, expressing a full range of emotions.
Psalm 90 speaks to the hardship of life. Like the Kadish, this Psalm begins
as a respectful petition, recognizing the infinite nature of God, then shifting into
a forceful challenge of the trials of Man’s brief existence, filled with “labor and
sorrow,” beset by God’s anger and wrath. Even at the end, the prayer is a
petition, asking God to teach us to be “glad according to the days Thou has
afflicted us and the years we have seen evil.” Not exactly a song of praise.
So much of what we experience in popular religion today seems to be
focused on “praise” or “thankfulness” to God for his many gifts or blessings in
our lives. To be honest, this is not my experience. We have all known the
darker side of life which is spoken of in Psalm 90: pain, loss, suffering, anger,
fear. These are experiences that stay with us, often burden us. These lessons
are powerful, lasting, provoking much more thought and energy than most
fleeting pleasures. I think that Faith is not about trusting in a God to take care
of us, but rather to trust in our potential, acknowledge that we have the
strength to confront hardships, and enrich our lives with those lessons.
Keith Conner
Faith is believing in God. Even though you
can’t see him, we still know he is real and
alive. Sometimes we go through hard thing
but we still have to believe that God will help
us through those hard things or times. Faith is
showing that you love God. Don’t be tempted
to do bad things that the devil tells you to do.
Always have faith in God.
Faith is being a Christian. If you don’t
believe in God your not a Christian. Even if
God doesn't answer your prayers or makes
you upset, never give up on him, he is going
to answer and help you. When your not a
Christian, don’t believe in God you are on the
devils side.
Avery Greenwood, Grade 5
Faith is believing and depending on God. If
you have faith you can be every time happy
if you want something when you have faith.
Faith to me is so so so good. Me Noeline I
have faith. When I do not have food, I pray
to God and God can give me food. God and
Jesus they Love’s us. When you do not Love
God him he Love’s you. Jesus said, Love one
another as he commanded us.
And he said do not steal. I love you how has
read about faith. And read the Bible you will
see other things.
Noeline Nantume
A First Plymouth family, the Greenwoods, is spending the year working with
children in Uganda. They asked some of their students, “What is faith?”
Here are their thoughts...
Faith is believing and depending
on God. And faith can heal you
when you are sick. Faith is good
because when we believe that Je-
sus is there it means faith is there
because Jesus is faithful too me. I
believe that faith is there. Faith is
being sure to what you believe in.
May God Bless You.
Maria, Grade 3
Faith is like believing in some one. I belive in
faith because it is beliving.
Faith is good.
I love faith in my heart.
I have faith in my heart.
I love to hear God’s words.
I love to be faithfulness.
I love to hear faith in me.
Faith is love to me.
Faith is good to my life.
I love faith.
Lynus Tumwiine
To me faith is hard because it’s believing and
depending on God. But you really need faith
so God can give you anything. So I have to
believe in faith so god can give me anything
I need. But you only get what you need by
having faith and praying. So try to get faith.
Henry Greenwood
Faith Faith Faith
What is faith?
Faith is believing and depending on God.
I love faith.
Faith is good.
I love faith is in my heart.
I love faith so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so so much.
Do you love faith.
God love faith.
Lord love faith.
Jesus love faith.
I love faith.
Doreen Naluggo
Faith is something like be
obey, trust in God like
believe in God. Knowing
that God is real even
though we can’t see him.
See also believe.
Faithful: able to be trusted
and counted on faithful is
like be obey. Faith is
believe in Jesus and trust in
him. Faith is being sure of
what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.
That is what the people of long ago were prayed for.
Isaac Sslmambo
A First Plymouth family, the Greenwoods, is spending the year working with
children in Uganda. They asked some of their students, “What is faith?”
Wednesday, December 5
Psalm 90 ● Isaiah 1:24-31 ● Luke 11:29-32
FAITH
William Wordsworth once said, “Faith is a passionate intuition.” It is
listening to that little voice that directs you to turn right instead of left,
call your mother, check on the kids, ask for help, don’t open the door,
give others some space, or introduce yourself to the person standing
alone in the corner. Faith is the knowledge that you are never alone,
even when all evidence points to the contrary. The advice and support
you will feel and hear with your heart will never be equaled, if only you
will quiet your mind and listen to the angel on your shoulder.
Ingrid Serio
Thursday, December 6
Luke 1:68-79 ● Malachi 3:5-12 ● Philippians 1:12-18a
FAITH
Voltaire states that, “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of
reason to believe.” Khalil Gibran clarifies Voltaire’s statement by saying that,
“Faith is a knowledge of the heart, beyond the reach of proof.” “Acts of the heart
take us beyond (or beneath) everyday thoughts and feelings. They ground us in
the fundamentals of life-supplying us with direction, hope, and resilience,” says
Rolf Solvik, Yogi and PsyD.
I think of the story of Job when I think of faith. None of what happened to Job
makes sense in the logical mind. Job certainly never made “sense” of it. There are
so many things in our lives that don’t make sense. If we but open the eyes of our
hearts though, we will be able to see that all that has happened has happened
for the best, all that will happen will happen for the best says Dada Vaswani,
renowned philosopher, humanitarian, educator, and writer. He says that God has
a plan for every one of us, and there is a purpose in every little thing that
happens to us. The person of faith, therefore, rejoices in everything that happens
to her. One accepts everything as it comes, and moves on, ever onward, ever
forward.
Dr. Solvik states that, “The way each of us lives out our lives reflects the
nature of our faith.” This means our faith must be placed, not in mundane truths,
but deep-seated truth, a truth arising from the heart. Faith will continue to grow
and bloom if we learn to also direct our mind to that Truth (with a capital “T”).
Simply put, “Faith is seeing from the eyes of the heart declares Dada
Vaswani. The person of faith knows that he who surrenders to the Lord is
ALWAYS taken care of. The Lord provides where the Lord guides. And the Lord’s
ways are most mysterious.”
I invite you to use this affirmation each day: I trust the inner voice of my
heart where God speaks to me.
In closing I will leave you with an inscription that was found scratched into
a wall in Germany by someone hiding from Nazi concentration camps:
“I believe in the sun even when it is not shining, in love even when I am
alone, and in God even when He is silent.”
Lisa Bauman
Friday, December 7
Luke 1:68-79 ● Malachi 3:13-18 ● Philippians 1:18b-26
FAITH
I desperately want to have faith. Why can’t I have the faith of the prophets,
who waited patiently for hundreds of years for the birth of the Messiah? It
is said that Malachi prophesied 400-500 years before the birth of Christ.
Why can’t I have the faith of the apostles? At least they bore witness to his
works and miracles. What about St. Paul? He never saw Christ but had
unshakeable faith. Sometimes I think that I was born in the wrong
millennium. Maybe I was born at least two or three millennia too late. If
only I had been there to see Christ’s birth, or hear his preaching, or witness
his death and resurrection.
Faith would be so much easier.
I have been going to church almost weekly for my entire life. If God would
simply show himself to me, then I know that I would have faith. Too bad it
does not work that way. Because then it would not be faith. Faith is the
belief in something that cannot be proven.
Advent is a season that helps me to have faith. When I reflect upon the
words of the prophets who predicted Christ’s coming centuries before his
birth, or the suffering of the Israelites for centuries as they waited patiently
and sometimes not so patiently, or the birth of Jesus, and his works and
death, I know that something happened that cannot be explained or
proven by anything within the knowledge of man. As we gather to worship
at Advent I find comfort and strength that so many people across the
world have that faith which is so hard for me to find. If so many people,
across the continents and across the centuries, can have such faith, then it
gives me hope that maybe I can, too.
Jeff Villanueva
Saturday, December 8
Luke 1: 68-79 ● Malachi 4: 1-6 ● Luke 9: 1-6
FAITH
ad·vent - a coming into place, view or being; arrival
faith – fidere, to trust
When I was little, my parents explained that “Advent” meant “Waiting.”
To little me, that obviously meant “waiting” for Christmas. And it was worth waiting
for! Our house was filled with love. Christmas morning everyone got to stay in their
pjs and open presents and eat oranges in the living room! Often there would be
extended family in town and that just made everything even more special. My
understanding of “Advent” was all about having to “Wait” for something really
wonderful.
In reading the scriptures for today, I’m reminded that “Advent” is about a lot
more than Christmas.
I’m a New Testament kind of person. I’m humbled and proud of our Old
Testament roots, our foundation. But I read the passage from Malachi and it’s all
about Fear. Rough translation: “Repent now or God destroys you and everything you
know.” It’s threatening, it’s violent, it’s (in my opinion) Barbaric. It was widely
accepted as the norm back in “Biblical Times.” I’ve never had to live in constant Fear,
so I can’t fathom it. Yet people do live with that, and from what I understand, the
reason they can is “Faith.” They trust that things will be better, somehow, some day.
Then I read the passages from Luke. They’re all about Hope. Luke speaks of
people “…serving Him without fear.” Of “…the tender mercy of our God.” Of
Someone who will “…guide our feet unto the way of Peace.” I read Luke 1:9 where he
speaks of “…going out and healing everywhere.” It never occurred to me before;
could those early Christians have been helping heal others from Fear by giving them
something to look forward to? They had experienced Mercy, Understanding, Peace
and Compassion in this person “Jesus.” How could they possibly go back to living as
they did before he entered their lives? How could they not share with others that
Hope, that “Light” and that Joy? How could they not soothe by declaring a Faith
that things would improve and “Fear” could be a thing of the past?
We are the modern-day word-spreaders. “Christmas” is about a world that can
have Hope, that can work together for Peace, that can share Love with everyone,
because we’ve been given the ultimate role model. And that is something worth
waiting for.
Heidi Thomas
Sunday, December 9
Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4 ● Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11 ● Luke 3:1-6
HOPE
Philippians 1:3-11
“1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 1:4 constantly praying with joy in
every one of my prayers for all of you, 1:5 because of your sharing in the gospel
from the first day until now.
1:6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will
bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
1:7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in
your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
1:8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ
Jesus.
1:9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with
knowledge and full insight 1:10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in
the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless 1:11 having produced the
harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise
of God.”
Paul’s message to the people in the church at Philippi echoes the sentiment
I hold for loved ones who are far away. I thank God for each loved one with joy in
my heart for times we’ve spent together. When you and I have the further bond of
shared faith with loved ones, we hope that the good work of the Holy Spirit in
each dear person’s life continues. Think of loved ones you pray for with joy. As you
do, you’ll remember shared times. Memories might include spirit-filled worship
and communion, laughter in Sunday School class, and swapping stories. Your
mind may include the sorrows shared with loved ones, when life brought us to
tears, when our family in Christ held us and helped us. My memories include
efforts working together learning about and living our faith and when we grew
more deeply in love with God and His world. La Foret, church, mission locations all
spring to my mind, as I thank God for those I love who’ve shared these places with
in the past. All these memories swirl in my thoughts as I pray for those who are
not with me now. Physically separated, but connected in our common bonds from
living our faith together, you and I can pray with joy for those we miss.
Continued on page 14
We long for people we love who are not here. We miss them and
the interactions we had with them. Just being with them would be nice.
Hope sustains me, when I feel the separation. We share a common con-
nection through the gospel. This good news tells us we’ll be together
again at time’s end, because of our redemption to God through Christ’s
sacrifice and resurrection. We hope in this ultimate salvation. Christ tells
us we’ll be together again at the end, even if we’re not now. So, as we
long for the loved ones we’re missing, we hope and trust in the promise
of the Easter message.
Our yearning for loved ones who are not with us is only partly qui-
eted by our hope for eternal life together. Now is where we live. We’re all
in the middle of our journeys now. Planted in the different places, each of
us is striving to flourish as best we can where we are. Life offers many
thorny challenges and temptations to God’s people. Living brings trou-
bles and sometimes people fail to thrive, so we understand Paul’s prayer
that abundant love and insight grace the Philippians he’s missing. Like
Paul, we pray hopefully that our loved ones will follow God’s ways to be
as “pure and blameless” as possible. We pray they have abundant love.
We hope and pray that the fruits of their labors will bring an abundant
harvest. In the spirit of our shared faith, we hope they’ll continue to find
refreshment and guidance in Christ for the glory of God. Whether to-
gether or apart, we’re here for God’s praise and glory now. So, even as
we remember and pray for those we miss, we joyfully give thanks for
them and hope their life with Christ continues. We love them and cherish
our ties to them, as we hope expectantly to see them in the future.
Beth Baker Owen
Monday, December 10
Psalm 126 ● Isaiah 40:1-11 ● Romans 8:22-25
HOPE
After reading these passages, I reflected on how “Hope” is trivialized in
our conversation. How often do I say, “ I hope the weather is nice
tomorrow,” or “I hope the traffic isn’t too bad on Colorado Boulevard,” or
“I hope our grandkids win their soccer games on Saturday.” These are
more wishful thinking than the “hope” of the Psalmist, Isaiah and Paul, or
the “hope” that we consider in this Advent season, or the hope that
sustains me in my daily living and in times of tragedy and grief.
That hope for me is more like Paul’s hope for things unseen. It is the
hope that God is with me and informs my choices and the paths I take. It
is the hope that God will sustain me in times of adversity. Sometimes my
hope has been self-centered: that a biopsy would come back negative;
that a surgical procedure would be relatively painless. Sometimes it has
been directed to others: that my uncle’s pancreatic cancer could be cured;
that my son would find comfort after the death of his wife. Sometimes my
hope is for the world, and it is often reflected in our prayers on Sundays:
that famine could be alleviated; that those who are suffering could be
comforted; that there could be peace on earth.
Without hope, there is cynicism and despair. But these passages are
the opposite. They speak of hope: the celebration of the return to Zion
and prayer for fertile land; the familiar verses of Isaiah, read and sung in
the Christmas season--the words of comfort and relief from hard times
and the message of hope for the coming of the Lord; there are Paul’s
poetic words as he speaks of the hope that saves us and of our sure hope
of God’s love and redemption. This is hope for Advent and for all seasons.
Susie Wrenn
Tuesday, December 11
Psalm 126 ● Romans 8:22-25
Philippians 1:3-11 ● 2 Peter 1:2-15
HOPE
Hope, as defined by Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is desire with the
expectation of obtainment and to expect with confidence. A few synonyms
listed for hope include: ambition, anticipation, aspiration, confidence, desire,
expectancy, fortune, optimism, reward and security.
The passage in Philippians 1:3-11 stands out to me in that Paul prays
(and hopes) that the love of Philippians may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight, so that they may be able to discern what is
best and pure and blameless until the day of Christ… It’s his powerful yet
gentle hope for others, but for me also is a prayer of hope to be adopted
individually and personally.
A curious thing about hope to me is that it’s a subtle yet powerful force
that has certain properties. At its essence, it is a personal or individual feeling,
even if shared by many. Even if many have the same hope for a similar
outcome, they can only truly pursue it together individually. Similarly,
someone can be the provider of hope; however, it must be received to truly be
realized.
More personally, per the scripture above, I too embrace Paul’s prayer
and hope to grow in love and knowledge, to be a better person and make
better decisions, personally, professionally and spiritually. However it’s only
through a personal assessment and reflection highlighted by times such as the
Advent season that helps us reflect on where we are now and to consider
where we hope to someday be. I hope to be a better individual, but not only
for my benefit, but also for that of my children, my family, my co-workers,
fellow Christians and everyone I come in contact with. This to me really is in
large measure what being a Christian in fact is – confidently hoping to make
myself and then maybe, hopefully, the world a better place.
Steve Calhoun
Wednesday, December 12
Psalm 126 ● Isaiah 35:3-7 ● Luke 7:18-30
HOPE
There are so many things that I am hopeful about every day. I hope
that our First Plymouth community continues to grow, and that our
message of universal acceptance continues to fall on receptive ears. I
hope that we continue to support every food drive, clothing drive,
school supply drive, etc. that we can take on and make prosperous. I
hope that my family stays healthy and that nothing bad happens to
anyone that I care about. I hope that the job market and the
economy turn around for good and that the relentless yolk of worry
and despair that many of our community live with every day is eased.
I hope that people stop using their version of God as a weapon
against those who believe differently than they do. I hope that the
needs of the many take precedence
over the wants of a few. I hope that
“...the blind receive their sight, the
lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised up,
and the poor have good news
preached to them...” (Luke 7:22). I
hope that God continues to speak
and that we continue to choose to
hear what God has to say. The Birth
of Christ… Within Ourselves.
Jason Spillman
Thursday, December 13
Isaiah 12:2-6 ● Amos 6:1-8 ● 2 Corinthians 8:1
HOPE
One of the most often quoted sections of the Bible is found in 1 Corinthians 13:13.
“And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is
love.” Oh, Really!
This is from a letter of Paul’s. He goes on to define two of these concepts.
“Love” is said to be kind, patient, never ending, etc. But, also, “… believes all
things, hopes all things …” ‘Love’ then, is defined by ‘hope.’ “Faith” is said to be
“the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (maybe not
actually by Paul, but certainly by a member of his posse). ‘Faith’ then, is also
defined by ‘hope’. So, why is ‘love’ the greatest?
Hope is nothing more than the reason to live. In the absence of hope there
is despair. The glass will not be half full. It will be half empty. In the field of human
existence, despair is the glazed donut. It slows you down and puts you to sleep.
Hope, however, is the five hour energy drink. People don’t do anything motivated
by despair. They can do anything with a shot of hope. It’s probably true that fear
can also get a person to do a lot. But fear’s motivation does not last very long. The
hope for a better performance motivates the athlete and the musician. The hope
of juicy tomatoes and a huge watermelon fuels the gardener. The hope of a better
world powers the U.N., the Red Cross, the public library and Obamacare.
It is the human tendency to hope for the better result, the just
determination, the improvement of all mankind from which Christianity draws its
appeal. Christ, in his human form, performed selected acts of charity and
kindness. His goal however, was the inauguration of God’s kingdom on Earth.
That is “hope” swinging for the fences. But what a motivation it was. This hope
drove him to travel relentlessly for three years as an itinerant preacher and suffer
torture and death. Yet that “hope” inspired effort generated a following of
millions, for 20 centuries, the preeminent source for brotherhood between
humans, the purpose for human life and the gradual but inevitable arrival of God’s
kingdom on Earth.
And now faith, hope and love abide; those three and the greatest of these is
[love? I don’t think so] HOPE!
David Kroll
Friday, December 14
Isaiah 12:2-6 ● Amos 6:1-8● 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
HOPE
“Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things unseen.” (Hebrews 11: 1)
Faith is certainty that our hopes will manifest themselves. That they will
appear. That somehow - independent from our own agency - they will
come into being. Their invisible nature gives the illusory impression that
they are remote from our bodies, our souls, and our actions.
As I write this reflection, our nation scrutinizes its presidential
candidates, hoping to find its own hopes reflected in speeches,
campaign platforms, and promises of change – hoping our next leader
will make our dreams reality. But, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “WE
must be the change we wish to see in the world.”
During the season of Advent, we find hope in the coming of a
messiah – a savior. And, although I support our nation’s separation of
church and State, I cannot ignore the words, “The government shall be
upon his shoulders.” This line reminds me not of Christ’s birth, however,
but rather of the last supper. Knowing his time on Earth was drawing to
a close, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: “Just as I have
loved you, you are to love one
another.” (John 13:34) Here, Jesus bestows
upon us the power that he, himself,
possesses to change and improve the
world.
Just as we have faith in Jesus, Jesus
has faith in us.
So, as we anticipate the coming of
our savior, we have not only the birth of
Christ in a humble stable, but also the
birth of Christ within ourselves, to
celebrate!
Erin Conner
Saturday, December 15
Psalm 126 ● Isaiah 35:3-7 ● Luke 7:18-30
To plow under a field is to do two things. Foremost, it is an act of preparation;
plowing under enriches the soil for a new crop, returning nutrients to the soil
in anticipation of what comes next. But it is also a recognition of and re-
imagining of the past, turning yesterday's remnants into tomorrow's bounty.
Advent is a plowing-under. The first season of the Christian year, it takes
the accumulated experiences and insights of the last year--the good and the
bad, the fruitful and the barren--and it turns them down into the earth, where
they will rest for a while in darkness. We often say that Advent is a season of
renewal and anticipation, but that is not strong enough. Advent is a season of
recycling the past into the future. Advent is almost like composting: it makes
the old new again.
Amos 9:11-15 is about this cycle. Like so many other texts in the Hebrew
Bible, this passage from Amos is about how the past turns into the future. Old
and ruined cities become newly rebuilt ones. The one who plows overcomes
the one who reaps, and the mountains drip sweet wine. Amos wrote in a time
of destruction, but he understood that the past gives birth to the future, and
that all things are made new again.
In our culture, Advent and Christmas are almost the capstone of the year,
not the beginning. This is partly because of the calendar, where December is
the finish line and not the starting point. And this is partly because Christmas
does double duty as the High Holy Day of our consumerist culture. Rarely does
one approach Advent, December, and Christmas as a starting point. It feels like
something to be endured, not embraced.
But today, think of Advent like the plowing-under of a field. Think of the
joys and triumphs of your life since the last Advent, and think also of the
failures and sorrows. Think of whatever destruction or construction has taken
place in your year. And then plow it under. Make it compost for whatever
comes next. Make it fodder for your renewal. Make your yesterdays the
substrate for how the Spirit will visit you next, and how God will produce
growth in your life come spring. And like the prophet Amos, dream--no,
proclaim--the fertile season to come.
Eric Smith
Sunday, December 16
Zephaniah 3:14-20 ● Isaiah 12:2-6
Philippians 4-7 ● Luke 3:7-16
JOY
As Christmas Day approaches, what a wonderful theme to reflect on—
JOY! With thoughts of Baby Jesus’ birth and God coming to earth to
dwell with us, how can we not feel the joy of this season? Of course, it is
easy to get “bogged down” with the seasonal activities (shopping, cards,
parties, decorating, etc.) –so many things to do! The joy that our hearts
search for can easily be lost in the daily “stuff” that fills our schedules
during the Christmas season.
My experience over the years has led to the realization that much of
my Christmas joy comes from music and singing. “Joy to the World! The
Lord is come; let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him
room, And heaven and nature sing!” When Isaac Watts wrote this hymn
in 1719, he surely conveyed the joyous feelings in praise of our Lord’s
coming. He based the hymn on Psalm 98, vs. 4: “Make a joyful noise to
the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!”
Whether your joy comes from singing or playing an instrument or
listening to the Christmas carols and sacred selections, let us all seek to
share the miracle of Christmas, its comfort and joy.
All of us carry in our hearts memories and traditions that bring us
meaning and joy. I especially remember the fun our family had each year
while trimming the tree and listening to “Christmas is Coming” by John
Denver and the Muppets! Other favorite carols in my memory bank
include “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” “Love Came Down at Christmas,”
“On Christmas Night All Christians Sing,” and “In The Bleak Midwinter.”
This advent season take a moment with your family to share the songs
that bring you joy.
The lectionary passage for this day seems to echo the sentiment of
singing for joy: “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously, let
this be known in all the earth. Shout and sing for joy!” Isaiah 12, vs. 5&6.
Kristi Zimmerman
Joy is defined by Webster as a state of happiness or felicity: bliss. It is a
most profound emotion and one in which we Christians exist on a daily
basis. But, the world and all of its perils, pitfalls, and distractions can cause
us to slip out of our state of joy. The world seems to be spinning faster
and faster causing us to move away from our center with God and slip to
the edges of existence. When this happens to me, I can pull myself back
to my state of bliss by being with my children and grandchildren.
Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of
the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children
of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall
not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
I have been blessed with six, soon to be seven, grandchildren. I am “Gaga”
to them and gaga over them. They look at me with adoring eyes and to
them I can do no wrong. This joy, this love reminds me of how God loves
us. He gave his only Son for us to cleanse our sins, to allow us to remain
in communion with Him. I try to imagine the perfect love God has for us
to give his only Son up, to know his Son, as a mortal man, suffered for us.
God must weep when we move out of our center with Him, and turn away
from His greatest gift to us, HIS SON.
Each and every day, I talk with my children and grandchildren and
am reminded of the gifts I have been given. Joy is mine when I look at my
children and grandchildren and see the light of God’s love shining at me. I
am so blessed knowing the love of God through His Son and can only
imagine the joy of looking at that ultimate light with adoration shining
from my eyes!
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow
due to change.
Teena Brenkendorff
Monday, December 17
Isaiah 11:1-9 ● Numbers 16:1-19 ● Hebrews 13:7-17
JOY
What is joy? Joy is what you make of it. It can be anything. You make
your own joy. Others can’t make it for you. They can push you in the
direction of being joyous, but you have to take that last step and
decide for yourself to be joyous. It can be the leaves on the trees. It
can be the wind in the air. Joy is life and what you make of it. It’s all
about your perspectives on the things in life. Don’t wait for someone
to provide it for you! Grab it for yourself, and only then will your life
be truly joyous.
Michael Serio
Tuesday, December 18
Isaiah 11:1-9 ● Numbers 16:20-35 ● Acts 28:23-31
JOY
What is JOY? One definition explains joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being,”
“an intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness.” When we experience
joy, it is not just feeling happy. It is being so happy we can’t contain ourselves.
We feel like singing, dancing, smiling, laughing, jumping for joy! In moments of
joy, we let go of the cares, stresses, struggles of our daily lives, releasing to a
feeling of optimism, harmony, and clear-headedness that refreshes and renews
our spirits.
God wants us to be filled with joy. The beauties and surprises of our natural
world are precious gifts from our Creator that bring us joy. The special people in
our lives are God’s blessings reminding us that we are not alone and that we can
find a deeply satisfying joy in connecting to one another through God’s love. The
Advent season brings “good news of great joy” as we celebrate the birth of our
Savior, Jesus, freeing us from sin and promising us new life.
In our eagerness to experience joy during the Christmas season, we are
often led astray thinking that we can create joy with a frenzy of gift buying, gift
wrapping, gift sending, cookie baking, party giving, tree trimming, and an
endless list of “shoulds.” This Advent, remind yourself that joy is not something
you can make but it is the gift we receive when we choose to be contented,
loving, peaceful, calm, festive, spiritual and emotionally connected to the
important people in our lives and the natural world around us.
If, as Herod, we fill our lives with things, and again with things; if we consider
ourselves so unimportant that we must fill every moment of our lives with
action, when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey across the
desert as did the Magi? Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds? Or
brood over the coming of the child as did Mary? For each one of us, there is a
desert to travel, a star to discover and a being within ourselves to bring life.
Author Unknown
May you experience a wellspring of JOY this Christmas. It is God’s gift to us all.
Pam Schmidt
Wednesday, December 19
Isaiah 11:1-9 ● Micah 4:8-13 ● Luke 7:31-35
JOY
The biblical meaning of “joy” is more than “happiness” or “delight.”
Christian joy comes because of our relationship with God.
Randy and I were fortunate enough to spend nine days on safari,
in three different locations in Tanzania and Kenya this past year. You
can imagine the joy we felt realizing we were watching God’s creation
as it was meant to be! Literally feet away from us, several animal
species would co-exist with one another without animosity or
judgment. Although they didn’t interact with each other, they would
call out to warn of danger. I couldn’t help but think how far we have
gone astray as human beings.
As much as we were in awe of the wildlife, the unexpected gifts
were the people that we spent time with on each leg of our journey.
These wonderful East African people shared their knowledge with us
as well as their life stories, their dreams and details of their families.
We would become fast friends. At the end of each safari, my heart
would burst with joy at having had the chance of new friendships and
to see the world in a different light.
I can’t help but wonder if I would have
experienced these gifts with the same
joy had I not accepted Jesus as my
Savior.
Charron Fuerenstein
Thursday, December 20
Psalm 80:1-7 ● Jeremiah 31:31-34 ● Hebrews 10:10-18
JOY
The joy of the Christmas is expressed as excitement. I always feel
excitement during this season, I feel it in my stomach, it spreads
throughout my body and touches my soul. It’s truly a burst of joy!
People are more truthful at this time of year, letting their
excitement show. Often we don’t want others to know how we’re
feeling, but at Christmas we show our joy. In these days right before
Christmas we can express our joy by being who we really are, another
child of God, just like Jesus.
Celebrating the birth of Christ reminds us we all share a
common gift, we share the gift of life.
Conner Coleman
Friday, December 21
Psalm 80:1-7 ● Isaiah 42:10-18 ● Hebrews 10:32-39
JOY
Winter Solstice 4:12 AM MST
And as the sun rises, the day stretches, joyfully shaking off the
slumber of her longer, darker nights, opening her arms to embrace
the joy of longer brighter days; the celebration of birth and rebirth
and rebirth of faith, hope, joy and love bursting forth in every breath;
this day filled with laughter as the darkness slides away and light fills
every heart, every
tiny hope.
Longer days begin today; holidays are packed with “must dos,”
“must sees,” “must buys.” And yet, and yet let us take time to curl up
in this day with our simple “must bes;” those times we set aside to
simply be with our thoughts, with those we love, with our authentic
joys of this day and all days to come – may we celebrate the simple
and magnificent joy
of being.
Bubba Stevenson
Saturday, December 22
Psalm 80:1-7 ● Isaiah 66:7-11 ● Luke 13:31-35
JOY
Over the course of my short, young life so far, I’ve learned a great deal
about joy. Mainly, I’ve learned that the things that will bring you joy will
change as you experience more of life, meet new people, grow in maturity,
etc. I’ve seen this to be especially true around the holidays. When you’re
just an infant, the fact that you are able to eat and sleep whenever will
pretty much meet your “joyful expectations” for the season. When you’re a
toddler, the majority of it comes from running around the sanctuary
during the Christmas Eve service, ensuring you are not obligated to sit
through an entire service next to your still, quiet parents – that’s boring.
From the ages 6 to about 13 years old, every single bit of joy will come
from the treasure sitting under that glistening tree in your living room.
After that, people start to take their own paths. Maybe they only continue
to care about the gifts they receive from others. Maybe they only find joy
when sitting alone in a chapel on Christmas morning, watching the sun
beam in through the stain glass windows. And yet, as accurately as I’ve
attempted to describe how I’ve seen joy in others over the years, I failed to
mention that my joy pattern in life went nothing like that. I remember that
as a toddler, my joy came from the chocolate-covered jelly sticks that
always magically appeared in my stocking every year. I remember that
during the years I was in children’s choir, my holiday joy came from sitting
on the sanctuary steps, bossily shushing the talkative kids behind me
during the whole service. I felt like a crucial part of keeping our Christmas
Eve service chatty children-free. I remember that from 6-9 years old, my
joy came from lighting the advent candle as much as I could volunteer
myself. And lastly, I remember that my stage of only wanting presents
didn’t last long; I was only about 10 when I realized I longed much more to
see people’s faces when I gave them gifts. I say “lastly” because that’s
where my joy has come from ever since, giving people gifts.
We all have different ways we receive joy during the holiday season.
I ask that you try to remember where your joy might have come from
through different stages in your life. I ask that you remember what makes
you happy in the current stage, and do it. Do it as often as you can,
because you never know when you will find joy somewhere else.
Trinity Thomas
Sunday, December 23
Micah 5:2-5a ● Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7
Hebrews 10:5-10 ● Luke 1:39-45 (45-55)
LOVE
We are days away from celebrating the birth of Jesus, a human being
sent to us by God to be a living example of our creator’s
unconditional and endless love for each and every one of us. This is a
beautiful time of the year where I admit you can see a lot of the
world’s greed — simply turn on your tv and watch all the ads for the
new gadgets that just happen to come out right before Christmas —
but you can also see a lot of the world’s love. You see people
volunteering at enormous rates, giving money and gifts to strangers,
and more than anything, people giving of themselves out of the love
they were given by our creator. When I see random acts of kindness
and love, especially during this time of the year, I am reminded of a
quote by Mother Teresa: “Like Jesus, we belong to the whole world,
living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our
strength.” Most of the time I feel that we, including myself, are selfish
with our love; coveting it, afraid we might run out. When I have
moments where I find myself coveting the love and compassion
within me, I remind myself that they are gifts to me from God — that I
am not called to hold on to, but gifts that I have a responsibility to
give to others. God gave us Jesus so that we might better understand
the love she has for us, so that in that understanding we might be
inspired to know that the love we have within ourselves is not for us
to keep, but for us to give. We don’t belong to ourselves; instead we
belong to God, which means we belong to the world. This includes
everything that we have, especially our love. I pray that we are all
inspired during this Advent season to recognize the love that we each
have within us, and that we choose to continually bless the world with
it, even beyond this time of celebration.
Maddie Allsup
Monday, December 24
Christmas Eve
Isaiah 9:2-7 ● Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14 ● Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
LOVE
Christmas Traditions from our Sunday School children.
Sean Buckley (5th grade): A week before Christmas Day, my uncle
comes from L.A. to visit and spend time with us, and on Christmas Eve
we go to a family member’s house and we have a Christmas Eve
party. Seeing my cousin Ben is great – I only see him once a year. We
usually have Monkey Bread for Christmas Day breakfast – it’s glazed
and it’s really good but really messy. And we have a stocking for our
cat.
Cameron Calhoun (2nd grade): We open presents, and spend time
with our family. We hang up stockings and have a Christmas tree.
Leann Luttkus (2nd grade): We make cookies and leave them for
Santa, and on Christmas Day we open presents and then family
comes over and we have a big meal.
Benjamin Asphaug (3rd grade): On Christmas Eve my mom makes a
special curry, which is kind of like Indian, and it’s kind of liquidy meat
and vegetables. Sometimes it can be really spicy. And we have
Christmas Crackers. And on Christmas Day my aunt makes this corn
and bacon chowder, and it’s the best. And we make cookies for Dad
to eat. And we go to the forest to cut down a Christmas tree for my
room.
Jonathan Asphaug (5th grade): Usually we begin Christmas Eve by
everyone coming over and at night the kids read “The Night Before
Christmas” together. On Christmas morning we go down after
everybody’s awake, which takes a while because of me, and we open
our presents.
Isaac George (1st grade): We have a Christmas tree, and we
decorate it with lights and things, and we have stockings for me and
my sister, and sometimes we get presents in our stockings and other
presents. And last year I got a little polar bear my sister gave me from
India. And we leave cookies and milk for Santa.
Krista Luttkus (5th grade): Our tradition is that the day after
Thanksgiving we set up our tree, and it normally takes about a week
because we have so many ornaments – there’s about 500 of them!
On Christmas Eve we go to one of our grandmothers’ house, and on
Christmas Day the relatives from the other side of the family come –
so we each exchange presents at both places.
Stephanie Ramirez (2nd grade): We do a Christmas tree, and we
decorate it with lights. I go visit my Grandma.
We asked our Preschool children to tell us what they like best
about Christmas…
Emerson Barnes (4 years old): I get to jump in the leaves or the
snow.
Nora Chafee (5 years old): I like being an angel at church.
Bella Cole (5 years old): I like being together with my family.
Eli Decker-Smith (5 years old): My favorite thing is playing in the
snow.
Amos Decker-Smith (3 years old): I like looking at the Christmas
lights.
Natalie Falconetti (3 years old): Getting a unicorn for Christmas.
Julia Henkart (3 years old): Staying in our jammies all day.
Mason Mangiameli (3 years old): Building a snowman.
Brennan Pickett-Williams (4 years old): I like looking at the
Christmas lights on our tree.
Will Possehl (5 years old): Having Christmas dinner with my family.
Andrea Ramirez (4 years old): Getting together with all my cousins
and aunts and uncles.
First Plymouth wishes you a
blessed Advent season.
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