As The Sun Sets On 2020
Good morning... As the sun sets on 2020, we see more clearly the single purpose for which we are born. With all of this year's chaos and clashing, death and disconnection, unrest and uncertainty, our single purpose rests firmly in focus. Henri Nouwen said it well in a post from this week. ****** Henri Nouwen DAILY MEDITATION | DECEMBER 29, 2020: Born to Reconcile If you dare to believe that you are beloved [...]
The Man And The Birds
Good morning... I happened upon this YouTube retelling of a story I remember from childhood. When Paul Harvey recorded these words in 1965, I was just two years old. Now listening again, I understand more deeply why Jesus was born into our world as a baby, just like you and me. It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of [...]
Earth Teach Me Quiet
Good morning... "I found it uncanny...after reading your devotional, this article was in the N.Y. Times..." she wrote after yesterday's post, My Prayers For The Church. "So obviously God is in tune with these thoughts and quietly teaching all of us... enjoy!" ****** Eriks Esenvalds: ‘Earth Teach Me Quiet’ Earlier this year, when singing together became just about the most dangerous thing you could do, Donald Nally, the magus behind the Crossing, our finest [...]
My Prayers For The Church
Good morning... "Merry Christmas," she wrote after yesterday's post, A Nifty Poem. "I love this poem. Our special retreat in Blue Ridge is like an outdoor church for me with a beautiful open field and surrounding woods. I love to take long quiet walks. I can listen to the Bobolink and his bird friends sing their songs and absorb God’s beauty. My 'Dome' are the trees and the glimpses of the mountain tops. [...]
A Nifty Poem
Good morning... The subject line in his email read, "A Nifty Poem." Opening the gift this Sunday morning after Christmas 2020, I was invited outside the box with God. "I've never seen that poem before," he wrote, "and yes it is quite appropriate for now. You know, we were talking about this recently, that I've gone to church my entire life. Rarely missing a Sunday - I mean - rarely - It's been [...]
Light Dawns In Our Darkness
Good morning... As I pulled out my phone's camera to snap a photo of the rising sun, I thought, "How do we response to the dawning of light?" We can't stop it or deny it or contain it for ourselves. We can only notice it. Admire it. Expect it. Reflect it. Appreciate it. Hope for it. Bask in it. Walk by it. Be warmed with it. Grow strong in the glow of light's [...]
Now We Never Walk Alone
Good morning... Emmanuel, God-with-us, is born anew today. God humbles himself to put on skin, to grow up with us, to walk beside us, to quietly guide us. Christ's footprint mirrors our footprint, wherever slushy, sloppy circumstances greet us at rise of sun. Day after day, night after night, God's experience gently mirrors our experience so we never walk alone. Ever. Never ever. Sometimes we catch a tangible glimpse of the ever presence [...]
Steve’s Birthday Surprise
Good morning... Fifty-eight years ago today, my husband Steve surprised his parents by arriving three weeks early. From the pulpit as a Presbyterian minister, his father was able to announce a double meaning at each Christmas Eve service, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given!" Fast forward to now. Do you remember that early in December I thoroughly enjoyed a pop-up Christmas shop in the home of my [...]
Are You Tired Too?
Good morning... Over the phone, she describes in detail her favorite painting of the newborn Jesus with his mom and dad. She notices the image as her guide for this unusual Christmas. She begins, "It's a dingy stable room instead of a soft warm space. The setting reminds me of the small, one room apartments we would encounter when we served in Uganda. Bare. Concrete. A few steps up to a metal door." [...]
I Just Feel Really Sad
Good morning... "Every year since we've been married, we've traveled to see our families," she said over the phone yesterday. "Today is the day we always leave, we head up north, we go to my parent's home to gather with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then we spend time with my husband's family. For the first time, we are not heading up there at all. My dad has no immune system and, [...]
Follow Tonight’s Christmas Star
Good morning... From a handful of people whom I love dearly, I was forwarded the following email over the past week. The Christmas Star appearing this year on December 21 is making news. It is amazing that this occurrence is in the year 2020. In the year when Jesus was born there was violence, chaos, political and social unrest. It was dark. The Magi found Him by way of the star which was [...]
Songs Of This Sacred Season
Good morning... Tonight Northside Church presents Christmas Candlelight Vespers 2020. Tune in from the comfort of your home on Sunday at 6:00PM. No registration required. This evening of Christmas choral music and carol arrangements will include a professional chamber choir joined by a string quartet, pianos, and organ. Our theme, "Christ’s Light, Eden’s Bloom,” will bring music of joy, comfort, hope, and encouragement as we celebrate this season of God’s love. Watch the [...]