Several years ago, at a different church in another city, we were talking about how to better include children in worship. This was a small congregation who knew and loved all the children present, and who had welcomed my own two young children and three older part-time daughters into their midst.
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” – Romans 13:8
Have you ever had an epiphany? We think of those as “aha!” moments, when something that was confusing suddenly becomes clear.
Children can be so delightfully refreshing.
An often overlooked character in the Christmas story is Joseph. We do not know much about him, and when Jesus was grown he is nowhere to be found.
Mary is dressed in a delicate blue veil kneeling before a manger filled with hay and a tiny baby. Joseph is standing faithfully nearby. Shepherds of all ages clad in bathrobes, towels and blankets escorting cuddly sheep – some human, some stuffed. Beautiful music surrounds all and the promise of joy and peace radiate from the scene. This is the beauty of so many Christmas pageants that I have witnessed over the years.
Well, the turkey has been demolished, the pies are gone, the dishes are all washed, and, though some of us may still feel full from our Thanksgiving feast, the church year has moved on. We have barely time for a breath and we find ourselves in the season of Advent.
It’s one of my favorite holidays, and it is already over for another year. There are no gifts to buy, no pressure – just family, food, football and fullness of gratitude.
We are quickly approaching what has been dubbed “The most wonderful time of the year.”
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
I had the wisdom to marry a good cook. He is the primary cook in the house (I’m the baker). The other night, he made clam chowder.
Like an army besieged on several fronts at the same time, the Christian church has often faced significant, simultaneous challenges in its centuries-long history. Today is no exception. The church of today is facing numerous serious challenges – not the least of which is the ongoing homosexual revolution that is bombarding our culture.
This summer I took a three-month sabbatical. During this time, I traveled across the country, making a silent retreat at a monastery in New Mexico, working in homeless shelters in San Francisco and developing my leadership skills at a conference in California.
Paul was writing to encourage and embolden Christians in their faith and hope in God. He wrote, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
