NOW WHAT?

Christmas is over.  Yeah, there are still a few family gatherings, but December 25 is behind us. 

The shepherds have returned to their flocks.

County basketball games are starting.

Kids are spending their gift cards.

The Wise Men are still following that star.

All those decorations have to be put away.

AND

Hallmark Christmas movies have moved into the rerun category and Winterfest movies begin next weekend.

Hopefully, you realize the above was written as sarcasm, but the question still remains:

CHRISTMAS IS OVER – NOW WHAT?

Now what?  I need a battery.

Christmas Eve service was almost over.  We were to take communion, pick up a candle, and turn it on when we began to sing Silent Night.  Everyone was in a circle around the sanctuary.  The lights were dimmed.  The music began:  Silent Night, Holy Night,…

  

MY CANDLE DID NOT WORK!  It would not turn on.  Yes, we use battery operated candles and I like that.  No smoke.  No candle wax dripping.  No fires when little Billy gets too close to Miss Mary’s scarf.   (Just an example.  Bill did not catch anything on fire.)

I looked around and there were a couple other people with the same problem – no light.  A friend, standing next to me, was in the same boat and we got the giggles.  A very solemn, respectful time and we were trying hard to giggle quietly.  It was then we opened up our candles.

Empty!  No batteries!  An usher realized the problem and brought replacement candles to us.  He gave one to a young lady and one to the giggling gentleman to my left.  HE ONLY BROUGHT TWO!  He ran out!  I was still a dark spot in a room softly glowing, with All Is Calm, All is Bright coming from the lips of everyone around the room. 

My sweet hubby (aka little Billy) held his candle out for me (aka Miss Mary) to hold with him.  A shared light.

Isn’t that what we are?  A shared light?

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

On our own, we are like the candle with no battery.  With the light of Jesus, we are His light so all can see.

I put batteries in and – by golly – LIGHT.

Just think.  If two small, AAA batteries will light a candle which can be seen across a sanctuary…

Just think.  If the human eye, according to various big thinkers, can see the light of a candle at a distance of 2.76 kilometers (1.7149844906 miles)….

Just think how far the LIGHT OF JESUS will carry --- 

Acts 13:47- from The Message:  Paul and Barnabas spoke to the Jews and ended with: 

It was required that God’s Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews.  But seeing that you want no part of it – you’ve made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life – the door is open to all the outsiders.  And we’re on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded when he said,

I’ve set you up as light to all nations.

You’ll proclaim salvation to the four winds and seven seas!

When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune.  All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God – they honored God’s Word by receiving that life.  And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region.

Don’t worry about those batteries --- The door is open.

Grab the Light of Jesus and proclaim away!!!

Advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

The Christian Advent season is the four Sundays preceding Christmas and either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  The advent wreath has four or five candles.  There are three purple candles, one pink candle on the wreath and some include a white candle in the middle.

                                    -----------------------C A N D L E-----------------------

ADVENT                    COLOR           NAME                        REPRESENTS

1st Sunday                  Purple              Prophecy                     Hope

2nd Sunday                 Purple              Bethlehem                   Love

3rd Sunday                  Pink                 Shepherd’s                  Joy

4th Sunday                  Purple              Angel’s                       Peace

Christmas Eve or

  Christmas Day          White              Christ                          Purity

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,

For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9

I cannot even begin to imagine what this will be like.  When I look back, there were days I just would have been thrilled if the kids could be in the same room without a battle.  When I look at today, I wonder what a world at peace would feel like.  Peace … Peace … Peace.

Peace … Peace … Peace.  Quietly say peace three times.  Slowly.  As if all anger is carried way.  All bitterness.  All hate.

Try it again, but this time close your eyes and take a deep breath, as you silently exhale the word peace. 

That is the feeling I wish was in our lives.  In our world.  A calm.  A quiet.  Peace.

The angels proclaimed peace:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:13-14

Jesus explained peace:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Peace did come to us that day.  Sadly, the world has not accepted this gift.  So how do we have peace?  We have peace IN Jesus.  There will be trouble.  But, our peace comes in how we handle that trouble.   We can hold on tightly to the trouble.  The anger.  The bitterness.  The hate.  OR --

We can take heart and know a little child will lead them and the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

Peace … Peace … Peace.  Quietly say peace three times.  Slowly.  As if all anger is carried way.  All bitterness.  All hate.

Try it again, but this time close your eyes and take a deep breath, as you silently exhale the word peace.  As the song says, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

THIS CHRISTMAS, MAY YOU FIND HOPE AND LOVE AND JOY AND PEACE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

The Christian Advent season is the four Sundays preceding Christmas and either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  The advent wreath has four or five candles.  There are three purple candles, one pink candle on the wreath and some include a white candle in the middle.

                                    -----------------------C A N D L E-----------------------

ADVENT                    COLOR           NAME                        REPRESENTS

1st Sunday                  Purple              Prophecy                     Hope

2nd Sunday                 Purple              Bethlehem                   Love

3rd Sunday                  Pink                 Shepherd’s                  Joy

4th Sunday                  Purple              Angel’s                       Peace

Christmas Eve or

  Christmas Day          White              Christ                          Purity

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed; “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for you.  Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

Luke 1:41-45

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord….”

JOY:  the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.  One dictionary described JOY as bliss and another used “warm fuzzies” as a synonym. 

I do not think warm fuzzies even comes within 2,198,742,831 miles of this JOY.  A JOY so great John the Baptist leapt while in the womb.  A JOY so great Elizabeth knew Mary was the “mother of my Lord.”  A JOY so great a heavenly host joined the angel proclaiming the birth to the shepherds.

This tiny baby, foretold in the scriptures, is the GOOD NEWS!  This tiny baby, born to a virgin, brought JOY to all.  Brought JOY!

As you celebrate Christmas, do it with JOY!  Do it with GREAT DELIGHT!  And HAPPINESS!  And ELATION!

(Jesus reading in the synagogue in Nazareth) The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: (For reference: Isaiah 61:1-2)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom

For the prisoners

And recovery of sight for the blind,

To release the oppressed,

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened to him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:17-21

GOOD NEWS!  FREEDOM!  RECOVERED SIGHT! RELEASE OF THE OPPRESSED!  SCRIPTURE FULFILLED!

If this does not fill you with JOY, then you are Mr. Scrooge and the Grinch all rolled up into one.  But remember – Mr. Scrooge bought the prize turkey and the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes.  That means there is still hope that you will be filled with JOY. 

Advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

The Christian Advent season is the four Sundays preceding Christmas and either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  The advent wreath has four or five candles.  There are three purple candles, one pink candle on the wreath and some include a white candle in the middle.

                                    -----------------------C A N D L E-----------------------

ADVENT                    COLOR           NAME                        REPRESENTS

1st Sunday                  Purple              Prophecy                     Hope

2nd Sunday                 Purple              Bethlehem                   Love

3rd Sunday                  Pink                 Shepherd’s                  Joy

4th Sunday                  Purple              Angel’s                       Peace

Christmas Eve or

  Christmas Day          White              Christ                          Purity

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

When I close my eyes and see the sweet baby Jesus, my lips curl into a smile.  A baby – a gift from our Heavenly Father to the world.  To me.  To you. 

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.  The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

Mark 15:37-39

Then I think how he died.  And, as much as we would like to, we cannot skip that part.  To skip the death, would make the gift useless. 

God loved – LOVES – us so much …..

I use clip art – a lot!  It takes time to search for just the right one.  I searched for the word LOVE.  And I found it!  It was pretty.  Lots of curves and swirls, with LOVE right in the middle.  It could be formatted to another color.  It was perfect.  Then I saw: Love in Graffiti.  Graffiti?  I would take a peek.  What could it hurt?

What could it hurt?  It did not hurt, it made me humble.  Looking at this picture, I remembered:  for unto us.  God did not send his Son for a few?  He did not send his Son only for our family and those people we like.  My goodness, he did not send him only for those that call themselves good and honest.  God sent his Son for everyone!  God sent his Son for me.  For you.  And for the person that painted the word love – on a wall – in graffiti. 

God’s love came to earth and opened the door to eternal life for US!

 Advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

The Christian Advent season is the four Sundays preceding Christmas and either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  The advent wreath has four or five candles.  There are three purple candles and one pink candle on the wreath and some include a white candle in the middle.

                                    -----------------------C A N D L E-----------------------

ADVENT                    COLOR           NAME                        REPRESENTS

1st Sunday                  Purple              Prophecy                     Hope

2nd Sunday                 Purple              Bethlehem                   Love

3rd Sunday                  Pink                 Shepherd’s                  Joy

4th Sunday                  Purple              Angel’s                       Peace

Christmas Eve or

  Christmas Day          White              Christ                          Purity

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD –

and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Isaiah 11:1-5

Isaiah’s words gave his people HOPE.

I do not have to cross my fingers or daydream or wish.  Instead I have confidence!  I know the words of Isaiah are true and give me hope.  This Branch (Jesus) is my hope.  He is wise and has understanding.  He is powerful and has knowledge.  He is righteous and faithful.  And the Spirit of the LORD rests on Him.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Psalm 62:5

Find rest  --  God alone  --  Hope from Him!  I don’t know about you, but I need the gift of hope, because I have no idea how today is going to end or how tomorrow is going to begin. 

I don’t know about you, but I need the gift of hope.  Without hope, I would just stay in bed and hide under the covers.

THANKSGIVING

6 DAYS TILL THANKSGIVING!  No way…it has to be more than that.  It … oh my, THANKSGIVING IS IN SIX DAYS!

THANKSGIVING – DID YOU KNOW?

No pumpkin pie – delay Thanksgiving:  In 1705, Colchester, Connecticut postponed Thanksgiving, for a week, until enough molasses could be found to make pumpkin pies.

Jingle Bells – wrong holiday:  We consider Jingle Bells a Christmas song.  Au contraire!  One Horse Open Sleigh, composed by Jame Pierpont in 1875, was originally a Thanksgiving song.

Touchdown:  Thanksgiving Day football is not a recent happening.  If you purchased your train ticket soon enough, you might have attended the game between Princeton and Yale which started this tradition in 1876.  This tradition quickly spread to high schools and colleges. 

Dinner is over, let’s shop:  The economy has long been a consideration when setting the date for Thanksgiving.  In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving would be moved one week earlier to lengthen the Christmas shopping season.  Many states did not comply, so a second proclamation, in 1942, declared the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.

Leftovers:  In 1954, an employee of Swanson & Sons made a slight miscalculation, which resulted in 260 tons of extra frozen food.  A salesman, always on the lookout for a way to increase his commission, suggested food on an aluminum tray.  An assembly line was formed and 5,000 trays were filled and marketed as TV Tray Dinners.  Are you ready?  They sold 10 million turkey TV tray dinners in their first full year of production. 

Set free:  A couple of Presidents could not resist the pleadings of their children and released the turkey presented to the White House.  George H. W. Bush was the first President to officially pardon a turkey.  In 1989, he announced, “The turkey has been granted a presidential pardon as of right now.”  Never fear.  The First Family does not go hungry.  Two turkeys are sent to the White House and the second one is invited inside to get warm.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is like all holidays.  It is a combination of history, traditions, and memories.  Above all, Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks.  Or maybe, just maybe, every day is a Thanks  Giving  day!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with THANKSGIVING and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

CUSTOMER SERVICE?  NOT!!

I have an old flip phone and it is usually in my purse – turned off.  I do not see the need to be connected 24/7.  Plus, we still have a land line.  I also have an iPad and I use it – a lot.  I have the Bible app and use that to prepare Sunday School lessons, access numerous versions quickly, and search for scriptures.  I read books on the Kindle app.  I use the map to find all those amazing back roads.  I take pictures.  I keep in touch through Facebook and Instagram.  Okay – Okay.  I play games on it.  My phone can stay in my purse, but my iPad ---

I have had two iPads.  Hubby uses my first one to send messages, check the weather, and listen to YouTube.  It will no longer update.  My current iPad, purchased in July of 2015, is developing issues so I decided to splurge and purchase a new one.

I called the Apple store – which is two hours, one way, from my home– to set up an appointment to buy a new iPad and get help to quickly set it up. 

“I am sorry we do not make appointments for purchases.”  You mean I have to drive two hours and it is first come first serve?  I thought that is why you made appointments.  “We do not make appointments for purchases.”  I told her I was going to hang up.

I contacted Apple Support and waited to be connected with the right department.  “I am sorry you were not helped and I will set you up an appointment.  They should be able to make sure it is set up correctly.”  Wait – did you say should?  “We never know how busy a store is going to be.”  Let me get this straight.  I am to drive two hours to an Apple Store, which makes appointments for repairs and even on how to use a device, to purchase a Pro iPad plus accessories and they should be able to help me.  So if they are really busy, they will sell me a device and then show me the door?  “I can make you an appointment and they should be able to help you, but we never know… and you can always call the help line.”  Honestly, I was polite through this whole conversation.  I then told the lady I was not going to drive two hours for a “should.”  I told her I was going to hang up.

I called Best Buy and they were very helpful.  As soon as I finish writing this, I will open my new iPad and, if I have any trouble, the nice man at Best Buy told me to call him. 

My husband’s dad managed a hardware store.  I wish I had met him, because I believe he was a wise man.  He said, “I am not doing the customer a favor by having the door open.  They are doing me a favor by coming in.”  That is customer service.  Apple has gotten so big they no longer care about the service part.  Best Buy has not forgotten the service part. 

This all got me to thinking?  When I need something, where do I get the best service?

EASY ANSWER:  From my God.  God is sooooo in the service business.  His store is stocked with every conceivable thing I might ever need.

“Good Morning, Mary.  What may I help you with?  Oh by the way, I was very proud of you yesterday.”

When?

“I was listening when you were talking with Apple and you actually stayed calm.  An Apple seems to cause humans to…  Back to you.  You must have remembered Proverbs 15:18.”

Oh, sure.. No I didn’t but I did stay calm.  Did you have something to do with that?

“At your service.  Calm can be found third shelf on the right.  You received calm before you even asked for it.  That was yesterday, what are you in need of today?”

I need…

“Of course you do.  I have this all ready for you.”

How did you…?  You know I often forget .. I make mistakes ..  I say …

“Now, now, my child.  My love for you, unlike your flip phone, is 24/7/365/lifetime!  Now see if I included everything you need.”

But there is so much and I only came to ask for one thing.  And you have given me mercy, grace, peace, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness, ---

“Keep digging.”

Of course.  I should have known.  This is exactly ….  Now I can ..  How can I ever …  How can I ever thank you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Yesterday was my birthday!  I love birthdays!  Birthdays mean I made it another year.  Birthdays mean I am special!  I am unique!  One of a kind!

And to that last one, many people say, “AMEN!”

As a kid, I got to pick what we had for supper.  I usually picked mom’s Swiss steak, cooked in gravy, and mashed potatoes.  It also meant waiting till my dad got home to open presents.  Dad was a trucker and he did try to make it home for our birthdays.  It might be selective memory, but I think he always made it.  (If one of my sisters reads this, do not tell me any different!  This is my memory and I want to keep it!)  Birthday presents consisted of one toy, a dress mom made, and a few small gifts.  Of course, a cake!

Then along came our children.  I would buy a paper table cloth (Remember those?  They we very inexpensive, especially if you could find one in the sale cart.), cut it up, and decorate the house.  The kids never knew what to expect.  One year, we took yarn and strung it through the whole house.  At intervals, we would put a gift.  Willie thought it was fun until he realized two people could string yarn where one person had trouble winding it back up.  (Getting it under and wrapped around the bed was a challenge.)  The next year was easier:  a scavenger hunt.  Once, Terri wanted to play Let’s Make a Deal for her birthday.  Which door would she pick?  Door 1, door 2 or door 3?  Would she keep that gift or trade for another?  Then there was the year she wanted one gift for each year, which required 12 gifts.  She did not see the humor in socks wrapped individually instead of in a pair.  Willie encountered a car full of balloons one year.  Ever tried to fill a car with balloons without them blowing out?  Darn that was fun!  And all the while, my reserved hubby would shake his head and wonder exactly how my mind came up with all this stuff.

Now?  Birthdays are a bit quieter.  Even the grandkids have outgrown crazy birthdays.  No more yarn.  No more guessing which door the best gift was hidden behind.  No more balloons in cars.  Sadly, no paper tablecloths cut apart and taped everywhere.  BUT, each birthday is still special!

Why?  Each birthday is a reminder that God is not done with me yet.  He has a world for me to enjoy.  God has doors for me to open.  He has gifts for me to find.  He wants me to pop those birthday balloons.

When your birthday comes around, remember –

You are special!

You are unique!

You are one of a kind!

and

GOD IS NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!

LIFE – INVOLVED or WATCHING?

I began the book, The Little Paris Bookshop:  A Novel, by Nina George, and quickly came across this passage:

I am about half way through the book, but my mind keeps going back to this quote.  The picture in my mind is of a person, shoulders drooping, head bent down, but their eyes are watching ---the eyes are watching others live.

The main character lost his true love.  She walked out of his life and then he received her letter…a letter he refused to read.  Instead, he “stayed in the background, a small figure in a painting, while life was played out in the foreground.”

And I want to shout at the man, “LIFE SUCKS SOMETIMES!  Read the letter instead of hiding it in a drawer.  For goodness sake, that unread letter might be hidden from your eyes, but it is a ball and chain keeping you from life.”

But then, the word “fear” entered the story.  Fear? 

“…for a chance to go back to the moment he’d decided not to read the letter. ……. Shame on you, Jean Perdu.  Shame on you for choosing fear. …. Never listen to fear!  Fear makes you stupid.”

Fear makes you miss adventures, joy, the wonders around you, love --- fear makes you miss life.  Fear makes you stay in the background.

AND THEN –

“It was as if he passed through a gate of fear and had realized to his surprise that behind it lay not a gaping chasm, but other doors, bright hallways and inviting rooms. 

Ah, now I see a person standing tall, head raised, and taking a step toward the bright hallways and inviting rooms.

“I’m scared!”  “Remember the feeling….it’ll be good to know how the fear feels and to go ahead and dance all the same.”

This leads to two questions:  Are you involved in life or watching from the background?  Is fear keeping you from life? 

I WONDER

• I wonder how the first person came up with tires. 
• I wonder who looked at a marshmallow, candy bar, and graham cracker and thought, “How would this taste if I put the marshmallow on a stick, held it over a fire, toasted it, and then stacked them all together?”
• I wonder who was hungry enough to take an egg, crack it, and decide it needed to be cooked before eating.
• I wonder why items were named car or ball or telephone or marbles.
• I wonder who mixed together the right ingredients to make my life better, when they invented bubbles.

Yup, I wonder a lot.  Life fascinates me.  I look around and I think:

• “Why is that single leaf still hanging on the tree?”
• “Why does mud feel so good when it squishes between my toes?”
• “How can silence be so peaceful sometimes and so brutal at other times?”
• “Why did God…”

And when I think these things out loud, my poor hubby answers, “How am I supposed to know?”

So many questions in our lives.  Some can be answered. 

• I am sure a botanist could easily explain why the last leaf is still there and shake their head wondering why I don’t understand such a simple theory. 
• Most children would look at me, with a how-dumb-are-you-stare, and say, “Because it is mud.”  And that would be the correct answer. 
• A new mother would tell me that silence is a gift after trying to comfort a crying baby.  A prisoner would tell me that silence is torture, because then they hear their thoughts and their memories and the silence confirms their bad choices.

Some cannot be answered.  Why did God…?

I ask God that question a lot.  “God, why ????”  It is okay to ask God questions.  I have even been mad at God.  That is okay too.  He is a really big God and can handle my questions and my anger, along with all my joys and praises.  I love praising God.  I love the joys.  I am calm after God takes my anger.  But, I wonder why He doesn’t answer my questions.

Am I to figure it out?  Am I to search for the answer?  Am I to read His Word and discover the answer?  Sometimes, I do figure it out.  Sometimes, I search and find the answer.  Sometimes, I read His Word and discover the answer.  But other times, I want to shout:

“GOD, WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER MY QUESTIONS?”

And at those times, I have to trust ….As the song, Trust and Obey, written by John H. Sammis in 1887, says: 

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.