01/19/2025

     I guess it’s time to take the Christmas decorations down and put them away for another year. Sometimes, I am tempted to just leave them all up. They are cheery and colorful. There is a huge wreath with lights and red bows that hangs above the fireplace in the living room. The ceiling is vaulted so hanging the wreath is quite a chore, requiring a tall ladder and some precarious balancing. Two years ago, I decided to just leave it in place. It has worked out well and even received some compliments, so who not leave it all up, at least until Valentine’s Day? Add a few hearts and the red and green could still work… 

     Having some special decoration for Christmas is fun. If it was up all year, it might become boring and unnoticed. The work of opening the storage boxes like presents every year has its own delight. We have small traditions in the decorations and the memories they evoke.  Even the extra work it involves brings a brightness and beauty to the cold and dark season. For these few moments, we return to the wide-eyed delight of the youngest children who are awed by the light and color and pageantry. If we are aware, we may remember that we are the children of God’s heavenly kingdom, which is filled with light and glory.

01/12/2025

If you are already dreading the winter ahead, imagine winters in Minnesota. We lived for several years in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The winters start early and last late. Surprisingly, it is a very pleasant place to live. Minnesotans are a hearty breed, as Garrison Keeler’s Lake Wobegon humor illustrates. The humor is, of course, exaggerated for effect, but people who have lived there recognize the characters and culture he teases about. People do not just hunker down and hope for Spring. Many get out and play in the snow, ice skate, sled, snowshoe, and ski. While it only takes two inches of snow to shut down Atlanta, it would take nearly two feet of snow to have much of any effect on the local populace. At 20˚ below zero Fahrenheit, church will still be meeting. Stores will still be open and school will still be in session. Before indoor stadiums were common in the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings considered the weather the twelfth player on defense. Whatever the obstacles, human beings find a way to endure and even find happiness no matter what the conditions. After all, no matter how cold you get outside there is always a hot cup of chocolate beside the fireplace to look forward to. I wonder if endurance might be one of God’s gifts to human beings…

01/05/2025

Among the birds that stay around during the winter, my favorites are the chickadees. With their winter feathers puffed out they look like plump apple cheeked girls to my mind. They bring a warm joy to winter’s chill. It is a pleasure to watch them gobble up the seeds from the bird feeders. I am even fond of the plain little sparrows like frown-haired matrons diligently working their way through the seeds.

    Jesus said, “Consider the birds of the field –they do not sow or reap or gather into barns and yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ”Nowadays, I help out the heavenly Father by feeding the birds in winter, but the heavenly Father feeds them year-round. So, when you consider it, there is no reason to worry about the new year. With any challenge the new year presents, the grace of God will be with us.

    The hymn printed in last week’s Parish Voice says it this way, “Another year is dawning: Dear Father let it be, in working or in waiting another year with Thee; Another year of progress, Another year of praise. Another year of proving Thy presence all the days. Another year of mercies, Of faithfulness and grace; Another year of gladness In the shining of Thy face; Another year of leaning Upon Thy loving breast; Another year of trusting, Of quiet, happy rest.  Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love; Another year of training For holier work above.  Another year is dawning; Dear Father, let it be, On earth or else in heaven, Another year for Thee.”_

12/29/2024

This is the first Sunday after Christmas and the Sunday before New Years. It is just three days before the birth of the new year. Visual images of that holiday picture the old year as an ancient man and the new year as a diapered baby. How much will be different in the New Year? January 1, 2025, will not look much different than December 31, 2024. When I was a child on my birthday some adult always asked me, “Do you feel any older? ” I never quite knew how to answer. I never felt any different than I had the day before, but by the question it seemed like I should feel different, somehow. One day to the next can seem much the same, at least until something larger comes in sight. No doubt, the new year will present different challenges. Some may be good and others may be quite difficult. There will always be surprises in the New Year. As we review 2024, we will always note the changes. God will not be surprised by what happens, but we will be.  That may be why we pray for a good year ahead. We put our trust in God, that he will see us through the New Year 2025, as he has kept us in the past. There will be challenges but there will also be blessings. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, for the Lord is good and his mercy is everlasting.”

12/22/2024

In one of Alfred Burt’s spritely Christmas carols, the text reads, “We’ll dress the house with holly bright and sprigs of mistletoe. We’ll trim the Christmas tree tonight and set the lights aglow. We’ll wrap our gifts  with ribbons gay and give them out on Christmas day. By everything we do and say our gladness we will show… And ye, who would the Christ Child greet, your heart also adorn, that it may be a dwelling meet for Him who now is born. Let all unlovely things give place to souls bedecked with heavenly grace, that ye may view His heavenly face with joy on Christmas morn…”

    Beyond all the busy, joyful, exhausting preparations for Christmas, the most important is the preparation of our hearts. That is the real purpose of Advent. We always manage to get the long list of Christmas tasks done somehow, but preparing our hearts can easily be put off in the other frantic responsibilities of the season. If we can remember to take a deep breath, sit down and prepare our hearts, perhaps even the rest of the preparations may seem less of a stress. If we relax a bit in the presence of God, we might even find the peace of Christmas alive in our souls.

12/15/2024

This is the third Sunday of Advent. So, how are your Christmas preparations going? Have you finished your gift shopping or gift making? Perhaps you are marking off the days on your Advent calendar and already enjoying some of the Christmas treats. How can you be sure they are good enough for your beloved family unless you sample them yourself?  I recommend trying more than one sample to be completely sure.

     One Christmas, two of our youngest grandchildren found a tin of Grandma’s cookies and took on the arduous task of testing them out for the rest of the family in a corner of the empty dining room. No official count was taken, but they pronounced them suitable for the rest of us. Fortunately, Grandma had other tins well hidden from the junior testers.  What could be more an expression of joy than a bunch of decorated cookies shared with a beloved cousin, especially if no one else knew until later?

     In all ways great and small, may you feel the hope, love, joy, and peace of the Christmas season. If you can, may you especially sense the JOY of Christmas, as perhaps you did as a child.

12/08/2024

This is the second Sunday of Advent. We began with anticipation and hope on the first Sunday of Advent and we have moved on to love right from the beginning. So how is your love continuing and growing? Have you already found some ways to put your love into action? Far beyond how we feel, our love is about how we act. Especially meaningful are those acts of love that we do anonymously. Even in the family there may be tasks which we can do even before anyone knows they need to be done.

     Sometimes it is the small acts of care and compassion which best express our love. A sincere compliment unexpectedly given may be the gift to someone who feels unappreciated in life. It is always good to express our love and gratitude verbally, but doing so by our actions has its own power. During this season of preparation for the birth of Jesus celebration, perhaps we could ask ourselves, “How can I express the love of God in a new way to celebrate Christmas?”

     May this season help us to grow in our expression of the love of God to all those around us.

12/01/2024

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The season celebrates the coming of Jesus into our world. Mary and Joseph experienced the nine months of expectation before his arrival. In shortened form, we relive that amazing event. But the beginning was far earlier than these brief events. It stretched back to the very creation itself. When the Word of God was present with the Heavenly Father, and by the Word, the world was made.

   Prophets and heroic women and men looked for his coming even before they fully understood what his coming to us would mean.  The hope of all ages was vested in him even before the world really even knew how to hope.

     The 4th century hymn picks up the ancient theme: “Of the Father’s love begotten, Ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending, He Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see, Evermore  and evermore.” In our hymnal, the tune is titled Divinum Mysterium (Divine Mystery).  This mystery from before creation delivered to a simple manger in a tiny country so long ago, that still echoes through the ages.

11/24/2024

This Thanksgiving, I will be celebrating with my family in Florida. It has been quite a while since this was possible. My son-in-law Marc will be cooking, so the feast will be abundant and delicious. All of it will be made from scratch down to the smallest detail, as is Marc’s delight to do. The rest of us will just be sous chefs to the master at work. Again this year, many of us will eat more than is strictly healthy, but how wonderful that we can celebrate such blessed abundance!

    In the days following, we will remember again those who will not experience the abundance we enjoy, and we will plan what we might do to respond to their need. Thankfulness should always prompt sharing. A thankful heart can lead to thankful hands reaching out to help. My wife Sue’s family taught me much about extending the Thanksgiving table. There were friends, family, and strangers who graced their table every year. After the meal we played games, told stories, and shared conversation. It was a day that fed not only our bodies, but our souls. Sometimes, new friendships were made. Love and acceptance was experienced. I wonder what our world would be like if we viewed all the world as guests around our Thanksgiving table.

11/17/2024

   All of us have noticed that Christmas decorations are up earlier every year. I recently read that retailers are starting to view the first Christmas season as starting immediately after Halloween. Then there is the short Thanksgiving season followed by the second Christmas season. Next year, I fully expect to see Santa ride in on his sleigh on Halloween night accompanied by Casper the Friendly Ghost or a couple of big-eyed minions riding along. I’m not sure how to feel about all this.

  I like the four Sundays of Advent as preparation for the spiritual significance of Christmas, and I like the Twelve Days of Christmas beginning on December 25th – Christmas Day, and extending to Epiphany on January 6th. Epiphany celebrates the coming of the Wisemen and the revealing of the Christ Child to the Gentile world.

    With Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day on December 26 and the Twelve Days of Christmas, I feel that I get a full celebration of the birth of Jesus, so I am happy to begin Christmas observance after Thanksgiving. Of course, I must be thinking about Christmas already myself or I wouldn’t have written this note, so I guess I can forgive retailers for starting early on their Christmas promotions. Just so long as we remember what the season is all about.

11/10/2024

As I write this, we are one day beyond election day. Some things are now clear: We have a new president. Not since Grover Cleveland has a former president been elected after losing a second term. Control in the U.S. Senate has passed from Democrat to Republican control. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives is still to be determined. As in every U.S. election, some people will be pleased and other people will be disappointed.

   As I have in every year since I became a voter, I voted for my choices. As I have always done, I will pray for the president and all the members of Congress that they may have wisdom from God that is beyond their human capacity. I am pleased that it appears there will be a smooth transition of power from one administration to another, which is in keeping with long-term American practice.

   We are still a very divided country along many lines. Only the future will show whether we can find a realistic unity. Many of the same questions are still in the minds and emotions of the American people. Can we find ways to address these questions together or will we stay divided about the decisions and details of American life and policy? At the very least, I hope we can cool the inflammatory rhetoric and have more rational conversations about what we should be doing as a nation together under God. May God bless America even in spite of our divisive tendencies.

11/03/2024

II Samuel 23 contains a listing of King David’s champions of war. Three are noted: Josheb-Basshebeth; Eleazar, son of Dodai the Ahohite; and Shammah, son of Agee. Along with their names are short accounts of their mighty deeds in battle. In the same chapter, there are the names of other mighty warriors. These war accounts are not comfortable to me with their lists of the number of Philistines killed by each. I realize that the Israelites were being oppressed by the Philistines, but it still makes uncomfortable reading. It did make me wonder, could we make a list of the great women and men who were noteworthy because of their success at waging peace rather than war? For example, one of the stories of St. Francis of Assisi claims that during a battle between two Italian cities, Francis went out into the midst of the battle and shut it down. Apparently, the respect and veneration with which he was held quelled the battle. There certainly have been others who have “battled” for peace in the midst of conflict, often at risk of their own safety. Is it possible to work as hard for peace as it is to work hard for war? The commitment that it takes to bring about peace and reconciliation also takes courage and commitment. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said, “for they will be called the children of God.”  We might even call them God’s mighty women and men.

10/27/2024

Ever since I heard the old song, “Shine On, Harvest Moon,” I have wondered what is the significance of the harvest moon. The time of the harvest moon can be in either September or October. This year it was September 17 and next year, it will be October 6. It is the full moon nearest the autumnal (fall) equinox. On that day the moon is at its closest to the earth of any time in the year. As a result, it appears larger and brighter to us on earth. It is often called a super moon.

    It is the mark of harvest time when the abundance of earth’s bounty is most apparent. It is thought of as a time of gratitude for the blessing of harvest. Some think of it as a time for self-reflection and change. The brightness and larger appearance seems ideal for romantic thoughts.

    The early date in September is before some of us are really focused on harvest, but we know it is coming. Harvest time has always been especially significant for rural and village life. A good harvest assumes plenty over the lean days of winter before the spring fruits arrive.

    For people of faith, the harvest is a mark of God’s blessing and care.  So, we sing, “Come, ye thankful people, come; raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in e’re the winter storms begin.”

    Thanks be to God for each year’s bountiful harvest!

10/20/2024

On my online newsfeed from Apple from time to time there is a series of objects pictured. The reader is encouraged to identify what the objects are. Most often they are older objects which are no longer in common usage. Usually because of my age, I can identify what the objects are, but there are always one or two that stump me.

   As a young teen it was one of my jobs to do the laundry. This involved an old wringer washing machine (a great advance over the scrub board). The tub was filled with hot water and soap was added and the agitator was turned on to clean the clothes. After the soapy water was drained, the clothes were put through the wringer to remove most of the water.

   At that time, standard wear for school was jeans, which we referred to as “Levis” regardless of the brand. They were heavy and slow to dry, so pants stretchers were used to avoid having to iron the jeans. The stretchers worked well and could even provide a bit of a crease, if done correctly. It has been 65 years since I have seen those pants stretchers, but I recently went online and they are still available. They did the job, but they were a lot more work than chucking the jeans in a clothes dryer. My nostalgia is not sufficient to buy them now, even though they were cost effective.

   I wonder how many of the old objects and old ways may have had advantages over more modern ways.  Could it be that sometimes the old ways might be best?

10/13/2024

     I remember many years ago when I encountered a book titled, Why Johnny Can’t Read.  It was a best-seller for 37  weeks in 1955. That is nearly 70 years ago. As a life-long reader, I found this shocking at the time.  My life has been so influenced by reading that it seems impossible to imagine that education could happen without reading.

     Recently the magazine, The Atlantic, for October 1, 2024, contained an article titled, “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” Interviews with professors in several top universities detailed the problems students have reading a whole book. Apparently, long books (anything over a hundred pages?) are too challenging for university students.  High School teachers are using short excerpts and anthologies, as well as other short forms, because the students can’t sustain reading. 

     Reading problems have been around for a long time as the “Johnny” book illustrates, but the problem has gotten increasingly worse. One professor confessed that students have trouble reading a sonnet (a 14-line poem) without becoming distracted and losing the train of thought.

     Perhaps this explains why some of my students when I taught at university level had trouble following biblical materials and often showed virtually no familiarity with the Old or New Testament.  Surely it is a problem to follow the teachings and actions of Jesus, if you can’t concentrate for more than 14 verses.  Keep on reading for both your mind and your soul.

10/06/2024

   One of God’s great gifts to humankind is the gift of imagination. Without this gift there would be no innovation; it is unlikely that many of the advances in human life would have come to pass. Without the wheel we would still be dragging things from place to place by sheer brute force. Without mathematics we might be limited to our ten fingers and “a big bunch.” Without the alphabet there would be no written literature. Without medical imagination, would we have discovered penicillin or other antibiotics? Without physics we would still be limited to the surface of our world.

    It is informative to notice how many things first described in fantasy and science fiction later became possible and even a part of everyday life. The ubiquitous presence of cell phones seemed a total fantasy when I was a child.

    Even in areas of the faith, how would we see the significance of Biblical stories without imaging how they might apply today? Scripture states, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.” Our imaginations rise up to wonder what those things might be.

    We imagine all the goodness that Heaven will bring and it gives us hope even though we recognize that it will be even better than we can imagine.

09/29/2024

I have some sympathy for people learning English language for the first time. There are so many confusing elements.  Take the simple two letter word “up.” It makes total sense when we say “look up” because that involves looking up by raising our head unless we mean look up the answer in a book. We had a column of figures to sum up which involves going down adding the figures until we get to the bottom of the column. It is enough to crack you up when you think about it. And what about minute and minute spelled the same but pronounced differently with one meaning the sixtieth part of an hour and the other meaning something quite small. Or why is “gh” pronounced as an “f” in cough, but as “g” in ghost? How is it possible that “flammable and inflammable” mean the same thing? There are technical explanations for all of these but they must be confusing to the new learner. Other languages have their own traps and weird quirks as students of other language learn. If I receive a call and the caller asks to speak to “Leen”, I am pretty sure the caller is not a native American English speaker or they would probably know to pronounce “Lynn” as “Lin.” Languages also changes. When the King James or authorized version was translated in 1611 the word “prevent” had the meaning of “precede” as in the line in the Psalms which says, “prevent the dawn” which means “precede the dawn.” The most common example of the change in language we regularly use is when we sing the doxology: “Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” In Elizabethan times, spirit and ghost were used interchangeably. In modern usage, they carry a different meaning so we now translate with “Holy Spirit” rather than “Holy Ghost.” We know what we mean either way, but it does sound a bit strange to modern ears.

09/22/2024

Time is an illusive thing. Typically children do not understand the passage of time until about nine years of age. They may be able to tell the numbers on the clock or recite the digital clock numbers, but they really don’t grasp what that means. Baby-sitting for one youngster, we were startled when the child asked for “orange juice all day.” “All day” had become a measure for a large amount. Even as adults we often notice that time seems to move differently at certain moments. While at a restaurant recently I thought the service was very slow until I looked at the clock and realized that it was quite speedy.  The problem was that I had an appointment and was worried about being late to arrive. Most of us have experienced how “time flies” when we are enjoying the moment. Our level of engagement affects our perception of time. How different from us must be God’s perception of time in the light of His eternality. As scripture puts it, “A day with You is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day.”  When we are waiting for the answer to our prayers the time can seem to be slow beyond endurance, but God’s timing is always perfect. With our limited vision of time, we humans have expressions like “how time flies” or “we just need more time.” Perhaps that is why patience is such a difficult virtue for human beings. Even as adults, we want all our needs met now. Perhaps we are not as mature as we might think. It is almost like we are praying, “Lord, give me patience and give it to me right now!” while scripture admonishes us to “wait for the Lord” and “Be still and know that I am God.”  So let us practice patience until as the book of Revelation puts it: God says, “time shall be no more.”

09/15/2024

A popular Christian magazine for many years had a recurring column where noted Christian leaders responded to the prompt “How my mind has changed.” Each leader explored changes in their thinking in important areas of life. Sometimes the changes were in areas of social concern. At other times there was broadening of ethical concerns, but the most common were changes in belief often in regard to specific theological ideas. A sub-theme frequently included areas which had not changed. In teaching university and seminary students, I asked for them to re-examine their beliefs. Some had fairly undeveloped ideas about God. This was revealed when they were challenged to explain the theological or religious terms they were using. The goal was not to tear down or damage their faith, but to help them think through their faith so that it might become their own faith rather than repeating what they had heard.  Most of us who have been long in the Christian faith have had those moments of new insight that we had not considered before. This may come as the result of a traumatic experience or it may come as the result of growing maturity. Things that we read, Sunday School lessons, Bible studies or sermons may prompt us to adjust our thinking. This is a normal part of growing in the faith. St. Paul talked about this with the metaphor of childhood moving from milk to an adult diet. It is not wrong that our earlier views may need adjustment. It certainly happens in other areas of life or we might still be expressing our affection by hitting the object of our interest with our bookbag as we might have done when we were seven years old. We learn and grow and sometimes that means that we change our minds.

09/08/2024

September 2nd this year was Labor Day. It first became a national holiday in June of 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed the Labor Day bill into law. Earlier in 1830, manufacturing workers were working 70 hours per week on average. By 1890, work hours in manufacturing dropped down to 60 hours a week on average. Later, a six-day, eight-hours a day week was the norm. Now, a five-day, 40-hour working week is the norm. Labor Day was intended to honor workers and their contributions to American life. While it is a national holiday, it is largely voluntary in observance. In earlier times, there were labor union parades and other official observances. Some observances still remain, but for most U.S. citizens, the observance is more likely to be a cook-out or picnic. It may be the last trip of the summer, even though most children nowadays are already in school before September. It is worthwhile to remember how valuable meaningful work is. Anyone who has been out of a job for any extended period knows how debilitating the experience can be. Most of us remember our first paid job. It can be a matter of pride and a taste of responsibility. We even describe our life of faith as doing the work of the Kingdom of God. Our willingness to give our best to all our work, secular or religious, has often been viewed as a Christian virtue. I have often been struck by the verse in scripture that says, “…we are workmen together with God.” Perhaps that grants a spiritual tone to our celebration of Labor Day.