Photos from the last week of Advent

Photos from the Sunday School Advent/Christmas program on 12/20 and high school/young adult "Cookie Ninjas" delivering treats to those who work the night shift in service to our community, 12/18.

 

Star Followers - Advent 2015

Join us each Sunday in Advent as we learn what it means for us to follow the star to Bethlehem. The series begins this Sunday, November 29th. (Yes, it's the magi who followed the star to Bethlehem, and we celebrate their journey and arrival on the Day of Epiphany, January 6th. But most of us experience Advent-Christmas-Epiphany as all of a piece, so work with us here!).

• November 29th, “A New Hope” (Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36). Jesus encourages us to, “lift our heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”
• December 6th, “The Empire Strikes Back” (Malachi  3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6) In the midst of Roman rule, John preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The Apostle Paul writes from a Roman prison.
• December 13th, “Return of the Baptist” (Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18) John points to Jesus as the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
• December 20th, “Faith Awakens” – Sunday School Advent/Christmas Program (Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55, Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45) Elizabeth blesses Mary, because she believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

Advent Midweek Worship and Words from the Bishop

Tonight is the last Wednesday of Advent!

We'll gather for soup supper at 6pm. At 7pm we'll move into the sanctuary for Holden Evening Prayer, a lovely sung vespers service. There will be time for quiet reflection and prayer - just what so many of us need in the midst of this busy season of preparation!

 

Blessed Advent

Blessed Advent! And Happy New Year!
Today is the first Wednesday in Advent (the 4th day of Advent this year, which started this past Sunday), and here at CtK folks will gather for a simple supper of soup and bread, and then for a service of evening prayer. Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the church calendar, and begins four Sundays before Christmas. During this season, we are invited to prepare our hearts and homes not only for the celebration of Jesus' birth, but also for all the ways Christ comes to us, and for the day he comes again in glory. There's rather a lot going on - and that's before we factor in parties, Christmas cards, shopping, etc.
So, come and take some time to celebrate the season and God's work in and through you this Advent. Take some time to ponder what (or who) it is you're waiting for; what you hope and long for; what is yearning to be born in your life.
On Wednesday evenings this year, we'll think about the four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All. Since we only have 3 Wednesday services of Holden Evening Prayer, the second and third themes will be combined.
The service is beautiful - piano, flute, guitar, voice, candlelight, quiet.
Come.

The first week of Advent

We are at the midpoint of the first week of Advent, and once again I wish I'd spent a bit more time getting ready to mark this season of getting ready. Somehow I find that the older I get the more I need to prepare to prepare...
We are enjoying the new yule log made at last Sunday's Family Advent Festival each night - light the first candle while we do our evening devotions. Of course the resident two-year-old doesn't quite understand why we aren't lighting all four candles - "More candles!" she demands, as we blow out the match after lighting only one.
Our household is using a devotion from Luther Seminary for Advent this year. You can find it here, as well as on the right-hand side bar on this blog, under "God Pause."
Looking for something different for Advent? Try Silver and Gold Have We None, an Advent devotion from the Lutheran Compass Center in Seattle.
Or check out The Advent Devotional Project, put together by a Montana Synod member.

Tonight we begin our midweek soup and bread suppers (at 6pm) and services of Holden Evening Prayer (7pm). I encourage you to take some time to slow down during this busy season of the year, and join with your brothers and sisters in faith to sing, pray and reflect on Christ's light breaking into our darkness.

(And if  you want to sing with the choir during Advent and Christmas, stick around for choir rehearsal, which will begin right after evening prayer concludes.)

Thursday Thought

Walking the Lord's road

The Lord's new road is not a railroad to run people over, and it is not filled with closed up cars all rushing off to their own destinations. It is a place for walking together toward the common destination of dignity, balance, freedom, and a fair share for all. 
~ Stephen Hamilton Wright

When better isn't better

The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures for last Sunday, the third Sunday in Advent, was Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11.
Chapters 56-66 are generally considered to be from the post-exilic period of Israel's history. Remember how the Babylonians conquered the southern kingdom (Judah, and its capital, Jerusalem) in 587BC? Well, in 539BC, the Persian king Cyrus had defeated the Babylonians and decreed that the exiles should return to their homeland and rebuild their city and their temple. (Want to read more about Cyrus? Check out Isaiah 44:21-45:8. In Is 45:1 the Lord calls Cyrus his annointed - his messiah!)
Perhaps I've seen too many movies with happy endings, but you'd sort of expect things to be "all good" once the people returned to their homeland, right? Not so much.
The mourning continues, rising out of frustration and humiliation over the failure to rebuild the city and the temple to match their former glory. Things definitely are not "all good." Economic disparities and religious and political factions within the city remain. The reality of life didn't match up with their expectations.
Sound familiar? Has that ever been the case in your life?
Have you ever felt crushed by unmet expectations, to the point that it felt like your faith was shaken to its core?
Then Isaiah's words may provide some comfort for you, too, especially since these first verses are those chosen - and fulfilled - by Jesus when he read in the synagogue (Luke 4:14-30).
The story isn't over yet. God comes to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners, and to comfort all who mourn.
And it is these, the ones who heard the news, the newly released or comforted, who will "repair the devastations of many generations."
God's story with God's people (even you and me) continues, and hope remains.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Advent is the time when Christians prepare to greet Christ—who came as a babe in a manger, who comes into our lives each day, and who will come again at the end of time. Advent is the time when people of faith are most at odds with the culture. The church calls people to focus on getting ready to receive Christ—preparing hearts and lives to make room for Jesus, to live as he would have us live. It is a time of longing, not fulfillment. Quiet reflection, not celebration. The culture, however, is already in a time of festivity, unable or unwilling, to wait and contemplate and prepare for the real festival. It is not easy to observe Advent without being pulled prematurely into Christmas.
How does St. Nicholas fit into all of this? He is an Advent saint because his December 6th feast day always falls in early Advent (Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas between November 27 and December 3). However, Nicholas is a good Advent saint for more important reasons than the date of his special day. Whatever he did, and it is said that he did many kinds of amazing things, may not be as important as the way he did it. Nicholas became so popular because he was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. His life clearly reflected the way each one of us is called to show God's love to others, especially those in need.
Celebrating St. Nicholas on his day in Advent brings a bit of fun and festivity into homes, churches, and schools. His small treats and surprises help keep the spirit of good St. Nicholas, especially when stories of his goodness and kind deeds are told and ways to express his care for those in need are sought. Saint Nicholas helps us remember Christmas is a feast of love, hope, kindness and generosity. Yes, Nicholas is a good Advent saint.

Decorations - and a Blessing for the Christmas Tree

Is your Christmas tree up yet? Ours is not, partly because I'd really like to get the multiplying dust bunnies out from under the sofa before we bring anything else into the family room, partly because the days just fly by and we never seem to get to the task (that, and Grant and I are a little more tired than we used to be during Advent... I have renewed appreciation and admiration for all you parents, especially those parenting more than one child!).

I must confess, I don't feel like I need a whole lot of decorations up this year, as I could spend hours just sitting and watching our seven-week old daughter. That's probably predictable, and maybe a little corny, but I think it may be good for me, too - to think about what this season of anticipation is really about, to be thankful for life and love, to do just one thing at a time, to be forced to slow down.

One of the Advent devotions Grant and I are reading together is titled "Hurry Up and Wait." Do you feel that push/pull in your life these days? Stores would have us hurry up and shop, here at church we ponder what it means to wait on God. With all of the commitments of the season - at work, at school, with friends and family, even at church, it can feel like we hurry from one thing to the next without even being able to catch our breath sometimes. Some of us even like it that way. Maybe that's why God came down as a baby - to convince us to slow down enough to notice the little things, to break into our lives with a schedule we can't adjust by sheer force of will (a baby is hungry when a baby is hungry, after all, convenient timing or not), to be as vulnerable as we are, to encourage us to love.

Maybe I'll appreciate our Christmas tree, and all the other gifts of the season, all the more when it finally is up, having been made to wait.

Here's a blessing for the Christmas tree at your house. It is adapted from Sundays and Seasons Year A 2008 © 2007 Augsburg Fortress. Even if your tree's been up for weeks, it's not to late to bless it!

This reading and blessing may be used when the tree is first lit, or at any other appropriate time.

Psalm 96:11-13
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it;
Let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your coming, O Lord,
for you come to judge the earth.
You will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with your truth.

Blessing
Be praised, O God, for the blessings around us that point to you.
Be praised, O God, for the signs of this holy season that awaken us in wonder.
Praise for the steadfast green of this tree, like your love, O God, enduring all seasons.
Praise for the light that illumines our darkness, like Christ, who brings light to the world.
Join our voices with those of the tree and of all creation, who sing at your coming:
Glory to God in the highest,
And peace to God’s people on earth.
Amen

Inspiration

Looking for some reflective inspiration this Advent? Check out Jan Richardson's blog, The Advent Door: entering a contemplative Christmas.

Looking for ways to keep the heart of Christmas in the season and ideas for not getting overwhelmed by consumerism? Check out Advent Conspiracy.

Happy browsing!

A new (old) sound for Advent

This is not Wyle E. Coyote's anvil, though when I think about it, that's probably where most of my exposure to anvils came from as a kid: Road Runner cartoons. No, this is Isaiah's anvil, as in Isaiah 2:4: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Isaiah 2:1-5 was the Old Testament reading for the first Sunday in Advent in the Revised Common Lectionary this year. And we heard it at CtK last night during our Advent Evening Prayer. Perhaps the sound of sledgehammer meeting anvil is a better soundtrack for Advent than jingle bells and cash register drawers (thanks to Rolf Jacobson for talking about Jim Liburg's sermon with the mother of all object lessons: an anvil in the sanctuary).

Can you imagine a world where no one learns war anymore? Where soldiers aren't trained to kill, children are not left orphans or dead as collateral damage casualties themselves, where women aren't victims of sexual assault as a weapon of war, and the whole world actually lives in peace?

Isaiah can imagine it. The prophet has seen it in a vision from God.

May God grant us faith in the coming Prince of Peace, and hope so sure that we can start using that anvil, even now. Come, Lord Jesus.

An Ubuntu Christmas

The newest issue of Bold Cafe is here. Check out the reflections on Advent and Christmas.

It's still November, but Advent is here

Happy Advent!

Welcome, again, to the season of anticipation, of waiting, watching, and getting ready.

You are invited to join in a simple supper of soup and bread here at CtK on the next three Wednesday evenings (December 1st, 8th & 15th). We'll have dinner at 6:00pm and then move into the worship space at 7:00pm for a time of Advent Vespers, using Holden Evening Prayer. The messages will be based on the lectionary texts for the Sundays in Advent, since we're doing a special series on Sunday mornings, called "While Shepherds Watched."

See you tomorrow night!

Advent ahead of time

We're still waiting. And I'm beginning to feel a little bit like it's Advent ahead of time - you know, the four weeks before the celebration of the Incarnation of Our Lord (aka Christmas) - when we are encouraged to wait and watch and be prepared.
And yet this waiting, for this baby, is different from the yearly round of waiting for Jesus to be born. After all, Christmas comes pre-printed on the calendar, and the 25th of December comes quite predictably, whether you're ready or not. And weirdly, at the same time, this waiting, for this baby, is the same as the yearly round of Advent reminders that Jesus really is coming back - I know the baby is coming, I just don't know when. I've done what I can to prepare, but now what? How to live in the meantime?
Do you remember that you're living in the meantime, most days? Does it even enter your mind that today could be the day when Jesus comes back and everything will be new all over again? If not, why not? Does it- or would it - make any difference in your life? Why (or not)? How?

PS - Grant and I are each working on a blog entry or two that will be posted while we're on parental leave (post-dating blog entries is one of the wonders of blogger). So, even when we're gone, you might check in for something new.

Weekend Events

It's a big weekend here at CtK...

The kids are gathering for their Christmas Program Rehearsal. And the program is tomorrow morning at 10am! It's going to be great, you don't want to miss it! (Plus, I remember how it was always neat when I was little to see lots of "church-people" at our Sunday School program, besides our parents. If you're in the show your parents pretty much have to show up, but the rest of the grown-ups? That's different. So please come and support our children and youth with your presence!)

One of the annual favorite fellowship events is tonight, the Candlelight Buffet, beginning at 6pm. Cost is $5, to cover the cost of the meant, and after that it's a potluck. Yours truly signed up to bring a dessert - there is baking in my very near future... Even if you didn't sign up, please come! Bring a favorite dish to pass: veggies, bread, dessert, potatoes, whatever. The white elephant gift exchange is always a riot, and the evening's entertainment is always fun, too.

Tomorrow is the Third Sunday of Advent - we'll be lighting three candles on the Advent wreath and hearing more about John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus. See you in worship!

ANOTHER great Advent Link

I just came across this great web site, The Crafty Crow, which has a bunch of super neat Advent Calendar ideas. We're only 5 days into December - it's not too late! And while The Crafty Crow calls itself a "children's craft collective," there are several projects on this site that look like fun to me. And it looks like they're celebrating Advent, one day at a time.

Enjoy!

Advent Links

Here are some interesting blog posts to check out during this season of Advent:

Last year, The House for All Sinners and Saints made a beautiful icon out of store ads for Christmas shopping. Check it out in the archives of Sarcastic Lutheran:

A beautiful blog by Jan Richardson, The Advent Door. I return to this nearly every day to help keep me grounded during the days of Advent.

A blogging friend of mine from seminary linked to this post from One Hand Clapping, which is quite thought provoking.

A post on Sustainable Holidays from The Non-Consumer Advocate. This blog is one of my favorites, because it helps me remember that my primary identity is NOT as consumer (despite what the world around me might say).

A post with haunting art, from faith as a way of life, the blog of Chris Schare, Luther Seminary professor (and one time member of CtK!!)

A podcast from Common Good Radio on faithful parenting amidst the pressures of the holiday season.

Enjoy!

Advent Prayer

We gathered here at CtK last night for the first of three Wednesday evening soup suppers and services of Evening Prayer (the next two are December 9th & 16th, with dinner at 6pm and worship at 7pm). We use Holden Evening Prayer, a setting of the ancient vespers service, written by Marty Haugen. It is much loved, and quite beautiful. One of my favorite lines comes from his paraphrase of Mary's song, the Magnificat: "You have cast the mighty down from your thrones, and uplifted the humble of heart, You have filled the hungry with wondrous things, and left the wealthy no part."

It always makes me stop to think how it is that it is good news, and for whom it is good news. If you are one of the wealthy ones, I think it's pretty hard to hear - NO PART? And let's be honest, we are the wealthy ones. About this time of year, each year, I log on to the Global Rich List, a great site where you type in your annual income and it tells you how you compare to the rest of the world - talk about eye opening.
Here are some current examples: if you make $20,000 a year you are in the top 11.16% richest people in the WORLD.

If you make $30,000 a year you're in the top 7.16%.
If you make $40,000 - 3.17%.

$50,000 - 0.98% - among the richest 1% in the world.

Something to think about during this season of "I want...," "Gimme," and general over consumption in our culture.

The CtK staff put the ornaments on our Giving Trees yesterday - the good news is that all of the families in Family Promise had already been "adopted," so we're getting a little more creative, trying to meet some future needs for Family Promise (things like gift cards to Target, Wal-Mart, gas cards, games for use at their Day House and here at CtK) and current needs for Love, INC's Linen Closet (blankets) and Personal Care Pantry (everything from shampoo to deodorant to dish soap and laundry detergent). There are also a few ornaments listing needs we have here at CtK - coffee, copy paper, etc..

I know it's not as fun to go buy a 3 pack of Secret deoderant or a $25 gas card as it is to buy a winter jacket or teddy bear for a 3 year old named Tommy, but ALL of those gifts are needed.

Together we really do make a huge difference in our community.

Keeping Advent - and Christmas

Pastor Mark Morgenstern, pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church in Billings, Montana, included the following letter to the congregation in their December newsletter. While I don't always manage to read even a fraction of the newsletters from other congregations that come across our desks here at CtK, I do try to skim at least some of them.
Much like Pastor Mark, I get frustrated by the commercialism of the season in our country, and by the strange defensiveness that some of our brothers and sisters in Christ display during the days before Christmas. I, for one, need to be reminded to slow down and wait, watch and prepare for Christ's coming - not just as a baby, but today, and at the end of time. People get ready! Jesus is coming!

From Pastor Mark (whose wife, Maryann has a non-congregational call):
Last week Pastor Maryann shared an e-mail that she received at work. It was a poem to the meter of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. While I don't remember much of the poem, the writer moans and groans about how the government, the politicians, the ACLU. the public schools, the department stores and all those who promote political correctness are taking Christmas away from "US." I am assuming that the "US" are the good religious Christians in America. My intial reaction was to simply write this poem off as not worthy of my attention. The more I thought about it, however, the more frustrated I became with the author's point of view. You see, I don't think anyone can take Christmas away from us.
I've written before about Christmastime that my family usually refers to me as Scrooge because I get pretty cynical when it comes to the commercialization of Christmas. I must admit my alarm two days before Halloween when I was looking at Halloween stuff in Wal-Mart and heard the speaker system in the store playing Christmas music. This year I've gotten pretty sarcastic about the fact that retailers are so worried about the economy that they are moving Black Friday (you know, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day - the biggest shopping day of the year) up a week so as to try and make more profit. Who knows, before too long maybe Black Friday and Halloween will be celebrated as one big buying and begging day on the thirty-first of October! See, I told you I'm pretty sarcastic! But seriously, nobody can take Christmas away from us. We can only give it away when we give in to all the pressure to turn Christmas into the economic savior and allow the hubbub of the separation of Church and State get to us.
For example, we may not be allowed to sing religious Christmas carols at the school Christmas pageant, but no one can keep us from singing religious carols at home in the shower or at the dinner table, in our cars as we drive around town and look at the Christmas lights, or out on a mountain trail hunting for a Christmas tree. The big "box stores" (I won't mention any names) may tell their employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," but no one
can keep us from replying to them with a cheerful "Merry Christmas!" We could even add a "Jesus loves you!" and we won't get arrested. Removing the creche from the lawn of the County Courthouse can't keep us from making a place for the baby Jesus in our hearts or in our homes. They (whoever they are) cannot take Christmas away from us.
Advent, the last two days of November this year, and the first 24 days of December are the time for us who strive to follow Jesus as his disciples, to get ready to celebrate his birth again. We can use these days as a time to fill our lives and our homes with the good news that God loves us so much that God came among us in Jesus so that we might know and experience God's forgiveness and love and live with the assurance of eternal life. We can use these days to read again the story of Jesus' birth in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. We can sing our carols at home around the dinner table. We can find ways to give of ourselves (as God has given God's self to us) rather than allow the culture around us to deceive us into thinking that spending more money on a gift means more love. As we seek to fill the 26 days of Advent with Jesus, we will come to Christmas moring blessed and we will have kept Christmas well!
God's blessings to you all - and Merry Christmas! Jesus loves you - that's what it's really all about.

How are you keeping the season of Advent this year? More tomorrow on ways to celebrate this season...

Random thoughts on a snowy evening

What to get Papa for Christmas?

I am faced with a challenge every 25th of December. What gift should I give to my father? Does he want or need another neck tie? Would he appreciate a box of peanut brittle from Harry and David? I know, he loves to read and listen to music. I’ll buy him a book and a Carrie Underwood CD! He loves coffee. How about giving him a Starbucks gift card?
The good news is my father has requested that for his birthday (December 5th ) and for Christmas he desires no gifts. He has encouraged his family and friends to give to the local charity of our choice, or to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America “Good Gifts” campaign, which helps feed hungry people across the globe.
My father Robert is a faithful volunteer in his own parish, Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church in San Luis Obispo, CA. His special emphasis is ministry to the homeless.
With that thought in mind, I will make a gift in honor of my father Robert’s birthday to “Family Promise of the Gallatin Valley.”www.familypromisegv.org It is a ministry that helps shelter families by using a network of churches and places of worship all throughout southwest Montana.
I became acquainted with Family Promise when I served a parish in the greater Phoenix, AZ area. It is a worthy cause.
So here’s to you, Papa. No neck ties. No peanut brittle to rot your teeth or make you fat. No books, CDs, or coffee. Here’s to you, for helping homeless families find hope in the midst of hard times.