Guest Post - 40 Days of Giving and Epiphany Star Words

ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving and Epiphany STAR Words: Discipleship

by Dawn Byrd

When I drew the star word DISCIPLESHIP out of the basket on the Sunday we celebrated the Epiphany (January 3), immediately I wanted to throw it back into the basket and draw something I was more familiar with, something easier to accomplish and fulfill! In fairness, I couldn’t really do that. It wasn’t meant to be something we are familiar with! I believe it was intended as an exercise to help each of us stretch out of our comfort zone (both here in our church life AND out in the community). So, I kept the word (it sits on my desk in the church office so that I can remember it every day!).

Discipleship n. . . . break it down to its origination – Middle English, from Old English discipul and from Old French disciple, both from Latin discipulus,  pupil, to learn – 1.) a. one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another; b. an active adherent, as of a movement or philosophy; 2.) often Disciple (with a Capital D) one of the original followers of Jesus; 3.) Disciple, a member of the Disciples of Christ.

But what does it mean to be a disciple? How does one practice discipleship? Clearly I’m not one of the original followers of Jesus, nor am I a member of the Disciples of Christ; however, I hope that I am one who embraces and helps spread the teachings of Jesus. Right? But how? I struggle with this daily.

So, a few Wednesdays ago, while doing the Lent in a Bag daily devotional from the ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving booklet, the Scripture reading for the day was John 13:35. I grabbed up my Kindle, opened up the HOLY BIBLE app (I like Eugene H. Peterson’s translation, The Message, as I find it easier to understand), and this is what I read:

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples – when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35.

That’s it! This is what it means to be a disciple of Christ! Love one another! That is so much easier to understand AND DO than any of the other definitions of disciple(ship) I had previously found . . . to follow in Christ’s footsteps. What does that mean? How do we follow in his footsteps?

Love one another is so much easier to do! Right?  Then I continued reading the day’s devotion:

“Please help us to live in your reflection, shining your love through us not only onto those who are near and dear and easy to love, but onto ALL of your precious and beloved people.”
OK, so it is not always going to be easy to love everyone, but I can certainly start by loving those around me. I can show love when I help serve meals at the Community Café, host during Family Promise, bake bread for communion, read scripture during worship, do the dishes after fellowship hour, just to name a few.

I believe I was meant to pull that word out of that basket . . .  perhaps God’s way of nudging me out of my comfort zone . . . to show love. To share food with the hungry, shelter the homeless, perhaps it is as simple as that.

This is a re-post of a previous blog entry. But it fits! Just change the "12" to a "15." And, if you've signed up for the youth group to do the blessing with you on Wednesday, we'll see you then!

Merry Christmas!
I hope the season has been filled with joy, love and wonder at the Incarnation for you and your family!

Tomorrow is Epiphany, and it's customary in many homes (especially in Western Europe) to mark the lintel above the front door with symbols of blessing. You can do it, too!

Mark the front door (or somewhere on the door frame) with these symbols: the date, abbreviation of the phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat ("Christ bless this home" - which are also the initials of traditional names for the Magi - Casper, Melchior and Balthasar), and four crosses (representing the four seasons).

Order the symbols in the following way: 20 + C + M + B + 12

In the new year, this marking serves as a blessing over the entire household. Be as artistic and creative as you want! Get a jump start on an art project tonight and post it tomorrow night - use markers or do a collage on a piece of cardboard! Alternatively, the marking may be made with chalk, for those who like to keep things simple.

And don't forget the prayer of blessing!
One person, or the whole household together, prays:

Be our shelter, Lord, when we are at home, our companion when we are away, and our welcome guest when we return. And at last receive us into the dwelling place you have prepared for us in your father's house, where you live forever and ever. Amen

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

On this tenth day of Christmas... Christmas seems just about over for all but the most stubborn die-hards. Why is it that while the commercialized aspects of the season seem to appear earlier and earlier each year, everyone is always in such a hurry to get on with things after the 26th of December? Why not linger in the warmth of the celebrations and lights?

And, speaking of lights... The 6th of January is the Epiphany of Our Lord. Here at CtK we'll be celebrating a day early, this coming Sunday the 5th. So be prepared to sing "We Three Kings" and "The First Noel" and a few more Christmas carols. The celebration continues!

If you enjoy the visual arts, poetry and liturgical fun, then check out Jan Richardson's Epiphany reflections and blessings here. Enjoy!

The Epiphany of Our Lord - The wise man's journey

The wise man's journey

There will be no camels;
we are going on horseback,
at least for some of the way.

And we won't arrive there
a few hours after everyone else.
It will be weeks, perhaps -
or months.

We are not in a hurry.
That is not the way we work;
we are not Europeans.

We will discuss the phenomenon - the star -
and if it does not go away,
and if we still feel curious,
we will travel.

We will look in the wrong place.
Yes, I admit that,
because wise men, potentates, intellectuals -
call us what you will -
are not infallible.

We expect a new power
to emerge from the side of the old one.
We expect the destination we seek
to resemble what our common sense deduces.

We will be upset, angry even,
to find that Herod is ignorant
and that his residence is not the birthplace.

We will find it hard
and intellectually demeaning
to bow the knee to the son of refugees.

And all this...
all this upset will be compounded
when it comes to journeying back
and we discover
we have to go home by an alternate route.

That is the trouble with God.
He does not let you leave as you came.
He sends you back,
stripped of your presumptions,
making for home by an alternate route.

From Cloth for the Cradle: Worship resources and readings for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany, by the Iona Community- Wild Goose Worship Group

The Twelfth Day of Christmas: House Blessing Preparation

Merry Christmas!
I hope the season has been filled with joy, love and wonder at the Incarnation for you and your family!

Tomorrow is Epiphany, and it's customary in many homes (especially in Western Europe) to mark the lintel above the front door with symbols of blessing. You can do it, too!

Mark the front door (or somewhere on the door frame) with these symbols: the date, abbreviation of the phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat ("Christ bless this home" - which are also the initials of traditional names for the Magi - Casper, Melchior and Balthasar), and four crosses (representing the four seasons).

Order the symbols in the following way: 20 + C + M + B + 12

In the new year, this marking serves as a blessing over the entire household. Be as artistic and creative as you want! Get a jump start on an art project tonight and post it tomorrow night - use markers or do a collage on a piece of cardboard! Alternatively, the marking may be made with chalk, for those who like to keep things simple.

And don't forget the prayer of blessing!
One person, or the whole household together, prays:

Be our shelter, Lord, when we are at home, our companion when we are away, and our welcome guest when we return. And at last receive us into the dwelling place you have prepared for us in your father's house, where you live forever and ever. Amen

Chalking the Door
(from http://mugsmettlesandmeanderings.blogspot.com/2011/01/traditional-epiphany-house-blessing.html)

The Eleventh Day of Christmas: The Magi Are Getting Closer!

The two sets of wise men at our house are ready to make their grand entrance into the creche scenes that have been awaiting their arrival. Our tradition is to let them move slowly across the living room from Christmas Day until Epiphany.
We Three Kings is one of the songs that we play this time of the season of Christmas. (This version is good for some 11th day of Christmas dancing with toddlers!)

A Silent Witness

It is customary, especially in Central Europe, for the faithful to bless their houses at the Epiphany with chalk. They write over their front door: 20 + C + M + B + 11. Obviously, the digits, which appear at the beginning and end of the line, designate the New Year. ‘CMB’ stands for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar) and also signifies the Latin prayer Christus Mansionem Benedicat or ‘May Christ bless this dwelling!’

We blessed our home in the beginning of 2010. Little did we know then how many visitors would inquire about the numbers and letters written above our front door. It has created some spirit filled conversations with neighbors and sales people alike.

The Epiphany blessing has become a witness to our Christian faith.

May Christ bless this dwelling. Indeed!

New issue of Bold Cafe - Epiphany

Here's the latest issue of the Bold Cafe zine. The theme is Epiphany. Enjoy!

Twelfth Night

Today is the 12th day of Christmas - and in keeping with the Jewish observance of time, Epiphany begins at sundown. We really do encourage you to bless your dwelling this year - it can serve as a visual prayer every time you go through your front door.
Here's a brief service (all you need is a piece of chalk!) you can do at your house. If you don't have any chalk, you can do what I did a few years ago: write the symbols on a piece of paper then cover it with clear packing tape (like a poor girl's laminating...) and stick that above the door.
You might also want to check out this great post over at The Painted Prayerbook.
Blessings!!

Epiphany House Blessing

Many Christian households gather together on the Day of Epiphany (January 6th) to bless their homes for the new year. You will need a piece of chalk, or piece of cardboard and art supplies, to mark the lintel above the doorway with symbols of blessing.

All make the Sign of the Cross (in remembrance of their baptism).

Head of Household Peace be to this house and to all who dwell here, in the name of the Lord.
All Blessed be God forever.

Reader In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5, 14)

Using chalk, or a piece of cardboard that has been decorated with crayons or colored markers and designs, write on the outside of your house, above or next to the front door, these symbols: the date, abbreviation of the phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat, “Christ bless this home” (which is also the initials of traditional names for the three Magi—Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar), and four crosses.
Order the symbols in the following way: 20 + C + M + B + 10 (the current year), with the four crosses representing the four seasons.
In the new year, this marking serves as a blessing over the entire household.

Head of Household: Be our shelter, Lord, when we are at home, our companion when we are away, and our welcome guest when we return. Bless this house and all who inhabit it, with health, goodness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

The voice of authority

“They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as one of the scribes. Just then, there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching-with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once his fame began to spread through out the surrounding region of Galilee.” St. Mark 1:22-28

I grew up in a household with “voices of authority.” My father, a career naval officer, had a presence of authority around him, and his voice reflected it. Whenever my father spoke, I listened to him. The tone of his voice quickly captured my attention.

I learned to respect that voice, and over time, I learned to respect the teaching that came along with the voice.

My mother also had a voice of authority. She had to, trying to raise three sons while father was deployed overseas.
In order to not be over run by teenage ambition, my mother learned to use her voice as a way of corralling her sons into submission. The tone of her voice quickly captured my attention. It caught the attention of my brothers as well.

I learned to respect that voice, and over time, I learned to respect the teaching that came along with the voice.

The voice of my parents can still make me sit up and pay attention.

In many ways, I have inherited the voice of my parents.

On my cell phone I have recorded a message which I use as an alarm clock. My wife has commented, “That sounds like Bob (my father).” Yes, I am my father’s son. I’ve inherited his voice. The voice works. It gets me out of bed, whether I’m sleepy or not!

The Bible verse above comes from the gospel reading for Sunday, 1 February 2009.

People who heard Jesus were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.

And Jesus uses this authority to bring healing to a man demonized by an unclean spirit.
He uses his “voice of authority” to address the unclean spirit:“Be silent, and come out of him!”

Do we allow Jesus to speak with authority in our lives? Does his voice chase away the demons that plague us, or do we dismiss his voice as “one of many in our busy lives?”

Jesus does speak a voice of authority when our sins are forgiven.
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, so that you may come to believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

Jesus does speak with authority when he declares, “This is my body, broken for you. This is my blood, shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” We hear these words during Holy Communion.

Jesus does speak with a voice of authority when we are dead and in the grave, awaiting the resurrection.
“Do you not know that all of is who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Romans 6:3-5

I hope you hear the “voice of authority” in your life.

Wise Guys

Today is the Day of Epiphany - the annual celebration of the magi's visit to the infant Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the earliest days of the Church, Epiphany was a bigger deal than Christmas (I know, hard to imagine any return to that now, huh?). The word epiphany means manifestation, to make known. And today we remember and give thanks to God that Christ Jesus was made known to the Gentiles by the rising of that crazy star - and that the magi were paying attention and came to check it out. We celebrate that Jesus is the light of the WHOLE WORLD, and that he came for ALL PEOPLE.

Do you know anyone who could benefit from a reminder that Jesus is for him/her? Perhaps you are the one God would use to get their attention and share some grace.

ALSO - tomorrow, Wednesday the 7th, we are launching BLAST (Belonging, Learning and Serving Together). Come for dinner at 5:30pm, worship at 6:00pm (it will be very child friendly and interactive!) and activities at 6:30pm. The choir will rehearse at 6:30 and we'll also begin a Bible 101 class for anyone who has questions about what the Bible is, where it came from, and how exactly it is God's word for us. If you've ever felt intimidated in Bible study (or avoided one because you felt like you might not know enough to participate without feeling like a dork) then this is for you!

** I got this great art from the web page for Chinese artist He Qi (he's one of my favorite contemporary artists). Don't want to be illegal with the use of the art - it's just so cool!