Tree Decorating with Chrismons

The December 20 worship will feature the decorating of the tree in church with chrismon ornaments. The ornaments were made by the members of Savior Divine. The word "chrismon" is short for Christ's monograph. The most common monograph is the X (chi) superimposed upon a P (rho). which are the first two letters of the Greek word "Christ."

Other popular chrismons are the dove, star, nativity, shepherd's staff, Latin cross, and the shell. The ornaments take us through the life of Christ from his Nativity through his Victory. The service on Sunday will give an explanation of these symbols as each one is placed on the tree.

The Christmas tree itself with the color green has been a symbol of everlasting life.

Candles have also been a popular symbol for Christmas, showing that Jesus has come to be the light of the world. We light a candle each Sunday on our Advent log and worshipers will be lighting candles on Christmas Eve.

What symbols do you have in your home that are meaningful to you at this time of the year?

Preparing to Receive the True Meaning of Christmas

Caught in the holiday rush? I'm beginning to feel the pinch at this point as I think of the many things that have to be done before Christmas Day! Yet, I still want to keep my focus!

This Sunday I will be talking about preparing ourselves to receive the true meaning of Christmas. It has to do with Jesus taking on human form and identifying with us in all of our humanness. He identifiied with our struggles, temptations, and suffering. It has to do with Jesus coming in such a humble way to be the Savior of the world.

The birth of Jesus brought God into the mainstream of history. I believe that we know God more fully because of Jesus' presence. We know more of God's love, compassion, and mercy. We know more about God's concern for justice. We know more about what God expects of us in how we are to live. We know more about God's concern for our wellness and for peace in our world.

Have you given it much thought as to why Jesus had to take on human form in order for God to save us? What difference will Jesus' presence here on this Earth make in your life?

Preparing for Christmas in Your Personal Life and Home

For many families, Christmas is filled with traditions. It may be with family gatherings, putting up outside lights, baking cookies, and sending cards.

As we approach Christmas, I believe we also need to look at how we are preparing ourselves personally for the remembrance of Jesus' birth. It's always festive to have some type of decorations inside your home that might spark conversation with guests that you have. Might you have something that would lead the conversation into the meaning of Christmas?

For your personal life, what activities or rituals would be helpful? I would like to mention several here for consideration in our preparation for remembering this momentous day in history.

1. Read through the stories of Jesus' birth in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Note what catches your attention!
2. Read Advent devotions.
3. Purchase your gifts for others from a charitable organization, where you are giving to a worthy cause as well as providing a gift for someone.
4. Light candles on an Advent wreath in your home. (If blue candles are used, think of how Jesus gives us hope; if three purple and one pink candle are used, think of repentance and joy)

How will be you be preparing yourself for Jesus' birth this year? Will it be anything different from previous years?

Preparing for Christmas with Anticipation

The start of the Christmas holiday season begins with the Friday after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday. It will be a busy time with much activity for many of us in preparation for the remembrance of Christ's birth. This Sunday, November 29, is the First Sunday of Advent, and I will begin a four week sermon series on "Preparing for Christmas."

Advent is a season of anticipation. God's people had lived in anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. They didn't know when God would send this special person. There was a long period of waiting, each generation wondering if the Messiah would come in their own lifetime. For us who live after the time of Jesus' birth, we live in anticipation of Jesus' coming again. The date of his coming has brought on much speculation. Yet, we are a people who await his coming to bring history to a close.

With this fervor of anticipation, I would like us to consider how we live in anticipation of our celebration of Christmas. Do we anticipate what God might work through us as we go through the countdown until Christmas Day? Consider how God might transform you through the following activities in preparation for Chrstmas:

1. In worship
2. In a devotional reading
3. In the music of this season
4. In a Christmas TV program or movie that you see
5. In your reading of Scripture
6. In your gathering with family and friends

What do you anticipate to happen to you during the season of Advent? Business as usual? Or will you be watching for new meaning that God can bring to you?

A King for All Times

How easily do you accept authority? Maybe your answer is: It all depends on who is claiming to have authority? Or your answer might be: I am the final authority in my life.

On November 22, we come to Christ the King Sunday, and we have the opportunity to look at how we live with Jesus as our King. Do we really see him as having the final "say" in our lives?

The Gospel reading from John 18:33-37 takes us to the time when Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate. Jesus had been before the Jewish authorities, but they dismissed him and sent him to Pilate who had the authority to execute him.

We have a fascinating dialogue taking place between Jesus and Pilate. Pilate would ask Jesus if he is a king. Jesus would assert: "My kingdom is not from this world...." (Jn. 18:36) Jesus was submitting himself before a Roman authority who had the power of life and death over him and makes this bold statement that his power lies not in earthly rule but with God.

Are we willing to submit to Jesus as being king of our lives? Here is where we need to look and see if his rules extends over every facet of our lives. Where we might want to live with power or revenge, Jesus' kingship gives us a different way of living as his followers. Even in vulnerable situations, we must examine who or what will rule in our hearts.

Do you feel that Jesus is King in your life? If not, what changes would you have to make?

Looking at Our Assets: Is the Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?

This Sunday I continue with the second part in my stewardship series. I am focusing on having us look at our assets. As a pastor, I know it's easy for a small congregation to feel that it doesn't have much to offer or really can't do much in ministry. I believe what helps a congregation to overcome this pessimism is to remember that the church is a gifted community. The Holy Spirit has endowed folks with a variety of gifts. Even within each congregation, it's fairly easy to overlook the many strengths that exist.

Our Task Force for Outreach had done some brainstorming a couple years ago to come up with what are strengths for us at Savior Divine. We were able to put down on paper the following:

1. We are a loving and caring fellowship.
2. We have a variety of worship, music, and musicians.
3. Our sanctuary gives us intimate worship and flexibility.
4. We are handicap accessible.
5. We have a telecare ministry.

I might add that now we have a prayer ministry going full steam ahead. For us at Savior Divine, we can look at the glass as being half-full instead of being half-empty.

Even in our individual lives, we might think we don't have much to offer. Then, it is that we need to do some examining and ask: How has God gifted me? When we don't use our strengths, we are not helping to expand the kingdom and the quality of life that God so desires to happen in our world.

How is it with your life? Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

Stewards of Our Resources

This Sunday I begin a two week series on the topic of stewardship, where I will focus on looking at how we are stewards of our resources.

We hear more and more today the words "sustainable" and "renewable." We want to be able to care for creation in a way where we are not wasting what resources we have. Certainly, we can think of the many things we do in our homes with recycling, using the fluorescent bulbs, and using energy efficient appliances; but I also want to think of the importance of making our own personal lives to be sustainable and renewable. Do we take care of ourselves with eating properly, getting adequate sleep, sufficient exercise, that will allow us to be functioning at our optimum capacity?

We also must look at how we handle our own financial resources. Do we manage our finances properly so that we can be generous in giving to the church for its mission? The tithe was the basic unit of giving in the Old Testament, where the 10% came from the first-fruits. I fear that too often we think of ourselves first and give God the leftovers.

The challenge for us is to be a good "managers" for what God has given us!

Is your carbon footprint increasing or decreasing? Do you think you are doing a good job in managing your finances?