"What Does God Have in Store for You in 2011?

"Perfect Love"

Advent devotion for Wednesday, December 22...

v Read 1 John 4:16-21

v Someone once said to me that the best way to understand the words “perfect love casts out fear” is to turn them around. Fear casts out perfect love. When we consider the words that way we realize that the opposite of love is not hate; it is fear. Fear is what paralyzes us when we should be acting in love towards our neighbor. Fear is what distorts our love into something that harms instead of heals. But, the perfect love of God casts out the fear that can distort the love in our hearts. Thanks be to God!

v Prayer focus – Perfect love casts out fear. 

"Faithfulness"

Advent devotion for Monday, December 20...

v Read Hosea 14:1-7

v Hosea is an interesting prophet. God calls him to marry a woman named Gomer, one of the most beautiful women in Israel. But, as it turns out, Gomer is a prostitute. And not just any prostitute, she is a temple prostitute. That means that she gives herself to men as a religious ceremony for the pagan God Baal. God calls Hosea to marry Gomer to demonstrate to Israel how, even though the have been unfaithful, and worshipped other gods, his love remains strong. God’s love is faithfulness to God’s people.

v Prayer focus – God’s love and faithfulness.

"God's Love"

Advent devotion for Monday, December 20...

v Read Hosea 14:1-7

v Hosea is an interesting prophet. God calls him to marry a woman named Gomer, one of the most beautiful women in Israel. But, as it turns out, Gomer is a prostitute. And not just any prostitute, she is a temple prostitute. That means that she gives herself to men as a religious ceremony for the pagan God Baal. God calls Hosea to marry Gomer to demonstrate to Israel how, even though the have been unfaithful, and worshipped other gods, his love remains strong. God’s love is faithfulness to God’s people.

v Prayer focus – God’s love and faithfulness.

"Conspiracy of Love"

Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7

Preaching about God's love sounds like it would be relatively easy. God loves us. God forgives us. Thank you God. But, we surround God's steadfast love with so many things that, sometimes, we complicate the very act of God loving us. Christmas is a wonderful example. God loved us by becoming one of us. By sharing in our lives in the most meaningful way possible. The early church gave us the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for Jesus' birth. And what do we do in response? We surround this simple loving act with all kinds of hoopla and hullabaloo that have nothing to do with the birth of Christ. And then we wonder plaintively why we don't feel the "Christmas spirit." I mentioned during the sermon yesterday that The Advent Conspiracy has not been about undoing everything that surrounds the Christmas holiday. It is not about getting rid of presents or trees. It has been about one thing – finding a way for us to do the simple act of showing up on Christmas - show up. The main priority of the Advent Conspiracy is to bring the people of God to the foot of the manger where they can receive, and then share with others, the greatest gift ever - the love of God in Jesus Christ. It really is that simple. 

"The Gospel According to Stephen Colbert"

Whether you are a fan of the Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report," or not, you have to enjoy this hilarious and absolutely thought-provoking opening rant from Mr. Colbert. Watch the entire opening sequence all the way to the very end. If you are a Christian, agree of disagree, how do you respond?

"Fellowship of Friends"

There are few joys greater in this world than spending time with people that you love. It is an added bonus when those people turn out to be people that you work with. This evening, about 22 children, youth and adults from Light of the Canyon went Christmas caroling and gathered afterward to share in fellowship. Check out the photos from an amazing evening. An easy, casual evening of fun and fellowship is a rare gift during Advent. Thank you, people of LOTC, for letting me serve as your pastor. You are a joy to my heart.

"Joy and Obedience"

Advent devotion for Thursday, December 16...

v Scripture – Luke 1:39-56

v Mary has just found out that she will bear a son that will be the messiah. She may not know what that really means, that someday she will watch him die on a cross. She thinks herself blessed to be the vessel of God’s salvation. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” How will you “magnify the Lord” this Advent season? How will you proclaim with your words and actions that your spirit rejoices in God your savior?

v Prayer focus – The joy of obedience to God. 

"Joy in the Lord"

Advent devotion for December 15, 2010.

 - Read Psalm 16:7-11

 - This psalm is all about joy. But, what is most important is that the source of the psalmist’s joy is his relationship with God. “I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” What is the source of your joy this Advent season?

 - Prayer focus – Joy in the Lord. 

"God's Promises"

Today's Advent devotion...

v Scripture – Zephaniah 3:11-19

v This is not one of the more well known passages of scripture, but it is beautiful nonetheless. It has many of the classic prophetic themes of prophets like Isaiah. It talks about restoration of God’s people, Zion, and what great joy there will be in the days to come. This passage is a reminder that God is not finished yet. He is not finished with you and me. And he is not finished with the world. Even in times when we cannot see it, God is working to fulfill the promises that he has made.

v Prayer focus – Thanks to God because he is always at work in the world.

"Beautiful, Beautiful Zion"

Here is today's devotion...

 - Read Jeremiah 31:1-6

 - Spend some time today thinking about the day of God’s restoration for the people of Judah. Follow this link on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5dT-A60PvE and watch the video. In the front row to the very right is our Bishop Mary Ann Swenson. Consider the words to the hymn “Marching to Zion.” Where are you marching this Advent season? Where does all of your Advent activity lead?

 -  Prayer focus – the beautiful city of Zion.

"Conspiracy of Joy"

Isaiah 35:1-10

This week, we talked about the "conspiracy of joy" in worship. Some of you might think that I am stretching things a bit when I suggest that joy is conspiratorial. Everyone feels joy during Advent and Christmas, don't they? How conspiratorial can it be to be joyous at Christmas? Let's review our working definition of conspiracy. It is "an agreement to perform together...a subversive act." How is joy subversive? Everyone wants to be joyful. Joy is subversive when it seeks as its source the love and grace of God. Let me be very clear. We are confronted with two main narratives that vie for our hearts during the season of Advent. One narrative, let's call it for sake of argument "the bad one," comes from the retail industry. In that narrative, joy at Christmas is determined by the monetary value of the gifts that we receive. Watch any commercial and the "wow" factor always seems to involve a new car or diamonds, or some other expensive bauble. While this narrative might lead to some degree of joy, it will also lead to a "Christmas hangover," the nagging feeling that there is more to the story. But, there is another narrative, let's call it "the good one." In this narrative, we can still enjoy the fun of giving and receiving gifts at Christmas. But, our joy is centered on the fact that the big Christmas gift was given 2000 years ago in a manger in Bethlehem. The wrapping paper for this gift was "swaddling clothes." In this narrative, Christmas is not simply the end of the season of Advent, it is the beginning of the greatest story ever told. This narrative is defined by the principles of the Advent Conspiracy - worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all. Can you tell which narrative I am advocating for? (I'll give you a hint - it's not the "bad one) What will be the source of your joy this Christmas? 

"Keep it Simple"

Advent devotion for Friday, December 10...

v  Scripture – Matthew 22:34-40

v Jesus says that there are two simple things that his followers must remember – love God, and love your neighbor. John Wesley has “three simple rules” for Christian living. They are (1) Do no harm. (2) Do good, and (3) stay in love with God. Make a list of 2-3 specific things that you and your family can do to become peacemakers. Commit yourselves to these simple things.

v Prayer focus – Focus and guidance from God

"Come, Holy Spirit"

Advent devotion for Thursday, December 9

Scripture – John 14:25-31

God does not call us to the challenging task of being peacemakers without equipping us for the job. When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, he was sending God’s peace to God’s people.

Prayer focus – The Holy Spirit

"Random Awesomeness"

I saw these kids on Youtube. They are awesome. It occurs to me that the art of expression is getting a lot more creative and a lot more "by the people." Amen to that.

"Safe Haven"

Advent devotion for December 8, 2010...

v Read Psalm 4:8

v This psalm is a good prayer to say at the end of the day. Take some time to reflect on your day. In what ways have you lived that are pleasing to God? In what ways have you “missed the mark?” Thank God for his forgiveness. As you read this passage, rest in the assurance of God’s abiding love and grace.

v Prayer focus – God’s grace and forgiveness 

"Covenant"

    We are almost at the third Sunday of Advent. I thought it might be a nice time to share Advent devotions that we are working through at Light of the Canyon. 

 v Read Ezekiel 34:23-30

 v Ezekiel uses a word that we read a lot in the bible – covenant. A covenant is a mutual promise between two or more parties. Wedding vows, baptism vows, church membership vows, are all examples of covenants. When you read this passage, read it as a vow that God is making to his people. Remember that you are God’s people. How does this change your understanding of these words? 

v Prayer focus – God’s peace for all people.

"Conspiracy of Peace"

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10

Yesterday, I talked about being a peacemaker by using the example of school bullying. My desire was to bring the idea of being a peacemaker down to the level where we live. I think that sometimes we think that being a peacemaker is best left to the Martin Luther Kings and Mother Theresas of the world. But, that is not the case. When God gives his people a vision, he gives it to all of his people. If we listen to the words of Isaiah, we realize that being a peacemaker means creating a world of safety and security for all of God's children, especially the most vulnerable. School bullying occurs because people have bought into the faulty logic that, in order for one person to receive the love and security that all people need, others must not receive it. People bully other people because they are afraid. They are insecure themselves. When we read Isaiah and other prophets, when we read the gospels, we realize that the thing that people want most in the world - love - is the one thing that is actually in abundance in this world, if we will be willing to tap into the source. We choose to withhold love out of anger, fear, resentment, etc. But, love itself is available in abundance. It is the one resource that we have that never runs out. Bullies live under the mistaken notion that there is a finite amount of love in the world, and so they do whatever they can to get their share. So, what does this mean for us? Are there specific things that we can do to be conspirators of peace together? Absolutely. Whether you have a child, or not, learn some of the facts about school bullying. Go to www.nobully.com. The sight is full of information. You can pray this week for young people that are experiencing bullying. Talk to the children and youth in your life and ask if there is anyone that they know that is being bullied. If possible, reach out to that person. Being bullied makes people feel isolated and alone. Your kindness may not end their bullying, but it can help end their isolation. There are some important guidelines on the no bully web site in the parents section. I encourage you to read this before taking any specific action. Finally, remember that love is a resource that has no end. Do not feel the need to be sparing with God's love. Be generous with it. Be extravagant. You will not be disappointed.

"Slave Free"

There are some exciting things coming out of the anti-slavery group at callandresponse.com. Check out this great clip about the human slavery supply chain. I'll bet there is a surprise or two. Second, they have partnered with the U.S. State Department to develop a "slavery footprint." This will be an interactive tool that consumers can use to better educate themselves about the impact their buying habits have on human slavery. Keep checking back at the web site to see how this develops. There are things that we can all do to eliminate human slavery. Start simple. Do something.