TWICE THE ADVICE....

This morning I had the opportunity to attend two Sunday morning services at two different churches. Now, that's not terribly unusual. I imagine that many folks do that kind of thing. Preachers with more than one congregation or folks who are asked to be a guest speaker at a church, other than their own, are often called to attend several services in one day. And, maybe even some families do it. First the family goes to one church, then they hop in the car and travel someplace to attend another.

Anyway, it's a bit unusual for me. I've done it, but I've never experienced what I did this morning. In the course of a couple of hours, I witnessed two of the most diverse worship services this little old church lady has ever encountered.

At 8:00, I was formally attired in my choir robe, complete with the appropriately colored liturgical stole, ready to sing all of the formal hymns, responses and group prayers a Lutheran Church can offer. It was a really nice service. The preacher was spot-on as he combined personal stories with the scripture message of the Good Samaritan. Formal communion, at the rail, completed the worship service.

At 10:30, I attended an extremely informal Praise Worship at a United Methodist Church. The preacher wore sneakers. The Praise Band, which consisted of a drummer and a couple of guitars, accompanied the congregation in several songs.
Scripture for this service was the temptation of Jesus. By blending what it means to be a child of God, with the experience of Jesus, as the actual son of God, the message was very meaningful. Communion was by Intinction (some have called it Drive-By), but it was very worshipful.

So, what did I learn? What did I gain from this double-whammy of contradictory worship practices?
God does work on us in mysterious ways! His message is meant for all of us. He's going to get to us one way or the other. Only God's way is the right way....no matter how it is delivered.

Dear God. We're different. You know it. Thank you for being the very thing that we all need. You are all things to your children.  

When?

I understand that one of the highlights of the recent Super Bowl of Football was the half-hour black-out. I've been talking to friends who were so engrossed in the game, the commercials, the half-time show and the inane commentary of former jocks that they continued to watch the mostly darkened arena, eyes glued to their TV screens.
Come on folks. It's a game. And, there was nothing going on.
Which leads me to a burning question (no pun intended). When is the best time to  leave the viewing area, to visit the bathroom? Fans, tell me, please?
Is it best to leave during the play-by-play? What if you miss a great touchdown pass or a really long run. What if the receiver catches the ball, falls down and jumps up to run into the end zone for a touchdown? If you are in the potty, you missed the whole thing.
Do you hold everything necessary until a commercial break? What if you miss the commercial everyone is talking about, at school or the office, for the next two weeks? You know, we're all waiting to see a better pitch than that old "Coke and the kid" ad, of two decades ago.
What about during the half-time show? But, if there just happens to be another wardrobe malfunction (a la Janet Jackson), you don't want to be the only viewer that misses it.
And, should you make your break during the riveting re-hash of every play ever played on the gridiron? Those 3-5 old guys know EVERYTHING about the game. They know, because they played it, back in the day.
Maybe the whole Super Bowl broadcast is a plot, created by the Urologists of America, to get you into their offices for a check-up. Just a thought.

Lord: We are the craziest bunch of folks. You must get a big laugh out of what we think is important. You made life so simple for us and we make living it so hard.
You said....Love You and love others as ourselves. That's what you teach us, daily.
We are thankful for the lessons you give us.

The Whole Truth and Nothing But .....

The Scripture this morning was I Corinthians 13: 1-13. Well, it's February, and these familiar verses, which we Christians consider as the "Love Chapter", are perfect for the month of romantic love. Chapter 13, is almost always read at weddings and often printed in Valentine Cards. We know the words by heart. "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious..." and so on. Great words for lovers to hear. And very appropriate.
But (and this was a light bulb moment for me this morning) Chapter 13,  follows Chapter 12.  This morning I read them together for the first time. And ZOWIE. A light bulb went on in my small brain.
The verses describing love in Chapter 13, are in reference to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Chapter 12. This isn't Valentine stuff at all!
I am a great believer in Gifts and Graces. I know in my heart that we all have worth and that each one of us is talented in our own special God given way. In reading Chapter 12, we are given a list of the Gifts that we might receive, through the grace of God.
Then in Chapter 13, Paul writes that the "greatest of these Gifts, is love" and furthermore, if you don't have this Gift of love, then any other Gift that you might have been given is totally worthless. If what you do isn't done in the Spirit of love, then you are not using your Gift in the way that God intended it to be used.
What a great lesson for me this morning. God was telling me to read the whole story and I just might get the real picture.

Gracious and all knowing God. You understand us and our shortcomings. Keep our minds and our hearts open to your words of wisdom. We need your knowledge and guidance. We thank YOU for our Gifts. Help us to use them in Love.

I told you so.....

The winter weather and my current mood has led me to revisit some of the literary classics of my youth. This week I embarked on a reread of Silas Marner. Written in 1861, it must have been on the list of  "must reads" in the middle of the last century, because most everyone of a certain age has read it.
However, I don't think many folks, under the age of 55 or so, have even heard of it. It has disappeared from the required reading lists of modern education. Kids are reading other things, now.  And, I am admitting that it didn't make much of an impression on me at age 15. But, I think it was supposed to.
Silas Marner is a highly moralistic tale. The good characters prevail through all of the trials posed to the them. The bad guys get their come uppance, in the end. No doubt young readers were supposed to learn something from the story and heed the written warnings to make good choices or regret it.... for ever and ever...for generations to come.
Honestly, in my reread this week, I found I had retained very little of the plot. I can't blame my morals...or the lack there of....on Eppie and the coal hole. The ending was a pleasing surprise.

Gracious and all knowing Lord. You show us the right path. We know that our decisions do have consequences.We don't have anyone to blame but ourselves, when we make the wrong choices. Open our eyes and our ears to your guidance. Shut our mouths, so we can listen to your direction. Praise the Lord, always.

How cold is it?

In Southern California, it snowed recently. From the weather reports, it's actually near freezing in San Diego. San Diego, you know, almost always has practically perfect weather. Warm, rarely HOT, and cool, never COLD. Their current weather phase is a rarity, indeed.
I cannot imagine how the folks out there are coping. People in Southern California, even stay inside when it rains.....because it rarely ever rains! They don't have snow boots. (My Orange County sister once put baggies on her kids feet, when they took a day trip to the mountains, to play in the snow.) They don't have warm coats, hats, gloves or scarves.
What can I say, as I sit here, all cozy in my turtleneck, lined jeans, fuzzy socks and faux fur slippers? We adapt to cold weather, here in the middle lands, just as we adapt to our sweltering summers.
As my nonagenarian friend says, "this too shall pass." It will warm up soon, folks.

Oh, Lord. We are hard to satisfy. We complain about all kinds of things. We rarely remember to give thanks for all that we have. Our blessings are mighty. Tomorrow is a brand new day. You are with us, Lord, rain or shine.

Have Faith

The choir sang a catchy anthem last Sunday. It was based on the the Bible verse..."Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened..... ". It had a great message. But, the problem was, we were having trouble singing it with conviction. We just couldn't get our level of excitement up to match the words we were mouthing. We were singing about God answering our prayers, but it sounded like we didn't really believe it.
Faith is so easy catch and so incredibly hard to hold on to.

Great God. You are always with us. Hold us tight. Open our eyes so that we can imagine what you have in store, for those of us who have Faith in you. We are of your Kingdom, always.

     

Happy New Year, Folks

It's a new year. The old one is toast! Stick a fork in it! It's so last year!
Aren't you looking forward to starting anew? The new year is a time for making resolutions and promises to ourselves and others.
Last year, I resolved to write a blog entry every week. I didn't make it. The year before I think I had one about losing some weight or maybe it was exercising regularly. I wasn't very successful at those, either. Several years ago, my resolution was to eat a fresh fruit daily. Change fruit to snack food, and I would have made that one, in spades.
But, the optomist in me, says "Go ahead and shoot for the stars. Make those resolutions, no matter what your success rate has been".
So, all of the above. Ditto, again! Why not? Those hopes and dreams are still valid. Add to the above... find meaningful and lucrative employment and maintain a strong sense of humor. Oh, and be a better friend to everyone I care about.
I've got a big and busy year ahead of me.

Kind and gracious God. There isn't a single doubt in my mind that you are with us every minute of every day. Open our eyes that we might be willing to see what you have in store for us this year. Guide our feet, the race is sometimes very difficult.
We thank you for our many blessings. Amen. Amen.