Eleventh Day of Christmas Present

10+1 + 11 today.

Take a look at Andy Crouch's ten trends of the decade and see if you agree these are the most important factors shaping the context of faith communities. Andy was the keynote speaker at the Glen Workshop I attended in 2009 and an articulate and insightful commentator on the interaction between faith and culture.  I've summed his points up as a more and less list:

more connectivity with real people….less virtual reality.

more becoming rooted where we are….less trying to get somewhere else.

more urban renewal.…less suburban sprawl

more ethnic diversification…less majority concentration.

more polarization….less common political meeting ground

more self shots…..less unselfconsciousness.

more porn and idealized body images…..less certainty about how to reduce it.

more informality….less 
traditional institutional expectations.

more liquidity….less real assets



 more complexity….less easy answers

I'd add this:
more local and global nonprofit activity....less waiting for governments to fix things.


What do you think??? Post your comment and spark conversation!

Day Ten Christmas Present

Just imagine those ten lords a leaping non-stop for 231 years.

That's when the "Twelve Days of Christmas" was published as a poem in an English children's book, Mirth Without Mischief.  Either before, or shortly after it was published, it became a memory game. The first player recited verse one and each following player repeated what was said before, then added the next verse.  If anyone made a mistake, they had to give someone else a gift of food or a kiss.

We are celebrating Christmas present.  Its full of memories of the past and hopes for the future.  But our celebration is now, in the present tense. 

We are moving, now as then, toward Epiphany, a celebration of the star's illumination, revealing God to those who came searching.

The gifts of the past hold moments when we rested with God.  At the manger, on retreat, in family celebrations and quiet times.

They guide us toward a present that lives as long as we continue searching for the living God.  Have you ever told someone to wait right there, thinking you'd know where to find them when you came back?   Ten Lords a Leaping in place for 231 years.....a peaceful baby still lying in the manger over 2,000 years later, same people, same place, I don't think so.  We seek and serve a living God, one who moves and calls, nudges and reveals. Not then, not later, but now.

.....if you embrace what is to come from God, 

if you live for Christ's coming in practical life, 

you will learn that divine things can be experienced here and now, 

things quite different from what our human brains can ever imagine.  

-Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Action in Waiting

In Joy, Pastor Karen

Catching up: Presents 7, 8 and 9!!

7th Day of Christmas Present:

In the 1990's, a legend surfaced about the meaning of the 12 days of Christmas.

Although its been discredited as the origin of the song itself, the legend is a great example of how pop culture celebrations (like Christmas trees) can be re-imagined to teach and enliven the faith.

1. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus.
2. The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments.
3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.
4. The four calling birds are the four Gospels.
5. The five gold rings recall the Hebrew Torah (Law), or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
7. The seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
8. The eight maids a-milking are the eight Beatitudes.
9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
10. The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.
11. Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful Apostles.
12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed.

8th Day of Christmas Present:

     Today was "put-away" day at the Parsonage.  (I used to call it boxing day, until I learned that boxing day has nothing to do with packing up Christmas.  Click here to visit a good description of Boxing Day's origins.

     We had a lot of help with our version of boxing;  Sara still home from college, our German friend, Alice and helper #3, J.C. (Jeanne Claude) scurrying up and down and all around.Here's an 8th day bit of fun from the parsonage cat:

9th Day of Christmas Present: A Service for the Blessing of  A Home                                     

Adapted from the United Methodist Book of Worship

Jesus said, “Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20).

GREETING Friends, we gather here to seek God’s blessing upon this dwelling place, which by the favor of God and human labor has been made ready This home is not only a dwelling but a symbol to us of God’s loving care, and a symbol of our life together as God’s family. So let us bring our praise and thanksgiving for God’s goodness and mercy, and let us offer ourselves as God’s servants and as loving brothers and sisters in God’s family

OPENING PRAYER Almighty and everlasting God, grant the grace of your presence to this home, inhabit and defend this household. Teach them to love, as you have loved us, and help us all to live in the peace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let your love rest upon this place so that all who enter may know how your love through the hospitality that it offers. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever.  AMEN

SCRIPTURE:  Joshua 24:  14-15

SYMBOLIC ACTS

+ Lighting a candle   

“May the light of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, shine within your hearts”

+ Opening a Bible    

“May the Word of the Lord grow within your hearts and minds, guiding your journey.”

+ Lifting up of the Cross   

“May the sacrificial love of Christ’s death and resurrection point you toward the promise of eternal life.”

BLESSING  all present may extend their hands in blessing.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we bless the family and friends of this dwelling place, committing to God’s love and care all who dwell within these walls.

BENEDICTION

May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face to shine upon you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace, now and forever more. AMEN

Sixth Day of Christmas Present

Happy 6th day of Christmas!  This is the Chrismon Tree in the United Methodist building on Capital Hill, next door to the Supreme Court.  To learn about gifts that the United Methodist Board of Church and Society is exericing on our behalf, pay a virtual visit to the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

Fifth Day of Christmas present

Your 5th day of Christmas present is located at www.injoy-karen.blogpost.com!

Fourth Day of Christmas present

Chris Horner is friend and musician from Virginia. Just before Christmas, she shared this encounter with her grandchild.

Husband Colin added, "and this all goes on with four heading out the door to party, a hockey game on the TV, Christmas cards being stuffed and dinner being served to the late arrivers home. The application of faith must be powerful to overcome life's day to day."

Sammy invited me to a church service in the living room this evening. In attendance: two human; two dogs. The order of service was handwritten and is included verbatim below:

1. Entry with song

2 .Daily anonsments

3. prayr

4. song

5. personal silent prayr

6. song

7. hold hands and sing a song

8. exit with a song

Okay, the whole service took ~ 5 minutes. Cissy, who has learned to "shake", actually offered her paw during hand holding. Sam used recorded bits from the piano for the music, except when we sang "Jesus Loves Me". (Little dogs to Him belong) After the service, she handed me another piece of paper...

"need church organist".

I have accepted position and been prepaid 5 cents.

God is good.

Third Day of Christmas Present

"Listen to this!  Laments coming out of Ramah,

wild and bitter weeping.

It's Rachel weeping for her children,

Rachel refusing all solace.

Her children are gone,

gone--long gone into exile."

But God says, 

"Stop your incessant weeping,

hold back your tears. 

Collect wages from your grief work. " 

God's Decree.

"They'll be coming back home!

There's hope for your childre."  God's Decree.

      Jeremiah 31 excerpt, Eugene Petersen, The Message

...God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "get up.

Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt."

    Matthew 2 excerpt, The Message

His sorrow was a true as bread:

no liar looked him in the head;

if every friend became his foe

he'd laugh and build a world with snow.

My father moved through the theys of we,

singing each leaf out of each tree

(and every child was sure that spring

danced when she heard my father sing)

then let men kill which cannot share,

let blood and flesh be mud and mire,

scheming imagine, passion willed,

freedom a drug that's bought and sold

....and nothing quite so least as truth

--i say though hate were why men breathe--because my father lived his soul

love is the whole and more than all

(excerpts from e.e.cummings, 50 poems)