Peace | This Blessed Christmas

'Prayer for Peace' by Valerie Hart

Peace on Earth
This phrase has been repeating in my mind all day. Today, I don't feel peace. This whole year has not felt peaceful. And sometimes I wonder if full peace is possible.

There is a song I heard yesterday for the first time that declared "there is no peace in quiet." It's a song about missing someone and how silence reminds you of absence.

Yesterday, a dear elderly man at my church passed away. A person with a ready smile, supportive word, and sweet humor. He touched so many lives. Our status as a church for the misfits of society comes much from the hospitality and love that oozed from this man and his wife.

People loved him. Because he loved them, and they felt that. We saw Jesus in him and his ways. He was a quiet, lovely person. Peaceful in manner and deed.

His legacy reminds me of a passage in Romans 12 about being a living sacrifice:

Love should be shown without pretending. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. Don't hesitate to be enthusiastic -- be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Contribute to the needs of God's people, and welcome strangers into your home. Be happy with those who are happy and cry with those who are crying. Consider as everyone as equal, and don't think that you're better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people. Don't be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.

Maybe peace on Earth so far as the whole world standing side by side in harmony isn't possible. Maybe it won't happen. But that doesn't mean I will stop, so far as it depends on me, living peaceably. I am a peacemaker. I am helping to raise up a generation of peacemakers. I go forward in peace because peacemaking is part of my identity in Christ.

If I have anything to do with it, there will be peace.

Beginning this blessed Christmas

On the first day of Advent, I don't feel like being intentional.
I don't feel like looking for the blessing.

I feel like a headache with a twinge of sadness.

And this is all the more reason I'm forcing myself at 10:00pm at night to think about the blessings of the day.

I woke up in a warm bed.
Protected by a sweet dog who loves me.
There was food for me to eat whenever I wanted it.
I had medicine immediately accessible for my pain.
There were many options for entertainment to distract myself from not feeling good.
I had clean water to drink to re-hydrate.
I had hot, running water for my shower.
My parents readily took my calls when I needed a chat.
I had the day off from a job that I love so I did not miss out on work.
I was able to enjoy experimenting with food in the kitchen for supper.
I am able to read for enjoyment.
And now, I'm using the computer I own to shout into the void of the Internet.

And beyond all of these temporary blessings, I have peace with God through Jesus, and I can testify to the hope of glory!

So, yes. This day was not how I had planned to begin my self appointed 'blessed Christmas.'

But it was full of blessings whether I feel like looking for them or not.

Blessed Christmas. Day one.

Today

There is a French proverb that says something to the extent of "Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace." I count myself beyond blessed to have been born into a family who sewed seeds of the truth of salvation early in and throughout my life. Now, I encounter daily opportunities to be the one who is sowing.

Now I am the sower.

My words sew truth. My hands show love. My actions bring glory to God.

And the same is true for all of those who are bringing the Gospel of Christ into their daily lives, relationships, and encounters.

Many times I enjoy the structures of liturgies or spiritual disciplines. I may have shared this in some other form, but here is a link to Here Are My Hands by A New Liturgy. This is a two part liturgy aiming to find holiness in the commutes to and from work. An excellent reminder that you are a holy vessel of God, and His presence goes with you everywhere and transforms those places.

Another practice I have come to deeply appreciate is memorization and recitation of creeds. In our church, we recite the Apostles' Creed each Sunday. I have studied the Nicene Creed. Today, for the first time, I read J.D. Walt's Sowers Creed. You can read more about it and the thought behind it from that link, but I'll copy it here to remind you of the Great Commission and inspire you on in bringing the Gospel into each moment of your life.

The Sowers Creed

Today I sow for a Great Awakening.

Today, I stake everything on the promise of the Word of God. I depend entirely on the power of the Holy Spirit. I have the same mind in me that was in Christ Jesus. Because Jesus is good news and Jesus is in me, I am good news.

Today, I will sow the extravagance of the Gospel everywhere I go and into everyone I meet.

Today I will love others as Jesus has loved me.

Today I will remember that the tiniest seeds become the tallest trees; that the seeds sown today become the shade of tomorrow; that the faith of right now becomes the future of the everlasting Kingdom.

Today I sow for a Great Awakening.

-J.D. Walt

This blessed Christmas

We are SO close to December. Which also means that we are getting close to Advent.

Advent has got to be one of my favorite times of the year. There is such expectancy and warmth.

I was trying to ask myself why I like Christmas so much. Every answer I could come up always came back to hope.

This is the season of hope. And expectant hope.

Jesus has already come. We expect to celebrate.
He is going to come again. We are expectantly waiting.

I have to confess. I have been dreading the Christmas season.

It is busy at church.
At home.
Out shopping.

And to a woman who has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, that sounds terrible.

This is my fourth Christmas having a chronic illness. By now, I have been around the block to know what the holidays will mean for my emotions, body, disease, etc.

As I was relaxing into this feeling of disappointment and dread, I realized that just wasn't acceptable to me.

Ergo. I've been trying to catch myself each time the stress and dread starts to take over and remind myself.

This is a joyful thing. I don't have to dread it.
This is one of my favorite things. I don't have to put a ton of energy into it.
This is a blessed Christmas.
Because.
Jesus has already come. I expect to celebrate that.
He is going to come again. I am expectantly waiting.

I invite you to join me for a blessed Christmas this year. My plan is to blog throughout the Advent season as I explore it in a new way. Tune in back here starting December 1. Let's go through this season in hope together.

Remain | John 15

Reading in John 15 today. I usually read from the New Living Translation because it is beautifully phrased, but today I chose to read from Common English as that is what we use as pew Bibles at church.

The thing that struck me was the repetition of the word remain.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

You can't produce fruit unless you remain in me.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

Remain in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.

I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete.

This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you.

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of remain is

- to be a part not destroyed, taken, or used up

- to stay in the same place or with the same person or group; especially to stay behind

- to continue unchanged

Synonyms of remain:

abide, dwell, stay, tarry

Make Christ your home. Dwell in him.

Abide in the love of Christ.

The result of remaining in his love is replication of his love. When we follow his commandment to love as he loved us, his love is given to another and another.

This transfer of love leads to hope being passed person to person. And that is cause for great joy.

Remain in me. Remain in my love.
#chronicjoy

Live Thankfully Week Three: Chara

It is our last week of practice, and the word of the week is chara. This should sound pretty familiar. It is a derivative of some of the words we have already explored:

Charis - grace / gift

Eucharisteo - giving thanks

Charizomai homologeo - acknowledging grace

Chara means JOY! Specifically chara means joy, gladness, or joy received. This word shows up 59 times in the New Testament. In the writings of the Apostle Paul, chara is often found with another word: pleroo.

Pleroo means being filled to the fullest, abounding. It is the fullest of full!

So paired together, chara and pleroo convey being filled to the fullest with joy. FULL joy. Deep, abiding, abounding joy.

Through acknowledgement and thanks for our good gifts, most especially remembering and giving thanks for the good gift of God’s grace through Christ, we find deep chara joy.

One of Jesus’ last directions for us was to remember and give thanks. We see this echoing through the years through the sacrament of Communion (Eucharist, Lord’s Supper).

Remembering and giving thanks brings joy.

How else can we maximize our joy? Our personal study this week focuses on things that bring joy to believers: redemption, hope, God’s Word, prayer, giving, and more!

Enter this last week of practice in thankfulness and praise. Rejoice in these days that God has made!

Suggested Practice:

One of the things that brings us joy as believers is giving. What is something that you personally or your family could give this week? Maybe it is giving your time to a service project. Maybe it is money. Maybe an encouraging word. An apology. A thank you.

Choose something to give. through giving we can learn to live thankfully and generously.

#livethankfully

Weariness and Glory

This afternoon, I felt that feeling of weariness creep up on me.

That feeling that whispers questions and fears to your heart like...

"I'm not enough."

"Nothing is ever simple and easy."

"Why am I even trying?"

The kind of feeling that makes you lay face down on your bed and bury your head in the pillows to scream. You know. That feeling.

My tendency is to stuff my stress, worry, and weariness and convince myself that I am using it to fuel my work. I maintain productivity. I keep on pushing. My attitude stays positive, but my heart remains stressed.

Yes, I continue to get things done. I also encourage a deeper sense of hopelessness. Because let's face it, no matter how many things you cross off a To Do list, there will always be more things to add.

But when I take the time to let God address my weary, hopeless heart, those feelings dissolve.

Truth counters and prevails over the questions and fears. The things that cause the stress -- situations, people, overcommitment, etc. -- may still exist in my life, but God can help me turn my feelings of inadequacy and weakness into joy.

I am reminded of the Apostle Paul telling about the "thorn in his flesh" in 2nd Corinthians. We do not know exactly what this thorn was. Some suggest it was a chronic disease. Whatever it was, Paul felt it a hinderance to his ministry. He prayed three times for the Lord to take away the affliction.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Although he was not physically healed, God told Paul that God's power is best revealed through weakness. Time and time again we see God choosing weak people to be vessels of his power and hope. In our eyes, these people are illogical choices, but God shows us over and over that his grace is enough!

I feel as though we so often are willing to take the time to speak truth into the lives of others, but we do not give ourselves the same care. We do not allow or invite God into our small problems -- schedule, job pressures, or whatever it may be. And this is our downfall!

God is present in all places and situations. The big moments and the small. Why would we not welcome God into every part of our lives? After all, it is many small moments that add up into our big moments.

So here is the challenge. When you are face down in that pile of pillows and on the verge of tears, who will you rely on to comfort your heart?

The self who pushes you to accomplish tasks regardless of the mental, emotional, or physical toll?

Or the God who sees your soul and nourishes your spiritual condition so that you can be empowered to keep on working toward future glory?

Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant -- I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tel everyone about the wonderful things you do. - Psalm 73:21-28

Praying the Psalms: Psalm 100

A few years ago, one of my spiritual mentors suggested for me to read a chapter in the New Testament and a psalm each day. I found this to be valuable and began to pray through each psalm instead of simply reading. Today, I invite you to pray through the psalms with me beginning with Psalm 100.

Praying the Psalms: Psalm 100

Read...
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.
Do...
Put on your favorite joyful song. Worship in joy. Sing along. Turn your attention toward gladness.

Read...
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Do...
Confess that God is God. Write down a list of names of God. Pray through these names. Remember what each one means.

Read...
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Do...
Pray through your circles of influence. Thank God for personal things, then family, friends, community, country, and world. Pray in thanks for Jesus and God's grace to us.

Read...
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Do...
Pray for the children of the world. Pray for this generation. Pray for future generations. Look for evidence of God's love in your life and give him praise for his goodness.

Read...
Should with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his nam.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Do...
Read through all of Psalm 100 yet again. Your reading is your prayer. Recognize the truths of God's goodness and unfailing love. Respond in gladness and joy.

Live Thankfully Week Two: Eucharisteo

Eucharisteo.

There are some pretty big concepts surrounding thankfulness in the Bible. First of all, thankfulness is not passive. It is a mental or verbal recognition and expression of acknowledgement and appreciation. Let me say that again.

Thankfulness is recognition and expression of acknowledgement and appreciation.

Recognition, expression, acknowledgement, and appreciation. Of God's person. God's blessings. God's sovereignty. God's grace.

Anyone have bells going off? Ding ding ding -- I'm remembering some of those words from this past week!

Thankfulness is a repsonse to God's grace!

Okay, so are you ready for that big concept way to express thankfulness? There are two main versions found in the New Testament:

1. Remember charis? Now we have charizomai homologeo. Meaning grace acknowledgement and confession. Our prayers of confession and thankfulness are one way we acknowledge and appreciate God's grace.

2. We also see Jesus breaking bread with the disciples in an act of thanks. This word may sound pretty familiar: eucharisteo. Very literally it means "good grace." When it appears in the context of Jesus eating with his disciples, it means "giving thanks." Eucharisteo is derived from charis. I can mentally almost see it enveloping charis. Jesus sees the bread and cup, counts it as a good grace, and gives thanks for it.

This week, we will explore why we should be thankful, what happens when you are thankful and the dangers of thanklessness.

Right now, check out this video from Ann Voskamp to frame your week:

Suggested Practice:

Keep a gratitude journal for the week. Have each family member write down 3 things each day for which they are thankful. If this seems like a chore, remember that you are actually training your mind toward gratitude!

Be creative with this! Maybe make a paper chain for each family member and watch the links grow the chain. Or keep personal journals. List on a piece of paper and keep in your Bible or taped to the bathroom mirror. Make a family poster to hang on the wall or refrigerator. Cut out leaves to make a gratitude wreath. However you do it, look for the light together!

#livethankfully

Live Thankfully Week One: Charis

Charis.

Sweet grace, undeserved benefit. God’s merciful kindness toward us. The root of gratefulness and joy.

Thankfulness grows when we remember stories of God’s grace.. in the Bible and in our lives.

Jesus tells so many stories about grace, and we see grace flowing through all of Scripture. God’s grace is essentially the foundation of the Gospel.

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time -- to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” - 2 Timothy 1:9

Stories of grace are woven together throughout Scripture. Everything that happens from the first page through the resurrection of Jesus is pointing toward the gracious redemption of humankind.

So for our first week, we are going to be reading from the story of Esther. A little background: This took place in Persia which was the dominant superpower in the Middle East at that point in history (483 B.C.). The Medo-Persian Empire spanned the provinces of Media and Persia as well as the previous empires of Assyria and Babylon. Esther lived in the capitol city of Susa.

Esther was a young Jewish woman. The Jewish people were a displaced people group. They had been in captivity in Babylon and then freed by a Persian King. Some of them chose to stay in Persia. It was home. They were established. It was potentially dangerous to go back to Jerusalem, a place many of them had never known. Esther’s family had stayed in Susa where the Jewish people were a minority.

As we read this week, look for the things that stick out as God’s sovereignty and grace toward His people.

Suggested Practice:
Have each family member think of a story of God's grace in his or her own life. Not the story of a friend or a Bible story; something that is personal to each one.

Write out the story or draw a picture of it. As a family, take the time to share each story. The story doesn't have to be long or complicated; just something simple that showed God's grace.

Help any children to understand what God's race is. One way to explain grace is something you did not earn or deserve, but it was given to you anyway. Ask each other for God stories. Ask how they know God is real.

#livethankfully

Live Thankfully: A 3 Week Practice of Biblical Thankfulness

For this Thanksgiving season, I have written an exploration and practice of Biblical thankfulness. Each Thursday leading up to Thanksgiving, I will post a blog and suggested personal study for the week. Check back for other resources as we work through what Biblical thankfulness looks like and how we develop it in our lives.

Grace is pervasive in Scripture.

What I mean by that is that story after story in the Bible shows God's grace. Grace goes hand in hand with gratitude. Even the words in Greek go together!
The word for grace or gift is charis and from that word is derived eucharisteo which means giving thanks or very literally "good grace."

I love that there are many words in Scripture that, in the original Greek or Hebrew, immediately imply something when read. The original reader, or hearer, sees the word and is immediately reminded of some concept, other word, or other piece of Scripture. For instance, there is a word that David uses in his psalms to cry out for help that implies that God has already answered and sent rescue before the psalmist cried out. So in that case, a call of help implies that rescue is already coming!

In this situation, when the reader sees charis a response of eucharisteo is implicit. They simply go together. Grace and gratitude. And likewise, when we see eucharisteo, it can be inferred that charis came before. When we see gratitude, we know that there was a good gift received.

And so beautiful is this language that it doesn't stop with grace and gratitude.

We see another word derived from charis and eucharisteo... chara: joy.

Even the way these words developed show us this process of grace, gratitude, and joyfulness. We don't skip straight to the point of joy. Sometimes we seem to think that once we have joy, then we can be thankful. That's not how it works. Thankfulness in response to grace is what creates joy.

Thankfulness as a response to grace is what creates deep, lasting joy.

So maybe like me you are at the point of asking, "How do I grow thankfulness?" That is what we will work through. I don't have the complete answer.

But. We have been given grace and promised joy... It is our turn to step up and create habits of gratitude. Let's dive into this together.

#livethankfully