Saturday, December 25, 2021: Nativity of the Lord - Proper II

Titus 3:4-7

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Luke 2:8-20

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,  "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."  So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth week of Advent)

 We ask you, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by the daily visitation of your Spirit, that when your Son our Lord comes he will find in us ready for the mansion He has prepared; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

 May the Spirit of Advent be with you throughout the year.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Before you open gifts, read the story of God’s greatest gift from the book of Luke.

Advent - Just for Fun

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Pentatonix - Mary, Did You Know? (Official Video)

Friday, December 24, 2021: Nativity of the Lord - Proper I

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

 Isaiah 9:2-7

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.

For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,  training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,  while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Luke 2:1-7

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  All went to their own towns to be registered.

Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth week of Advent)

 We ask you, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by the daily visitation of your Spirit, that when your Son our Lord comes he will find in us ready for the mansion He has prepared; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought...or perhaps, just a little story (remember, it is only a story)

 Paeter was nine years old in 1946 when he was found by a Red Cross worker.  He was hiding in the garbage dump outside Lublin Poland.  The worker took him to the orphanage where he joined several hundred other children who were the leftover victims of World War II.

 Paeter was quiet.  Even in this group of children who had suffered and lost during the war Pater was unusually quiet.  It took nearly seven months for his story to come out, and when it did it was in bits and pieces.  Paeter was Jewish.  His father had been arrested early in the war and sent to the concentration camp outside Lublin.   

 People knew what happened in that camp.  Hundreds went in each week yet the camp never got bigger.  And the smokestacks spewed a stench day and night.

 Paeter and his mother were taken in and hidden by a Christian family, the Valskis, who also had a boy about his age.  Havel became his best and only friend and they played together for hours.   They hid in a tiny room behind a false wall in the cellar whenever someone came to the door.  Every other day Paeter put on Havel’s coat and cap and was allowed into the yard to work in the garden or feed the chickens, just so he could see the sunshine.  He and his mother hid in that tiny room behind the false wall whenever someone came to the door.   

 One night during dinner a truck skidded to a stop in front of the house and soldiers came to the door.  Havel shoved his friend down the cellar stairs.  Paeter’s mother didn’t make it to the cellar before the door was kicked in by the soldiers.

 Paeter hid in his tiny space behind the false wall for hours after the soldiers left.  When he finally came out there was no one there.  Only blood on the walls and floors.

 Paeter hid in the woods near the garbage dump for almost two years before the Red Cross Worker found him.

 The orphanage was good place.  Thanks to Mr. Shinder, the richest man in Lublin, there was plenty of food with clothes and a bunk bed for each child.  There was school each day and the children shared the chores.  Paeter settled in with the other children.  He was quiet, and to be honest, he would steal food from the other children when he could.  But many of the children had similar bad habits.  The war had damaged them.

 As Christmas approached the children got more and more excited.  Mr. Shinder was going to throw a party for the children and there were rumors that there would be roast goose, white bread, and even cake.  Some even said Mr. Shinder was buying a toy for every child.

 The children had never met Mr. Shinder but they had seen him driving past in his big shiny black car on his way to the factory he owned.  Some of the children had even seen him from a distance one day when he came to see the head mistress at the orphanage.  Everyone said he was tall and handsome and regal.

 On the evening of the Christmas party Paeter’s chore was to shovel a load of coal for the evening.  The coal was delivered to a chute that went to the coal bin in the cellar.  Each night one of the boys had the chore of putting 22 shovelfuls in the big furnace.

 In the excitement of the evening some of the bigger boys were wrestling in the hall outside the cellar door and one of them fell against the door which splintered with a loud crack.  In that instant Paeter was back in the Valskis cellar.  He looked around for the false wall but it was gone so he dived into the coal bin and in 5 seconds was wedged in the back behind the pile of coal.  The sounds of the party turned into the shouting of soldiers and the stomping of boots.

 The boys tried to get Paeter to come out but he was completely frozen in fear.   Finally they went up to the party and told the head mistress.   She excused herself from Mr. Shinder and went down to the cellar to get Paeter.  From the edge of the coal bin she gently called to him.  “Paeter, it’s okay.  The soldiers are gone. You’re safe.  Come out, it’s okay.”  Within 10 minutes there were a half dozen of the orphanage workers at the edge of the coal bin gently trying to coax Paeter out.

 From behind all those gathered at the edge of the coal bin a deep, warm voice said “Please go back to the party, I will get Paeter.”  The head mistress and those with her turned and there was Mr. Shinder.  He shooed them all up the stairs ignoring their protests and shut the cellar door behind them.  

 Then Mr. Shinder, the richest man in Lublin, in his tux and tails, his formal cravat and shiny black shoes, went back to the coal bin.  He stepped over the bin board and looked at the small space between the ceiling and the top of the coal that Paeter had crawled through.  Then he crawled through that small space and down the other side until he was face to face with Paeter.  And there he sat for several minutes as Paeter stared at him with big eyes as the soldiers and shouting faded away back into his memory.  

 Then He said “ Paeter I have prepared a grand Christmas party.   Come and be my special guest.”  Paeter reached out and took Mr. Shinder’s hand.  A few minutes later they walked into the party, covered in coal dust, hand in hand.

 …Tonight we celebrate when the God of the Universe came into our coal bin and asked us to be His special guests.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Sing Christmas carols, and then with the Advent candles lit and the lights off, sing “Silent Night”. 

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 https://santatracker.google.com/

Thursday, December 23, 2021: Luke 1:46b-55; Micah 4:6-8; 2 Peter 1:16-21

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

2 Peter 1:16-21

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth week of Advent)

 We ask you, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by the daily visitation of your Spirit, that when your Son our Lord comes he will find in us ready for the mansion He has prepared; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

 Christmas brings to mind so many warm and cozy images; steaming cups of hot cocoa, a fire crackling in the fireplace, a Christmas tree all lit up and decorated, presents being torn open by excited children, carols on the radio, board games being played, fudge and cookies, a Christmas dinner on the table….

 Christmas is really the definition of warm and cozy….

 Except…a baby born to an unwed mother in the stink and filth of a livestock stable in a semi cave under a first century inn… an occupying military force and forced census, a time when human life was cheap and the death of slaves in arenas was entertainment…religious leaders that commonly stoned “adulterous” women to death…a political leader with the power to order every male child under two years of age in a region be killed, surely dozens possibly hundreds of boy toddlers and infants murdered…an escape on foot with a newborn infant hundreds of miles through a desert…

 Christmas is not warm and cozy.  Christmas is HEROIC. In fact, Christmas is the definition of heroic…

 heroic

  adjective

 he·ro·ic | \ hi-ˈrō-ik also her-ˈō- or hē-ˈrō-  \

 variants: or less commonly heroical \ hi-ˈrō-i-kəl  \

 Definition of heroic

 1: of or relating to courageous people of antiquity : of, relating to, resembling, or suggesting heroes especially of antiquity heroic legends the heroic age

 2a: exhibiting or marked by courage and daring It was a heroic decision.

 b: supremely noble or self-sacrificing a heroic gesture received medals for their heroic actions

 3a: of impressive size, power, extent, or effect a heroic voice

 b(1): of great intensity : EXTREME heroic effort

 (2): of a kind that is likely only to be undertaken to save a life heroic surgery

 4: of, relating to, or constituting drama written during the Restoration in heroic couplets and concerned with a conflict between love and honor

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Share with each other the story of the first Christmas you can remember.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Heartwarming Thai Commercial - Thai Good Stories - By Linaloved

Wednesday, December 22, 2021: Luke 1:46b-55; Micah 4:1-5; Ephesians 2:11-22

Micah 4:1-5

 The Mountain of the Lord

 In the last days

 the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and peoples will stream to it.

  Many nations will come and say,

 “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.

 Ephesians 2:11-22

 Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,  by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,  and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth week of Advent)

 We ask you, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by the daily visitation of your Spirit, that when your Son our Lord comes he will find in us ready for the mansion He has prepared; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

 Jesus accepts us just the way we are...and He promises not to leave us that way.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Can you decipher these common Christmas Carols?

1. Happiness to the Global Ecosystem
2. Small male percussionist
3. I am experiencing nocturnal visions of a colorless holiday
4. Festoon the Corridors
5. A Non-summer fairytale area
6. Oh holiday conifer
7. Ten plus two twenty-four hour periods of holiday festivity
8. Hey tiny city in Israel
9. In a remote location in a barn stall

1. Joy to the World
2. Little Drummer Boy
3. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
4. Deck the Halls
5. Winter Wonderland
6. Oh Christmas Tree
7. 12 Days of Christmas
8. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
9. Away in a Manger

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 The Power of Words

Tuesday, December 21, 2021: Psalm 113; Genesis 30:1-24; Romans 8:18-30

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Romans 8:18-30

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  that  the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth week of Advent)

 We ask you, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by the daily visitation of your Spirit, that when your Son our Lord comes he will find in us ready for the mansion He has prepared; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

 If you place a mirror perpendicular to a straight line between the mirror and a light source, so it is facing the light; the mirror will reflect the maximum amount of light it can.

 If you turn the mirror, even slightly, from perpendicular it will no longer reflect the maximum amount of light.  In addition some of the light will be distorted at the edges.

 If you turn the mirror all the way around, it will still reflect some of the light, but very little and that which is reflected will be distorted by the backing of the mirror.

 In Corinthians Paul said “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.”

  You can figure out the analogy….

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Write a letter from your family to a relative in another city, on paper and put it in envelope with a stamp!

Advent - Just for Fun

 (remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 - Saturday 11th April | HD High Quality

Monday, December 20, 2021: Psalm 113; Genesis 25:19-28; Colossians 1:15-20

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Psalm 113

 Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
 He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

 Praise the Lord.

Colossians 1:15-20

 The Supremacy of the Son of God

  The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Fourth week of Advent)

 We ask you, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by the daily visitation of your Spirit, that when your Son our Lord comes he will find in us ready for the mansion He has prepared; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

 Just another thought on the infinite nature of God.

 If God were to devote 99% of His attention to me, in the form of 

●      listening to my prayers, 

●      providing for my needs, 

●      orchestrating events in my life

●      directing me to relationships and even casual encounters with people,

●      simply enjoying the beauty of a moment with me,

that would leave 1% of His attention for everyone and everything else in the Universe.   

1% of infinity is infinite.

So, Jesus wasn’t exaggerating when He said the very hairs on our heads are numbered.

 And Paul wasn’t exaggerating when he said we should pray “Abba Father”

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Bake cookies!   (Hey life is busy.  It is totally legit to bake the ones that come from the cooler case at the grocery store!)

 Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Google Doodle Games

Sunday, December 19, 2021: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Micah 5:2-5

 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans^[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites. 

 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,

Luke 1:46-55

Mary’s Song

 And Mary said:

 “My soul glorifies the Lord
  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
  for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Pray

 LECTIO DIVINA

Just a thought

 Published 173 years ago, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was originally going to be a pamphlet entitled “An Appeal to the People of England on behalf of the Poor Man’s Child.”  A friend of Dickens had been part of a group of government investigators who wrote a report on child labor.  The report was a compilation of interviews with children, among them girls working as seamstresses 16 hours a day and young boys pulling coal carts.  Dickens wrote to his friend that upon reading the report he was “stricken”.

 This was the era of Marx and Engels, men who thought a revolution of the working man was needed.   But Dickens was no revolutionary.  Instead he firmly believed factory owners were needed, but also that those factory owners needed to recognize the God given dignity of every human being.  Initially he thought to write a pamphlet appealing to the well to do to take seriously their responsibility for the welfare of their workers.

 Yet, after a week of writing, he realized this was a message that could only be effectively delivered in a story.  The pamphlet was scrapped and six weeks later Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim had come to life.  Dickens wrote prolifically but nothing he wrote became as pervasively successful as “A Christmas Carol”. 

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 It’s the fourth Sunday of Advent, so pop some popcorn, make hot cocoa with a marshmallow on top, melt a candy cane in it, and watch a Holiday movie together.

Suggested movies:
A Christmas Carol - Disney (Animated) - How can I not love “A Christmas Carol”?  The ACT Theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol” was my first date with my wife! 

 The Santa Clause - Tim Allen - The perfect holiday movie, because Tim Allen is supposed to eat all the cookies and he is supposed to get fat!

 The Man Who Invented Christmas - Dan Stevens - The story of how Charles Dickens wrote “a Christmas Carol” and created a holiday tradition.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Secretariat final race scene (english)

Saturday, December 18, 2021: Psalm 80:1-7; Isaiah 66:7-11; Luke 13:31-35

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Luke 13:31-35

 Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.  Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’^[a]”

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Third week of Advent)

 Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great strength come among us; and, because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

Just a thought

 And then there was the week in the Greek Isles……………..

 The Greek Isles look like the post cards.  The people were incredibly warm and welcoming.  Everyone’s English was pretty bad, but my Greek is non-existent so I’m not complaining.

 My job was to install a fish finding sonar on a fishing boat.  The crew I went fishing with was pretty rough.  It took us two days to get the sonar installed on their boat.  They were really gregarious and treated me like an honored guest.   Big lunches both days with lots of wine.  Took me to dinner each night with lots of beer.   They smoked these terrible cigarettes that I am sure were made of old rubber bands and horse manure.  They leered at the waitresses and the waitresses were just as unimpressed/disgusted as they would be here.  The English words they knew best all had four letters.  But man were they fun.  They told jokes in Greek and I laughed so hard I had tears…and I didn’t even know what they said.

 We got the sonar installed and then just before we cast off to go out and try the sonar, everyone took their caps off and the skipper said a prayer.   I looked a little startled and one of the crew, whose English was a little better looked at me, pointed out at the Mediterranean and said “we never go out there”, then pointed up and finished “without Him”.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Geocache Saturday!!! Take the whole family on a treasure hunt!

 At the coordinates below you will find this week’s geocache.  When you find the geocache: 

 a. Open the container
b. Take one of the “prizes”, this is yours to keep!
c. SIgn and date the “Finders Log”
d. Re-hide the geocache container in exactly the same place for others to find it.  This geocache will be available until Wednesday December 22.

Coordinates

Latitude  47.501678   Longitude 121.774491
[This geocache is on private land with permission.]

Location clue

The Advent Cache must be behind that door way up there!

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Friday, December 17, 2021: Psalm 80:1-7; Isaiah 42:10-18; Hebrews 10:32-39

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

 Psalm 80

 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth  before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
    come and save us.

Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

How long, Lord God Almighty,
will your anger smolder
against the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
You have made us an object of derision^[b] to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.

Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Third week of Advent)

 Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great strength come among us; and, because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

Just a thought

 Communication in our world happens really fast.  Twitter sends someone’s thoughts to hundreds in seconds.  Email moves a letter that can take hours to craft to its destination in seconds.   Instagram lets us instantly share what we see with dozens of people.  A video of a tragedy gets recorded on a phone and is uploaded to a news website in a minute.

But it seems we seldom have time to think.  While we consider something we’ve seen, heard or read…….15 more things to see, hear and read flood in.  We react to things.  

So we filter stuff by what we like or agree with and ignore the rest.

But we never seem to have time to stop and think.  Just think.  We need more thinking.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Go through your pantry and fill a shopping bag with canned and non-perishable goods for the food bank.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/best-christmas-cookies/

Thursday, December 16, 2021: Psalm 80:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:10-18

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Jeremiah 31:31-34

  “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to^[a] them,^[b]”
declares the Lord.
 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 10:10-18

 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
    and I will write them on their minds.”

Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts
    I will remember no more.”

And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Third week of Advent)

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great strength come among us; and, because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

Just a thought

Each of you needs to be part of our church.  Each of you has wisdom, compassion and insight the rest of us need.  

 Don’t be selfish, be an active member of our church.  We need you.  Yes….you.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

 Make tea with milk and honey and eat shortbread cookies while someone reads Holiday poems like the Night Before Christmas.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 LOVE IS A GIFT - Christmas Short Film

Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Isaiah 11:1-9; Micah 4:8-13; Luke 7:31-35

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Micah 4:8-13

  As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold^[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.”

  Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king^[b]?
Has your ruler^[c] perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?
 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

  But now many nations
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
 “Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
and you will break to pieces many nations.”
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Third week of Advent)

 Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great strength come among us; and, because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

Just a thought

Our faith is built on the resurrection.  Paul said if Christ is not risen our hope is in vain.  He and the other new testament writers spend a lot of verses talking about the bodily resurrection.  It is not some airy fairy ethereal mumbo jumbo.  Life after death isn’t some existence on a spiritual plane separated from dirt and grass and wind and sunlight. It is flesh and blood in the real world.

 That means our faith is about living in the here and now that goes on forever.   It is about being moved by a beautiful story or music.  It is about the taste of a porterhouse steak.  It is about hiking early in the morning. It is about hugs and hand holding.   It is about getting too cold in the rain.  It is about hanging on to finish a long run or bike ride.  It is about doing 20 pullups.  It is about laughing so hard your gut aches.  It is about the joy of the wind in the sails as the boat heels over and surges forward.  It is about building a snow sea monster with your roommate.  It is about the satisfaction of a job well done. It is about having a cat jump on your bed.  It is about a hot cup of coffee on a clear sunny winter’s morning.

Too bad that we all too often try to make our faith be about “holiness” or scripture interpretation or church involvement or witnessing/service points or simply ‘being right’.

Our faith is about the resurrection.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Go see the Snowflake Lane Parade in Bellevue.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

 Tear-Jerker Commercials Create Internet Challenge

Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Isaiah 11:1-9; Numbers 16:20-35; Acts 28:23-31

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Acts 28:23-31

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.  Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.  They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

 “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’^[a]

 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 

For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.  He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Third week of Advent)

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great strength come among us; and, because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

Just a thought

So God is Infinite.  That has some practical implications.

When I pray God can pay attention to me and still have an infinite amount of attention for other people.

If He is Infinite, then He can “knit me together” in my mother’s womb and still have capacity to “knit everybody else together”.

When I ask for His forgiveness, He still has an infinite amount of forgiveness to give.

If God is infinite, then it is possible that He is specifically interested in me.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Go for a drive to see the Christmas Lights!   (Make sure you check out the house at the end of Ogle Pl NE)

Advent - Just for Fun 

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Monday, December 13, 2021: Isaiah 11:1-9; Numbers 16:1-19; Hebrews 13:7-17

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Isaiah 11:1-9

The Branch From Jesse

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
 Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Third week of Advent)

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great strength come among us; and, because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

Just a thought

Perhaps a little practical advice today…

●      You can never have too many flashlights.

●      Take your shirts to the cleaners to get washed and pressed.  There are better things to do with that time.

●      Vinegar can do anything.

●      Always get the extended warranty.  You will use it.

●      If stranded on a deserted island and only allowed one book, get one on boat building.

●      Canned spaghetti is really pretty gross.

●      Always keep a band aide in your car.

●      Never buy your wife a vacuum for a gift.  Never.

●      Dryer sheets act as insect repellant.

• The toothpaste tube eventually does become empty.  In theory. It has never actually been proven in real life.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Celebrate St Lucia Day by making pancakes!

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

...and today is a double header….

WORLD'S LARGEST PANCAKE FLIP

Sunday, December 12, 2021: Third Sunday of Advent

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

“I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes^[a]
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

Philippians 4:4-7 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.   Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Luke 3:7-18 

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.  John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

Pray

LECTIO DIVINA

Just a thought

Did you know that a “Charlie Brown Christmas” almost didn’t get broadcast on TV?  That Peanuts animated show that has been seen by millions and millions of people almost never made it out of the editing room?

The producer, Lee Mendelson had arranged for the TV critic from Time magazine to get a sneak preview two weeks before the show was to air.   So just before the critic was to arrive the CBS executives responsible for Christmas programming decided to watch the show.

“Lee, that is 27 minutes of disappointing television.” said the senior executive.   “There is no way we can broadcast this.   It will be a disaster.”   The show had no laugh track, the voices were all done by actual kids, not adult actors, and worst of all one of the characters read actual scripture, from the Bible in the final scene.  There just was no way they could air such a show in prime time.

But the critic was sitting in the lobby now and the CBS execs were in a panic.   Clearly this show couldn’t be shown.  It was “27 minutes of disappointing television”.  A prime time slot during the Christmas season was incredibly valuable space and this would be a flop.  Yet, you can’t invite the TV critic from Time magazine to preview a show and then send him home without seeing something.   Those execs were between a rock and a hard place.  

The critic got his preview screening.   His review in Time magazine that week was sort of positive.  CBS had published their schedule and decided to go ahead and let it show.  It would be a minor flop but it was better than upsetting the critic from Time.

So Schroder got to play, Charlie Brown gave Lucy a nickel for physchiatric help, and Linus recited the Christmas story during 27 minutes of disappointing prime time television. 

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

It’s the third Sunday of Advent, so pop some popcorn, make hot cocoa with a marshmallow on top, and watch a Holiday movie together.

Suggested movies:

A Charlie Brown Christmas - Charles Schultz - Linus gets it right.

The Grinch - Illumination - Oh the magic of Theodor Seuss Geisel, what fun!

Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Rankin & Bass -  I wonder if Rudolf was ahead of his time and sporting an LED nose?

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Saturday, December 11, 2021: Isaiah 12:2-6; Amos 9:8-15; Luke 1:57-66

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Amos 9:8-15

“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
and not a pebble will reach the ground.
All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,
all those who say,
    ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’

Israel’s Restoration

“In that day

“I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,
 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.

 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
    and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.

“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
    from the land I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.

Luke 1:57-66

The Birth of John the Baptist

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,  but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.  He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.  All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.  Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Second week of Advent)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

The shepherds got visited by angels.  By angels.  The dirty, uneducated low class shepherds got visited by angels.  The dirty, uneducated low class shepherds were given the most important news since the creation of the universe.

I think God reaches out to the oppressed and less fortunate because their stature is not what He intended when He created the world.  His intention was that every person would have dignity and value and be cherished.  But that was undone by sin and His heart is broken to see people treated with less respect and dignity than He affords them.

So the shepherds got angels.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Geocache Saturday!!!  Take the whole family on a treasure hunt!

At the coordinates below you will find this week’s geocache.  When you find the geocache: 

a. Open the container
b. Take one of the “prizes”, this is yours to keep!
c. SIgn and date the “Finders Log”
d. Re-hide the geocache container in exactly the same place for others to find it, (It will be available until Wednesday December 15)

Coordinates

Latitude 47.510671 Longitude 121.829068
[This geocache is on public land.]

Location clue

As you face Mt Si it seems all the world is a stage…   The Advent Cache is beneath the entrance to the stage.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Friday, December 10, 2021: Isaiah 12:2-6; Amos 8:4-12; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Amos 8:4-12

 Hear this, you who trample the needy
    and do away with the poor of the land,

saying,

“When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?”—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,
buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.

“Will not the land tremble for this,
and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
it will be stirred up and then sink
    like the river of Egypt.

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
I will turn your religious festivals into mourning
and all your singing into weeping.
I will make all of you wear sackcloth
and shave your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son
    and the end of it like a bitter day.

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Second week of Advent)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

In a few weeks we will all be gathering for Christmas and I am really looking forward to it.  There will be nut brown ale and hot spiced wine and eggnog and hot cocoa and tea with milk.  We will have seven layer bars and fudge and gold fish crackers and beef sticks and cinnamon rolls and roast beef. Gingerbread houses will be created. Presents will get wrapped. We’ll go capture a wild Christmas Tree and get a Santa picture.  There will be a White Christmas at Snoqualmie Pass and Christmas carols at church.

We are all really looking forward to it.  

Advent is the same.  Christ is looking forward to our reunion and we are too.  That makes Him happy.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Make microwave s’mores and play the Seek It! game included in your Advent Box.

 https://littlecooksreadingbooks.com/how-to-make-smores-in-the-microwave/

Thursday, December 9, 2021: Isaiah 12:2-6; Amos 6:1-8; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Isaiah 12:2-6

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense^[a];
he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
    for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Second week of Advent)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

Life goes on.  There are friends to visit and annoying co-workers to put up with and laundry to be done and children to be cared for and tragedies to mourn and weddings to celebrate and new babies born and new babies lost and tremendous joys and exciting trips to take and fantastic jobs to start and terrible jobs to leave and plates of fudge to be eaten and moldy cheese to feed to chickens and big loans to be repaid and small tithes to be made and holidays to enjoy and miserable colds to endure and…

…through it all we need to keep just on the edge of our thoughts, that we are waiting for Him.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Create a playlist of everyone’s favorite Holiday music.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Wednesday, December 8, 2021: Psalm 126; Isaiah 35:3-7; Luke 7:18-30

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Isaiah 35:3-7

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Second week of Advent)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

Pretty amazing.  That Joseph just accepted what an angel told him in a dream.  His life got flipped upside down by that dream.  He went from well respected to disgraced.  His family had to have been completely dismayed.   The wedding celebration never happened.  Lots of things were whispered behind his back, some said to his face.  

Yet when an angel in a dream told him a miracle was happening, he accepted it.

Maybe…..just maybe…….possibly……..perhaps………he was anticipating a miracle?  

Sometimes it is easier to see a miracle if you are looking for it.   

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Find your ice chest, then bundle everyone up and drive east until you find snow, probably less than 15 miles, certainly less than 22.   Make a snow man small enough to fit in the ice chest.  Bring the snow man home, sneak it onto a friend’s porch, then ring the doorbell and run away.

(I know it is a school night and you are busy…. but do it anyway!)

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Tuesday, December 7, 2021: Psalm 126; Isaiah 19:18-25; 2 Peter 1:2-15

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

2 Peter 1:2-15

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,  and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,  because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.  And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Second week of Advent)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

…. Ok I know I’m supposed to believe in the story of Noah’s ark.  All the research indicates the dimensions were the right size to actually get two of every animal onboard.  It may have happened just as it is recorded. 

But the story is an advent story.  Every time I read through Genesis and get to the story of the ark I want to skip ahead and get to the end where they get to come out of the ark. For months they float around in this boat, feeding animals, scooping poop and going through the chores of everyday life.  Then the rains stop and each day they send out a bird to see if the flood is over.  Finally the day comes when the dove brings back the good news!

The flood is over!  The world was broken and now everything corrupt and dirty has been washed away.  Creation is new and clean and ready to be enjoyed.  

Someday Jesus will return and everything will be made new. Things will be as they ought to be.  I want to skip ahead to the part where we get to come out of the ark.  Enough with the poop scooping already!

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Use Google to look up the meanings of the names of each person in the family.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Monday, December 6, 2021: Psalm 126; Isaiah 40:1-11; Romans 8:22-25

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Psalm 126

A song of ascents.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of^[a] Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.^[b]
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes,^[c] Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them.

Romans 8:22-25

  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the Second week of Advent)

Merciful God, who sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Just a thought

One day in when we were living in Samoa, I was windsurfing and I had really gotten it dialed in.  I was in the footstraps, hooked in the harness and had the sail pulled back and tight on the deck.  I was going so fast I barely touched the wave tops.  The sun was high in a blue sky and as I looked over the water beside me there were hundreds of flying fish going right along with me.  Each one would glide 30 or 40 feet and then dive back into the water.

I knew at that moment what Eric Liddell meant when he said “When I run fast I feel His Joy!”   I wasn’t serving in a ministry or being a Dad or doing a Bible study.  I was hanging onto a windsurfer on the edge of losing control and thoroughly enjoying His presence in His marvelous creation.

Find your moments to savor His goodness in a piece of dark chocolate, or skiing through powder, standing on a mountaintop, or dancing under the stars…

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Celebrate St Nicholas Day by doing secret acts of kindness.  As a family, make a list of three things you are going to do in secret.   [Examples: Leave cookies on a neighbors porch, buy a toy for Toys for Tots, sneak a latte onto a teacher’s desk, pick up the litter on a section of road.]

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Sunday, December 5, 2021: Second Sunday of Advent

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Malachi 3:1-4

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Philippians 1:3-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Luke 3:1-6

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’”^[a]

Pray

LECTIO DIVINA

Just a thought

It’s a Wonderful Life was a box office flop.  It cost a little over $3 million dollars to make and didn’t come close to covering it’s cost.  After its release, people thought the famous movie producer Frank Capra had lost his touch and was going to be a Hollywood has been.

It was actually shot in May, June and July of 1946 in Los Angeles.  The head of special effects, Russel Sherman, had to invent a new kind of “snow” for the wintry scenes that were shot in temperatures in the mid-90’s.  One scene had to be changed from snow to sleet, because Jimmy Stewart was sweating so profusely, snow wasn’t believable.

In the end it was nominated for 5 academy awards, including Best Picture.   In 1998 it was listed as number 11 in the top 100 movies of all time by the American Film Institute.  The AFI lists it as the number 1 inspirational movie of all time.

And Jimmy Stewart?  Well he made a lot of movies, but he always said his favorite was “It's a Wonderful Life.”

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

It’s the second Sunday of Advent, so pop some popcorn, make hot cocoa, and watch a Holiday movie together.

Suggested movies:

It’s A Wonderful Life  - Jimmy Stewart - This is a classic and ya gotta love Clarence the Angel.

Meet Me in St Louis - Judy Garland - Not really a holiday movie, but how can you miss the movie that gave us the song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”?

A Miracle on 34th Street - 1947 or 1994 versions  -  I like the 1994 version best, that sparkle of the ring on Christmas morning is perfect.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Saturday, December 4, 2021: Luke 1:68-79; Malachi 4:1-6; Luke 9:1-6

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Malachi 4

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.  Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

Luke 9:1-6

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the First week of Advent)

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with the Father  and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen

Just a thought

So here is the rub.  While you need to live a life that makes Jesus smile ( and chuckle), you also have to be with people that make Him cry.  Not only do you have to be with them, you have to love and care for them.  (That doesn’t mean you get to ‘change them”, that is God’s job not yours.)

But you need to make sure you don’t follow them. Don’t take on their values and habits.  You don’t need to use their language.  Guard that their cynicism doesn’t rub off on you.  When they blow past someone who is hurting, you stop and help.  When they do what is expedient, you do what is right in God’s sight.

Advent is not just four weeks a year.  It is a way of living that expects Jesus to show up tomorrow.  Don’t be embarrassed tomorrow when you tell Him what you did today.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Geocache Saturday!!!  Take the whole family on a treasure hunt!

At the coordinates below you will find this week’s geocache.  When you find the geocache: 

a. Open the container
b. Take one of the “prizes”, this is yours to keep!
c. Sign and date the “Finders Log”
d. Re-hide the geocache container in exactly the same place for others to find it.  This geocache will be available until Wednesday December 8.

Coordinates

Latitude 47.501007  Longitude  121.791188
[This geocache is on public land.]

Location clue

With the cars headed east above and the people heading north below the Advent Cache is near the path.

AND go to the North Bend Tree Lighting ceremony

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

http://funnybizblog.com/funny-stuff/calvin-hobbes-snowman-cartoons

Friday, December 3, 2021: Luke 1:68-79; Malachi 3:13-18; Philippians 1:18b-26

Malachi 3:13-18

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

“You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’

“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the First week of Advent)

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with the Father  and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen

Just a thought

When I first start skiing early in the morning it is hard to get my boots tight.  The first run is ok, but by the second run my boots are loose and the skis feel a little out of control.  So then I tighten up the buckles and it feels like I get control back and I can push it more in the bumps and go faster.

If your spiritual boots are loose, commit to living out His Word.  Every now and then examine your life and see if you need to tighten up your buckles.  Otherwise you will either be too cautious or catch an edge. 

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

List your three favorite dinner dishes.  Then ask Wikipedia what the origins of those dishes are.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Thursday, December 2, 2021: Luke 1:68-79; Malachi 3:5-12; Philippians 1:12-18a

Text-Amy Scott Robinson  Design-Richard Lyall  EngageWorship

Luke 1:68-79

 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn^[a] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
    in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the First week of Advent)

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with the Father  and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen

Just a thought

St Irenaeus said “The glory of God is man fully alive”.   

We are supposed to be “holy”. That doesn’t mean pious, prudish or bound by a bunch of rules.  It means being innocent on purpose.  It means choosing each day to do what will make God smile.  God is our father, He smiles at the things that make any father smile. As a Dad I can tell you what makes me smile; when my kids sing just for the fun of it, choose to do something hard to accomplish it, help someone, say thank you, resist the crowd, do something unexpected out of love, put others first.

So….sing, dance, ski, board, parachute, debate, doctor, act, write, bake, build, manipulate, hike, fly, explore, study, swim, work, skate, pray, edit, laugh, play, hug, create, be goofy, knit, design, listen, teach, care, wrap, challenge, drive…and feel God’s glory! 

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

As a family, pick three cities around the world you would like to visit. Then use Google Maps “street view” to explore those cities.

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Wednesday, December 1, 2021: Psalm 90; Isaiah 1:24-31; Luke 11:29-32

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

 You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
 A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
In the morning it springs up new,
    but by evening it is dry and withered.

We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
 Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
 If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
 Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
May your deeds be shown to your servants,
    your splendor to their children.

May the favor^[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
    yes, establish the work of our hands.

Pray

(from the Book of Common Prayer for the First week of Advent)

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with the Father  and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen

Just a thought

Today I talked with my brother about a project he was working on.  He is a glass blower and had a commission to do some small figurines and was getting frustrated with making them because they kept breaking after he put them in the annealing oven.

When he makes something he has to make sure there are no air bubbles in the glass or when the glass cools the air bubble will create a place that cools at a different rate.  That temperature differential causes a stress point that will crack when the glass gets cool enough to lose its elasticity.

My brother was frustrated because even an air bubble so small he can’t see it with the naked eye will cause the fracture.  Most glass blowers lose about 40% of their work to these microscopic air bubbles.  My brother is really good so he only loses about 10% of his work.  But on this project he was pretty frustrated because the way he was pinching the glass (his term) it was putting bubbles in the glass.  Those bubbles were causing high losses in the annealing ovens.

Big bubbles.  Little bubbles.  Microscopic bubbles.  Any size can entirely ruin a piece.

Like sin.

Advent Holy Days (Holidays!) Activity

Go shopping for Giving Tree gifts and Toys For Tots!

Advent - Just for Fun  

(remember, these links are just for fun, don’t try to find some “deep” meaning...just smile)

Lorem ipsom dolor

Morem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.