Advent for Dummies

     I hope you will excuse the title of this article, but I have found that sometimes it actually helps to admit that you don’t know something. That way, people tend to be more patient and explain things clearly. I admit that I have used some of the “Dummies” books on occasion, and found them very helpful. I hope you will find the same is true as you read this article about Advent.

     Lots of times, in the church, we tend to assume that when we participate in certain traditions or rituals, that everyone knows what they mean and why we do them. Take Advent, for example. Even though we light candles and recite familiar verses, do most of us really understand what it’s all about?

     Most of us are familiar with the concept of a Christmas season, (thanks to the song) which lasts for twelve days. It begins with Christmas Eve, and lasts until Epiphany on January 6. Advent is a season in the Christian year that lasts for about four weeks. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve, so its length is not the same from year to year. Most of the time it begins on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, which often falls in the end of November.

     During Advent, Christians prepare for the celebration of the coming of Jesus. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.” We remember and relive the Jewish desire for a Messiah, and we read many Old Testament Messianic passages, like those of Isaiah. But the Second Coming of Christ is also a prominent theme during Advent.

     Another unique feature of Advent is its color scheme. Most of us are used to the familiar reds and greens of the Christmas season, but we find the purple and pink of Advent a bit odd. Why do we use those colors? The reason has to do with the theological themes of Advent. As a season of preparation, it has much in common with Lent, which prepares us for Easter. Thus, the colors of Advent are also similar. Purple is a color that reminds us of both repentance and royalty. Remember the robe the soldiers put on Jesus as they tortured and beat him (Mark 15:20)?

     Advent wreaths also feature two other colors, pink and white. The pink candle reminds us that the coming of Christ is not just about repentance (You’d better watch out!) but about joy. After two Sundays of somber purple, we get a fun Sunday of pink, which is to remind us of joy. We are to be joyful about the coming of Christ, not just sober and introspective. So rejoice!

     The center candle is white. It is the Christ candle and represents the purity and the holiness of Jesus. We light this candle on Christmas Eve, and if we have services on Christmas Day, which happens when Christmas falls on a Sunday.

     Churches that have a Christmas Eve candlelight service will often use this candle to light all the other candles held by the people in the congregation as symbolic of the light of Christ spreading to all the world. Here, we like to do that as we sing Silent Night.

     If you haven’t made plans to be here for our Christmas Eve service, please do so. It is a little more relaxed service, with more singing, and less preaching. Bring your family, if they are in town, and start an Advent tradition of your own!

The Importance of Children

I have been thinking a lot about children lately. During Vacation Bible School we had over 40 kids, from infants to elementary school, join us to be part of this year’s Kingdom Rock, where we taught them to “stand strong” for God.

I have also had several conversations with people about how to build up our Sunday school program. I have talked with applicants who are interested in our Director of Children’s Ministry position. Even the Session has discussed how important it is to minister to our congregation’s children.

One of the comments I often hear is that we must do this because, “children are the future of our church.” I sometimes wonder if that is true.

Obviously, children are the future of the church in the sense that in 15 or 20 years they will be the ones supporting the church financially, and they will be the ones serving in positions of leadership. But, if we think we have to wait that long before children can make a significant contribution, I think we are mistaken. I think there is plenty that children can do in and for the church right now—before they grow up and become full-fledged adults.

Consider, for example, the energy and enthusiasm children bring to everything they do. It sometimes wears me out just watching them. During Bible school, there were two boys who would chase one another around and around the Fellowship Hall. While we had to encourage them, for their own safety, to find a more constructive activity, there was a part of me that longed for that kind of energy and exuberance. If I could put it in a bottle, I would soon be a very rich man! I think we need to have a fresh appreciation for the energy young children bring to church—Lord knows we can use it!

Children also bring a sense of wonder to worship as they listen to Bible stories. As adults, sometimes we act as though we have heard it all before—nothing surprises us. But if our God is anything, he is most certainly a God of surprises! Ask Abraham, Moses, Joshua, or David. You never know what God might be up to.

I love telling Bible stories to children because, for a few moments, I see them anew through the eyes of a child. I remember in a fresh, new way how wonderful these stories really are. Maybe that’s why Jesus said that if we want to see the Kingdom of God, we have to have faith like a little child—a faith laced with wonder and trust.

I remember when my kids were little and we would go swimming. They would stand on the side of the pool and jump into my arms. It didn’t matter that the water was way over their heads, or that they couldn’t swim very well. They trusted that I would keep them safe, and so they jumped.

What a great image that is of our relationship to God. We are often in over our heads in this life, but God doesn’t call us to sit on the side of the pool, he calls us to jump in—in faith and ministry, and in worship. We must trust that God will hold us up, like a child trusts her parent to catch her in the swimming pool.

Our church is significantly depleted without its children, so I want to make two pleas to you today: 1) these children need you to teach them, and to tell them the great stories of Jesus and the people of God. If you are asked to serve in this way, it is a great opportunity to see God in new ways. Take the plunge. 2) Children can’t get to church by themselves. So I am asking parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors that as you are figuring out your schedule for the fall, remember that your kids need God, and they need the church, and we need them. Plan to bring them to church and to Sunday school. We will all be the richer for it.

God is In Control

A couple of weeks ago, I told a story about how as I was preparing a sermon on “Peace,” that I received an unsolicited mailing from the Billy Graham organization--a booklet entitled, “Steps to Peace with God.” I mentioned how it is always nice when Billy helps me out with my sermon preparation.

Almost as an aside, I wondered how anyone could NOT see the hand of God in their life. I see God working in amazing ways both in my own life and in the life of the church, and I always assume that other people see the same thing in their own lives. But it may not be so.

What I sometimes forget is that seeing God’s hand in my life is a discipline I have developed over time through practiced observance. I see God’s hand because I look for God’s hand. This may seem like circular logic, but I don’t think it is. Some people see amazing coincidences in their lives, but I don’t believe in coincidence. I am a person of faith, and that faith shapes and informs my worldview.

One of the reasons I expect to see God’s hand at work in my life is that the Bible says it is. I realize that some people want objective verification before they will accept a biblical truth, but I think that is getting the cart before the horse. If we know the Bible is true in much of what it says, then it makes sense to trust it in places where we don’t know the answers unless and until it is proved wrong.

Paul says in Romans 8:28, “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.” God is working in our lives, working for our good. God would not be very successful in this unless he had control of all the variables. In fact, Paul says, God works for our good not occasionally, not here and there, but in all things.

There are lots of verses that assert God’s control over the events of our lives, like Isaiah 14:27, “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” and Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” But I think my personal favorite is Genesis 50:20, where Joseph says to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Given all that Joseph had been through, betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, thrown into prison when his only crime was trying to be a faithful servant, interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, and finally put in charge of grain collection and storage for the whole country, he has an incredible faith and trust that even when things seemed darkest, God was in control, and orchestrating the details of his life.

That kind of faith can have a wonderful affect on our lives. When we are able to trust in God, that frees us from fear about the future. It frees us from worry. We don’t have to be anxious about the future because we know that God is in control. There are so many things in life over which we have no control—our health, our family, the guy coming the other way in traffic. Things can go wrong in an instant. But when we remember that God is in control of our lives, we can rest safe in that knowledge. I imagine Joseph was pretty upset when he was sold into slavery and thrown in prison. It probably didn’t seem like God cared, much less that God was in control. It is when we do not see God’s hand in our lives that we simply have to trust.

If Billy Graham could help me out one more time, I remember what he said one time: “I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”

Away at Camp

Some of you may have noticed a distinct lack of my presence recently. Have we lost our new pastor already?!? Does he get vacation so soon? The answer to both questions is, “No.” In fact, as you read this, I will be facilitating (read: driving) our kids’ trip to MO-Ranch to attend the Junior High Jubilee. Driving for 12 hours with 6 Junior High girls in the van. I wonder why we had a hard time finding sponsors?

More to the point, some of you might be wondering why I would do it. Isn’t there something more important I could or should be doing with my time? Something more spiritual? I think the answer to these questions is also, “No,” and I’ll tell you why. I have been going to church summer camp for most of my life, and, like many pastors and church members, those have been formative years for my own journey of faith. 

Recently, I asked a friend of mine who has worked as a professional in Christian camping for 30 years if there were any statistics about how many of those in professional ministry had their first real encounter with God in a camping setting. He said, “Although no actual statistic exists (that I know of) those of us in camping all agree…take a poll of any group of Christian leaders, pastors, missionaries, teachers, writers, etc. and ask them where did they ask Jesus into their hearts or where did they make the decision for full-time ministry and the vast majority will raise their hands and say, “it happened at camp.” I’m convinced that there is nothing in the Christian experience more powerful, more moving, more life-impacting than a camp experience.”

He also said, “Camp has a way of impacting our lives like nothing else. I’ve seen people who have never had time for God crumble in a heap upon discovering His majesty through His creation at camp. Likewise, I’ve seen people who have attended church all their lives find God in a brand new and very real and tangible way during a week of camp; caught speechless because of a divine encounter on top of the mountain, on the beach, in the woods, in the canoe or around the camp fire.”

I am excited because when I get back, on July 7, we are planning a Youth Sunday service that will feature some of the kids telling us a little about their experiences of camp this summer. I hope you will be able to be there.

Here are a couple more thoughts from my friend, Mike, about camp experiences:

I’ve probably attended thousands of Friday night (typically the last night of camp) sessions at dozens of camps in my over 30 years of Christian camping ministry.

And as different and wonderfully unique as each camp is, the themes and the feelings and emotions are mostly the very same–and these times of sharing together never cease to amaze and inspire me.

It’s tradition at most camps to gather on the last night to share a meaningful experience from the week. “What happened to you this week?” is the set-up question. There are always the funny stories, the goof ups or mistakes, the silly things done in the cabins or in the dining room.

But there are always the other stories too. “I never really knew who Jesus was until this week” or “I’ve been searching a long time for the love and acceptance I’ve finally discovered this week at camp” or “My life has been a mess but I’ve made the decision to finally change.”

These are stories of redemption, stories of repentance, stories of change…real heart change. The kind of change that starts as the seed of an idea way down deep inside early in the week and grows through careful nurturing and prayer all week long until nights like last night when the seed bears it’s fruit and the feelings are finally put into words and spoken out loud, “I will change.”

Almost every Friday night camp meeting I’ve attended has at least one person who stands to speak only to find that they can’t find the words. The silence and anticipation is palpable. What happened to them is too big, too powerful, and too intimate to be able to capture in mere words. They’ll spend the rest of their lives trying to articulate the mystical experience of what a “God encounter” really is.

And that’s why camp is so special and so important. If you want to read more of Mike’s thoughts, you can find them here: http://www.mstaires.com/the-victory-circle/.

Summer Fun/Summer Growth

Ever since I was a kid, I have always looked forward to summer. Summer was a time for vacations, no more school and weekend trips to the lake. How could you not love summer?

As an adult, I still look forward to summer, even though it means higher temperatures and higher electric bills. Vacations these days are not merely about fun, but have to be paid for. And rather than being a time for relaxing, summer seems to be even busier than the rest of the year. But I still love summer.

Summer is also the time for summer camp, which for me always meant church camp. I have been attending summer camp, in one form or another, with very few interruptions since the early 1970s. I have been a counselor, speaker, director and sponsor. I have served on and even chaired presbytery committees. Summer camp has always been a big part of my life.

Liturgically, summer is the time of growth. If you notice the parament cloths in the sanctuary, they are green all summer long. On the church calendar, this reminds us that most of life is spent not in special events like Christmas and Easter, but in the daily drudgery of life.

So how can we put these two ideas together? How do we join the excitement of summer camp with the liturgical idea of growth? It’s all about spiritual growth. This summer we have a great opportunity to expand our faith in and dependence on God. Since many regularly scheduled activities take a break for summer, why not use that extra time to grow in your spirit, to nurture your soul?

We would like to offer several new and improved opportunities for you to do that here at the church. First, the new. As many of you may have heard, we have started a new Bible study in the Gospel of John on Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Our hope was to provide a time when even those who have been busy or out of town for the weekend can meet together. We figured that most people would be back by Sunday evening. We meet in the Fellowship Hall, and T. J. Teague has prepared a special something for kids. We sing for a little bit, a few praise songs with guitar accompaniment, and we look at the Gospel of John verse by verse in a loose, discussion-style lesson taught by the pastor. It has been a long time since most of us have had such a focused and deep experience with the Scripture, and even some of our most regular “old timers” have commented that they have learned something. I hope your schedule is flexible enough for you to come join us.

As for the improved, Amy McAlister has some new ideas and is infusing some new energy into the children’s Sunday School department. This summer they will be studying some of the Superheroes of the Bible, like Moses, Sampson, and David. They will be using puppets, crafts, and computer-aided lessons to experience in a new way who these awesome characters were, and how we can avail ourselves of some of their super powers! If your kids haven't been to Sunday School in a while, I think they will really like it. Some kids have already said they don’t want to miss a single Sunday! So join us this week at10:00 a.m. downstairs. Just follow the sound of fun!

We are also very excited about Vacation Bible School this summer. Mark your calendar for July 22-26 starting at 5:00 p.m. This year’s theme is Kingdom Rock, where kids learn to stand strong for God. We always need a lot of volunteers be able to manage the numbers of kids we have, so please contact Amy or Willa in the church office if you want to help. We need teachers, crafters, game players, feeders, and crowd controllers. Just remember, we can’t do it without you!

I hope your summer is shaping up to be both relaxing and exciting, and that it will be a time of growth for you, not just physical, but spiritual. I am still excited about all our kids that go to summer camp, from Camp Lochridge to MO Ranch. But don’t forget that there’s still a lot of growing we can do right here at home.

Nike Spirituality

I need to make some changes in my life. Maybe you feel that way, too.

As summer begins to warm up, I have noticed that some of my clothes don’t fit the way they used to. Apparently, they shrunk while they were in the drawer all winter. I guess I need to get serious about getting in better shape. 

But change comes hard. There is a reason we develop a “comfort zone,” that’s because it’s, well, comfortable. We like where we are and how we do things. But every once in a while something happens that reminds us we need to think more carefully about what our priorities are, and how we need to live our lives according to those priorities.

It may be a personal, or national tragedy. It may be watching a loved one go through some emotional or physical pain. Or it may be as simple as not being able to button your shorts. Sometimes we need to make changes. But how do we do that?

There are lots of folks who want to be closer to God, who wish they had a better understanding of the Bible and could pray in such a way that they really felt the love and mercy of God in their lives. They just don’t know how.

Several years ago Nike had an ad campaign that used the simple slogan, “Just do it.” It was plastered all over t-shirts, posters, and media ads. The idea was that there were no more excuses. Time to put up or shut up. Just do it.

I always liked those ads, and the implications. There comes a time in our lives when we just need to quit whining and take responsibility for our lives and our situations. I think that goes for our spiritual lives as well as our fiscal and physical lives. It doesn’t do any good to blame McDonalds or Blue Bell for my extra pounds. I’m the one who packed them on, and if they are going to come off, I have to take responsibility and make some changes.

Back when that Nike ad came out, I always thought it would make a great sermon. I think we need to take the same kind of responsibility for our growth in things of the Spirit as we do for things of the flesh. If I want to get closer to God, I have to take some responsibility for that, and make some changes in my habits. That’s always the hard part. But if my theory about “Nike Spirituality” holds, we can make some strides there as well.

I want to encourage folks to make some of those changes, and not forget about their relationship with God this summer. I will be preaching on the concept of Godliness and what that means and how we can make those changes. Paul told Timothy, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for the present life and the life to come,” (1 Tim 4:8). Over the coming weeks, we will be looking at how to love better, have more joy and peace in our lives, as well as how to be more patient and kind. All of which is part of what it means to be Godly. The Sunday school class in the library will also be studying those same themes.

On Sunday evenings, we are having a Summer Bible study on the Gospel of John. The fourth Gospel has a unique perspective on the life of our Savior, and I think it will provide a spiritual boost for those who make the time to come.

I know summer schedules can get hectic, but if we won’t make time for God, it seems presumptive to want God to make time for us. So set aside a little extra time in your summer schedule and join us for worship on Sundays. I think you’ll be glad you did. Just do it!

Out of the Wreck I Rise

 This week has brought some devastating news to the people of Oklahoma. The stories and the pictures that have come out of Moore have been absolutely heartbreaking. The question that keeps coming up over and over again is, “Where is God in all of this?” Some theologians have suggested that it is the failure to answer this question adequately that has led to so much apathy and agnosticism about God and faith in our world today.

            On my Facebook page I shared a post from Unvirtuous Abbey, which is a bit of an irreverent satirical site, but I believe in this, they have it exactly correct. They posed the question, Where’s God in all of this? And answered it simply, Beneath the rubble.

            You all know I don’t believe in coincidences. God guides our steps and orders our path. This week’s devotion addressed this very question, using Romans 8:35, where Paul says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” An excellent question, to which Oswald Chambers responds, “God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.

“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).

“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time."

I had other plans for preaching this Sunday, but I believe I will address this timely issue. Come and join us to praise God for our safety, to pray for those lost beneath the rubble, and to hear God’s Word to us in difficult times.