January 6, 2010 — 11:18 AM
As a guest preacher there are certain times of the year that I can be pretty certain to get an invitation from pastors to fill in for them. These are the weeks just following the major festival periods of the Christian year - Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. And then there are always a handful of invitations during the summer months as well.
So it happened this year that a friend invited me to preach for her while she was vacationing following Christmas. I agreed knowing that I would re-gift a Christmas sermon that I had preached elsewhere several years back.
Some weeks after agreeing to that preaching opportunity, I learned that I would be the only pastoral person from the staff of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco for this same Sunday. So I got talked into taking on the sermon for that service as well. This was possible since MBCC meets in the evening and the church where I was guest preaching meets in the morning.
As it turned out, I was required to write a new sermon for the service with MBCC because we were starting a sermon series on the book of Galatians and I was asked to do the kick-off sermon giving the overview - not something I've had the opportunity to do before.
So I did it. In the middle of reading lots and lots for my upcoming D.Min. program, I paused and worked on writing a sermon on Galatians. I actually ended up enjoying writing it. But I was rather anxious about the whole day going into it. Luckily the people of both congregations showed me a lot of grace and God was definitely worshipped in both communities.
But I'm hoping not to do that again any time soon.
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December 25, 2009 — 7:57 PM
On this day when Christians around the world pause to celebrate the birth of the Christ child, I am also pausing to reflect on choices we make. Or more specifically, the choices I make.
It is my choice to believe that this day is different than the rest.
It is my choice to believe that the one called Jesus of Nazareth was, in fact, God in human form.
I know all too well (thanks to many friends who never or no longer hold to these beliefs) the improbability of this being true. I know that this belief flies in the face of reason.
And yet, I choose to believe in something that is bigger than reason. I choose to believe in something my mind cannot fully comprehend. I choose to believe in a God who desires wholeness for God's creation so deeply that God became a part of it.
Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly." This from the Son of the God who told the Hebrew people, "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
I choose to believe that God does offer me life and blessings and that I must turn toward God in order to see what that means in my life.
Many of my choices this fall have led me to focus on the difficulties and holes in my life. But I am choosing this day to once again remember the offers of Jesus and God the Heavenly Parent of life abundant. It's there for the taking.
As I write this I am reminded that this is a choice that I have to affirm and reaffirm constantly. It is all too easy to forget God's promises. So with great thanksgiving for all this day means for me, I choose to reaffirm my belief in the life-giving God made real in the Christ child.
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