A Pastor's Diary

A Pastor’s Diary

Isaiah 63:7-9   |   12/29/2013

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

          How many of you keep a diary?

          Many famous people have kept diaries.

          Perhaps you kept one when you were in middle school

                   —the kind with a little clasp, lock and key.

          From time to time I write in my diary.

          This week as I was preparing this sermon I read through some of the things I wrote over the past 11 years as your pastor. I became a little nostalgic especially as I think of retiring in July.

          Do you want to hear some of what is in my diary?

          O.K. Here goes!

          This is what I wrote on July 3, 2003 a few days after I started here as your pastor.

                   “I’m here. It feels right. It feels good. Carmel!”

          Six days later I wrote.

                   “I sat by the beach to drink my coffee this morning. Dolphins. Life is                           good.”

          A month later I wrote:

                   “Sat on my bench at the beach.

                             Prayed in the sanctuary.

                             Finished sermon.

                             Lunch with Gene Conley.

                   God is good.”

          On September 11 after I was here for ten weeks I wrote:

                   “This job is much harder than I ever thought it would be!

                   This place is more beautiful than I ever imagined.

                   I miss Linda. I’m lonely. I’m growing.

                   It’s a new and different world.

                   Not bad—just different.”

          On July 4, 2004 after I had been here for a year I wrote:

                   “I have the right wife.

                             I have the right children.

                             I have the right job.

                             I have the right faith.

                   I have me!

          Well, that’s enough!

          Trust me, you do not want to hear more!

                  

          As I read today's text the thought came to me that it reads like a diary especially where Isaiah says, “I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord.”

          In diaries we find joy and sorrow.

          Linda and I were in Amsterdam this past August.

          The one thing we wanted to do there was to visit the Anne Frank house. To do so we had to wait in line for two hours and we almost missed our river boat on it’s very first sailing.

          But going to the place where Ann Frank wrote her diary was the highlight of our trip.

          One of Anne’s entries was:
                   “It's an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary;

          not only because I have never done so before,

          but because it seems to me that neither I—

                   nor for that matter anyone else—

          will be interested in the unbosoming’s of a thirteen-year-old school girl.”

          As I read her diary—joys and sorrows, fears and feelings—it is hard for me to imagine that she will die so young.

          There are many benefits to journaling—

                   to writing down your feelings and your life’s journey.

          Journaling can help:

                    - clarify your goals,
                    - sort through ideas,
                    - make you a better communicator,
                    - have an outlet for your burdens and outrages,
                    - keep a record of your blessings and joys,
                    - affirm the reality of your life, and
                    - turn ideas into words.

          In some cases, it may even help others later to learn from or about your life. Or, as in the case of the diary of Anne Frank, it can give later readers an inside glimpse of what life under certain difficult conditions was like.

          I think that I better destroy my diary!

          It is not only very personal but it’s boring!

          A success coach, Philip E. Humbert, says that keeping a journal just feels good:

          "Using quality paper and a fountain pen or other beautiful instrument with just the right 'heft' and feel is a wonderfully sensuous, delightful experience.

          It will cheer you up, reduce your stress, make you smile and add to your life.    Who knows?

          It may even improve your sex life or make you more patient with the kids!"

          If nothing else, like me, you have a record to look back over from time to time to see how your thinking has evolved over the years.

          John Wesley is famous for his journals.

          His thinking evolved considerably over the years. We know that because of his journals.

          In 1725, he wrote that he thought he was a Christian, but for a while after 1738, he thought he had not truly been a Christian in 1725.

          But by the 1770s, he acknowledged that his middle age views might have been wrong, and that in some real sense, he had in fact been a Christian in 1725 after all.

          That’s the great thing about keeping a diary. You can look back on your life’s journey.

          Is diary-writing a lost art?

          If you're talking about a diary written out in longhand, then the answer is probably yes.          

          Yet, if you include social media—Facebook, Twitter—then it would seem there are more people keeping diaries than ever before.

          The social-media sort of diary is a good bit more permanent than the paper variety. They say anyone posting something on the Internet should simply assume it will be there forever.

          That may mean future historians will have to slog through thousands of cute cat pictures and photos of the Chinese food the writer had for lunch.

          Oscar Wilde said,

                                      “I never travel without my diary.

           One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

          Since this is the last Sunday of the year it is nice for me to think back on the year and take stock of what happened and what didn't happen.

          If you do not keep a journal perhaps this would be a good time to start.

         
          It's possible that the prophet who wrote the later chapters of the book of Isaiah had something of a diarist's bent.

          This chapter is not at all like the grand optimism of earlier chapters. Instead, they voice the pessimism of the post-exilic community. They still affirm God's sovereignty and compassion for Israel, but the writer has taken off his rose-colored glasses. This chapter can be viewed as a kind of group diary.

          This scripture, like my diary, has the same disjointed feel that diary postings from one day to the next can have.

          They move from vindication to vengeance to mercy.

          They express raw and real feelings.

          Here we see the promised vindication of Jerusalem.

          Earlier in Isaiah 63 the writer goes in another direction, pronouncing the vengeance on the nation of Edom.

          But in today's passage, the voice changes to that of a diarist, recalling God's mercy to Israel in the past.

          The reference to God acting for Israel's benefit through his saving presence is appropriate for this Sunday after Christmas. Here we see the saving presence of God coming to be with mortals.

          The paraphrase of the Bible, The Message reads,

          “God didn't send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person."

          The whole oracle is actually a prayer.

           The implied affirmation is,

"Since God was with us in the past,

we can therefore expect his care and compassion

                                      as we continue our days."

          How about you?

          As you stand here at the close of another year I wonder where you experienced God in the last 12 months.

          In what specific ways did you grow closer to God?

                    Let’s reflect for a few minutes.

          Over what bad places in life's road did you feel "carried" by the Lord?

          What might your diary entries say about God's work in your life over the past year?

          Just yesterday I got an email. The writer wrote:

                   “I am certain that you may not remember me but I have attended    services at the church whenever possible.

                   I always come away feeling so good.

                   Your sermons have touched me.

                   I am writing to you today to ask for your guidance and prayers.”

                   I have always considered myself a Christian but as a result of events        in my life I have never been able to give myself over to Christ and embrace                       God.

          I hope to receive your thoughts and advice as I value them.”

          You see like this person we are all on a journey. It is the journey of life.

          The Bible is a diary of the lives of many people over 1500 years. It tells of all the ups and downs of people back through the ages. We can learn from their stories.

          The message from Isaiah is that we cannot take God for granted.

          Sometimes we are tempted to take God for granted?

          Taking the text by itself, it would seem to give us an easy assurance that God will be with us just as fully in the future as he was in the past.

          A better way to hear it is as a reminder not to take God's presence for granted but to live in ways that honors him as the Lord of our life.

          So if we were to make a diary entry today, it might have two parts, one looking back and one looking forward.

          The looking-back part could recount the ways in which we, upon reflection, saw God at work in our life over the year now closing.

          It could also include some words of thanks for the help and blessings we received and some words of repentance for places where we failed to be the person God calls us to be.

          In the looking-forward part, we could commit ourselves to grow in both faith and works, to integrate discipleship more fully into our lives.

          At this point at the beginning of the year, many people think in terms of resolutions, promises to one's self to make certain personal changes, many of which never happen, bearing witness to the maxim that "the life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another."

          But the looking-forward portion of our diary entry, if it is to have real impact, cannot be simply a resolution;

          it needs to be a placing of our self in God's hands, asking for his help in shaping us into who he calls us to be.

          Let us so do.

          The end of the year is a good time for both reflections on how God has been with us

          and asking for his help in shaping us into who he calls us to be.

          We have come to the end of yet another year.

          Isaiah invites us to look back thankfully

                   on how God has been working in our lives,

                   to assess our current relationship with God,

                   and to look ahead to where God may be directing us.

                                                

                                                          Prayer
          Eternal God, you are the Lord of all our beginnings and all our endings.

          Today you place in our hands an entire year, like a precious book ready for us to create the story of 2014.

          Last year's tattered pages are already bound between the covers of memory.     Help us put this year on the shelf gracefully, without dwelling on either its successes or its setbacks.
          Prepare us to welcome without fear the New Year prepared for us.

          Give us courage to face the unknown challenges ahead.

          Help us learn from the mistakes we have made in the past.

          Help us forgive ourselves that we may go on to write new chapters with confidence.
          Strengthen us with resolve.

          Give us the wisdom we need to fulfill our callings.

          If we are presented with new opportunities, lead us to make good choices.

          If we seem to have no choices at all help us hold still and listen to your voice.
          Bless those with whom we share our lives and homes that together we may grow in love and faithfulness.

          Keep us secure in your peace.

          For we pray in the name of the one who brings peace and whose prayer we now pray together saying……

         

Christmas Eve Sermon: Future Hope

FutureHope

Isaiah 9:2-7 and Luke 2:1-7  

Christmas Eve at the Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

          Christmas Eve is one of the darkest days of the year. Today, we have experienced only nine hours and 26 minutes of beautiful daylight, which leaves us with more than 14 hours of darkness.

          Do you know how I know that?

          I simply asked SIRI on my IPhone—she knows everything!

          In fact, I asked Siri if she truly does know everything and she said, “I’ll get back to you on that!” I am still waiting.

          The world around us at times seems dark as well.

                   Chemical weapons in Syria.

                   Cyber-attacks.

                   Global terrorism.

                   Personal insecurity about relationships, jobs, health and retirement.

          We're living in a world that feels like the line from "The First Noel"

                   ... a cold winter's night that was so deep.
                    Deep, deep darkness.

          Some say that when you're experiencing darkness in your life, you should pray for God to free you from it.

          And, if you are still in darkness, pay the electric bill.
          That might help.

          We're not the first people to face dark days. In the time of the prophet Isaiah,

                   about 700 years before the birth of Christ,

                   the people of Israel were walking in darkness—

                   they "lived in a land of deep darkness".

          God seemed silent to them, and they were "greatly distressed and hungry." Isaiah tells us that they saw

                   "only distress and darkness,

                             the gloom of anguish;

                   and they were thrust into thick darkness".

          We know what this feels like, don't we?
                    Global terrorism distresses us.

                    Economic insecurity leaves us feeling empty.

                    Climate change and cyber-attacks cause anxiety,

                             and our fears about the future make us feel as though we are                                       being "thrust into thick darkness."
          Darkness. Thick darkness.

          We need some illumination.

          The people of Israel saw a ray of light in the birth of a king,

                   a new descendent of David.

"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us,"

says the prophet Isaiah; "authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace".

His kingdom shall be established

"With justice and with righteousness for evermore".

          This king was the hope of the people of Israel—the one who would rule them with justice and righteousness.

          He was their Future Hope.

          We have reason for hope today as well.

          I recently listened to a number of TED Talks titled, "Ideas worth Spreading.”  By the way, do you know what TED stands for?

                             Technology—Entertainment—Design.

          You could have just asked SIRI like I did. SIRI is always right!

          One of theTED talks was about an 18-year-old named Taylor Wilson who said to himself, "I'm going to design a new, safer, more efficient nuclear reactor."

          And then he did it.

          Another was about a Kenyan teenager named Richard Turere who feared that lions would devour his family's livestock.

          So he built an automated security system.

          Jack Andraka, just 16 years old, became angry about pancreatic cancer after it killed a family friend. But instead of cursing the darkness, he lit a candle.

          Bucking conventional wisdom about cancer testing, he developed a protein-based blood test that is much faster, more effective, and cheaper than the current option.
          And he did this all, “while dealing with homework, parents and puberty."

          "A child has been born for us," says the prophet Isaiah.

          Children are still being born who are succeeding in making the world a safer, more secure and healthier place.

          God's kingdom of justice and righteousness is being advanced one innovation at a time.

          It's enough to give you Future Hope.

          Of course, the most impressive of God's innovators was born in Bethlehem about seven centuries after the prophet Isaiah.

          Think about that: The people of Israel did not get to see the greatest of David's descendants immediately, but had to wait more than 700 years.

          No doubt they hoped that their Future Hope would come a little faster.
          But come he did.

          Jesus Christ was born, to show us God's love and to be our Savior.

          In the middle of a dark, dark night, he came to bring us light and be our Future Hope.

           And he is our future hope, not because he is a child, but because he is Jesus!

          Isaiah was right to say that "his authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom".

          Jesus continues to offer us his peace in a challenging world, saying to us,

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled,

                                        and do not let them be afraid".

          Notice that Jesus does not offer us an escape from life's challenges, but instead he gives us peace in the middle of these challenges.

          Much has been written about the "inner child" who still dwells deep within the adult heart.

          The spiritual journey of many adults is learning to welcome the child within. We need to make peace with our own experiences as children, perhaps with the way authority figures have hurt and wronged us.

          The babe of Bethlehem grew to become a uniquely compassionate man who welcomed children. He is eager to welcome our inner child, as well.

          Jesus also establishes his kingdom

"with justice and with righteousness from this time for evermore".

          Like the prophets before him, he is anointed by God

                             "to bring good news to the poor ...

                   release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind".

          He wants justice for all of God's children,

rich and poor, black and white,

conservative and liberal, immigrant and native-born.

          He is focused on people being in right relationship with God and with each other.

          The core meaning of righteousness is "right-relationship"—not so much following certain rules and regulations as being in loving, giving, just and committed relationships.

          This is the kind of relationship that Jesus has with each of us,

                   and it is the kind that he wants us to have with him.

                            
          Our hope for the future is found in Jesus Christ, and in anyone who follows him in justice and righteousness.

                   "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,"

          says the prophet Isaiah, "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us".

          Christmas is the season of Future Hope, where the light of Christ enters the darkness of the world. The birth of Jesus reminds us that children can change things for the better,

           whether they are designing safer nuclear reactors,

          developing better cancer blood tests,

          or being the Savior of the World.

          In every generation—even in this generation, there's the possibility that people will act as peacemakers,

                    following in the footsteps of the Savior who is a

          Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

          Since the time of Isaiah, people have dreamed that

"the wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

                                      and a little child shall lead them".
          That little child is Jesus.

          As well as the children of God who follow him.

          So, on this Christmas Eve, receive the light that is coming into the world!

          To those who are living in a land of darkness, the light of Christ is shining.

          He enters the lives of each of us today –

to show us God's love,

to save us from our sins

and to lead us in the paths of justice and righteousness.

          As we continue to struggle with the dangers and difficulties of life, he gives us his guidance and his peace.
          Receive the light.

          Accept it,

                   embrace it

                   and then share it—in whatever way you can.

          Reflect the light of Christ into the dark places that you see around you.

           Do whatever you can to make the world a safer and healthier place.

          Take actions that help to build right relationships between people and God and between people one to another.

          Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.

          You don't have to build a security system for livestock or develop a new blood test for cancer.

          You don't have to broker peace between rival gangs or warring nations.

         

          But you can visit a lonely relative,

                   invite a neighbor to worship,

                   tutor a troubled teenager

                   or plant a community garden.

          Accepting and sharing the light of Christ is the best hope for our future.

          Jesus is our Future Hope!

          In a land of deep darkness, the light of Christ gives us reason for hope.

          Everywhere we look tonight people are lighting a candle to illuminate the darkness.

         

          President John F. Kennedy once said that "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."

          On this the eve of Christmas Day, we can affirm that the Christ child is still the world's best hope for the future.

Prayer

          Joy of the world, God of the cosmos, we come with thankful hearts this evening, Christ is born! Alleluia!

          Yet, even when there is light, there is still shadow.

          You did not promise to cast away all shadow, but to push the shadow away so that we can keep our eyes on you.

          When grief and loneliness come, when candlelight does not seem sufficient for the joy of the evening, when the darkness gets too close, fill us with a peace only you can bring.

          For the Christ child came not only to redeem the world,

                    but to walk beside each of us and all of us in those times of darkness.
          So, we celebrate this time with exuberance or with quietness—because the
Word is among us and we are given the gift of Light.

          Alleluia! Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

         

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday 4. Jesus' Wish List

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday: 4. Jesus’ Wish List

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

December 22, 2013

Matthew 1:18-25

          Isn’t gift giving both fun and frustrating all at the same time.

          One of my most embarrassing moments was when I bought a one pound box of See’s Candy (nuts and chews) and proudly gave it to one of my staff as she presented me with a one pound box of See’s Candy (nuts and chews).

          Every Christmas I go through the challenging routine of selecting the perfect gift for my wife, Linda.  We remind ourselves that it’s Jesus’ Birthday, not ours, and we have agreed not to spend too much money on each other.

          Besides, our children and granddaughters are higher priorities.

          I am just not very good at buying things for Linda. Invariably she has to return what I get or I forget what I got her last year and end up giving her the same thing again.

          So, this year I am asking for your help. I want you to vote in just a minute on what I should get Linda for Christmas three days from now.

          There are three things that I am thinking of. None of them will cost much money. The way I look at it is Linda’s money, too, and I wouldn’t want to waste it on something she doesn’t want.

          The three things I came up with are:

          1. I have some airline miles saved up. I could cash them in, get a couple of plane tickets and surprise her with a getaway trip. It wouldn’t cost much and she loves to travel.

          2. Or, I could write her a nice long loving letter and tell her that I will take a day off from church work and it will be her day. I will do anything with her that day that she wants to do—shopping, clean house, go for a drive, go out to eat, be her slave—ANYTHING!

          3. Or, I could make a donation to Heifer Project— $100.00 or so—enough to buy a pig, or goat for a family in a faraway country. Linda likes animals and she would feel good that she did something for someone else.

          What do you think? I really do need your help? Do you vote for Christmas gift 1, 2, or 3 for Linda?

          Like me, do you struggle to come up with the perfect gifts each Christmas for the special people in your life? It can be tough, but here’s an even more important question: what do you give Jesus on his birthday?

          The question beings us back to the real focus of this series of messages:                       Christmas is not your birthday!

                   It is Jesus’ birthday.

          How can we change the traditional focus of Christmas from materialistic self-indulgence to giving Jesus what he desires on his birthday?

          How can we make it less about us and more about him?

         

          Fortunately, Jesus made his wish list clear.

          Jesus wants us to give of ourselves!

          The Epistle of 1 John says our direct involvement in meeting people’s physical needs is primary evidence of our rebirth in Christ. “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another.”

          He goes on,

                   “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for     us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

                   If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need     but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

                   Dear children, let us not love in words or tongue but with actions          and in truth.”

          We serve God when we serve others.

          We give to Jesus when we sacrifice of our time, talents, and resources to meet other’s needs.

          The church is the body of Christ.

          We are the only hands, feet, and wallets that God has!

          Let’s consider giving ourselves to God at Christmas.

          Just as God's very being was given at Christmas, we are to give the heart of who we are to the Christ child.

          Before Jesus' birth, God required from two ordinary people, Mary and Joseph, similar gifts—the same things God asks from us—the gifts of their very beings.

          Mary was chosen to be the mother of this savior-child. It was within her body that human flesh grew together with the divine spark.
          Joseph, too, was asked to give his very being—his identity as a descendant of David. His family name and his fatherly protection were the gifts that Joseph gave the baby Jesus.

          So it is that Jesus continues to ask for this very personal gift, from each of us, as we celebrate his birth. Just as God's very being was given at Christmas, we are asked to give the same—to give ourselves to the Christ Child, to give the heart of who we are to Jesus.

          Jesus doesn't want your promise

                   to attend church more regularly,

                   or your presence on more committees,

                   or your commitment of a certain percentage of your income,

                   or your full confession of all your wrongs,

                   or your money, your time, your obedience, your piety or your praise!

                   Jesus wants YOU!

          I have enjoyed reading the writings of Annie Dillard. In one of her books she has written about how devastatingly hard it can be for us to give that which the divine most wants—our true selves.

          She tells a wonderful story of a Christmas Eve long ago.

          She and her family had just returned home from dinner to a warm living room and their Christmas Eve celebration.
          All of a sudden there was a commotion at the front door:

                   It opened, and cold wind blew around her dress.
          "Look who's here! Look who's here!"
          It was Santa Claus, whom she never - ever - wanted to meet.

          Santa was looming in the doorway and looking around.

          Her mother's voice was thrilled:

                   "Look Annie. Look over here. Look who's here!"

          Annie says she ran upstairs!

          And then she explains:
                    “Like many children, I feared Santa Claus, thinking he was God.

                   I was still thoughtless and reactive.

                   I knew right from wrong but only from fear, and not from love.

                   Santa Claus was an old man you never saw, but who, nevertheless,         saw you.... He knew when you'd been bad or good.

                   And I had been bad.”

          Her mother called, pleading.

          Her father encouraged; her sister howled.

          But Annie would not come down....

          Santa actually was a neighbor, Miss White, whom Annie Dillard liked.

          One time, quite by accident, Miss White was showing her how a magnifying glass focuses the rays of the sun and trained the spot on Annie Dillard's hand until it started to burn, and she ran home crying.

          Years later, Annie wrote:

          "Even now, I wonder: If I meet God, will he take and hold my bare hand in his, and focus his eye on my palm, and kindle that spot and let me burn?"

          She concludes with an intriguing paragraph that is good theology:
                    “But no.

                   It is I who misunderstood everything and let everybody down.

                   Miss White, God, Santa Claus, I am sorry I ran from you.

                   I am still running, running from that knowledge, that eye, that love          from which there is no refuge.

                   You meant only love but I felt only fear and pain.

                   Even so once in Israel, love came to us incarnate, stood in the doorway, between two worlds, and we were all afraid.”

          The good news this morning is that we do not need to give of ourselves out of fear any longer.

          We can replace fear with hope, peace, joy and love.

          We do not need to give of ourselves so that God will not punish us.

          We do not need to give so that we are liked by God and others.

          We give ourselves because we love.

          Two very different types of people felt drawn to offer themselves, their very beings, to the baby in a manger.

         

          There were shepherds,

                    and there were wise men.

          In their uniqueness, they represent

                   those whom God finds and those who find God.

          These two different avenues both eventually converge at the simple manger in that dim stable in Bethlehem.

          There are two sets of minds in the Christian life—

                   those who find Christ,

                             and those whom Christ finds.

          Those who find Christ are active;

                   those who are found by Christ are passive.

         

          There are some of us whose experience is that of the wise men of the East;

                   we search for the star and discover it after many days.

          There are others of us like the keepers of the sheep;

                   we are engaged in our own work, and the star comes to us.

          There are both "wise men" and "shepherds" here today. Some are searching for something more in their spiritual lives and others are simply waiting for God to come to them.

          Either way God woes us, searches for us, finds us.

                   We all end up at the manger.

          Whether you must take the exacting route of the wise men or are able to find the shepherds' more direct path to the Savior, start the journey this morning by giving of yourself to the baby of Bethlehem.

          Jesus is waiting to find you under the tree Christmas morning.

          As the song says;

“What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

          I was thinking this morning that it would be a shame for you to leave here without knowing those who are seated around you today.

          I hope you will take time to meet the people who have joined you in worship this morning.

           But, it would be a much greater shame to leave here without knowing God.

          I hope that you will take the time to meet God in a new way.

          During this season of holy expectancy, as we await the birth of the Christ child, may our inner spirit leap with joy. 

          Mary said:

“With all my heart I praise the Lord,

and I am glad because of God my Savior.

He cares for me, his humble servant.

From now on, all people will say God has blessed me.

God All-Powerful has done great things for me,

and his name is holy."

          God wants you—your time, your talent, your treasure and your heart—used in service to others.

          God wants you just as you are—secrets and all.

          We all have secrets.

          I have them the same as everybody else -- things we feel bad about.

                   Long ago things.

          Sometimes we are scared and lonesome,

                   but most of the time we keep it hid.

          It's like every one of us has lost our way so bad we don't even know which way is home.

          And we're ashamed to ask.

          You know what would happen if we gave ourselves to God—secrets and all.    What would happen is we'd find out home is each other.

          We'd find out home is Jesus that loves us—lost or found—or any which way.

                   Christ invites us to belong to him;

                   Christmas means he belongs to us as well.

          What can I give him—give my heart!

Prayer

Lord of Light and Life,
          to you even the darkest nights of our souls are as bright as noonday, for you are able to see where our sin-dimmed sight cannot.

         

          Help us then to trust you to lead us through the times of thick shadows,
                   when vision fails and reason stumbles,
                   when what we thought was certain cannot be found,
                   when that which we thought was forever turns out to be fleeting,
                   when that which we thought of as security turns out to be empty hope.

          Illumine our waking and working with the light of your Presence so that we can see the path to which your purpose calls us.

          As your birthing star once revealed your Presence to the world,

                    work through your church to shine the revealing light of your truth into every dark corner of

          injustice,

          bigotry,

          greed and

          deceit

          until everyone knows that the Son of God has come to reclaim the earth.

          For we pray in the name of Emanuel, God with us, whose prayer we now pray together saying…….