When I was only four years old I had my appendix removed. I really don’t remember a lot about the surgery. I don’t remember the needle stick for the IV or my grandpa getting kicked out of the hospital trying to protect me. I don’t remember the incision or the recovery room. But I have a scar that tells the story.
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Some days are just OK. And for a long time I thought that OK was somehow less than, well OK! If you’ve ever passed me in the hall and asked the predictable question How are you? A question no one ever cares to hear the answer to – then you have undoubtedly heard my reply. And it’s never OK! My reply is always something like Excellent! Better than I deserve! Terrific! It shouldn’t be legal to be this good! And honestly, the majority of the time that’s the truth! But every once in a while the day is just OK. Sometimes life isn’t good, or great, or wonderful, or even fine! Some days are just…OK.
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As we walk through life it’s easy to think that God is somewhere off in the distance and somewhat foreign, aloof or unreachable. But that’s not the picture that we receive from Scripture at all. As a matter of fact the storyline of the Bible is quite the opposite! God’s story is one of rescue, redemption and restoration for the entire human race. But it gets better than that! The story of the Bible isn’t just a general story of new life for the world. It’s not just God loving the people of Israel. It’s God’s story for you!
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Now I’m not one who normally likes to fit the typical mould. I stand out in a crowd more often than I blend in. I’d rather make my own picture than coloring one that someone else creates for me. But there are times when it’s necessary to color inside the lines. As a parent I try to teach my children to slow down and follow the boundaries of the pictures they are coloring. I like it when I see the picture of the teddy bear with two colors of brown, a darker for the fur on the body and a lighter color for the belly. It just looks like they took more care and time with it. The same is true with life. When we carefully take the time to shade our lives and color inside the lines, we begin to see a picture far better than anything we could draw ourselves.
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Wouldn’t it be great if we could just find the magical pill for happiness? I mean no more down in the dump kind of days. No more sadness. No tears. No hurts or pains. No-one to squash your dreams for life and a future. No-one to tell you that you’re not good enough. No more trying to always run and never seem to get anywhere. Trying to find that magical formula for happiness sometimes sometimes feels like running on a treadmill. No matter how fast you run, you never really get anywhere. So where is it that happiness is found?
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Three pretty significant things happen in the text for this past Sunday’s message. Feel free to check that out here. The Bible story was from John 2:1-12. It’s a familiar passage commonly referred to as the Wedding at Cana or the Water into Wine Miracle. Many of us approach this passage with questions and wonder what Jesus was up to with this miracle. We ask questions like why was it at a wedding? Why did he start with water? Why did he choose to do this miracle in the first place? And why did he call his own mother – woman!?!? This post will hopefully address a few of these questions.
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This has been called the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the season of light and life and all things great! People are more loving and kind. People go out of their way to make others feel more loved. It’s the season of giving. It’s the season of generosity. But before we celebrate all of those thing, give a moment and pause to remind yourself what this day is really all about.
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This week’s Music Monday is coming a bit late. I guess that’s the problem of being a blogger, pastor during the week before Christmas! But this week’s song is a great one! I’ve been searching for powerful Christmas songs that are different, yet speak the same prominent message of grace and peace at Christmastime. Hearts Waiting is a new song with an old spin. The hearts of humanity waited for centuries for a King to rescue them from evil. What they got wasn’t exactly what they were seeking. He was so much more!
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In the days leading up to Christmas it’s a great time to discover the old and the new of this amazing holiday! This season is filled with good old favorites like snickerdoodles and spiral hams and favorite hymns and family times. But it’s also a great time to journey into the new expressions of this beautiful time of year. This week’s Music Monday is all about cherishing the tradition of Christmas past with a new twist.
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It’s here! The official start of the pre-Christmas season that we in church world call Advent. The word basically means preparing for something big. It’s the idea of anticipation and excitement. So as we prepare for Christmas throughout this Advent season, we’re going to look at different Christmas songs and talk about our Christmas traditions. In an effort to do this we’ll start this week with a Music Monday titled Little Merry Christmas that shows how our traditions should all point to one important truth. Continue reading
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