PEACE ON EARTH????

The morning paper's political cartoon space was occupied by this Christmas gift from Gary Varvel. This was his creation for 2008. For the current year's gift click here. This one in particular pretty much sums up my feelings about this day. With so much hope, how did we go so wrong? Or is the state of affairs what Jesus foretold had to happen before the second coming? Regardless, I am accepting my own personal hope in the fact that the Grace of God is always with me -- regardless of the rights and wrongs that exist. It is really hard to see past the wars, the hungry children, the riots. I have to hold on to the grace I continually receive from God. And I have to hope....

CHRISTMAS EVE

Happy Christmas to all. I will soon be going to my own Christmas Eve service. I hope y'all have a special service of your own -- formally or informally. God knows where we are and who we are and why we are. God bless us all.

DECEMBER 23

WRONG!!! I have Christmas Freeze. You know that thing that happens in your head when you take too big of an ice cream bite? Brain Freeze? Well, this is Christmas Freeze. It happens pretty much the same way. Too much Christmas 'stuff' builds up until paralysis sets in -- Christmas Freeze. And it isn't because I have too much to do. I'm done. Wrapped. Labeled. Done. But the world around me is nuts.

Twenty minutes of silence is just not going to happen. Oh, the silence may happen. But not in my head. My head is going to be going gang busters nuts. So I think I will skip even trying for that. What I am hoping for is a Christmas Eve respite. A time to relax in my church. Be with the people that I love. Hear the songs. Say the prayers. Be at one with God..... I am hoping.

WHAT LIGHT???

My light just plum went out yesterday.

Hope to get it back by Friday.

WHY,GOD, WHY????

I am frequently experiencing doubting times in my life. The doubts come at odd times. Usually not in troubling times. Mostly in times when I am free of pain and agonies and have the clearness to be thinking on the workings of things. Doubting Thomas is very real for me. Show me, Lord, is just about where I am a lot of the time. And with the 'show me' comes, WHY. I am many times into the whys. And sometimes even wherefores.

Why, Lord, are there hungry children? Why, Lord, are homophobics allowed to exist? Why is there so much cruelty and hurt and killing? Why aren't we all one color or even better, WHEN will we all be one color? When will there be heaven on earth -- I know it will happen, WHEN?

MANSIONS/ROOMS/DWELLING PLACES

Remember when Jesus said something like 'in my Father's house are many mansions/rooms/dwelling places....I go to prepare a place for you.'? I take that to mean that there is a place for each one of us in God's kingdom. No matter who we are. No matter how different we are from one another. NO MATTER WHAT -- there is a place for us with God.

The collect this morning, however, is intimating that in US there is a mansion prepared for Jesus. In US. Jesus longs to be in US. WITH us. Being in our lives for the long haul. Being a part of who we are and who we long to be. Jesus IN us. Almost too overwhelming to accept. I'll keep working on the thought, though. Jesus. Part of me. Me. Part of Jesus.

GENEROSITY

The idea of this is not new to me. RevLois gave us the story of a woman who gave a diamond ring to a poor woman. Just because. Because the woman needed something special in her life. Something beautiful. And in giving the gift there is NO follow up. We don't need to know how the gift was accepted, used, kept, passed on or sold. We just do the giving.

And there is no 'thank you' involved. Better that the gift is anonymous. Better that the receiver just receives and enjoys. Better that the giver knows in her own heart that it was a good thing. All round, God knows.