Getting Ready for Christmas

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Mark 1:1-3, NRSV

Are you ready for Christmas? This early in December, most people would say, “No!” Have you spent some time getting ready for Christmas? Well now, that’s a different story.  We have decorated our church at Main Street UMC and have already had our Holiday Market on Main.  After December 3, we will have decorated our sanctuary with our beautiful and moving Hanging of the Greens service.  Many of us have decorated our homes (or at least begun the process) with Christmas trees, stockings, and lights galore. Maybe we have started to turn on Christmas music in our cars and homes or purchased Christmas presents in anticipation of the numerous gatherings. And yet, if we have done all of these things, it is possible that we have still not done anything to get ready for Christmas.  
Fortunately, the church year offers us an opportunity to get ready – a season called Advent. The church calendar begins with a four week time of preparation as we get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas.  Advent derives from the Latin “ad-venire" which means "to come to."  This season gives us opportunity to hear the voice of John the Baptist as he cries to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
John does not ask for people to begin baking fruit cake or to make a wish list for Santa. He “[proclaims] a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4, NRSV) In order to prepare the way for Jesus, we do not need to focus on anything that has to do with decorations or appearances.  Instead, we are reminded that to get ready for the coming of our Savior is to turn away from those parts of our lives that are not Christ-centered and to receive the forgiveness that only the grace of God in Jesus Christ provides.
During this Advent season, may we not only prepare our homes, but may we also prepare our hearts for the coming of our Prince of Peace. Only then will we be truly ready for Christmas.
Grace and Peace,

Food Pantries Need Help!

 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began.  I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’...
... ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’
Matthew 25:34-36, 40

The news spreading today was no surprise.  Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (also known as the Stimulus) was enacted, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ('SNAP' /food stamps) has received additional federal dollars to distribute to those in need.   These additional monies ended as of October 31, 2013.  The net result is a decrease in the amount received each month to be used for food.  Again, this was the original law; the federal government and the states have seen it coming for a long time.

What was not seen, nor expected, was the content of a letter mailed to South Carolina SNAP recipients.  According to a source connected with a local food pantry, those receiving food assistance through SC were encouraged to go to their local food pantry to help with the decrease in funds.  The problem? No one bothered to give the food pantries a 'heads up' that they will likely see a marked increase effective immediately.

Food Pantry Shortage February 2009

I am not writing today to spark a conversation about food assistance programs; my focus has always been
on the faith side of things rather than the political.  My concern is that our churches, soup kitchens, and local feeding ministries may not have the resources to handle the foreseeable surge in need within their communities.  I will not get 'preachy' today.  I will simply refer us to Jesus call to feed the hungry. It is part of our call as disciples of Christ.

What should we do?
1. Plan food drives in your local congregations - Have them spaced throughout the year in order to continuously stock the shelves. Have groups within the church "compete" to see who can give the most.  Always buy at least one can extra to donate every time you buy something for yourself.

2. Glean - Connect with an organization that is saving food that would otherwise be wasted.  The Society of Saint Andrew is a great example of one such organization in the southern US.  Full disclosure: my wife, Ashley, serves as the Program Coordinator for South Carolina (if you would like to help you can email her).

3. Volunteer - With increased demand will come increased numbers of people seeking help.  Every local pantry will need additional support of people like you and me to collect, sort, and distribute food.

4. Tell others - People need to know that there is a need that is likely to grow.  I believe that most of us are generous and, shown the opportunity, will give to help others.  Even those who complain loudest about "government intervention" in this area seem to agree that the private sector should meet the needs of the hungry.  Here is their chance to do something to make a difference

Let us join together as we seek to show the love of Christ to our brothers and sisters!

Grace and Peace,

Careful of Our Compasses

I found this great story on a website while doing some research for sermons.

It was April and the Aboriginals in a remote part of Northern Australia asked their new Elder if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was an Elder in a modern community he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the tribe should collect firewood to be prepared. But being a practical leader, after several days he had an idea. He walked out to the telephone booth on the highway, called the Bureau of Meteorology and asked, ‘Is the coming winter in this area going to be cold?’

The meteorologist responded, ‘It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold.’

So the Elder went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

Conscientiously, a week later the Elder called the Bureau of Meteorology again. ‘Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?’

The meteorologist again replied, ‘Yes, it’s going to be a very cold winter.’

The Elder again went back to his community and advised them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later the Elder called the Bureau again. ‘Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?’ he asked.

‘Absolutely,’ the man replied. ‘It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.’

‘How can you be so sure?’ the Elder asked.

The weatherman replied, ‘Our satellites have reported that the Aboriginals in the north are collecting firewood like crazy, and that’s always a sure sign.’

--http://sustainablelivingwise.com/forecasting-weather-patterns/

Even though the point seems rather obvious, I have been thinking about the implications of this story. In life, we sometimes are unsure about our way. We don't know where we want to be long term. We are not clear about what we might want the future to bring; so, we look for signs all around us that would indicate where we might go from here.

Some signs point us toward more prestigious jobs, fancier cars, a new group of friends, a particular brand of clothes, the list goes on and on...We judge the success of others by their appearances, and expect that others will do the same for us.

One day near the end of last year, I was playing with a compass in my office. As I held it on a flat surface I had nearby, I noticed that it was pointing the wrong way for "north." Then it dawned on me. In my "infinite wisdom," I was using one of those note pads that attach to the refridgerator -- by a magnet. Of course, the pull from the magnet was causing the compass to be unable to see true north. Instead it simply pointed to the closest thing that attracted it.

During the season of Lent, we take time to be careful of our compasses. We check to make sure that our lives are pointing -- not to the nearest fad or fancy -- but to our "True North" in Jesus Christ. He alone can guide us. He alone can steer us through the obstacles of life. He alone is worthy of having everything directed by and toward Him.

May we lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race that is set before us. [Hebrews 12:2]