December 4, 2014 · 2:08 pm

Lo, Woe, Go . . . a Response of Advent

During these early days of Advent, as Thanksgiving has given way to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, ushering in the secular season of sales and anxious economic forecasts; one is left to ponder another response. Rather than unleash the credit or debit card, joining the throngs of holiday consumers, why not recover a little of the spiritual side of the season?

This season of waiting, expecting and hoping is pregnant with promise. It draws us to the nativity story and its fascinating cast of characters. Among them we find the shepherds, the true working men of this tale. They, like the other characters, have a story to tell, and a particular angle from which to tell it. Do you remember the shepherds? These character actors are discovered in Luke 2 between verses 8 and 20. A description of their brief foray unto the Nativity stage might be summarized in the words “lo”, “woe” and “go”.

Having drawn our attention to these shepherds abiding, Luke, Continue reading →

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November 22, 2014 · 2:24 pm

It’s not Thanksgiving without . . .

So what’s your Thanksgiving dinner “must have”? What do you look forward to more than any other menu item in your annual Thanksgiving feast? Turkey? Dressing? Ham? Sweet potatoes? What leaves you saying, “It just isn’t Thanksgiving without . . .”?

I’ve used that question as a conversation starter with folks before. It helps if you are in the season of Thanksgiving. They don’t look at you quite as perplexed as they would in the middle of July. I like the question because 1) it makes people think (usually about something that makes them smile), and 2) it often produces not just an answer but a story. As in, “this is my favorite Thanksgiving food, and let me tell you why.” Sure to follow are tales of Grandma’s favorite recipe for a cherished dish, or a family tradition of feasting that goes back generations. Continue reading →

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November 19, 2014 · 4:37 pm

Contentment

Ask an average group of people what it would take, financially or materially, for them to feel content and you are likely to get a wide range of answers. Some would probably indicate a salary figure or set of material assets that is somewhat beyond their current reality. Bigger house, larger paycheck, better benefits = contentment. Others might talk in terms of paying off debt or having a steady job. Still others might be in a place where they are able to say, “I am content. I want for nothing.” The point is that financial contentment is a very subjective thing, often defined by personal circumstances and histories.

When my wife and I were first married we were poor college students. Continue reading →

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November 16, 2014 · 9:16 pm

A November Ride

There is something different about a November bicycle ride. Different from the promise of a spring ride. And most certainly different from the heat and green of a mid-summer outing. November rides are all about stark and barren landscapes, wind that bites and drives home its chill, and daylight that is fleeting – filled with shadows and ever ready to dip below the horizon.

Twenty miles one late November afternoon on my bike remind me of these truths. Gone are the flourishing cornfields and acres of soybeans, harvested after another season of production. Continue reading →

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November 12, 2014 · 11:37 am

Cultivating Gratitude

My agricultural heritage often surfaces in my thinking.  A recent case in point would be my work on a stewardship sermon on the theme of “gratitude.”  I keep coming back to the thought that gratitude requires cultivation.  To become a truly grateful person, one must work at or develop that quality.  One must cultivate gratitude.  Agree?

Let me further puzzle this one out with you:  Cultivation is all about preparing, developing, and improving soil conditions for maximum growth and production.  A well cultivated garden or field is absent the invasion of weeds that compete for nutrients.  It also contains soil that has been worked up, broken up, and made ready to receive seed or plants.  And it may benefit from some additive fertilizer, or a cover crop that has been tilled under.  These small but important steps will yield a more productive crop from a well cultivated environment.

Isn’t the same true of cultivation of our lives? Continue reading →

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Filed under Holy Days, Leadership, Ministry, Pastors