the Fresh Heartbreak

For those of you in the Seattle Area. Have you heard of the fantastic new group hitting the music scene? The Fresh Heartbreak with my daughter-in-law Melissa on keyboards and vocals. Give yourself a treat and spend an evening with “The Fresh Heartbreak”

29 DEC 06
Pegasus Coffee House
131 Parfitt Way SW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
7:30pm. FREE.

13 JAN 07
Hotwire Coffee
17551 15th Ave NE
Shoreline, WA 98155
8:00pm. FREE.

1 FEB 07
Skylark Club
3803 Delridge Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106
9:00pm. FREE.

9 MAR 07
Espresso Americano
2702 Hoyt Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
7:00pm. FREE.

Curious

Please take a few minutes and let me know your thoughts concerning this blog. How do you use it?
Have you ever visited the Radio or any other links?
What is your faith tradition?

The last time I tried this I only received one response. It would be a nice Christmas gift to hear from more of you.

Email comments to: bollerud@gci.net
Thank you, and God blessings be with you in this new year

Pastor Dan

The Name of Jesus

Luke 2:21

Sally, Joe, Abdul, Rebecca and Juan
all names
all given to the ones new born
on their day
Names
that in time invoke an image
of who they are
and what they have done
in this world
Names
that speak of love
----------------- hate
----------------- worry and fear
Names that speak of a promise spoken
I will be your God
and you will be my people
Names like any other names
yet special
because of who they speak of
before time
one name was given
a name of love
a name of change
a name of hope
and at the sound of this name every knee shall bow
that name
Jesus
like any other name
except
it changed who we
and
the Sallys, Joes, Abduls, Rebeccas and Juans
of this world
will forever be,
the children of God

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Luke 1:57-67

Praise be the child
sent from God
who is to usher in the Kingdom
who is to announce that
the time has come
for the world to spin
Free
of the bounds that have held it so long
Free
as the tongue loosened
from the voice of Zechariah
Free
from the bounds placed
by the traditions of this world
Free
to be the pureness
brought forth by Elizabeth
into a world
not Free
and all who heard of this child
wondered
at the birth
and the wonder
to come

Mary, Mother of our Lord

Luke 1:46-55

Sing of the Joy that has come
Sing in the hearts of all the people
that now is the time
and the place
for the greatness of the Lord
to come to the people
Sing for the mighty of this world
given new life
toppled from their self made towers
of pride and anxiety
Sing for the powerful of this world
who have been given new life
brought from their mighty thrones of power
with eyes opened toward Christ
seen face to face
in the eyes of poor and hungry
Sing for the humble
in the new hope that life brings
in a world that offered no hope
and Sing for the hungry
who hunger no more
but who are filled with life
and hope
at the one carried in the womb
of Mary
to a world never the same again
filled with Song

The Visitation

Luke 1:39-47

Not knowing what to think
Mary ran to the one
also with child
also visited by the Lord
at a time when the world longed so
for the one
who would be
The Messiah
and the one who would
announce
This is the one
and even here
in a womb filled with all the comfort
of life
John Cried
Prepare
and leaped for Joy
at the one who was to come
Leaped for joy
at the life that would come
to the world
through this one
in the womb
of Mary

The Annunciation of our Lord

Luke 1:26-46

The young and innocent one
wondered at the hearing of the words
---- (Greetings)
that thundered from on high
and yet so close
she could almost reach out
--- and touch
------ the messenger
---------- Gabriel
words that announced to the world
a new time
a new life
that would come to all people
---- (you who are highly favored)
through the womb
of this one
innocent one
called Mary
though the world did not know
and the people did not know
and those in power did not know
and even Mary did not know
still
all
all that is
all that was
all that will be
would be changed
by the message
to this one innocent one
---- (the Lord)
that a child shall be born
and they shall call
---- (is)
his name
---- (with you)
Jesus

1st Sunday after Christmas

Luke 2:41-52

Did you not know?
After all the praise on high
after all the promise heard
of this one
------ the Messiah?
Did you not know
the presence of God in this your son?
Do we not know
who have heard the end of the story
who have seen the salvation of God?
Do we not know
and do we relegate this the Christ
to the role of a child in our lives
to be brought forth only
when it is to our liking?
How could Mary not know after all she had heard?
How could we
and not head the call?
Come let us walk in the way of the Lord
and hear anew
all the promise given
and the Praise on High
in the new year of our lives

Toe gifts

Saturday January 6th, Luke 2: 49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. In time the “get to” moves back into the “have to,” but in an internal rather than an external way. Moving religion from an external to an internal thing, takes more than just telling your children, it takes showing them. This new year, show them that it is never to late to internalize that gracious gift. Give them the gift of knowing God’s grace right down in depths of their toes.

get to "get to" from "have to"

Friday January 5th, Luke 2: 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." Even Mary and Joseph wanted to keep a bit of a lid on Jesus’ spirituality. It is no surprise then that the kids are the ones that encourage their parents to go to worship as often as it is the parents that encourage the kids to go to worship. Christian Education is where that statistic breaks down. There, it is the kids that set the attendance records. The custom is to drop off the kids and go get a cup of coffee, or some shopping, or some other urgent task. The trouble is that customs are often handed down. The kids are not learning to go to church, they are learning that when they are older they don’t have to attend Christian Education classes. It turns the whole experience from a “get to” to a “have to” thing. This new year, treat your children to the gift of “get to” rather than the burden of “have to.”

Custom

Thursday January 4th, Luke 2: 41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. We have just moved through the Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and New Years season. We are moving into the Lent, Spring Break, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost season. What customs does your family have for these seasons? Do they include family worship? There are many I only see at worship on Christmas and Easter, the CEO’s or Christmas and Easter onlys, and yet there is something there, something that compels them to at least make the connection on these special occasions. Who knows how God is working in them. Who knows when or if their worship life as a family will expand into something more. But for Jesus and his family, worship was their “custom.” This new year, make it more of your custom also.

When you get to know them there is no "them"

Wednesday January 3rd, Colossians 3: 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Imagine that!!! Since we are members of one body, we are called to peace. A building divided cannot stand, a nation divided cannot stand, and a world divided can not do so well either. Peace is what we are called to seek as the body of Christ. Often we do this by narrowing the definition of what the body of Christ is, our church, our religion, our faith, our neighborhood, city, county, state or nation. Jesus kept pushing the boundaries of the body of Christ outward with stories like the Good Samaritan or the Sheep and Goats, and questions like which one acted like a neighbor thereby putting the ownership of a limited view on us and not “them.” This new year let us more toward Peace in the expanded view of Christ, the one that contains no “them.”

A New Years Blessing

Tuesday January 2nd, Colossians 3: 12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. As we move into the new year, let us, as the children of God, try to live by this simple phrase. Clothe yourselves with compassion for those in need, kindness to others, humility in how you see yourself and gentleness and patience in your dealing with one another. Be forgiving always and God has forgiven you, for the lack of such virtues is the source of war and killing. Concern yourself less with what the other has done wrong and more with what you can do better and surround everything in life with love.

I miss the Dodo

Monday January 1st, Psalm 148: The Lord made them to last forever, and nothing can change what he has done. All creatures on earth, you obey his commands, so come praise the LORD! Sea monsters and the deep sea, fire and hail, snow and frost, and every stormy wind, come praise the LORD! All mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, every wild and tame animal, all reptiles and birds, come praise the LORD! Every king and every ruler, all nations on earth, every man and every woman, young people and old, come praise the LORD! All creation, come praise the name of the LORD. When we look at the endangered species list, or the list of the many forms of life that no longer exist, we can only imagine the sadness of the Lord who created them and called them good. I know some are natural changes; life would be a bit difficult with T-Rex running around. But let’s get real, the Dodo bird never hurt anyone. Maybe choices between Kyoto and our economy seem like logical choices, but then again maybe we are just using our economy use the golden calf while Moses was up on the mountain. Perhaps our sin, our idolatry, is thinking that that our economy is more important than some life form we have learned to exploit yet. Perhaps it exists only because God wants it that way, and that should be good enough.

It is good!!

Sunday December 31st, Psalm 148: Shout praises to the LORD! Shout the LORD's praises in the highest heavens. All of you angels, and all who serve him above, come and offer praise. Sun and moon, and all of you bright stars, come and offer praise. Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens, come and offer praise. Let all things praise the name of the LORD, because they were created at his command. All of creation is the handiwork of the Lord. Sometimes it is easy to forget that. The human sin of self-centeredness always brings us back to ourselves. We are the center of the Lord’s handiwork, we are the center of all people, we are the center of all creation. It feels good for a moment, but it is wrong. The Lord created all creation and said it was good. Our job is to help keep it good.

The Holy Innocents

Matthew 2:13-18

Among the Pure and Innocent Cries
of a Newborn Child
Come the shrill reminders
of a world
---- and systems
far from that touch of life
a child brings
Far from
the trusting eyes
of love
that want only someone to show caring
Far from this
lies
our world
of agendas
and power and money
shock and awe
collateral damage
and the bleeding, smoldering bodies
of someone else’s child
As the nations play the game
of vying for position
to make the world a better place through the moans of death
and lifeless bodies
that are the victims of
what we claim
is a better world
Hear that cry
so pure and innocent
of a newborn child
and remember
what power and ambition and money
disguised as caring and freedom
can do

St. John, Apostle & Evangelist

John 21:20-25

Come shine
---- like the rays of hope
---- dancing across the dusty floor
Come shine
---- in a world sometimes devoid
---- of the light
---- that brings new life
Come shine
---- into the lives of the many
---- who live their lives
---- waiting for that something more
Come shine
---- and let the world know
---- life is now
--------- life is here
Proclaimed by the one Jesus loved
From before time
Come shine
---- and live into
---- God’s love
for the sake of the world God so loved

St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

Matthew 23:34-39

Standing among the fear filled stones
flung
in a desperate attempt to silence
the message
------ alive
---------- They (we) Killed Him
Killed him in fear
of what could
---------- (would)
-------------- be
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem
killing the prophets all the day
(too)
Do you not hear
Do you not see
The battle fought for so long
is over
The fear felt for son long
has no foundation
Hear the story
------ of the Christ
spoken on the lips
of the servants
---- who carry the message
---- Christ is risen
---- fear no more

The Nativity of our Lord

Luke 2:1-20

Praise to the Lord on High
who is born
among us
A child helpless and wrapped
in the loving embrace of newness
Glory to God in the Highest
with the Praise going to all the earth
and from all of creation
That we may rejoice
not in greatness
------ far off there
by here
------ among us
The Lord God who created all
come as one for us all
The Birth of the Christ Child has come
The Birth of the Messiah
who will
lead the people
You and I
on to love
------ (Victory over death)
on to life
as the one laying here
so innocent
Feel the shadow of the cross
in the night
The angels know
and sing of this one
so innocent
who will save us all

4th Sunday in Advent

Luke 1:39-55

Blessed be Mary the Mother of God
and blessed be the fruit of thy womb
Jesus
God has done great things
and will do great things
for this one
for us
The world will be changed
from what was
to
what will be
And Justice will roll down like an ever flowing stream
in a land parched by divisions
and hatred
us and them
war
My spirit rejoices in my Savior
who has come
that all might live
that I might be changed
from what was to what is
That I might have the strength
to fill the hungry with good things
through the one who is to come
Hail Mary, full of grace
You have brought into the world
the one who will never again
leave it
the way it was

Remembering forever

Saturday December 30th, Luke 1: 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." God's promise to Abraham was that he would be a father to a great nation and his descendants would be the instruments of God's presence in the world. God remained and remains faithful to that promise in ways Abe could have never imagined. And the promise still goes on. We carry the promise to bring peace to all the world and to all of God's creation. So far we have been able to demonstrate that we are better at war. Perhaps a change of course is in order.

From Santa to St. Nick

Friday December 29th, Luke 1: 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. What!!!! Why would a loving God do something like that!!! We tend to see the world through our eyes only. We tend to look at the world and say, "what's in it for me?" Even in our Christmas traditions as we have moved from the late 1800's St. Nicholas where the emphasis was on giving to alleviate the suffering of the poor, and giving was to organizations and structures which helped the poor in this country to our present fat jolly Santa in the red suit, and gift giving to family and those you know personally. Even Santa himself was an invention of economic self interests. He was part of an advertising campaign by the Coke-a-Cola company. Maybe it is time to get back to a traditional Christmas celebration where the main question is not, what accessory shall I get for my kids ipod, but rather what animals shall I get through "The Heifer Project?" (www.heifer.org) for the needy in this world.

We hope in the promise

Thursday December 28th, Luke 1: 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. In doing so, both the rulers and the humble are helped to see they are brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God. In this world, where the gap between rich and poor, power and powerlessness grows greater and greater with each passing year, God has a different plan. As business after business gets bought out or plowed under by larger corporations, we hope in the promise that the proud will indeed be scattered. As the Walmarts of the world wipe out the family businesses in town after town, we hope in the promise that the proud will indeed be scattered. As the powerful start wars to line the pockets of the businesses that support and maintain their power, while our children are dying to maintain that power, while their children wallow in it, we hope in the promise that the proud will indeed be scattered and the rulers brought down from their thrones. But most of all we hope that someday, we will all live as the children of God, brothers and sisters with one another, each doing their part to make this world better for the other.

Wonderful Almighty Prince of Peace

Wednesday December 27th, Luke 1: 46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. In the humility of Mary the manifest glory of God is presented to the world. And the one she will bring into the world shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Prince of Peace. And what will this Wonderful Almighty Prince of Peace do? Scatter those who are proud in their inmost thoughts in the same manner the proud children of God were scattered at the Tower of Babel. Scattered, not for punishment, not for a display of might, but so they too had a chance to confront the very thing that would keep them from seeing and accepting this Wonderful Almighty Prince of Peace, their pride. When love comes, change happens.

the "why me?" leap

Tuesday December 26th, Luke 1: 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. It is easy to wonder at the love and blessings of God. We all tend to wonder "why me?" when things go wrong. But sometimes when things go so right, we also wonder "why me?" Elizabeth and Mary were blessed with the brining of the Messiah into the world. When we sense the wonderful joy of a "why me?" look around as to how you should share that spiritual gift, and with whom. Look around for a way to pass it on, for as such blessings are truly blessings. When you see the blessing begin to spread, join that ancient tradition and leap for joy. If nothing else, your co-workers will be amused.

Smile!!!

Monday December 25th, Luke 1: 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. There are things beyond our understanding. How bumble bees fly, what gravity is, and how the Holy Spirit works. But in the womb, John knew and therefore so did Elizabeth and Mary. John, before birth, heralding the coming of the Messiah. Science may someday tackle the bumble bees and gravity, but the Spirit is always out there beyond our reach. When you sense beauty and love that makes your insides leap with joy, smile and know the spirit is with you. Smile and know the spirit is in the world. Smile and know the blessedness that surrounds you. Smile and pray. Smile as a prayer. Smile!!!!

Immanuel, God with us

Sunday December 24th, Micah 5: 3 The LORD will abandon Israel only until this ruler is born, and the rest of his family returns to Israel. 4 Like a shepherd taking care of his sheep, this ruler will lead and care for his people by the power and glorious name of the LORD his God. It’s tough being a loving parent. In doing what is best for your children, you sometimes have to do the unpopular thing. Without it your children never grow up, and with that tough love, they tend to grow up way too slowly. As the children of God, we still have a lot of growing to do. When we feel abandoned by God, it is good to know (1.) we are never really abandoned (2.) maybe we are the ones who have moved (3.) maybe we are being called to do a bit of growing (4.) the Lord has promised to lead and care for us. Take heart, O weary one, Immanuel is with us always.

Curious

Please take a few minutes and let me know your thoughts concerning this blog. How do you use it? Have you ever visited the Radio or any other links? What if any is you faith tradition? Email comments to: bollerud@gci.net

Thank you, and God blessings be with you this Christmas season

Pastor Dan

Christmas Wrap

This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men -- Gaspar, Balthazar, and Herb -- went to see the baby Jesus and, according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact: there is no mention of wrapping paper.

If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so: "And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the paper than the frankincense."

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics:

1. They were wise.
2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can tear it off. This is not just my opinion, this is a scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I know. One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be there when the person opens it." The other is Gene, who told me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never takes more than 15 seconds per gift. "No one ever had to wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Gene said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I camouflage this sector with a marking pen.) If I had been an ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife, like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like having babies that come more naturally to women than to men. That is why today I am presenting:

Gift Wrapping Tips for Men:

* Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If, when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must be smoking crack. If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt.

Author Unknown (but definitely male)

St. Thomas, Apostle

John 14:1-7

I don’t know
---- and I’m scared
of what I don’t know
and where I haven’t been
My doubts come
to the surface of my mind
--------- and sing in fear
--------- of who I am
------ and who
I don’t know who I am
Sing
with a trembling voice of humanity
a song of being lost
of not knowing
------ and therefore
-------- not wishing to find out
-------- what this life
------ called upon by this one we call
------ Messiah
-------- is all about
Thank you
for echoing my fears in this world
for saying that which I feel
in
I don’t know
and leading me
------ into a new life
full of doubts
and faith

3rd Sunday in Advent

Luke 3:7-18

The Good News comes
and brings freedom
hope
but to me?
Who have I been fooling
in a world filled with the screams of hunger
in a world filled with the screams of pain
in a world
I have helped to make
----the way it is
I feel uncomfortable with your message
John!
I feel uncomfortable with the way it points
to me
I wanted only a feel good God
the Messiah who loves little children
and maybe that is why
I feel uncomfortable in this world
I helped to make
because the Messiah does
love little children
who choke on my greed!
Give me the strength to share
my two coats
----and food
and hear the Good News
of You Lord

Lutefisk

Saturday December 23rd, Philippians 4: 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This is known to some Scandinavian Lutherans and the “lutefisk” text, the piece of cod that transcends all understanding. But rather than an old piece of fish, it is the love and grace of God that is beyond understanding. It does not fit with our view of the way the world should run. Conventional wisdom tells us to beat the other guy and come out on top. Conventional wisdom tells us to take care of old number one. God’s wisdom tells us to sit down and share a little fish with someone and know you are blessed.

Gentleness

Friday December 22nd, Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Ahhhhh!!! Living in the Kingdom. Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel, God with us, is coming, and is already here. Your response? To let your gentleness be evident to all. Wow! No holy warrior, no hell, fire and brimstone, no righteous fire, only gentleness. Living in the presence of God’s grace is to live in the presence of gentleness, and that gentleness will extend out to others. Welcome to the kingdom.

Mouse Tails

Thursday December 21st, Zephaniah 3: 18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. Which side do you want to be on? Do you want to be with the lame, outcast and mourners, or do you want to be with the oppressors? There doesn’t seem to be a third side does there? We all tend to see ourselves in that third side, the innocent observers, the ones that don’t exist. Desmond Tuto once said, “if an elephant has it’s foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say you are neutral in that situation, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” There are lots of tails being stepped on in this world, your neutrality is not appreciated.

Let the Good News roll

Wednesday December 20th, Zephaniah 3: 14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. This is good news only when you are aware of the judgments against you and the enemies at your gates and within. Step one; honest introspection. Step two; realization that what you found in step one has been taken away by God. Step three; Rejoicing. Note; the enemies at your gates are also the children of God. Note two; the enemies within are far more problematic. Note three; this is not a one time thing but rather a daily occurrence.

Renewed relationships

Tuesday December 19th, Luke 3: 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Water goes on the outside, the Holy Spirit goes on the inside. It is not a matter of being baptized again, or in the proper way, or after an ecstatic experience, it is a matter of letting God into your life each and every moment of each and every day. Baptism is our outward response to the relationship God has already established. Just as relationships are renewed each and every day, so is our relationship with God. Often it is God that is doing the renewing. That is what those constant little “I Love You’s” that surround us each day are all about. Open your eyes to them and feel the spirit burn within you, and know that you are loved.

Grace filled living

Monday December 18th, Luke 3: 10 "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. 11 John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" 13 "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay." They were not all called to go start a church or follow as disciples. What they were called to do was be just in what they already do, and in that way, help bring God’s justice into the world. John did not even ask for “good works,” but rather a cessation of “bad works.” John’s call is for a return to grace filled living. It may not be rocket science, but it is the beginning of living.

Get Real!!!!

Sunday December 17th, Luke 3: 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. John was not someone you would want your daughter to bring home to meet the family. Under his seemingly gruff manner however was the truth. When God comes into our lives, our lives are changed. That is the nature of being in a loving relationship with God. It is not always instant, it is not always complete, but it always nudges you closer to what God wants you for you in your life. The crowds coming indicate that it was nothing more than a fad, and anybody who was anybody was doing it. But just like faux pearls, faux fur, faux diamonds, and faux anything in fashion, it just didn’t wear well. John was very up front about saying, “Get Real!!!!” and then come. Advent is a call for us to “Get Real!!!!” with our faith also.

Web Radio

OK, the web radio is now up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience for so long. We still have a very old computer running the music and I don't think I will get the Christmas selection uploaded before Christmas but we should be moving forward soon. Thank you again for your patience and enjoy. Just click on the link to the left for the web radio and it should bring up either Musicmatch Jukebox or Windows Media Player or iTunes and start playing. Thank you Nick for getting this fixed up during this busy season. Blessings to you all. When I am back in my office on Wednesday of this week I will plug in my iPod to the Christmas section. Love to all this season. I will be at meetings all Monday and Tuesday and will not get out the meditations or poems for 3rd Advent until Wednesday.

Pastor Dan
Christ Our Savior Lutheran, where we are inspired by God's love to Praise, Nurture and Serve.

Christmas in America by Penne L. Restad

During the Christological controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries, the celebration of Epiphany spread westward, but the Roman Church, with its celebration of the Nativity set in late December and its emphasis on Jesus’ incarnation and divinity, recast it to commemorate the adoration of the Magi. In Constantinople, Epiphany continued to consecrate Jesus’ baptism, but the Eastern Church began to mark December 25 as the day of his birth. The dual celebration, that of birth and baptism, that had defined the old holy day ceased to exist.

Over the nest thousand years, the observance of Christmas followed the expanding community of Christianity. By 432, Egyptians kept it. By the end of the sixth century, Christianity had taken the holiday far northward and into England. During the next two hundred years in Scandinavia it became fused with the pagan Norse feast season known as Yule, the time of year also known as the Teutonic “Midwinter.” Sometimes around the Norman incursion in 1050, the Old English word Christes Maesse (festival of Christ) entered the English language, and as early as the twelfth century “Xmas” had come into use. ………………

In England (around the period of the Protestant Reformation) the Anglican Church repeatedly, but with little success, tried to gain control over the day (Christmas). Its custom had been to begin Christmas on December 16 (known as “O Sapientia”) and celebrate for nine days. But during King Alfred’s reign (871-899 C.E.), a law passed extending the celebration to twelve days, ending on Epiphany.

Celebrants devoted much of the season to pagan pleasures that were discouraged during the remainder of the year. The annual indulgence in eating, dancing, singing, sporting, card playing, and gambling escalated to magnificent proportions. By the seventeenth century, under the reigns of the Tudors and Stuarts, the Christmas season featured elaborate masques, mummeries, and pageants. In 1607 King James I insisted that a play be acted on Christmas night and that the court indulge in games……………

It fell to the Puritan reformers to put a stop to the unholy merriment and to bend arguments over the proper keeping of Christmas into an older and more basic one – whether there should even be an observance of the day. Defying the decision of the Anglican Convocation of 1562 to maintain the church calendar, the Puritans struck Christmas, along with all saints’ days, from their own list of holy days. The Bible, they held, expressly commanded keeping only the Sabbath. That would be their practice as well.

In taking the offensive against Christmas-keeping, Puritans distributed colorful diatribes against the excesses of the holiday. Philip Stubbes’s Anatomy of Abuses (1583) condemned revelous celebrants as “hel hounds” in a “Deville’s Daunce” of merriment. William Prynne’s Histriomastix (1633) inveighed against plays, masques, balls, and the decking of houses with greens. “Into what stupendous height of more than pagan impiety…have we not now degenerated!” he lamented. Christmas he thought, ought to be “rather a day of mourning than rejoicing,” not a time spent in “amorous mist, voluptuous, unchristian, that I say not pagan, dancing, to God’s, to Christ’s dishonour, religion’s scandal, chastities’ shipwracke and sinne’s advantage.”

Why December 25th?

Some insights from Christmas in America, a history, by Penne L. Restad

Sometime in the fourth century of the Common Era, the Roman Church began to celebrate a Feast of the Nativity and to do so on December 25th. A variety of issues influenced the decision. Internally, heresies plagued Church authority. Arianism, one of the most threatening, regarded Jesus as a solely human agent of God. The Church insisted on his divinity. By assigning him one human quality – a birthday – it appropriated some of Arianism’s appeal, but sustained Jesus’ place in the Holy Trinity.

The Church had also grown concerned about the increasing popularity of pagan religions and mystery cults in Rome. Each year beginning on December 17, the first day of Saturnalia, and continuing through Kalends, the first day of January, most Romans feasted, gamed, reveled, paraded, and joined in other festivities as they paid homage to their deities. The Church’s alarm deepened when Emperor Aurelian, noticing that the pagan rituals had begun to converge around Mithras, the solar god, decreed in 274 C.E. that December 25, the winter solstice on the Julian Calendar, be kept as a public festival in honor of the Invincible Sun. Rome’s Christians challenged paganism directly by specifying December 25, rather than some other date, as the day for their Nativity Feast.

Exactly when the Church of Rome began to keep Christmas, however, is not known. The first extant reference to the Feast of the Nativity may be as old as 336, in the earliest list of martyrs of the Roman Church. Perhaps Christmas was celebrated even earlier. Some scholars believe that Emperor Constantine (ruled 312-337 C.E.), who had converted to Christianity and built the Vatican atop the hill where the Mithras cult worshipped the sun, may have instituted the festival.

2nd Sunday in Advent

Luke 3:1-6

John came with the message
Prepare
Prepare your hearts
-----minds
----------lives
for the one who is to come
and is here
fill the world with the love
that we
----on this side of the cross
know came into the world
on that lonely night
when all the world broke for the light
and song
and the angels sang with the shepherds
Joy
Joy be to this world
Joy be in your hearts
----Immanuel has come
Prepare ye the way
In a world filled with hatred
And walls
And change
Prepare in your heart
Prepare in your world
For the One of whom John spoke
Immanuel
God with us.

Love much and well

Saturday December 16th Philippians 1: 9-11So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much, but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. What a wonderful baptismal blessing, may you not only love much, but well. That is what we are called to do as the children of God, love much and well. Make love your aim. To rephrase Descartes, let “Amo Ergo Sum” be the motto of your life.

Natural transition

Friday December 15th Philippians 1: 5 There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. The day of the Lord’s appearing will come to each of us. It is that day when we transition from this life to the next. Up until that day, the work goes on. The refining and the roadwork continues. If we are really into it, it will seem like such a natural transition that we won’t hardly notice, the way has already been prepared.

Potholes or luminescence, it’s all in the prayer.

Thursday December 14th Malachi 3: 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. When you refine gold or silver, it requires a bit of heat. In the process the impurities separate out from the metal and the purity and beauty of it can shine. When it is our heart that is refined, it also requires a bit of heat. No one said the life of a follower of God was easy or without difficulties. Without prayer the difficulties produce only heat and tear up the road to the heart, hence the potholes. With prayer, the heat only gets the heart to glow with the purity of God’s grace. It is what God sees in you and why God loves you. It is what others see that draws them to a God life of prayer. Potholes or luminescence, it’s all in the prayer.

“Jesus loves me this I know, for God’s People tell me so.”

Wednesday December 13th Malachi 3: 1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. The old song, for the most part, is wrong. It should be, “Jesus loves me this I know, for God’s People tell me so.” John was a messenger, sent to prepare the way into the hearts of humanity in the world. You are also a messenger, sent to prepare the way in the hearts of humanity in the world. Live your life knowing that you are a messenger. Live you life letting the love of God flow through you. Live your life letting people know “Jesus loves them, this they know, for you as a child of God, simply letting God’s love flow through you, told them so.” Of all the things we can do in this world, it is our highest calling.

luminescent love

Tuesday December 12th Luke 3: 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God's salvation.' " When we fix for roads to our hearts with prayer, our lives take on a new look. It is that “God dwelling in our hearts” look and causes others to sit up and take notice. You will never see others looking, but they are, and when prayer has fixed the road, they will notice something. You will become a beacon of God’s grace. If what they see is you tootin’ your own horn, all they will see is a harsh glair. If what they see is a reflection of God’s luminescent love, they then know hope. That is how all humankind will see God’ salvation, it’s that luminescent love flowing through you.

Prayer smoothes the path and sooths the soul.

Monday December 11th Luke 3: 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. When a King was coming to town, the towns people went out of the way to make the road presentable. It was time to pick the stones out of the path and fill in the ruts. Advent is a time to clear the path to our hearts. Prayer is the way we pick up the stones and fill in the ruts. As with any road maintenance, it is ongoing. Left unattended, the troubles of life tend to produce potholes in anyone’s road to the heart. It’s the adversaries way of trying to trip us up. Prayer smoothes the path and sooths the soul.

Here and now, forever and always

Sunday December 10th Luke 3: 1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. Very specific times and places mentioned. We also live in a specific time and place, and the Lord is coming to us also. The Lord comes into your life where you are at. Second Advent is about preparing the way, and yet, the Lord comes into your life in the here and now and guides you in preparing the way. That is the good news of Immanuel, God with us. Preparing the way starts with the Lords help in the here and now and leads us into a world of grace forever and always.

God's Politics Radio Address

+ Download audio of the radio address I'm Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics. I was surprised and grateful when Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid called to say his party wanted to set a new tone and invite, for the first time, a non-partisan religious leader to deliver their weekly radio address and speak about the values that could unite Americans at this critical time. So, I want to be clear that I am not speaking for the Democratic Party, but as a person of faith who feels the hunger in America for a new vision of our life together, and sees the opportunity to apply our best moral values to the urgent problems we face. I am not an elected official or political partisan, but a religious leader who believes that real solutions must transcend partisan politics. For too long, we have had a politics of blame and fear, while America is eager for a politics of solutions and hope. It is time to find common ground by moving to higher ground. Because we have lost a commitment to the common good, politics is failing to solve the deepest crises of our time. Real solutions will require our best thinking and dialogue, but also call us to transformation and renewal. Most Americans know that the important issues we confront have an essential moral character. It is the role of faith communities to remind us of that fact. But religion has no monopoly on morality. We need a new, morally-centered discourse on politics that welcomes each of us to the table. A government that works for the common good is central. There is a growing desire for integrity in our government across the political spectrum. Corruption in government violates our basic principles. Money and power distort our political decision-making and even our elections. We must restore trust in our government and reclaim the integrity of our democratic system. At this moment in history, we need new directions. Who is left out and left behind is always a religious and moral question. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the health of a society was measured by how it cared for its weakest and most vulnerable, and prosperity was to be shared by all. Jesus proclaimed a gospel that was "good news to the poor." I am an evangelical Christian, and a commitment to "the least of these" is central to my personal faith and compels my public actions. It is time to lift up practical policies and effective practices that "make work work" for low-income families and challenge the increasing wealth gap between rich and poor. We must find a new moral and political will to overcome poverty that combines personal and social responsibility with a commitment to support strong families. Answering the call to lift people out of poverty will require spiritual commitment and bipartisan political leadership. Since the election, I have spoken with leaders from both parties about creating a real anti-poverty agenda in Congress. We need a grand alliance between liberals and conservatives to produce new and effective strategies. This week, President Bush met with Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq, seeking solutions to the rapidly deteriorating situation in that civil-war torn nation. Nearly 3,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died. The cost and consequences of a disastrous war are moral issues our country must address. Leaders in both parties are acknowledging that the only moral and practical course is to dramatically change the direction of U.S. policy, starting with an honest national debate about how to extricate U.S. forces from Iraq with the least possible damage to everyone involved. Our earth and the fragile atmosphere that surrounds it are God's good creation. Yet, our environment is in jeopardy as global warming continues unchecked and our air and water are polluted. Good stewardship of our resources is a religious and moral question. Energy conservation and less dependence on fossil fuels are commitments that could change our future - from the renewal of our lifestyles to the moral redemption of our foreign policies. A culture that promotes healthy families is necessary to raise our children with strong values, and the breakdown of family and community in our society must be addressed. But we need serious solutions, not the scapegoating of others. And wouldn't coming together to find common ground that dramatically reduces the number of abortions be better than both the left and the right using it as an issue to divide us? We need a new politics inspired by our deepest held values. We must summon the best in the American people, and unite to solve some of the moral issues of our time. Americans are much less concerned about what is liberal or conservative, what is Democrat or Republican. Rather, we care about what is right and what works. The path of partisan division is well worn, but the road of compassionate priorities and social justice will lead us to a new America. Building that new America will require greater moral leadership from both Democrats and Republicans, and also from each and every one of us. I'm Jim Wallis. Thank you and God bless you.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know - Window Washer Falls Asleep on 20th Floor

Matthew 25 - The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Window Washer Falls Asleep on 20th Floor

Nov 30, 11:06 PM (ET)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A window washer working on a downtown Nashville high-rise building apparently fell asleep on the job, authorities say.

The man, whom fire officials did not immediately identify, was cleaning the glass on the 20th floor of the Fifth Third Bank building on Church Street Friday when several onlookers noticed he was not moving.

The man came to after firefighters tugged on his ropes, then held up a sign from inside the window to get his attention. The worker lowered himself to the sidewalk, where he was examined by paramedics.

Assistant Fire Chief Lee Bergeron said it appeared as if the man fell asleep, but added that he couldn't be certain.

"I figured he had just either passed out or maybe he had fallen asleep," said onlooker Leroy Anderson, who said he had been watching the man for 30 minutes before fire engines arrived. "It's sunny and warm up there, and there's no wind."

Nashville Fire Chief Henry Booker said the worker was taken to Baptist Hospital to be checked for a rapid heartbeat, but said he expected the man to be released.

"It's unusual to fall asleep outside while on scaffolding that high up," Booker said.

ELCA Presiding Bishop's 2006 Christmas Message

"The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory..." (John 1:14).

We live in a visited world. On that holy night twenty centuries ago, God visited the world in the miracle of Bethlehem. Held in Mary's arms that night was the revelation of steadfast, unbounded love for all humanity. The birth of Jesus disclosed God's savingwill and eternal desire for reconciliation and peace.

In this season of Christmas, we encounter again Jesus, sent from God for our salvation. As the Word is proclaimed in both simple buildings and cathedrals of grandeur, we receive the good news of God's love in Christ Jesus for the whole earth. We witness themystery of rebirth in the waters of Baptism and rejoice as new ones are embraced by the community of faith. As bread is broken and wine poured in the Eucharist, we give thanks for the real presence of Christ in our midst.

We gather with the whole Church for the celebration of our Lord's Nativity. In our gathering, however, we hear the sounds of discord throughout the world. From divisions caused by walls of separation, from the struggles of many for survival from disasters, devastation, hunger, and poverty, from the dread of rampant disease and the spread of HIV and AIDS, from war and the threat of war, even with nuclear weapons, from brokenrelationships in homes and hostilities within communities and countries, we seek rescue. We yearn for the gracious, healing, and reconciling Word of the Prince of Peace.

We hear the angel say, "Do not be afraid." With that message of courage, we realize as believers that we are never alone. We have been claimed by God and made a part of the household of faith.

So we join with the whole Church on earth, lifting our voices with renewed hope. In so doing, we join the grand anthem:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king....

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America