Why Wasn't I Myself?

Paraphrasing a rabbi, theologian Miroslav Volf said, "I don't fear that at the end God will ask why I wasn't Moses (great leader) or Thomas Aquinas (towering intellect), but why I wasn't myself."

From nearly the beginning of our lives, we live in a state of constant comparison with those around us. 

She walked so early. 

He didn't talk until late.
She was always short for her age.
He had many developmental delays.
I'll never be as smart as she is.
What did you get on that math quiz?
I wish I was as tall as he is.
I am not as pretty, talented, or gifted as they are.
You're so much better at nearly everything than I am.

Sound familiar?

We all do it.  We compare ourselves with our neighbors, our fellow students, our colleagues, our family members, or what we have come to believe is "normal."

And this sickness invades all of our lives.  None are exempt from its fever and its lingering debilitating side effects.

This is not how it is supposed to be.  

This isn't how we were designed.  

We were made in the image of the Divine One.  The breath, the ruah, of the Creator of all things fills our lungs and feeds our being.  We carry within us the legacy of our first ancestors who the Author of Life called "very good."  This is the gift of God.  There is nothing we can do to earn God's favor or the blessing that courses through our veins.

The challenge is to find a way to drown out the lies that are whispered in our ears telling us that we are not who we were created to be.  When these lies are allowed to take root, we begin to live as if they are the truths that define us.  We must take time to linger in stillness where the voice of God can be heard reminding us that we are indeed "beloved children of God." This is the truth that should shape us.  This is the truth into which we should live.  When we can hear this voice, all other false comparisons fall away, and we can be the person who we were created to be.

You are a child of God.  Nothing can ever take that identity away from you!

Blessings.

New Beginnings

New years and new semesters bring with them a tremendous amount of excitement, energy, and potential.  If we are completely honest, they also bring with them more than their fair share of anxiety, stress, and uncertainty.  Sometimes the new beginning can be so overwhelming that we are nearly immobilized by the magnitude of it all. Frozen in our tracks. Not sure what the future might hold. Frightened to take the next step.

This is the nature of beginning something new.  

At the beginning of the book of Joshua, we find the Hebrew people at a critical new moment in their existence.  They escaped from Egypt a generation before and had spent forty years wandering about in the desert. The man who had led them through and within their wandering was gone, and they were uncertain about their next steps as a people.  Into this moment, a man named Joshua was called to lead.  Joshua had spent years following Moses as he led.  And, now as the Hebrew people were steps away from entering the land of the promise, he was being asked to take up the mantle as the leader.  This new turn must have brought with it a tremendous amount of excitement, energy, and potential.  However, I am also sure that the moments were filled with anxiety, stress, and uncertainty.

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, 'My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' " (Joshua 1:1-9)

Hearing the message of the Lord, Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, took the next step. 

Did he know where that step would lead? No. 

Did he understand what would be right around the corner? No. 

Was Joshua son of Nun without fear and doubt as he stepped onto the shores of the Jordan as he led the people into the land of the promise? No.

In many ways, Joshua was no different than you and I.  He was a normal human with normal struggles and normal doubts.  One thing that was for certain, Joshua was willing, in the face of uncertainty and the unknown, to take the next step.

That is what people of faith do.  People of faith take the next step even if they do not know exactly where that step is going to lead.  They step, not because they know where the step will take them, but because they know that God has made the same promise to them that God made long ago to Joshua.  "I will be with you wherever you go." The step they take is a step that is rooted in these words.  The courage to walk into the unknown of tomorrow rests in the God who has made such a promise. 

And so they take the step...

and so do we.  Each and every day, we take the same step.  We walk with strength and courage into the unknown of this new beginning that we call today.  That is what people of faith do.  

As Dr. King once said about faith, "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

Here is to believing that the next step is worth it.  

Here is to the willingness of spirit to walk into whatever comes next.  

Here is to trusting that no matter what happens, there will always be another next step to take.  

God has promised that no matter where we may find ourselves, God will be, and even already, is there.  

"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Ready or not, a child has been born!

A child came into the world today,
and I was found ill-prepared.

I am not unlike many who have gone before me.

Those expecting the arrival of a child are often caught by surprise.

Of course, the expectant prepare the room, get the house in order, and have parties in anticipation of the glorious event.  But all of the preparation, reading, and consultation can never truly make one ready for the manner in which the arrival of a child changes things.

The arrival of a child has a way of changing
everything.

However, I really thought I was ready,
this time.

But how can one be truly ready for the change that is brought about by the arrival of a child?

And this child,
this child brought with him change that no one could ever imagine.
This child ushered in a transformation that continues to impact the entire world.
This child engendered a revolution that wreaks havoc on not only the world but also on individual lives.
This child generates conversion of all things.

I long for this kind of change.
And yet,
I confess that I am not ready for what it may mean.

For these frighteningly beautiful words float along on the fierce winds of change and are heard in the breath of a babies cry,
"Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

" 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.'
...'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.' " (Luke 4:18, 19 and 21)

We are all called, you and I, to live into this metamorphosis brought about by this child that has been born, yet again, on this day.

"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Ready or not, a child has been born!
Let the earth rejoice!

Advent - Week 4 - Love

Week 4

This week we light the fourth candle of Advent Wreath. 

We light this candle to symbolize the gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ. 

Questions:

What is love?

When you think of love, what is the first thing or person that comes to mind?

What does it mean to love?

Scripture:

John 3:16-17

"For God so loved the world that God gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Discussion:

What do hear in this passage about love?

Who in your life is an example of love?

What does it mean to you that God loves you this much?

Activity:

Write a note or card to someone who has shown you what it means to be a person of love or who you think is an example of God's love.  This would be an incredible Christmas to give to someone.

May the power of Christ’s love transform our lives.

Advent - Week 3 - Joy

Week 3 

This week we light the third candle on the Advent wreath.
“We light this candle in great joy; Jesus is our joy!”

Questions:
What is joy?
What do you think of when you consider what it might mean to be full of joy?
What are some of the characteristics of joy?

Scripture:

Isaiah 12:2-6

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Discussion:
Is there joy in expectation?
What goes through your own head and heart when you are anticipating something?
Consider these two lines…
“Shout aloud and sing for joy.”
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
When do you find it most difficult to sing for joy and rejoice?
For what in your life can you sing for joy or rejoice now?

Activity:
Sometime before Sunday, consider the things that bring you joy. 

Why do those things bring you joy? 

Think about some ways in which you might be an agent of joy in your house, your school, your place of employment.

Find a service project you can participate in that will bring joy into the lives of others.

Sign up to participate in Christmas Benevolence.  It is still not too late.