This year many of us in America are receiving the Gift of Interruption for Christmas due to the wild winter weather we are having. Many have had to rearrange travel plans or reschedule gatherings due to the blizzard conditions and subzero temperatures. This is so frustrating! We really don’t like interruptions and after two years of having to regroup and change things due to the pandemic, we really don’t have the bandwidth or margin needed to regroup yet again.
But what if we could be willing to receive the interruptions this Christmas, as Gifts, rather than curses?
How can we be willing to let God surprise us this Christmas? Even in the interruptions or change in plans?
For many years, I worked on a church staff at Christmastime. This meant that often the tree was decorated later than planned, or cookies didn’t get baked til after the 25th. The church happened to be a very traditional Episcopal church where we didn’t really sing Christmas carols or decorate the church until Christmas Eve! This is because Advent is the season of the Church year that lasts until Christmas Eve. And the SEASON of CHRISTMAS begins on CHRISTMAS DAY, December 25! And since I was on staff and had to work Christmas Eve, our celebration really didn’t happen until Christmas Day and afterwards. We learned to receive the gift of the Season of Christmas.
And it really is a SEASON of the Church year, not just ONE DAY! You’ve probably sung the 12 Days of Christmas Song or at least heard it somewhere, well the 12 DAYS of Christmas are AFTER the 25th of December. The Christmas Season runs until January 6th which is Feast of Epiphany.
SO YOU ARE NOT LATE! YOU ARE NOT BEHIND! It is totally OK not to have everything ready or feel like you need more time! By embracing the SEASON of Christmas, you have 12 whole days to celebrate! Now you may not have all that time off from work, but give yourself the gift of doing Christmas over time rather than all at once this year. Write cards next week, deliver gifts as New Year’s presents or even for Epiphany or Three Kings Day!
Give yourself permission to celebrate the SEASON of Christmas!
What things can happen during the days after the 25th? Are you willing to let them?
And what about the Christmas spirit? maybe it’s been hard to embrace or engage in the holidays this year. That’s totally ok. Every year is different. We have seasons of our lives just as the calendar has seasons. Embrace the season you are in right now. It won’t be like this forever. We are all in different places so that will change how we celebrate and embrace the holiday. You are allowed to be sad at Christmas. It’s totally fine to choose to be alone rather than in a group if that is what feels best to you. Listen to yourself and what your heart needs this Christmas.
Find the things that bring you joy and do those things. Eliminate the things that bring you sadness or cause you anxiety or stress. ASK FOR HELP! Don’t try to do it all yourself this week!
I am going to watch “Charlie Brown’s Christmas” which always reminds me of the REAL reason for the season. And watch the old cartoon version of “The Grinch“because it makes me smile and our family have all the lines memorized. This morning I found the Amy Grant Christmas play list on I Tunes and listened to all her Christmas albums in a row!
MAKE A LIST of the things that bring you JOY and pick one to do each day.
TAKE TIME OUT and SLOW DOWN. EMBRACE the interruptions. OPEN THE GIFT of REST! BREATHE deeply.
TAKE TIME TO JUST BE WITH JESUS… HE came to be with YOU!
To help you continue the Celebration, Join us on January 7th!
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
As you know from my posts we are big fans of Gen X& Z because a higher percentage of these two generations are much more concerned about the issues of environmental, racial and economic justice than those of us in older generations. Pew Research reports that these two generations are much more active in addressing environmental and social issues than older generations.
Over the past 30 years I have found that most church leaders love and delight in each new generation of young people. However, while they they delight in them, they often don’t realize that our newest Generations, Gen Y & Z, are much more active in working for environmental, racial and social justice than older generations. Also, they are often not aware of how much more expensive it is for Gen Y & Z to launch their lives than it was for older generations.
For example, when I attended Cascade College way back in the 50s I made enough at a modest Summer Recreation job to pay all my tuition, fees and books for a year. Students these days find that their summer jobs may help pay for some of their books but do little to reduce the costs of tuition and campus housing.
Working as professor for Fuller Theological Seminary for almost 30 years at their Seattle extension I became aware that rising college costs were dramatically increasing their school debt. In addition to this, the rising cost of housing is dramatically raising the cost for students to launch their lives after they graduate. Housing is particularly expensive in cities like Seattle.
When I went house hunting in Seattle over 30 years ago, housing was much less expensive. I was surprised to find an ancient house in Seattle that was constructed back in 1910. Essentially it is three separate 2 bedroom houses stacked on top of each other with a very large back yard.
Christine and I decided 30 years ago to transform these three ancient 2 bedroom apartments into a Christian co-living Community called Mustard Seed House. Even though rent has become quite high in Seattle we have been able to keep our rent below the going rate here.
Christine and I have so enjoyed getting to know a number of younger couples and singles who welcomed the opportunity to be a part of a Christian co-living community. What we offer to all of our co-living friends is the opportunity to share a meal every week where we also take time to reflect on our faith journey. We also share an opportunity once a month to work in our community garden together.
Last year we all harvested and shared 100 pounds of tomatoes and 400 pounds of apples. Before Covid we used to periodically host large groups of friends at events in our backyard. However, to be responsible hosts we have cut back to much smaller groups.
Christine and I decided to let all her readers know that our largest apartment on our top floor is currently available to a couple, small family or 2 to 4 singles who would like to experience a co-living experience in the Mustard Seed House in Seattle.
The top floor apartment is the largest of the three residences. It includes 2 large bedrooms, a small office, a kitchen with a living area and a large living room. It also has remarkable views of downtown Seattle and the Olympic Mountains and is in very good condition. Contact Christine Sine to take a tour. Many members of Gen Y & Z find co-living in places like Seattle is not only less expensive, young people tell us it is also more engaging.
Finally do let us know if you would like to view the apartment in person or have a Zoom visit.
Wishing you and you and yours a blessed Advent and a Joyous Christmas
Or attend our next retreat – Following The Star Into the New Year
In January we celebrate Epiphany and the coming of the Magi to visit Jesus. Like them, many of us feel we are on a long journey following a star that is sometimes bright and shining, sometimes completely hidden yet still guiding us towards Christ. 2022 taught us important lessons that will shape the coming year. We sense God wants to do something new in our lives and we want to follow in the right direction.
Join Lilly Lewin and Christine Sine online Saturday, January 7th 2023 from 9:30 am PT to 12:30pm PT as they help us reflect on the past year and take time to hope, dream and pray for the year ahead. We will engage in some fun practices like chalking the door and interact with each other in ways that strengthen our faith and draw us closer to God.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship.
As I have said before, Joseph is one of my favourite unsung heroes of the Christmas story. He never says a word. He questions, wants to follow the law 100% – what with Mary being pregnant and all that. As a lawful man he should have had her stoned to death. Funny things laws at times, but that is probably for another post entirely around women’s rights, etc.
The other day I was reading through the Genealogies in Matthew 1:1-17, encouraged by the Red Letter Christians advent calendar. Now this is Joseph’s genealogy because the prophets said that the Messiah would come through the line of David and that was Joseph’s line, hence why Joseph took the pregnant Mary with him to register for the census in Bethlehem, the town of David. So again I am struck by how important it is to God that Joseph is included in the story of Jesus. In the first two chapters of Matthew Joseph is actually the lead protagonist of the tale. It is his actions that keep the story moving and keep Jesus from being killed – first by potential stoning of Mary and then by Herod’s massacre of the baby boys.
The prompt was “which name stands out?” Now I was surprised that it was Jehoiachin [read more about him and his demise in 2 Kings 24:14-15 and 2 Chronicles 36:10]. He is the last king of Judah who gets taken away to captivity in Babylon. Though, he does get treated well by the son of his capture. So Joseph is from a line of kings and there is that royal connection. It makes me wonder how he felt about that. Proud? Disillusioned? Did he ignore it?
In the UK we have a tradition of royal households being dispossessed by other royal household, and countries like France and Russia have lost their royal households due to revolutions. Once in the UK there was a DNA investigation that found someone who allegedly had more of a claim to the British throne through an older royal household than the present royal family, who were actually invited in by the British government because they didn’t want a Catholic on the throne back in the 18th century.
So here is Joseph, of a royal household that was dispossessed by an oppressive regime, who still knows his lineage .
Back in the First book of Samuel God uses Samuel to tell the people that having a king isn’t a good idea and that they won’t be happy with one. If they just followed God they would have freedom but a king would expect things of them: tithes, to be his army and fight for him, to work in his household, etc.
Now here’s the twist for me – God says that having a king isn’t a good idea, then brings in the saviour of not just the Jews but of the whole world through a lineage that God said was not a good plan. Now that is an interesting plot twist. I find this whole thing fascinating and I think it gives great hope to all of us.
We too often do what we really shouldn’t do. It is not like it is a bad thing but it isn’t God’s best for our lives. Often we can feel or are made to feel that we’ve missed it and so we don’t see the restoration, the redemption, the way we could be part of something so much more than just us and our little clique.
I’d like to think that once Joseph got his head round that idea that he, a descendant of the royal house of Judah, was now going to be the link between the royal line and Jesus’s kingship over the whole world that he had this huge smile on his face. I wonder if that was why he was able to leave his reputation, his job, his town, and not just go to Bethlehem but then go on to Egypt to be part of making sure God’s plan came to fruition. He was willing not to need to be in the foreground; he could take an active part in Jesus’s early upbringing but be willing take a backseat in the Christmas story.
As I stay pondering this I hope that I am willing to take a backseat and not have to hog the limelight when God allows me to be part of sometimes in the lives of those around me. To not expect that I will get my recognition, my five minutes of fame, but that I will be ready and willing to do as I am being asked by the Creator of the Universe and just let it be.
That is my hope for me through this Advent season and into the unknowing of what 2023 beings.
Writing was originally posted on Aspirational Adventures on December 4th, 2022.
Or attend our next retreat – Following The Star Into the New Year
In January we celebrate Epiphany and the coming of the Magi to visit Jesus. Like them, many of us feel we are on a long journey following a star that is sometimes bright and shining, sometimes completely hidden yet still guiding us towards Christ. 2022 taught us important lessons that will shape the coming year. We sense God wants to do something new in our lives and we want to follow in the right direction.
Join Lilly Lewin and Christine Sine online Saturday, January 7th 2023 from 9:30 am PT to 12:30pm PT as they help us reflect on the past year and take time to hope, dream and pray for the year ahead. We will engage in some fun practices like chalking the door and interact with each other in ways that strengthen our faith and draw us closer to God.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship.
“The solstice is the time when light is born out of the womb of winter’s darkness.” So writes Mara Freeman in her book entitled, Kindling A Celtic Spirit As a Celtic Christian, I have been celebrating the winter solstice since my first pilgrimage to Ireland in 2008.
Of course, the solstice is an astronomical event. Happening around December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is at its farthest point from the sun, giving us the longest night and the shortest day of the year. Because the Earth is tilted, the sun appears to us to “stand still.” Our ancient forbears must have at first observed this phenomenon with some amount of fear. Would the sun continue to move away from the Earth plunging the planet into perpetual darkness?
It is no wonder then that rituals, celebrations and feasts were created to welcome back the light. Fires were built on hilltops and our forbears danced and chanted hymns to awaken the sun lest there be an endless winter. Across Europe and the world there are ancient monuments which many believe were created to mark the solstices.
I had the incredible experience to visit one such monument, Newgrange, in Ireland in 2008. Believed to be a burial site (human cremains have been found in its interior), Newgrange is best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the rising sun at the winter solstice. On mornings during that time, a beam of light penetrates through a box on the top of the roof. It travels through a nineteen-meter passage and into an inner chamber. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens so that the whole chamber is dramatically illuminated. For visiting tourists they have recreated the solstice light electronically. It was an awesome experience to be standing in absolute darkness and then suddenly to be bathed in light. The light enabled us to see that we were in a cave-like structure with walls illuminated with ancient depictions of spirals. It would be incredible to actually be inside the Newgrange monument at the time of the winter solstice.
Newgrange Passage Tomb, Boyne Valley, Ireland
Our ancient forbears saw in the cosmic event of the winter solstice the death of the old sun and the birth of an infant sun. The Christian church however, marks this time of year to celebrate the birth of the “Light from Light” Jesus Christ, the Son of God. While I certainly celebrate that fact on Christmas Eve and Day, my experience in Ireland inspired me to create my own ritual of welcoming the light back around the time of winter solstice. I celebrate the winter solstice to better align myself with the movement of the Earth and the rest of the cosmos as well as with “ancient ones,” my own ancestors. Additionally, a solstice celebration also gives me a special connection and reminder of my own Christian faith.
In medieval Christianity, the Feast of the Nativity of Jesus was a multi-layered mystery and celebration of the Holy Trinity. Three divine births were celebrated. At the midnight mass, on December 24, the birth of the Word in the Godhead was celebrated. At the first mass at the break of day, the birth of Jesus out of the womb of Mary was celebrated. A mass was also celebrated midday on Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of the divine in the soul of the individual Christian. Over the years, the church has emphasized only one of the birthing stories, that of the child Jesus. The winter solstice service I have crafted explores the other two birthing stories as gives thanks for the light of the Trinity and the light of Christ within humanity.
What follows are some of the elements I will use for my celebration of the solstice this year as I gather with friends in my home. You may wish to do something similar.
Weather permitting, we will first gather outdoors in darkness to light a small fire. Participants are invited to bring a stick or small piece of wood to make the fire. The fire will be lit and blessed. A script that I use comes in part from one written by Edward Hayes in his book, Prayers of a Planetary Pilgrim.
“Blessed are you, God of all creation. You have called us out of darkness into light. Let us bless the sacred solstice fire. We pray on this night of ancient fear, remembering our ancestors who feared what was outside the ring of fire of light and warmth: all evil, disease, death, beasts that might destroy them. As we bless this fire, we ask God who is the fullness of light, to protect each of us from what we fear most. May we be encircled by the mystery of fire, by the warmth of the light and love of God, by the flames of our friendship with one another. May we who gather this night be protected from all harm and disease, all evil and wickedness.
We will then gather indoors and share the light with one another by lighting a wreath of candles saying,
Arise, shine, for the rays of God’s glory touch the earth. We welcome the light that burns in the rising sun. We welcome the light that dawns through the Holy Child of God. We welcome the light that gleams through the growing earth. We welcome the light that shines through saints and signs.
We welcome the light you kindle in our souls.
–A Holy Island Prayer Book, Ray Simpson
An Advent wreathe can serve as a simple solstice fire.
We will share readings from the Prologue of John’s Gospel 1:1-15 using The Message by Eugene Peterson. There will be a reading from the contemporary Celtic tradition by John Philip Newell. From the medieval tradition we will hear a reading by Meister Eckhart. We will share music and other prayers together and then enjoy a dessert and tea.
Taking a holy pause one night around the solstice is a beautiful way to align our hearts and souls with God and God’s creation. As we approach the longest night of the year, may yours be blessed with the knowledge and blessing of God’s light.
“Kindle in our hearts, O God, the flame of love that never ceases that it may burn in us, giving light to others. May we shine forever in your temple, set on fire with your eternal light, even your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.”
–St. Columba, A Holy Island Prayer Book, Ray Simpson
Looking for hospitality inspiration? We have an entire resource page dedicated to hospitality. Find recipes and reflections on numerous hospitality topics, including Celtic hospitality, prayers, and liturgies. Click on Hospitality for more!
by Kate Kennington Steer
… And if, as autumn deepens and darkens
I feel the pain of falling leaves, and stems that break in storms
and trouble and dissolution and distress,
and then the softness of deep shadows folding, folding
around my soul and spirit, around my lips,so sweet, like a swoon, or more like the drowse of a low, sad song
singing darker than the nightingale, on, on to the solstice
and the silence of short days, the silence of the year, the shadow,
then I shall know that my life is moving stillwith the dark earth, and drenched
with the deep oblivion of earth’s lapse and renewal.
from ‘Shadows’
DH Lawrence
I suspect that many of us have been feeling the ‘pain of falling leaves, and stems that break in storms’ this year. The news seems to be full of people in pain, in so many countries, around our globe. Some countries, like China, still have stringent ‘lockdown’ Covid-19 regimes, with all the increased social isolation and mental health breakdowns such restrictions bring. Others are besieged by open warfare, either as an act of national aggression like Russia on Ukraine, or as a result of civil war, like Syria and South Sudan. Some countries are rigidly imposing religious laws that restrict freedoms of speech and movement, like Iran and Afghanistan. Elsewhere, natural disasters are on the increase, a direct result of our human consumption and unjust exploitation which has induced climates to change and seas to rise. There are droughts and famines and wildfires. There are floods and landslides and earthquakes. There are corrupt politicians who, in their hunger for power, trample the poor, the sick and the elderly. There are financial crises which put educational, welfare and health systems under strain. There are energy crises…the list seems endless. And behind every one of these global, international, or national level crises, there is are thousands of individuals living in want, in need, in grief and sorrow and strain. There seems so much to fear, so much to mourn. Where is the God of Peace, of Justice, in all this?
A persistent phrase has kept re-emerging in my mind over the last six months:
light is in the horizon yet
I first came across this phrase hearing Eddi Reader’s song ‘light is on the horizon yet’.
This song title was inspired by ‘Do not say that life is waning’, a sixteenth century poem by Sir Thomas Moore, the first stanza of which reads:
Do not say that life is waning,
Or that hope‘s sweet day is set;
While I’ve thee and love remaining,
Life is in the horizon yet.
By changing ‘life’ to ‘light’, and ‘in’ to ‘on’, Reader expands the nature of the ‘hope’ beyond Moore’s confined use for two lifetimes in love. Reader’s phrase provides us with a wider, less corporeal, more naturalistic hope; hope which is both of the earth and of the sky. Her image focuses my eyes away from individualistic emotion onto planetary ecology, onto heavenly spirituality.
Predictably, my mind conflated both Moore and Reader by misremembering the line. None the less, over the intervening months I have repeated it to myself many times as a reassuring thread. I find it a reminder to look up and out, but even more than that, a reminder to look for what is often unseen (perhaps particularly for those of us who do not live in a place where a wide vista is possible).
Grief, loss, and pain often makes it impossible to remember to look for this unseen light, the elusive light, the dark light. Suffering of any kind blurs, blinds and fogs both my mind and spirit so that I lose my belief in this thin line of light, of life, existing in my own circumstances. At these times I do not even know how to pray this hope into the lives of those who suffer unimaginable conditions elsewhere.
photo by Kate Kennington Steer
And yet, deep down, there is a knowing in me: there is light in the horizon yet.
God is present in the matter and substance of the rocks, earth, hills, plains, prairies, deserts, rivers and seas of that horizon. God is equally present within my details, God is within my every cell. God is a part of how I deal with the pains and problems chronic illness and depression bring. God is a participant in every conversation I have, God is the Source of every prayer I utter.
I find in these long dark nights around the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, that looking for the unseen light on the horizon is an excellent spiritual practice. It helps me better appreciate the riches of the palpable dark, and the rest provided by the very ‘fallowness’ of the season. For within these unseen treasures is the life which does not wane, but renews. That is the secret of these phrases ‘Life is in the horizon yet’/ ‘Light is on the horizon yet’ – the power of that small word ‘yet’.
D.H. Lawrence’s poem (above) hints that it is in the places of silence and shadow, those places of ‘low, sad song’ where absence and darkness are at their most potentially fear-inducing, that I shall know that ‘my life is moving still /with the dark earth’. ‘Yet’ may mean waiting through the time of being ‘drenched/ with the deep oblivion of earth’s lapse’, until ‘renewal’ comes, as in the natural turning of the seasons. But ‘yet’ can also mean enduring. I may feel ‘drenched/ with the deep oblivion of earth’s lapse’, mired in the pit of depression with no hope to wait for, but that ‘yet’ points to a deep mystery: light and life endures, whether I can perceive it or not.
That is the heart of the ‘hope’ which Blue Christmas enshrines. And those of us who may this year be able to lift our heads, to look into the horizon, and see both life and light, we pray the blessings of that hope over all who cannot pray it for themselves at this time.
All photos are copyright Kate Kennington Steer
Cookbook BundlesJust in time for the season of giving, we are offering beautiful giftable cookbook bundles! Pair our community cookbook with Graham Kerr’s classic The Gathering Place for the gourmand in your life. Or pair the cookbook with a copy of Christine Sine’s latest book Digging Deeper and a set of beautiful prayer cards. All the details are in the shop!
by June Friesen
Let us begin with the story so often shared in the Christian church as well as Christian homes around Christmas and on Christmas eve as well as on Christmas morning from Luke 2.
1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. 6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel. 8-12 There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.” 13-14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed. 19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!
CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO ALL
18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they enjoyed their wedding night, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.
We often read the passages from Luke 1 and 2 when we think of the Christmas story, yet it is in Matthew where the Bible talks about Jesus’ earthly father. As we celebrate today and have been celebrating Jesus’ planned birth we sometimes forget the real truth and meaning of this story for everyone, as well as how it can have real meaning in each of our lives today. It is my prayer that as you read this today or what ever day you read it that you will find confirmation of your own faith walk with God, as well as be challenged to share with others how their faith walk can become more meaningful in their lives. Christmas blessings to all.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
by June Friesen
It has been said that God so loved the world.
It has been said that God created the world that He loved.
It has been said that God had a plan for the world He loved and created.
It has been said.
It has been said that God was pleased with all that He created.
It has been acknowledged that humankind disappointed God.
It has been acknowledged that humankind was also disappointed with choices made.
It has been acknowledged that there must be a plan.
It has been foretold by prophets of old of a promise that was to come.
It has been a promise long awaited by many.
It has been a promise expected to bring immediate deliverance.
It has been a promise overlooked and missed by many.
It was an event that was so unexpected.
It was an event that happened in the wrong place.
It was an event that happened at the wrong time.
Yes, it as an even planned by God.
It happened to a teenage girl; an engaged virgin at that.
It happened to a poor carpenter’s son in a remote village.
It happened that there was an unexpected trip necessary.
It happened that a pregnant girl needed to ride a donkey many miles.
It happened that the birth pangs started – maybe early, maybe not.
It happened that there was not a warm bed or room to be found.
It happened that in sympathy a barn was offered.
It happened that there was a baby born in that barn.
It was then that God’s joy was awakened.
It was then God sent angels to announce this earth-shaking event.
It was then God sent His special message to shepherds minding their sheep.
It was then God began to build a new bridge with humankind.
It was an invitation to come and worship.
It was an invitation to accept ‘peace on earth’.
It was an invitation to believe ‘blessings will come’.
It was an invitation to believe ‘God was visiting earth’.
It was then a star appeared to shine more clearly in the sky.
It was then that a light drew some to seek for a new message/messenger.
It was then that God revealed Himself as a God for all.
It was then a new beginning: God in His love sent a “love gift” to all.
Today God reminds us of His love for the world.
Today we are reminded that God created this world, and He loves this world.
Today we are reminded that God has a plan for this world He created and loves.
Today we are reminded of God.
Today we are reminded that God is pleased with the world He created.
Today we acknowledge we have disappointed God.
Today we acknowledge that we too are disappointed with choices we have made.
Today we acknowledge that there is a plan.
Today we recognize the promise told us by Biblical prophets has come.
Today we recognize this as a promise that was for many and all.
Today we realize that this promise does not necessarily mean immediate deliverance.
Today we realize this promise is often overlooked and missed by many.
Today we may see it as an event somewhat unexpected.
Today we may see it as an event that happened in the wrong place.
Today we may see it as an event that happened at the wrong time.
Yet, it is an event planned by God.
Today we may see it happen to one so young and innocent.
Today we may see it happen to one in a small quiet town.
Today we may see an unexpected trip that is necessary.
Today it may seem that one so troubled had to make a grueling trip of great distance.
Today it may happen that something new seems to be happening: maybe planned, maybe
not.
Today it may happen that there is no help, hope, or support to be found.
Today it may happen that someone will offer the unexpected.
Today it may happen that something new will begin; even a new birth.
Today God’s joy will again be awakened.
Today God will send someone with a message of blessing.
Today God will appear with a special message to the least expecting ones.
Today God will begin to build a bridge to another.
Today there is an invitation to come and worship.
Today there is an invitation to accept ‘peace on earth’.
Today there is an invitation to believe ‘blessing will come’.
Today there is an invitation to believe ‘God is visiting this earth’.
Today this light will begin to shine more clearly.
Today this light will draw some to seek out this message/messenger.
Today God will reveal Himself as a personal God.
Today is a new beginning: God is giving you a “love gift” personally designed, signed, sealed and delivered by His Son. Will you receive His gift today? Every day is a new gift to you. Open each day and enjoy each new gift. 365 gifts are coming to you – one a day in the year 2023.
Photos and writing by June Friesen. Writing first written and shared in 2008. Scripture is from The Message Translation.
New Years and Epiphany Resources
As the year comes to a close, New Years and Epiphany are almost upon us. Check out our New Years and Epiphany resource lists for prayers, creative ways to celebrate as a family, and more! More info on our resource page: Advent, Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany or find resources in our shop!
by Christine Sine
Abuna Yemata Guh is a monolithic church located in the Hawzen woreda of the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460ft) and has to be climbed on foot and in bare feet to reach. It is notable for its dome and beautiful wall paintings dating back to the 5th century.
Priest at Abuna Yemata Nuh https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/abuna-yemata-guh-the-most-inaccessible-place-of-worship-on-earth-is-located-in-ethiopia
I am fascinated by this church and the perilous journey parishioners must take in order to worship in it. Despite the scary climb, the church is active with churchgoers climbing up the cliffs several times a week including mothers with their children on their back, pregnant women, babies and old people to attend services. Evidently young mothers bring their infants to be baptized here because they see it as being closer to heaven, more powerful and therefore closer to God than the churches on the plain below.
A perilous climb to Abuna Yemata Nuh https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/abuna-yemata-guh-the-most-inaccessible-place-of-worship-on-earth-is-located-in-ethiopia
One thing that caught my attention as I watched the first video is that there are well worn impressions in the sandstone where thousands of people have trod over the last almost two thousand years. Fortunately the Abuna Yemata Guh church also has a local guide and vanguards at every step of the climb, making sure visitors know which foothold to take and which rock to climb. They also help out with the ropes.
Learning about this church seemed very appropriate for me in the middle of my Advent journey. As I watched this second video of women bringing their infants to be baptized when they were just 40 days old, what struck me was the dedication of these mothers to their children and the desire to see them receive the most powerful and Godly blessing possible for their lives.
I think of the perilous journeys that Mary and Joseph took first when she was pregnant accompanying Joseph to Bethlehem. Then after Jesus’ birth the even more perilous journey into Egypt, I talked about this in a post I wrote last year entitled Why Don’t We Follow Joseph Mary and Jesus Into Egypt. Mary and Joseph were even more dedicated to the wellbeing of their child who they believed would one day become the Messiah so long before promised to the Jewish people. Their journeys were more dangerous and more disruptive of their lives than they ever imagined. I wonder if, when Mary and Joseph set out for Bethlehem from Nazareth they realized that they might not return to Nazareth for years. Did they, like so many refugees today have their lives unexpectedly and completely upended by the birth of Jesus?
As I watch the videos above and ponder my own journey of faith – now entering its 57th year, I realize that I was not prepared for the ways that this journey would totally upend and transform my life. There were many points at which I considered turning aside, but the call of God on my life was so strong and so insistent, that I could not do that. I suspect Mary and Joseph moved with the same sense of calling and the worshippers at Abuna Yemata Guh seem to as well. I wonder how often those climbing to the church to worship, felt like turning back. Did they find courage in the footsteps of those who had gone before? Did they find strength in the story of Mary and Joseph and especially from their long and perilous flight into Egypt which is so much at the heart of the Coptic church? There is so much that we can learn from ancient places and ancient traditions like this that hopefully draw us closer to the presence of God. However as I commented in my post last year: Why don’t we take more notice of this story and this important episode in Jesus life? Why don’t we take more notice of the Coptic church and their powerful traditions or of other churches established early in the history of Christianity?
I hope that you will take time this week to watch and reflect on the two videos above. Ask yourself: What risks am I willing to take to walk into the new life Christ offers? How dedicated am I to the journey towards Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus in my life and the even more perilous journey it starts me on? What kinds of distractions tempted me to turn aside from the path? Allow God to speak to you through these videos and consider your own faith journey in the light of them.
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