Our Pride is Offended, but our Souls are Free

With the passing of Christmas day insecurities arise:
Did we do it right?
Did we sing the right songs?
Give the right gifts?
Play the right games?
Eat the right meal?
Spend enough time with family?

Forgive us for measuring the success of Christmas-
as if this were possible to do.
Remind us of stunning realities-
That Jesus lived perfectly for us,
                  sang songs of redemption over us,
                  gifted us with new life in him,
                  freed us to worship and play,
                  sacramentally taught us to eat and drink,
                  promised to dwell with us always.
The "success" of Christmas was never up to us.
         The Lord Jesus came.
         The Lord Jesus comes.
         The Lord Jesus will come again.

Give us this season sweet fellowship with you.
Give us belief in your presence-
         Your holy, blessed, joyous, and nourishing presence.
We confess that we long for Heaven for the wrong reasons:
We want our suffering to end,
        not to be in the presence of the Suffering Servant.
We want to be freed from having to worry,
        not to be in the presence of the sovereign one.
We want to watch others proved wrong,
        not to see the name of Jesus high and lifted up.

When we pray for the Kingdom of God to come,
show us that this means the death of ourselves,
                                      the death of our accomplishments,
                                      the death of our efforts,
                                      the death of our fame,
                                      the death of our merit.
Your kingdom belongs to He who came as a baby.
We have been working our whole lives to bring gifts to the manger.
Forgive us, lavish us, and secure us in that we have nothing to offer!
Our pride is offended, but our souls are free.

We praise you Emmanuel.
Grant us faith in Him who has come,
and help us to believe that there is no life in any other.

Still clinging to the gifts we just got,
we cry out to You for continuous grace.

Amen.

No Matter the Busyness and Thrill

Our schedules are sometimes full and exciting,

                              sometimes full and exhausting, 

                              sometimes full but incredibly boring. 

Yet, You always find us.
No matter the busyness and thrill. 

And we recognize-

         these are not gifts you give us in passing.

 Rather, You, ever-present Lord, 

         are the nourishment we receive and are glad for. 

These gifts are not just from you, they are you! 

Teach us to think of the babe in the manger 

         not as a symbol of salvation,

         but as the very substance of it. 

You, Jesus, are our peace and joy. 

We don't just trust that you will be good to us in giving us good things, 

        but that you will be good to us in the giving of yourself.

We are a weary and busy people,

         always hoping that trusting in things will taste sweet. 

Shower us with yourself, and give us a new song to sing-

"'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus."

How sweet indeed!

Amen.

"The Grace and the Impatience to Wait"- By Walter Brueggemann

By: Walter Brueggemann- Taken from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth

"In our secret yearning
we wait for your coming,
and in our grinding despair
we doubt that you will.

And in this privileged place
we are surrounded by witnesses who yearn more than do we
and by those who despair more deeply than do we.

Look upon your church and its pastors
in this season of hope
which runs so quickly to fatigue
and in this season of yearning
which becomes so easily quarrelsome.

Give us the grace and the impatience
to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes,
to the edges of our fingertips.

We do not want our several worlds to end.

Come in your power,
and come in your weakness,
in any case,
and make all things new.

Amen."

What A Savior We Have in Christ- An Advent Prayer

In This Advent Season:

What a Savior we have in Christ!

He, who defined righteousness and accomplished it.

He, who came in helpless form, revealing different riches.

He, who spoke through parable, inviting belief and faith.

He, who loved the unlovable, and cherished the forsaken.

He, who did not see equality with God something to be grasped.

He, who laid down his life as God's determinative response to sin.

He, who was raised up to return to the Father's side in glory.

He, who swallows up sinners in Himself, thereby reconciling them to God.

He, who declares sinners holy and beloved through his wounds.

This season we celebrate what you, O Christ have done.

What is more, we cherish you-

         not as a babe who came and went,

         but as our present and interceding Lord.

Open our eyes to the reality of this!
Grant us sight, and grace us with belief.

Teach us to know life with you as life in you.

And in the name of Jesus we ask,

Amen.

"O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim."

Forgive us for Being Fooled

All attempts to be righteous,

      hopes to attain holiness,

      self-loathing in sinful spurts,

      desires to manage image..

The vanity of this you have showed us full well.

That we can accomplish any of the above is but a folly-

           forgive us for being fooled.

A new day is here, so your mercies say.

Surprise us with the sweetness of your grace,

and teach us to look to you- 

                       you  who sees our broken states,

                       you who hears our fervent prayers,

                       you who continues good work within us.

Our Father, astound us with your faithful goodness.

Teach us not to hope more in our efforts, 

         (and in so to know disappointment)

but to hope in the surety of Jesus Christ within 

         (and in so to know life, peace, rest)

According to your will, Father,

by your work, Spirit,

and through the gift of yourself, Jesus, may this be so.

To My Dad on His Birthday

To my dad on his birthday-

I am thankful for you-

Thanks for always being present-

for coming to see my soccer games,

                       driving me to softball practice,

                       taking me golfing,

                       driving me to freshman year, (24 hours...you're a champ)

                       ritually taking the girls to get a Christmas tree,

                       rescuing me from sticky situations (locking keys in car..)

                       

Thanks for teaching me all kinds of things-                          

like how mow the lawn, (which gives us laughter to this day)

                        how to bat,

                        how to throw a frisbee,

                        how to drive stick shift,

                        how to make homemade pancakes,

                        how to extract DNA from peas (yep, I still impress people with this one).

I am particularly thankful for how you love.

When you love other people, 

you selflessly give of yourself-

                       your finances,

                       your time,

                       your resources,

                       your sweat (and sometimes tears).

All of this reflects the love of Jesus-

who was always moved by people,

and poured himself out for them.

I praise our Father in Heaven,

for he has given you to me and me to you.

Confidently I know- 

you will always be there,

you will always teach me,

and you will always be a man of self-giving.

Cheers to another year...Grandpa!

Forgive Our Nearsightedness

Constant Father,

We come to you discouraged and downcast.
     We come dragging our feet, for we prefer instant gratification.
      Yet, we come hastily, for you alone are our God.

We admit:
      the success of our days determines our hope,
      the money in our accounts determines our riches, and,
      the people we know and connections we make determine our power.

We have heard:
      the hungry are to be considered blessed,
      the poor in spirit are actually rich, and,
      the mourners are the ones who will be comforted.

          Yet if we are honest, we are skeptical (at best) of living by paradox.
      
We are desperate for you to enlighten us.
      Enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
            that we might know the hope of our calling in Christ,
            that we might know what are the riches of your glorious inheritance, and,
            that we might know the surpassing greatness of your power toward us who believe. 

May these determine our hope, and our riches, and our sense of power.

Holy Spirit, calm our cynical thoughts, and speak to our defeat.
Be present in our worry pertaining to our immediate circumstances,
      and teach us to invite you into them.
We admit the often pettiness of these circumstances,
      yet praise you for caring about anything and everything that pains us.
Teach us not to be immune to this pain, 
      but to walk more closely with you in its midst. 

Enlighten us, 
    that we may know the hope, riches, and power that Christ has purchased for us to know.
Forgive our nearsightedness, and teach us to give thanks.

We ask these things in dependence upon you,
    not dependence we have mustered, 
    but dependence you have supplied.

Amen.


Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Teach Us to Cry Out Abba, Father

Our Father,

Humbled by your holiness we approach your throne of grace.

We admit that we are self-righteous.

    We have tried to add our merit to what Christ has done,

    and we have preyed on the moral failure of others.

We admit that we tend to self-loathe.

    We have dismissed what Christ has blessed us with,

    and wallow in our shortcomings.

Spirit, show our hearts that in both circumstances we reject the gospel.

Teach us not to count more on self to be right with you,

   but to rest in that Jesus has made us right with you.

Teach us not to punish ourselves in order to feel better,

   but to accept the grace which you freely give. 

Teach us not to fear that you will be bothered by our need of you,

   but that self giving is your joy and delight.

Hallelujah, we are your children.

Teach us to cry out "Abba Father" more desperately, and more often.

We thank you for Jesus, who taught us to pray this way. 

In his name we ask, and even plead for these things,

Amen.

    

Twenty-something

My parents are wise people. My mom knows a lot about insurance and health care and medical things and grammar and cooking and sewing and gardening and organ playing. My dad could fix anything. Ok I'm exaggerating..but no, I'm really not. Have a broken lawn mower or laptop or remote-controlled car or light socket? He is probably working with one of these things right now. Literally, right now. 

But oh, it doesn't stop there. My parents are loving, oh so loving, and generous, oh so generous. They have hearts that love to help and hands that love to serve. That I appreciate them is an understatement. 

Recently I have read a lot of articles addressed to twenty-somethings. Most of them address the disillusionment of adult life, and encourage young people that they will actually accomplish all that they hope to-they just might have to pay a few dues first and earn some "street cred". While there is some truth to this, it saddens me that we think of young adult life (and most everything prior) as if it is merely a step to the real deal, or but a means to get to something better. In other words, the life we twenty-somethings are living right now isn't really life, because it does not involve the fruition of our dreams.

I am learning right now to be thankful for this twenty-something phase. Not because I think ahead to all the money I will make because of the so-so jobs I am taking right now, but because I am living life right now. I can call my dad and tell him that I researched how to "troubleshoot" the ice maker in our fridge because it's broken, and then thank him for teaching me the meaning of "troubleshoot". I can tell my mom that in-between projects I got up and did a load of laundry and took out the trash because that is what I always watched her do with her work breaks. I can be thankful that I learned how to change the headlights in my car, and to fix the microwave handle, and to furnish an apartment, and to cook honey orange chicken. I can be grateful for the process of making different versions of my resume and going through several interview processes and paying rent. 

Twenty-somethings- What if these things were celebrated instead of brushed off as tasks that are meaningless givens? What if we were encouraged by these new experiences instead of being disappointed that we have not arrived (and what does this even mean?) If you have never paid bills, or mowed the lawn, or cooked anything without using a microwave, then gee, why be disappointed in yourself for not knowing how? Learn. You will, and good for you. Gaining life experience has become a subject of shame..but why? "You're not a child anymore, you should know how to..." Remember hearing this at the beginning of every school year? Don't get me wrong, I'm all about age appropriateness, but rarely have we been encouraged that it is okay to have to learn how to live life well.

As honorable as it may seem to claim independence, there is still a lot that I have to learn and a lot that I have no clue about. Yet, I am encouraged as I remember that this process is indeed life, not a step closer to it. 

So, here's to you mom and dad. Your 28th wedding anniversary just celebrated (woooo!!!!) is but another reason why I am so thankful to be your daughter. In certain ways I am becoming just like both of you-and I'm really okay with that. Thanks for not taking what you know for granted, and for being excited for me as I acquire more of it for myself. Most assuredly, you can expect phone calls where I inquire of your recipes or caulking techniques. We live in a world where this isn't cool, and a sign of immaturity. May it never be.

D+D you are loved and oh so cherished. I may be a twenty-something, but I am still your youngest :)

You, and Only You

PSALM 138 

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before the gods I sing your praise;
² I bow down toward your holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word.
³ On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth,
⁵ and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶ For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
    but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
    and your right hand delivers me.
⁸ The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Do not forsake the work of your hands.

You are the God of our praise, for-
     You have given graciously, and 
     You have blessed bountifully.
Not only have you given us reason to be thankful,
But you have taught our hearts to give thanks. 
We bless you, Spirit, for this work you accomplish within us.

Teach us that it is your will that we would be people of thanks.

We praise you that this, too, is not something we alone must accomplish.

You will reap thankfulness within us-

     You, and only you.

You will teach us to praise your name-

     You, and only you.

You will turn our sadness into joy-

     You, and only you.

You will reveal the true meaning and nature of contentment-

     You and only you.

Continue your faithful work within us we pray.

Amen.

A Familiar Hope Arises

Unchanging Father,

With each new season a familiar hope arises:
That this one will be better,
     and more disciplined,
     and more fruitful,
     and more hopeful,
     and more insightful. 

We long for continual progress.
We long to track our successes.
We long to love better 
   and to be better 
   and to do better.

In all of this, remind us that you are ever near-
that Jesus Christ himself is our strength and very substance.
Impress upon our hearts that we do not need anything new,
but instead that we need to be further ushered into our current reality-
We need our union with Christ to be real to us.
   We need it to matter. 
   We need it to change us.
   We need it to teach us what is true of you-
     and therefore what is true of us. 

In this new season,
Teach us to let you and others into our neediness.
Forgive us for pretending to be self-sufficient,
   and then getting angry that other's don't see our need.
In reality we are people who have many needs,
   and even this we must have your help to see. 

We praise you,
   for you don't have unrealistic expectations for us in this transition,
      even if we have them for ourselves. 
God of grace keep us close.
May this characterize this season, and the ones to come. 
Through it all, harvest in us hearts of thankfulness.
Teach us to praise and sing and dance with joy.

We know we will look back at your work in awe.
Amen.

Psalm 70: 4-5
'''Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
and let those who love your salvation say continually,
"Let God be magnified." But I am afflicted and needy;
Hasten to help me O God! 
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.'''

Most of All

You saw the distress of Hagar in the wilderness.
        You saw her distress and it moved you.

You listened to the moaning of your people just freed from Egypt.
        You listened to their moaning and it moved you.

You witnessed the just punishment of your servant David.
         You witnessed his punishment and it moved you.

You heard the cry of your people enslaved by the Philistines. 

        You heard their cry and it moved you.

You touched a man stricken with leprosy.

        You touched his wounds and it moved you.

You visited your friend Lazarus's grave.

        You visited the site and it moved you. 

You are a God of relation-

and we cannot accuse you of being far off.

Not only were you moved by these unto compassion,

but you were moved by these unto action. 

Remind us that in our distress-

you whisper your promises to us yet again.

Remind us that in our moaning-

you graciously provide for our needs.

Remind us that in our punishment-

you abound with mercy in your judgment's midst.

Remind us that in our slavery-

you orchestrate our freedom.

Remind us that in our sickness-

you draw near with a healing touch.

Remind us that in our grief-

you are grieving, too.

Teach us not just to trust what we see of you,

but to trust who we know you to be. 

Teach us that our circumstances are not indicative of your best for us,

but that you are at work to heal and to redeem and to mend.

We praise you for hearing and seeing and listening and touching and visiting. 

Most of all, we thank you for Jesus Christ,

in whom you have participated in all of this for us.

"For How You Hope" - Walter Brueggemann

"God sovereign and generous,
      who commands the rise and fall of the nations,
      who calls and has chosen many peoples,
      who weeps when they harm each other,
      who haunts every local culture- including ours -
            with your will for well-being,
      who draws close to the powerless and 
            surprises with power via weakness....
You are the one whom we praise in astonishment,
                                     we adore in gladness,
                                     we thank in gratitude....
             for who you are,
             for what you do,
             for how you hope.
Look with mercy on us this day,
                       on all the churches we serve and love,
                       on all the people we name,
                       on all the communities so fragile in which
                                    we are embedded.
Look with your mercy, and we will obey you all the day long.
     In the name of Jesus who obeyed fully, Amen."          

You are our Hope and Stay

You are our God.
This very reality you painfully purchased for us, and we praise you.

Yet, we are a people of dangerous delusions, in need of your rescue.
In our dreams-
      we fashion who we want to be or think we ought to be.
      we re-play moments of our failures and scold ourselves.
      we fantasize about that which you have not given to us.
      we compare ourselves to others in shame and insecurity.
      we imagine how happy we would be if only...

In our loneliness-
      we try to self-diagnose, and self-medicate.
      we seek pleasure in the here and now.
      we listen to and believe lies, and are further isolated.
      we accuse you of not showing up fast enough.
      we imagine how comforted we would be if only...

In our doubt-
      we imagine you to be aloof and misunderstanding.
      we refrain from inviting you to know us and see us.
      we call you names and demand an explanation.
      we are tempted to question all that we know to be true.
      we imagine how easy it would be to believe if only....

Speak into our delusions and disillusions. 
Be our reality- for we live in a cyber world of fantasy.
Be our comfort- for we live in a world of instant gratification.
Be our assurance- for we live in a world fascinated with the latest and greatest.

Teach us what is true of you, and therefore what is true of us.
Hallelujah, we are your people, your very own children.
In Jesus Christ we have been brought near to you.
Whisper this reality to us, even now.

We confess, You are our Hope and Stay.
Amen.

Colossians 1:13-22

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all thing hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to HImself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

Your Purchased People

Ephesians 4:17-24

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!-assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your former self, which belongs to your former way of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Our Father,

Forgive us for blaming our flesh, 
                  for "not knowing any better",
                  for our addictive behaviors,
                  for our idolatrous hearts.

Remind us that the Gospel moves us not from vice to virtue,
                                                           but from vice to grace.
Virtue is but our attempts to "clean ourselves up" before approaching your throne..
Yet you never demand such facades, and insist that we let you do the healing.

Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer,
Teach us what it means to come as we are.
Show us how to be needy,
and how to be so without apologizing.
Remind us of your delight in being our Father-
                                          in providing for every need
                                          in sympathizing with our distresses
                                          in lovingly re-directing us
                                          in accomplishing good within us.

Remind us the way that we have been taught in Christ Jesus.
Remind us that our sin is not just a part of who we are-
but instead a direct contradiction to what is true of us.
May we know who we are because of whose we are.

Establish us yet again in the deep, deep love of Jesus.
Whisper in our ears that we are yours-marked by your love and branded by your grace.
By your Spirit's power, may we abide further as your purchased people. 

We pray these things in the name of Jesus,
      who took on human flesh not to do away with it, but to make it new.
He is our advocate even still- and asks for no apology. 

In wonder we pray, Amen.

Even Us

Who is a God like You?

A God who partners with creatures by

                    pardoning their iniquity,

                    relenting continuously,

                    delighting in steadfast love,

                    renewing mercies at every dawn,

                    remembering promises,

                    granting blessing,

                    chastising, but only lovingly.

We praise you. 

What is more, we are astonished that after all this,

You are a God who still wants to give more.

Open our eyes to see that you are a God who does at all withhold yourself from us.

Forgive us for treating you as if you are about to take it all back and retreat.

Oh gracious God, how much this must pain you!

For, there is nothing that can separate us from you.

There is no tribulation or storm,

no devastation or sin, no powers or occurences.

Nothing can sever that which you have bought in Jesus Christ.

What wondrous love must this be-

that you would see the death of your Son until the end,

yet show mercy to countless others? 

What wondrous love must this be-

that even now you would tarry until more are saved,

even though this comes to an incalculable cost to yourself?

May our eyes of our hearts be enlightened.

May you strengthen us according to the riches of your glory.

May your Spirit fill us with power.

May Christ dwell richly in our hearts through faith.

May we be rooted and grounded in love.

May we know the breath and length and height and depth of your love.

And, may in this we be filled up to to the fullness of God. 

Because of your power we ask these things,

and look to you without worthiness.

Hallelujah, you are a God who partners, with us- even us.

Hallelujah, you have claimed us and branded us, and we are forever yours.

Teach us to be dependent, our Father.

We praise you.