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- Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve: A Happy and Holy Christmas Eve to all of You! Advent is over and now we come together to celebrate the Birth of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. The stable of Bethlehem helps us to imagine how Mary and Joseph were the first people to see and hold the Son of God. The first visitors to the stable were shepherds, humble people who took care of the animals who lived on the hillsides surrounding the town. What attracted them to the stable? Perhaps they heard heavenly music from angels who came to announce the holy birth of the Son. Maybe it was an unusual star that shown down on the stable. It must have been a strange and wondrous sight – shepherd folk visiting the One who one day would call Himself “The Good Shepherd”. Shepherds who only wanted to worship the Holy One. Continue reading
- He Sent a Boat and Love - He Sent a Boat and Love: Yesterday, my partner and I drove into Chicago to meet with family and friends for a Christmas reunion dinner at a nice restaurant. The decision to “mask-up”, and place our confidence in the Lord and our vaxx shots, was still made with an awareness of what is happening all around us throughout our nation. Over the many months, we have coined several phrases. One that I hear most at this point in time is “mask fatigue”. We trust in the fact that nothing touches us that doesn’t pass through the hands of God. Are we active parts of His plan or are we just lumps waiting for Him to bail us out? In this morning’s newspaper, we read that the emergency rooms everywhere are overloaded and the waiting time to see a doctor often stretches to 18 hours! It is shocking to know that 99% of those waiting in the ER are unvaxed. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Continue reading
- Me Time - Me Time: I am grateful to so many of you reading these Watchwords and who, in your own readings, have forwarded to me poems, thoughts and ideas that eventually find their way into on the daily Watchwords. Some of you have connected me with websites which you favor, and they too prove to be valuable sources of ideas. One such site linked me to the Daily Stoic where the content is often right over my head, but every now the then, something opens a brain cell or two. Such was the following that touched me and I hope you can relate from your own experience. It was in the morning. Or it was at night. Marcus Aurelius took time for himself—whatever was happening, wherever he was, to sit and think and write. Brand Blanshard marvels at what Marcus was able to accomplish there in the “midnight dimness,” alone with his pages and his thoughts. Seneca, we know, took the time in the evening, after his wife had gone to sleep. He reflected on the day past. He wrote his letters. He examined himself. What about you? Do you make this time? Continue reading
- Preparing for Jesus - Preparing for Jesus: We’ve heard this story, probably all of our life, and it substance of the advent story. The prophecies that foretold the coming of John the Baptist, the messenger, and of Elizabeth and Zachariah. More importantly, look at the six Scripture passages, prophecies, and the estimated dates. What makes this part of the advent story are the prophecies that started nearly 750 years before Christ was born. How can we ever doubt that this was an act of God? But then, six months into her pregnancy, her cousin Mary arrives, and suddenly the baby within her womb gets active! Continue reading
- Walking with Jesus - Walking with Jesus: You won’t believe this, but last Sunday, when I got to church, there were people sitting in my pew! I said you wouldn’t believe that. I was so upset, I almost walked out. How dare they? Sadly, those aren’t fictional comments, they’re probably representative of some of the unspoken thoughts. We like the idea of forgiveness, but there are some we simply can’t. We recite the Lord’s prayer, often without understanding. We read “give us this day our daily bread,” not thinking that the daily bread refers to His Word and practicing it. His message to us is to follow “the daily bread”, not a devotional, not a reference to food in the physical sense, but in reference to the Word of God. So, you want to walk with Jesus? You want to follow Him? Me, too! Continue reading
- Prayer - Prayer: Think about that. Do we turn to prayer as a last resort? When circumstances are crushing us down? Only when it thrills or excites us? Do we consider prayer as some exercise in common sense that prepares us for some greater work for God? The most important point about prayer is this: prayer is the primary way for the belief in Jesus Christ to communicate our emotions and our desires with God and to fellowship with God. When Paul spoke of praying without ceasing, he was underscoring the reality that we have direct access to Him, and we must never forget that. Continue reading
- I Declare a War - I Declare a War: Does it sometimes feel like you go from one struggle to another just to get through the day? Sometimes the struggle is Health related, sometimes the struggle is relationships, or issues related to finances. Does it ever occur to you that that’s the nature of being a human being? That there is a continuing struggle, whether in the mental, moral, physical, or in the spiritual areas of life. I don’t know how you read Jesus words, but I think the struggles that we have, moral and physical and mental issues, always come back to spiritual. Continue reading
- Sunday or Monday? - Sunday or Monday? It was a special morning. My mind was filled with all sorts thoughts and ideas, some coming from devotionals that I had read and some coming from the scripture passages that caused me to meditate, or sort through my own understanding. What a morning! Like cream rising from the top of milk, one idea persisted long after I moved on to breakfast. Jesus commanded his followers to go and make disciples. Sunday or Monday, or “any-day” of the week, that commandment is the same for us. Continue reading
- Division is Good? - Division is Good? Stories of churches who have split over some of the most ridiculous reasons are numerous. At last count, there are as many as 50,000 splinters of the Christian faith. Churches have split over serious differences as well as ridiculous and superficial reasons. While disagreements among the congregations they continue, the basic tenet of Christianity, Jesus Christ is Lord, remains. That is the point, isn’t it? We who sit in the pews may grieve a split in your church, but our worship has the singular focus of Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified. Why do you go to church? Continue reading
- Regrets vs. Repentance - Regrets vs. Repentance: I had always thought that repent meant stop sinning, which had a lot to do with how we treat others. But now I think it has more to do with being led by the Holy Spirit to a different understanding of my relationship with God. So, shouldn’t we know that it is not our turning from sin as much as more fully following the Holy Spirit into a closer relationship with God. That wee small voice within, that Holy Spirit speaking to us, drawing us ever closer into the presence of God. In short, it is not our relationship with others that is the sin, it is our relationship with God. Continue reading
- Batteries Not Included - Batteries Not Included: It is Christmas morning. Your children or grandchildren are all excited. The presents, clustered around the Christmas tree, are so inviting. But they wait. The time comes and the melee begins with squeals of laughter. Your oldest daughter or granddaughter has just unwrapped the gift that was at the top of her wish list, and now she is holding it, with tears of happiness! You help her overcome plastic shrink-wrap and then your eyes see that terrible phrase: Batteries Not Included. Oh, no. You hadn’t expected that and now you are faced with her impatient disappointment. You quickly rummage in the pantry and, thank goodness, you found what was needed and peace is restored. Continue reading
- Broken – Better – Best - Broken – Better – Best: Recently I heard a sad story of a 17-year-old boy who ended his life with a gun, but not until after he had sent notes of goodbye to family and friends. This is a wonderful, terrible time of the year. This mental health problem goes far beyond children and adolescents, it’s all of us. Maybe we’re not contemplating ending our lives, maybe is just a mild sense of loneliness, a wondering about our own value. We all know what a powerful message that human contact can you make to another. The phone call, a visit, an invitation to join you, maybe over a meal. Human contact, a smiling face and a “God bless you” delivered by flesh and blood. Continue reading
- Come Lord Jesus - Come Lord Jesus: The first trimester of Mary’s pregnancy is spent with Elizabeth and Zechariah in their home in the town of Ein Karem, just a few miles from Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Mary has just heard from the angel about her pregnancy, and she fled to Elizabeth, her cousin. Understandably she was shaken by this news and sought the comfort and advice of the older woman. Joseph is unaware of the pregnancy until Mary returns to Nazareth and shares the news. It is after that conversation that the angel comes to Joseph to reassure him. So, Mary is probably in her fourth month of the pregnancy when Joseph learns this startling news. This is hard, even now, to grasp the significance and the power of God’s love, and his desire to learn and to understand what his creatures must learn and understand. Continue reading
- Advent Unfolds - Advent Unfolds: Zachariah is a priest, well-schooled in prophecy, and yet not sure and unprepared for a prophecy to be revealed. Miracle after miracle. He heard the angel of the Lord tell him of the familiar scenario of Abram and Sarai facing a similar challenge, and yet God promised to make Abraham “the father of many nations.” That promise was kept. Now the same thing was happening to he and Elizabeth. How does Zachariah respond? With doubt. He wants a guarantee. He wants to know for sure that this will happen. Does that sound a little familiar? Early in your faith journey have you ever had doubts or wanted proof. Continue reading
- Being There - Being There: Has the Pandemic instilled in us new habits that have devalued the importance of being in church to worship. Has the frequency with which you would rather watch streaming of a service, increased, rather than get back into the habit of going to church and being there? “Why do we go to church?” “We go to church for other people. Because someone may need you there.” Never underestimate the importance of your presence to others…and to yourself. Continue reading
- Lamb of God - Lamb of God: Let your imagination play on this thought: You hear a knock on your front door, when you answer there stands a man. An ordinary man, dressed in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. He smiles. You say to him, “How can I help you?” He answers, “I am the Lord and I desire a conversation with you. May I come in?” What would you think? What would you say? When Jesus walked this earth, people didn’t recognize. They were expecting the Messiah as a powerful lion, bringing judgment on their enemies. They had forgotten the prophecy of Jesus coming as a lamb. Jesus appearing as a lamb may seem a picture of weakness. But suddenly, in Revelation, men are hiding themselves from the “anger of the Lamb.” Continue reading
- Meditation - Meditation: Meditation? Okay, what is meditation? Or, what does it mean to meditate? Or, still another, how do you meditate? J.I. Packer in his book Knowing God, tells us that “Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God.” Wow, that seems complicated, very formal, and steeped in theological expertise. For me, and probably many of you, meditation is far more peaceful, relaxed, and quiet, our minds focused on something read in the Scripture or other devotional thoughts. Often our time of meditation leads directly into our prayer conversation with our Lord. Continue reading
- Friends and Lovers - Friends and Lovers: We sometimes miss in all of our readings and study of scripture Jesus' simple and uncomplicated words, ‘I call you friends…’. So, what is a ‘friend’? How do we consider that quality, that title, that word, that honor? In this time of Covid fears and political strife, are we learning to rise above it? Isolation and separation are merely geography. Those loved ones and friends – I’m here, while you were there – but, we know we are together. How do you show love to another as Jesus loves? You could wash your friend’s feet, but you don’t have to! You could lay down your life, but we pray it doesn’t come to that. So, then what? Simple. Be a friend. Continue reading
- Happy? Joyful? - Happy? Joyful? Time to clarify. The Bible isn't interested in making people happy. Instead, the Bible focuses on joy. Happiness is something we feel because of our situation or circumstances. We are happy because something made us happy, but we are joyful because of something within us. Somehow, happiness never seems to cross our minds when adversity knocks on our door, and yet…Have you ever thought about this: Can adversity breed joy? How about mistakes? Errors? No? Let me ask this then, who is your worse critic? Continue reading
- What’s So Funny? - What’s So Funny? Seeing the humor in life is one of God’s great and, possibly misunderstood, graces. What makes you laugh? Laughter that seems to be coming from, yes, deep within your soul. So rich and innocent, not at the expense of another, but seeing the quirks of life and the true, God-blessed humor in what lays before you. Such times of joy are gifts from the Lord. Jesus and laughter go together. I am reminded of something I heard recently, “Those who dance are considered insane by those who don’t hear the music.” We should thank the good Lord for the completeness of this reality we call our lives, for including a sense of humor that gets us through some of the rough patches. Continue reading
