CCC Blog

“Gloria – We Praise the God of all Homecomings”

Everywhere we look in the Christmas story, we see people coming home.  When Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem, where Jesus ended up being born, because they were coming home.  Home to Joseph’s ancestral home.  Joseph was from the lineage of King David and David’s hometown was Bethlehem.  So Mary and Joseph went back home; to the place where it all began.  And when they arrived, they weren’t invited into a spacious room inside the roadside inn.  Instead, they had to squeeze into cramped space, out back in the stable, negotiating with the livestock for valuable real estate.  We go home like this too.  Not exactly the same way, but – from time to time -we also go home to the place it all began for us; to visit the house in which we were raised; to the farmland our grandparents settled; to walk the hallways of the schools we attended; to swing on the swings of our favorite playgrounds; and to sit in the pews of childhood churches.  Have you ever noticed, when you do that, that everything seems smaller?  Back then, they were so large – or at least normal-sized.  But now?  It’s as though we’ve outgrown them.  And it’s true.  We have outgrown them.  Coming home to the place our journey started shows us how far we’ve come; how much we’ve grown.  Of course, it all seems smaller now, because we’ve changed.  We’ve become so much more than we were then. 

 

The Wise Men also came home.  That is, before they came home they first came to Judea to visit the newborn Jesus.  They had been guided by a star and traveled from the East for many days.  And when their visit was over, they came back home.  But this time they traveled by another road; they took a   detour of sorts.  They were not up on all the politics going on in Judea at the time.  So, they didn’t realize the Jewish King Herod saw the birth of Jesus as a threat to his kingship; and that he wanted Jesus dead.  They also didn’t know that he wanted to use them as his own personal GPS system.  He told them to come back to him and tell him where exactly in Bethlehem baby Jesus was; that once King Herod had that information he was going to come and put the Jesus to death.  But even without knowing any of that, the Wise Men were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod, but to sneak out of town and head back home by another road.  So, their journey home took an unexpected detour and unanticipated delays - but they eventually made it home. 

 

Last year during Advent, we asked you to share stories with us about a time when Christmas “almost didn’t happen.”  When your Christmas plans unexpectedly changed so much that it seemed like Christmas as you knew it wouldn’t come about.  It shouldn’t be surprising that a good number of your stories were about travel.  Sudden blizzards, ice storms, road closures, flight cancellations all required a detour to be made, and delays to be endured, but somehow –   eventually and overcoming all odds – you made it home and Christmas did  happen.  Not only that, the ones that almost didn’t happen because of the   detours and the delays ended up being the ones that we remember the most.

 

Then there were the shepherds.  They also came home that first Christmas.  Or better put, they went home.  They were the very first people to hear of Jesus’ birth.  The angels who proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest” could have gone anywhere that night.  They could have visited palace royals or big city businessmen.  They could have gone to the social influencers of the day. 

 

But they didn’t.  They went instead to certain poor shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night.  Shepherding was hard work; with long hours; and relentless exposure to the elements.  It was a low-paying job, so it was one that anyone with any means would run from. Shepherds were drawn from among the disinherited of the world.  They were those down on their luck; on work-release programs; who also met with parole officers and were trying to find a footing in life again. 

 

But it was to them that the angels came that night!  The ones overlooked and undervalued; with their backs up against the wall.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ was spoken to them first!  And after the shepherds visited the infant Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem, they went home differently.  They were praising God for all they had seen and heard.  They would be the first evangelists!  Long before James gave up his fishing nets, Levi left the tax both and John baptized his first repentant, the Shepherds were the ones preparing the way for the Good News of Jesus Christ to inhabit the world.  Where everyone else had beaten them down for the past mistakes, God lifted them up for their future potential. 

 

Home is any place that celebrates you for how much you’ve grown and how far you’ve come.  Home is any place that reminds you that the detours and delays on your life journey are meant to define you more than defeat you.  And home is any place that believes in you; that believes you matter; that no matter how much you’ve been humbled by life, you’re never to be humiliated.  For in God’s eyes, you are always worthy of love.  And while you can find that place anywhere in the world, we hope that you find it here.  We hope that every time you come to Central that you feel celebrated for how much you’ve grown - in life and in faith; that you are reminded that your challenges cannot break the spirit of God in you; and where you feel loved for you are… no matter what!   

 

Blessings – Michael

 

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Advent Lights

The following is a contributed poem by Rev. Dr. Beth Rupe, Coordinator for Disciples Women in the Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin, to a new publication from our regional church called, “Incarnate.”  This is the new  monthly publication our region is publishing under the leadership of April McClure-Stewart.  The first issue was released in November and had a decidedly advent theme.  Beth Rupe’s poem speaks to the significance of the four candles of the advent wreath and is a nice way to begin the Advent journey.  Enjoy!

 

Advent Lights

In the hush of winter as nature waits

The Prophet’s Candle lights the darkness

As whispered words and hushed lullabies fill the air

In anticipation of God’s promises fulfilled.

 

As twinkling stars hang low over Bethlehem’s hills

The Bethlehem Candle flickering from the inn’s windowsill

The humble and righteous journey begins

We move toward home – the welcome of God’s love

 

In the quiet fields shepherds watch over their flocks

The Shepherd’s Candle shimmering bold and bright

As the heavenly messengers sing “Gloria”

Filling hearts with chords of hope and peace

 

From above, the heavenly host

Serenade creation with anthems of joy

Each note and beam proclaiming the good news

Immanuel – God with us

Yesterday, today, forevermore

 

With hope and love, in joy and peace

Our spirits soar

Advent’s journey begun.

 

Blessings – Michael

 

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Something to Think About – Better Together

(What follows are words about the recent election with which I ended the sermon on Sunday.  If anyone would like to speak about the election – or anything related to these words about it – please let me know.  I am more than happy to arrange to meet with anyone who might want to talk more.  I also know that Pastors Melinda and Vicky are also willing to do that.  Simply let us know.  Pastor Michael)

 

We just had an election.  A pretty significant one.  These elections, that come around every 4 years, tend to be pretty significant.  Some were probably dreading it.  Others, looking forward to it.  And many, probably, feeling nervous and stressed about it. And now it’s over.  There was always going to be an outcome.  Some were always going to be happy about it.  Others were not.  The outcome was always going to make sense to some.  To others, it was always going to make no sense at all.  And… we’re still divided.  And if the outcome went the other way, we’d still be divided.  Half would feel that outcome made sense and half wouldn’t.  

 

If we are divided, it is not because of outcomes like elections, but because we allow our thankfulness and thanksgiving to be dependent on those outcomes.  This recent election simply illustrates in high relief what all of life is like.  Every day there are outcomes.  Big ones and small ones.  Some will go our way.  Some will not.  Some will make sense to us. Some will not.  We will always – naturally - feel more at ease when the outcomes go our way and make sense to us.  But if our thanksgiving - and ability to be thankful – is based on desirous outcomes, we won’t be serving anyone’s interest but our own; not anyone else’s; and definitely not God’s.  

 

That is why it is so important, to me, that we remember that God loves you.  When God created you, God placed a little piece of God’s own self deep within you.  And the little piece of God’s own self within you is the part of you that God loves best.  And… God loves everyone around you – the person on your side of the aisle as well as the person on the other.  That was true before the election.  It is true today.  And it is true even if that election didn’t turn out that way.  All healing starts here – by accepting the love that God has for all of us.  It is the only way to be of the same mind as Christ.  Only then, we will be imitators of Christ, will we seek the interests of others alongside our own.  Only then can we ever hope to have peace – real peace.

Personally, I’m tired; tired of division, because I will never stop believing that we are better if were not striving to be better together!  And I’m tired when I think of so many people in positions of great influence not seeming to value togetherness like I do.  But I am inspired by Paul and his letter to the Philippians.  So I’m going to choose to do something about it.  Like Paul, I’m going to choose to be encouraging and hopeful, to be positive.  I’m going to choose to see the worth and dignity in every person and to think about how my actions affect others.  And I’m going to choose to be thankful – not because of the circumstances, but just because.  And I’m going to choose to believe that, somehow, someday we might experience God’s peace, even if I have no idea what it may look like or how it’s possible.  I am going to choose to live that way today.  I was going to choose to live that way even if the outcome was different last Tuesday.  And I am going to choose to hope that others around me might want to choose to live that way too.      

 

Blessings, Michael

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The Healing Power of Thankfulness

It scarcely seems believable, but with All Saints Sunday in the rear-view mirror, we are entering the season of Thanksgiving and swiftly approaching Advent.  As you probably know by now, Thanksgiving is late this year which means that we still have three (3) more Sundays before we celebrate it.  Immediately following Thanksgiving (that is, the first Sunday after it), Advent begins and the journey to Christmas commences.

 

When we meet again, we will also have had another significant election day and regardless of any of the races turn out, our Christian call to unity, reconciliation and love of all our neighbors never has a term limit.  With all that in mind, we will emphasize the “Healing Power of Thankfulness” over the next three (3) Sundays.  We hope you will join us as often as you an – especially on November 24 (we will have a Thanksgiving fellowship potluck following worship and will be doing a special thankfulness exercise during all our services).  

 

November 10

“Thanksgiving Heals our Disagreements”

Philippians 4:1-7

 

November 17

“Thanksgiving Heals our Ailments”

2 Corinthians 4:15-5:1

 

November 24

“Thanksgiving Heals Us!”

Colossians 3:5-15

 

Blessings – Michael

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