CCC Blog

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

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

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

Something to Think About – “All Saints Day 2024"

This Sunday is one of the most important days of the year in the church’s life – at least this is something I believe.  Not because it is November 3, but because at Central, we celebrate “All Saints Sunday” on the first Sunday after November 1.  On the surface, this is the day we light candles for, and see pictures and hear the names read of, those loved ones who have passed away.  Specifically, we do so for those church members who had passed away during the last year.  But we also offer everyone the chance to light a candle for a loved one who may have died years ago or any time in the past.  For as we know, grief is something we never “get over” as much as we learn to survive and live with.  

I use the word “celebrate” to describe All Saints Sunday for a reason.  Yes, death is about loss, emptiness, disruption, and sadness.   But all conversations about death are really about life.  As long as we live on earth, death will be the final reality for all of us.  How we decide to spend our time now – before that happens – that’s what All Saints Sunday represents.  It is an opportunity to commit to a certain way of living as much as it is about what happens when the earthly life comes to an end.  And the loved ones we remember, who are now part of our cloud of witnesses, are encouraging us to live that fullest life we can imagine, whether there is decades left in it or not.

I hope you are able to make it to worship this Sunday.  It is always an expression of the church at its best.  It is why we are here, after all; to acknowledge the reality of death in the midst of life but also to proclaim life in the midst of death.  Until we see each other this weekend, I wanted to leave you with these words from Michael Singer’s work “The Untethered Soul.”  

You must not be afraid to discuss death.  Instead, let this knowledge help you to live every moment of your life fully, because every moment matters.  That’s what happens when somebody knows they only have one week left.  You can be certain that they would tell you that the most important week they ever had was that last week.  Everything is a million times more meaningful in that final week.  What if you were to live every week that way?

The beauty of embracing deep truths – like death – is that you don’t have to change your life; you just change how you live your life.  It’s not what you’re doing, but how much of you is doing it?  What is it inside you that is so afraid that it keeps you from really and truly living your life?  Life is not something we get, as much as it is something we get to experience.  Life exists with or without us.  It’s been doing this for billions of years.  We simply get the honor of seeing a tiny slice of it.  

                                 Blessings, Michael