Really?! People Still Make Resolutions??!

What2Say2Day? In these days filled with empty promises by those in whom we should trust the most it's difficult to imagine people still make New Years Resolutions. Of course I can speak from almost 50 years of experience (almost) and say that I don't know anyone, not a single person, who has stuck to their resolution. For those of you out there who have, I apologize for my cynicism. I, too, have pledged to lose weight or start exercising only to be thwarted in my plan by the second week by a good steak or the need to watch football.

I think we know what's good for us, or what things we need to do to live better lives; eat right, exercise, live compassionately for others, etc. What confuses me is how someone who has not been doing these things for a long time suddenly believes they'll change. For those of us who believe they can, well, I don't know what to say. For those who want to change but don't know how to go about it let me offer you a story from The Old Testament.

Genesis 32:9-19 talks of a little banter between Moses and God. In this part of the story God has decided that enough is enough with the insolence of the Hebrew people and decides to unleash a wrath so hot that it'll burn hot against them and consume them (yeah, God was upset). In a final attempt to calm the situation Moses reminds God of the promise made to Abraham and Isaac and the other forefathers of the Hebrews.

Verse 14 then says, "And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people." The Hebrew people are spared a terrible fate (again) and God shows us that it's okay to change our minds. 

So, to all of you who make those resolutions in a few days, I wish you the best in your endeavors. And in a few weeks when you feel like you just can't do it, that's okay too. Change takes time, change takes commitment, change takes the involvement of as many people around you as you can possibly involve. Change happens all the time. In fact, without change we wouldn't be the people we are today, would we?

This will most likely be my last post until the New Year so Happy New Year to you all. Be safe, be smart, remember you are loved just the way you are, even when you change.

Feeling the After Christmas Blues?

What2Say2Day? Ever notice that the week between Christmas and New Years is a quiet one. Many offices are closed or seriously down-staffed, the malls are emptier, the home decorations begin to come down and even the city lights seem to have less glow. It's almost as though Christmas is over.

Let me repeat again today a very Merry Christmas to you! Yes, We're still in Christmastime. And, if we want it to be, Christmas is with us every day all year long. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ in the lives of mankind. Therefore, every time Christ is born in the heart, soul and mind of one person isn't that a celebration of Christmas?

Christmas is not about the giant Santa in the mall, nor is it about the bright ribbon and tinsel displays on every tree lining the streets of your town. We don't need television commercials with cute children singing catchy tunes set to Christmas carols to remind us. All we need is the knowledge that Jesus is born in us, and lives through us, so that we will bring the Christmas message of hope, peace, joy and love to everyone we meet.

So, as the decorations come down and the radios stop playing your favorite songs remember that we carry
the Light of God through the one that was born within us on a day that was most likely not December the 25th. May Christ live in you forever and may you bring Christmas to others all year long.

Let the Preparations Begin

What2Say2Day? It's a family tradition to give our home a detailed cleaning before the New Year. We do this by moving furniture and getting to all the corners, reaching high to wipe the ledges, and cleaning louvers, windows and screens as well as other things we only clean a couple times a year. It's a chore, especially since it's just my wife and I these days (being empty-nesters and all). But we get through it, slowly with teamwork and patience.

Doing a quick research of the word "prepare" in the Gospels I found it was listed 28 times. What I found more interesting, though, is that the word is only listed twice in the Gospel of John. In John 14 Jesus is talking to his disciples about going to prepare a place for them and is questioned by the disciples about how they'll know where to go. I want to focus on verses 2 and 3:

²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?^{* 3}And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.  (NRSV)

I find it interesting that Jesus tells his disciples that he goes to prepare a place in heaven for them, and if he does that then he'll come back to take them there himself. To me Jesus is saying that if he's going to go through all that trouble of cleaning behind the couch and removing water stains from the windows, we better believe he'll want us in his house. So much so that he'll come and get us himself and do what it takes to make sure we enter his home and sit at his table to share a meal and, more so, share our lives.

In this week when we all prepare for the coming of the New Year let's remember to also prepare our hearts and minds for a New Life in Christ. Oh, and by the way - Merry Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas....

What2Say2Day? Merry Christmas! I know, I know. Christmas Day was yesterday, but we're now in the season of Christmas, which lasts 12 wonderful, glorious days. Christmastide, as it's called on the Christian calendar, is when we're told the wonderful stories of Simeon's visit at the temple and the visit of the magi and other stories which remind us that Christ came to bring the Love of God to all people regardless of race or political hierarchy. In today's society we need to remember God's love is the same for us no matter what. It doesn't matter if you are man, woman, transgender, straight, gay, bisexual, rich, poor, middle class, living in a mansion, living in a tent, living in an apartment, working part time, working full time, looking for work, black, brown, white, red, yellow, Islam, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Atheist, Pagan or whatever. God loves you, yes you, just as you are for the person you are. How can a love like that get any easier to accept. We don't have to pretend to be someone else to receive this love, nor do we have to go out of our way to find it. God loves you for you. I don't know how else to say it. In this Christmastide let's look for ways to be Christlike in God's love and begin accepting people for who, or where in life, they are.

Advent - Week 4, Day 4: Steadfast Love

What2Say2Day? Today I want to talk about what it is we can do to show the steadfast love of Christ to those around us. During the season of Advent we took a look at bringing hope to people through encouragement and prayer. We also talked about finding our inner peace and bringing that peaceful presence to others. The third week we spoke about the joy we will know (or already know) through God's promises and ways that God's people dealt with times of trouble and devastation. This week is about love and what we can do to make God's Kingdom a better place to live in. The answer, my friends, is within the messages of Advent. By bringing Hope, Peace and Joy to those around us Love will have no choice but to grow in the lives and hearts of humankind. Advent will soon be done, and we'll celebrate the season of Christmas, a time when we realize that Christ came to this world for everyone, not to condemn it, but to bring everlasting peace. As John 3:16 and 17 reminds us: 

 ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

 Be the Christ our world is looking for. Love, do not condemn.

This is going to be my final post until after Christmas. Merry Christmas to all, and may your lives and the lives of those around you be filled with Hope, Peace, Joy and Love!

Advent - Week 4, Day 3: Steadfast Love

What2Say2Day? You had an entire day to think about what steadfast love means to you and where in your life you see examples of this kind of love. Today let's take a look at how Christ showed examples of God's steadfast love. I want to use this past Sunday's talk with our youth as an example again. I asked this same question to them and they were able to come up with great answers. I was genuinely touched when they talked about different bible stories which highlighted Jesus' ministry for the outcasts. From allowing the woman to wash his feet with oil to healing lepers to blessing the Samaritan woman at the well they each had a story that shared what unconditional, steadfast love looked like. Then they were asked what they do in their lives that are similar to the acts of Jesus. Again, a little effort to come up with examples from their own lives. I'm sure we all do things which show God's steadfast love all the time without realizing it. My wife tells me that she sees God's love every time someone holds the door open for her or looks her in the eye and smiles when saying hello. I have to agree with her and say that God's love comes in different ways to different people. God gives each of us a gift according to our abilities and all we're asked to do is share this gift to the best of our abilities. So whatever you consistently do for someone else, whether it's holding the door open or healing a leper, without an expectation of a favor in return is what I think unconditional, steadfast love is. As it says in Matthew 25:40

"And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,^* you did it to me."

Advent - Week 4, Day 2: Steadfast Love

What2Say2Day? Okay, so yesterday we asked three questions to focus on for the week. I'm not going to repeat them here, you can go back and take a look at them if you want. Today I just want to focus on what steadfast love is. When this question was asked to the youth of our church yesterday the answers were exactly what you would expect. "It's love that never stops" or "it's a love that never fades no matter what we do" and "a love that is steady and forever". All great answers, and all very much correct. Then we asked what that kind of love would look like. Hmmm, that seemed to be a little more difficult to answer. So, yes, what would that kind of love look like? Steadfast love takes a lot of searching for in today's world. For some reason it would seem everywhere we turn love isn't so, well, steadfast. Divorces, families infighting, governments in turmoil, people revolting, wars, hunger, and the list goes on. And yet as Christians we are expected to find and promote steadfast love. How can we do this? The answers lay before us in ways that are more than likely too close for us to see. As the adage says, sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. For today, though, think about what steadfast love means to you, put a definition on it. Then, purposefully look for examples of where you see this kind of love. I'm sure you'll find it, just try not to look too hard and/or too far away (hint).