You always have to start somewhere. A couple of years ago, I thought, wouldn't it be great to discover a new way to reach out to people in Nashua who had not discovered, or perhaps had forgotten, God's very present being in their lives. It was quite a thought....almost mind-boggling to some. Weren't there already plenty of churches in New Hampshire? People could always come to those services. At least, that was the conventional wisdom.
When you give birth to a new thing, especially when it might involve change, things are a little weird at first. When you give birth to a new idea, lots of people want to know how it might end up. It is sort of like announcing the birth of a new child to your extended family who then begins to ask questions like: What will it be when it grows up? Where will it go to college? How will it be able to live on its own? Where is it going to live later?
Questions like that seem silly to ask the parents announcing the birth of their child. A new thing requires a simple response: joy. There should be excitement about something new coming into the world. There should be a sense of great possibilities.
John's Gospel gets rid of those cosy family pictures and pushes us back to recall the very beginnings of the world (click above to read the passage). John wants us to hear the Good News as a rebirth, a new creation, something that God is doing that has a precedent only when the very world was first new. John wants us to recapture that amazing sense of the generousity of God that first came to us in creation. And John wants us to realize that there is a new grace even more overwhelming than this early birth pang: the coming of Jesus, God in the world.
I love the way Eugene Peterson puts this in his adaptation of this Gospel passage: God has moved into the neighborhood. What an amazing return! What a fascinating thought! God is here with us in our own city. God wants to be where we are, where we live. Wow!
Perhaps that is why By The Way was birthed...to remind people that God is here, even in Nashua! God is in our neighborhood and we go out into the businesses and public places to remind everyone of God's intense love for them. We go on the way because of God's intense grace for each and everyone of you.
In some ways, we are also at a new beginning stage at By the Way. Kari will be taking on the duties of this ministry fully in the coming year as God calls me to new ventures. She will need your grace and support as she walks into the neighborhood with God, discovering this amazing new thing that God is doing here. It is a wonderful way to use her gifts.
I will continue to lift you all up in prayer as you enter into this new beginning together and will enjoy the news of your discoveries and the blessings God has in store for you! May you hold the grain of grace given to you in Christ Jesus so that it may blossom into a wondrous new thing! Amen.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Steve-o's Devos: The Presence/ts of Christmas
Are you stressed out yet? Got your Christmas baking done? How about your shopping? Been Caroling? Visited a few relatives? Trying to travel home or to visit friends? It has been a crazy week and weekend for many of us. Not having the power to get to Christmas has practically taken on a new meaning for so many of us here in New England. It is certainly a time to come together as community to care for one another, help one another, and even give thanks for the many blessings we do have even in the midst of all the ice and snow of the new winter.
You know we spend a lot of time wondering about Christmas presents. Some folks start their present shopping the day after December 25th trying to get a quick head start for the next year. Hopefully they will remember where they put these presents 11 months later when the time comes. Hiding something for a year cannot be easy.
The season of Christmas might feel like it is all about the presents we get. Some will tell you that the whole idea of buying and giving presents is what the season of Christmas means. In the midst of a difficult year for many, the idea of spending for presents is a rough one. And if we listen to the way of our own commercial culture we could get quite depressed about all this.
But Christmas is not about presents. It is about presence. Christmas is about being. It might be being with friends, with family, or discovering something deeper. It is this deeper mystery of God coming to us that is the essence of Christmas presence. Luke's story of Jesus (click the title to read the passage) is an amazing reminder about how God enters into our kingdom.
Now even if you don't know the Christmas story from the Bible, you can pick up the bare bones of it from most Holiday fare. Mary and Joe head off to Bethlehem. When they arrive, having forgotten to reserve a room through priceline.com, they discover no rooms are available throughout the town. They are invited to use a barn. Depending on how you look at it, this stable could be a good or a bad thing. The animals and their smells might be bad, but their warmth might be a welcome thing on a cold night. Hay can be pretty warm too (hopefully neither Mary or Joe had allergies!). The couple heads off to this barn for the night and it is here where the miracle of God occurs. Mary gives birth to Jesus.
And now, for something interesting.... For Luke, it was very important to help connect this story for his community in a deeper way. Luke's whole good news of Jesus is centered in the remembrance of the Last Supper....you know, the whole "end" of Jesus' public ministry when he sits at table with his disciples in the upper room. It is there where Jesus invites the disciples to share wine and bread and communicates that they share this common set of elements, this "communion," with one another often. It would be a sign and reminder of how they were all connected into the life and death of Jesus and what that grace meant for them all.
It is in Luke's telling of Jesus' nativity where we see this important story of the stable. Mary lays Jesus into a manger. Manger is just an old-fashioned word for feeding trough. The manger is central to Luke's story because it is here where all the animals would come for the grains and feed that made up their daily food. Jesus must be placed there in Luke's story, because it is a deeper symbol of who Jesus is: the bread of life. Jesus in the manger is a sign of Christmas presence. The manger is the feeding place, the "table," where all are welcome.
Jesus in the manger is a connection, subtle and intentional by Luke, to help us see Jesus as the one who will feed us. We come to him here in this simple and unusual way, and receive a life-giving connection to everyone. In Luke's good news, the signs of "communion" (or fancier word "eucharist") are present constantly from the beginning of Jesus life until the unbelievable end.
Sharing in this simple bread we remember Jesus and all he is for us as disciples. He is our Emmanuel, "God With Us." We take and eat a simple piece of this bread as a reminder of God's presence with us. Jesus is God's present....more importantly, Jesus is God's presence.
May you experience a moment of Jesus' presence in the coming week. Amen.
You know we spend a lot of time wondering about Christmas presents. Some folks start their present shopping the day after December 25th trying to get a quick head start for the next year. Hopefully they will remember where they put these presents 11 months later when the time comes. Hiding something for a year cannot be easy.
The season of Christmas might feel like it is all about the presents we get. Some will tell you that the whole idea of buying and giving presents is what the season of Christmas means. In the midst of a difficult year for many, the idea of spending for presents is a rough one. And if we listen to the way of our own commercial culture we could get quite depressed about all this.
But Christmas is not about presents. It is about presence. Christmas is about being. It might be being with friends, with family, or discovering something deeper. It is this deeper mystery of God coming to us that is the essence of Christmas presence. Luke's story of Jesus (click the title to read the passage) is an amazing reminder about how God enters into our kingdom.
Now even if you don't know the Christmas story from the Bible, you can pick up the bare bones of it from most Holiday fare. Mary and Joe head off to Bethlehem. When they arrive, having forgotten to reserve a room through priceline.com, they discover no rooms are available throughout the town. They are invited to use a barn. Depending on how you look at it, this stable could be a good or a bad thing. The animals and their smells might be bad, but their warmth might be a welcome thing on a cold night. Hay can be pretty warm too (hopefully neither Mary or Joe had allergies!). The couple heads off to this barn for the night and it is here where the miracle of God occurs. Mary gives birth to Jesus.
And now, for something interesting.... For Luke, it was very important to help connect this story for his community in a deeper way. Luke's whole good news of Jesus is centered in the remembrance of the Last Supper....you know, the whole "end" of Jesus' public ministry when he sits at table with his disciples in the upper room. It is there where Jesus invites the disciples to share wine and bread and communicates that they share this common set of elements, this "communion," with one another often. It would be a sign and reminder of how they were all connected into the life and death of Jesus and what that grace meant for them all.
It is in Luke's telling of Jesus' nativity where we see this important story of the stable. Mary lays Jesus into a manger. Manger is just an old-fashioned word for feeding trough. The manger is central to Luke's story because it is here where all the animals would come for the grains and feed that made up their daily food. Jesus must be placed there in Luke's story, because it is a deeper symbol of who Jesus is: the bread of life. Jesus in the manger is a sign of Christmas presence. The manger is the feeding place, the "table," where all are welcome.
Jesus in the manger is a connection, subtle and intentional by Luke, to help us see Jesus as the one who will feed us. We come to him here in this simple and unusual way, and receive a life-giving connection to everyone. In Luke's good news, the signs of "communion" (or fancier word "eucharist") are present constantly from the beginning of Jesus life until the unbelievable end.
Sharing in this simple bread we remember Jesus and all he is for us as disciples. He is our Emmanuel, "God With Us." We take and eat a simple piece of this bread as a reminder of God's presence with us. Jesus is God's present....more importantly, Jesus is God's presence.
May you experience a moment of Jesus' presence in the coming week. Amen.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday's Longest Night Service Postponed
Thursday's service at Riv was wonderful. But... due to the constantly falling snow, we'll reschedule the Sunday night service in Manchester for a date in the not-too-distant future. (I believe there are long nights in January as well...)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
All Are Welcome
Service of the Longest Night
a time of prayer and reflection, candlelight and connection
to remember... to grieve... to find hope
There are times when we are hurting during these pre-Christmas days, and we need to know we are not alone. Some are grieving for loved ones who have died. Some are suffering from broken relationships, unemployment, and other kinds of loss. During this time of increasing darkness, we need each other. And we need the light God shines in the midst of our blues.
Whether you are feeling sad or you just want to support others going through tough times… you are welcome to join in this time of remembrance, companionship, and hope. We’ve got two dates and two locations for you to choose from.
Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7:30pm
Rivier College, Dion Center (Clement Street)
Nashua, New Hampshire
Sunday, Dec. 21 at 8:00pm
Gethsemane Lutheran Church, St. James Hall
Pennacook St. and Pine St.
Manchester, New Hampshire
Feel free to bring… pictures of those you are missing, a poem to read or a story to share, a friend or two, or just bring yourself. If you'd like to have pictures of those you are remembering put into a slide show, please send them to Crystal Mohrmann at crystal24@gmail.com.
This event is sponsored by… By the Way; Birch Tree Counseling, Londonderry, NH; and Rivier College Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers. If you have any questions, call Kari at 603-889-7537.
Directions to Rivier's Dion Center:From the Everett Turnpike/Route 3, take Exit 4. If coming from the north, turn left at lights onto East Dunstable Rd. If coming from the south, turn right onto East Dunstable Rd.. Take right at third light (about 1 mile) onto Main Street. At the roundabout (rotary), take the second right onto the campus. Turn left on Clement Street and follow the signs to the Dion Center, on the left.
Directions to Gethsemane's St. James Hall:Take exit 6 off of 293/Everett Turnpike and turn right on Amoskeag St. which becomes Salmon St. after you cross the bridge. Turn right on Elm St. and left on Pennacook. The parking lot and entrance to St. James Hall will be on your left before you reach Pine St.
a time of prayer and reflection, candlelight and connection
to remember... to grieve... to find hope
There are times when we are hurting during these pre-Christmas days, and we need to know we are not alone. Some are grieving for loved ones who have died. Some are suffering from broken relationships, unemployment, and other kinds of loss. During this time of increasing darkness, we need each other. And we need the light God shines in the midst of our blues.
Whether you are feeling sad or you just want to support others going through tough times… you are welcome to join in this time of remembrance, companionship, and hope. We’ve got two dates and two locations for you to choose from.
Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7:30pm
Rivier College, Dion Center (Clement Street)
Nashua, New Hampshire
Sunday, Dec. 21 at 8:00pm
Gethsemane Lutheran Church, St. James Hall
Pennacook St. and Pine St.
Manchester, New Hampshire
Feel free to bring… pictures of those you are missing, a poem to read or a story to share, a friend or two, or just bring yourself. If you'd like to have pictures of those you are remembering put into a slide show, please send them to Crystal Mohrmann at crystal24@gmail.com.
This event is sponsored by… By the Way; Birch Tree Counseling, Londonderry, NH; and Rivier College Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers. If you have any questions, call Kari at 603-889-7537.
Directions to Rivier's Dion Center:From the Everett Turnpike/Route 3, take Exit 4. If coming from the north, turn left at lights onto East Dunstable Rd. If coming from the south, turn right onto East Dunstable Rd.. Take right at third light (about 1 mile) onto Main Street. At the roundabout (rotary), take the second right onto the campus. Turn left on Clement Street and follow the signs to the Dion Center, on the left.
Directions to Gethsemane's St. James Hall:Take exit 6 off of 293/Everett Turnpike and turn right on Amoskeag St. which becomes Salmon St. after you cross the bridge. Turn right on Elm St. and left on Pennacook. The parking lot and entrance to St. James Hall will be on your left before you reach Pine St.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
