There is an amazing thing that happens 20 feet from my office. Trees show up on the walls of our Prayer Walk Hallway and nothing gets me in the Christmas mood faster than watching them. For my money, these are the Real Trees of Christmas!
At New Hope, we have a long tradition at Christmas. Individual and family needs are identified and attached to a "tree." People decide which needs they can meet, shop for the request and bring it back in time for Christmas. We are not alone in this. Many churches have their version of a Giving Tree and it is something we have done for many years.
Until we couldn't.
The needs increased every year. At some point, there were so many needs they didn't all fit. So we stopped doing a Giving Tree...and created The Giving Forest!
Every year there is a transformation of the trees in our Giving Forest.
Among the many things for which to be thankful on Thursday, be sure to include Abraham Lincoln!
It was Lincoln who declared the first national holiday that we know and celebrate every November.
It was 1863 and we were still in the throes of the Civil War. Tens of thousands of soldiers had been slaughtered on the fields of war, including the recent battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Nonetheless (or maybe precisely because of this), Lincoln called the nation to a time of public Thanksgiving. Citizens were asked to offer their gratitude for the many blessings, even as they were to remember those in great sorrow and loss.
I read portions of this proclamation as part of my sermon, "The Serious Business of Gratitude," but it's worth reading in its entirety. It is a good way to remember the heart of this holiday and how it might still best be celebrated. Here is the full text :
If you have been part of our Everyday Spirituality classes and events, you probably know of Thomas Keating. Otherwise, you may not. In either case, this short video will illustrate why he has been a mentor, teacher and guide for many. He passed away this week. The way he faced into death is a pretty good indication of the way he faced into life, and why so many were blessed by it. I'm one of those people.
We have an exciting opportunity at New Hope this Sunday. By way of explanation, let me ask a question:
Can religion be a force for good?
That may sound like an odd question from a minister, but we have all seen how religion can be destructive, even deadly. Hardly a conversation goes by when I am with someone who has left the church that doesn't include numerous references to wounds inflicted by the way people practice their religion. It's enough for people to give up on it altogether and many have. Religion is viewed as a relic of a less evolved and enlightened humanity, not unlike blood-letting. Its value is in understanding from whence we have come, but certainly not a help for where the human species is headed.
Can religion be a force for good?
Filmmakers at Strayer University posed it this way:
Organized religion has an enormous influence on the actions and behaviors of huge groups of people around the world. But what does that impact look like on a daily basis? And what happens when different religions are at odds with another?
Here was the story they told:
This Sunday, the principles of this story (Steve & Bashar) will be at New Hope. It's important enough that we decided to go to a single service at 10:00, followed by a brunch for questions and discussion. It wasn't planned this way, but its a perfect complement to our current series, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" We want to have enough food for everyone so if you haven't RSVP'd for the brunch (it is free), you can do so here.
Glad you're here! My name is Russ Kane and I have the privilege of being the pastor of an amazing church called, New Hope Presbyterian Church. It's a place where people "Find a Home, Build a Life and Make a Difference." This blog is a journal of our life together. Welcome!