iHOPE

Healing Our Image of God

The longer I am a pastor, the more I believe that most of us need a better image of God.  Most people suffer from an image that is too small, or flat-out wrong. Sometimes it is harmful to ourselves and those around us. 

I know that when I talk about a better image of God, some become suspicious.  I'm in good company. Read the Gospels and watch how many ways Jesus tried to heal people's image of God.  So did Moses and Paul. So did the prophets. Behind every faulty behavior is a faulty image of God. Giving a better image of God isn't watering down the Gospel, it is the Gospel.

The Downfall of Resolutions

 

Have you seen this?

In a few short verses, John Mayer humorously shows why our resolutions fail. 

It is not that resolutions are bad, it is that they aren't enough.  Great intentions, heart-felt goals, willpower, and knowledge don't produce lasting change unless they are joined with different habits.  My sermon on January 12 ("Power Tools") highlighted the need for changing our habits if we want real change in our lives. They are an essential part of the "Toolkit for 2021."

Maybe the best indicator of who you will be in 2021, is not the resolutions you make, but the habits you change in 2020. 

A Place of Warmth on the Longest Night

 In other times, you would have been the keeper of the fire.  Others would have drawn warmth, comfort, and joy from you. But not this year.

This year, your flame is barely flickering. 

Loss will do that. The loss of a loved one, a job, a home, or your health, blows like a cold wind.  Whether it was a recent event or a distant memory that is blowing again, hardly matters. 

Right about now, you could use a warming fire.

On Saturday (Dec. 21) at 7:00, we hold our annual Longest Night Service. It is specially designed for people who find themselves in a season of loss or grief.  No one will try to make you "merry" or fix you.  The Longest Night Service is a place of respite and the offer of warmth. We light candles to honor those we have lost. We find warmth and comfort from one another and recognize Christ in our midst.

If you are feeling out in the cold at Christmastime, there is a warming fire waiting for you. 

The Signs of Christmas

Note: This is a summary of the sermon preached at 9:00 on 12/15. The audio version can be found here.

Joy is one of the signs of Christmas and people work hard at it. Lights, decorations, food, gifts, and clothes are all employed to boost our "Joy Quotient" at Christmas.

John Lewis is a British Department store that has been making extraordinary Christmas commercials with compelling stories for more than 10 years. Like this one…

 

Did you notice there were no products (unless you were looking for a trampoline!), no sales and no bargains mentioned? So, what was this ad selling?

Gifts

Who did you encounter today who revealed a bit of God? Who embodied a bit of the compassion, kindness, generosity, and grace of Christ?

Our practice this month is to take note of where God is being revealed. It is not so much another item for the To-Do list (who needs that?!), as a prioritization of your "To-Be" list. When we begin to see signs of God's presence and work in our everyday lives, we have already begun to celebrate the gift of "God-With-Us" (Emmanuel). 

In this season when our attention is focused on gifts that we will give later, don't forget to notice the gifts that are right in front of us today.

Note: This is a companion to my post on Everyday Spirituality. If you have time, check it out!