iHOPE

Thank You For Each Moment

This morning we adapted a prayer by Ted Loder and wound it through the service. We needed to change some words and change some things to make it a responsive prayer. We also neede to shorten it a bit.

I thought we should also post the whole, unedited prayer so you could savor and enjoy it.  This prayer can be found in Loder's book, Guerillas of Grace.

 

 

Thank You for Each Moment  by Ted Loder

 

Oops! Let's Not Forget Thanksgiving!

I love Christmas, but let's not forget Thanksgiving!

That is what I did when I mistakenly listed in the bulletin that the sermon series for Christmas ("The Gospel According to Scrooge") is set to begin this Sunday, November 25. Instead, the theme for this Sunday is definitely about Thanksgiving.  We'll wait until December 2 (the first Sunday of Advent) to start thinking about Christmas.

Forgetting about Thanksgiving is an easy thing to do. If it is mentioned at all, Thanksgiving is most often referred to as:

1. A day to try out new recipes that are healthier/tastier/different than before, or
2. The official start of the Christmas shopping season.

If you want to keep Thanksgiving a significant day, here are a few suggestions:

Living With Loss While Others Are Celebrating

Do we have a right to distract ourselves from our pain    with joy?

Do we have a right to happiness, those of us who are walking with scars?

Do we have a right to joy?

To the future?

I remember those questions. I asked them, too.

Anne Brener in A Decembered Grief

One of the great ministries at New Hope over the years has been the ministry with those who are grieving. It is not a 'big' ministry in terms of size, but for those who have needed it, the Grief Care Ministry has been huge.The Grief in the Holidays Workshop (Saturday, November 17 from 10-2) is a powerful part of that ministry.

If you have been through grief, you will recognize the sentiment above. Beyond the question of whether a person who has suffered loss CAN celebrate, there is often a question that lurks below the surface: SHOULD a person celebrate again? Is it disloyal to celebrate? Does getting over my grief mean I have gotten over the person I have lost? 

Can You Honor Veterans and Worship the Prince of Peace at the Same Time?

 

  It wasn't always called, "Veteran's Day". For a long time it was known as "Armistice Day" and it commemorated the end of the "Great War"- the "War to End All Wars".  The reason it is now called, "World War I" is because it wasn't the end of all wars. Not even close.

  This Sunday is Veteran's Day and as we have done in past years, we will take some time to honor those who have served in the military. We asked for pictures and they have been pouring in. You will see more than 50 faces onscreen and we are going to have a unique time of recognition.

  Beyond pictures are the individual stories.  Some are particularly gripping. One of those is the story of Marine Darren Baldwin (nephew of Patti French). If you watch the clip above, you'll get to know Darren and the sacrifices that are sometimes (too many times) required by those who serve. This clip was posted about a year ago. Patti tells me that Darren isn't getting better. He is now bedridden, is on feeding tubes and needs care around the clock. I wish Darren's story was unique, but it is not. I'll bet you know others who have sacrificed much on our behalf.

  Veteran's Day can be a tricky thing in a church. Honoring those who fight in war as we worship the Prince of Peace can seem awkward. That is why some churches steer away from this and other military commemorations altogether. I think they are wrong to do so.