iHOPE

The Unlit Candles of Christmas

Christmas is a time of candles and light, but it is not automatic. The candles of Christmas wait until someone chooses to light them. What is true for the candles on our tables, hearths, and sanctuaries is true for the light that shines through us. 

In the Church, it's called the season of Advent- which means "appearing" (for a 2-minute explanation of Advent, see the video at the end of this post.)  Candles have always played an important part in Advent. We light a candle every week in worship, each with a different theme:

Hope  +  Peace  +  Joy  +  Love

It's more than simply repeating the practices of the past, of course.  It is also an invitation to the future.  At its best, Advent pulls us into what is "yet to be"- God's future. The real choice of lighting candles is not to extend a familiar tradition one more year, but whether to embody  God's hope, peace, joy, and love today. 

That means the most important "candle" you will light this month...is you.

How do you relight that candle? What will help rekindle your passion and faith?   What miracles of the Spirit need to happen so Christ appears in you?

Here Are Two Simple Things You Can Do:

A Big Table, Indeed!

We hosted the community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service last night and people are still smiling.

They should!

People from many traditions came to share how the universal virtue of Gratitude was experienced and nurtured in their tradition.  The presentations were meaningful and thoughtful. The evening was joyous.

It was also timely. 

The spirit of the time is isolating us. More and more reasons are found there for why we can't sit at the same table, live in the same community, or exist in the same world.  "Different" is viewed as "dangerous." 

Gratitude undermines that spirit and unites us. Gratitude reminds us that all is a gift and that gift is bigger than our differences. More than ever, it was good to be reminded that differences don't need to threaten us. They can enrich us.

In a time when "religion" is too-often experienced as part of the problem, it was gratifying to be part of a religious ceremony where people of different faiths came together to express gratitude- and got to be on the solution-side of things.

Thank you to all who participated, including the 80 plus folks who comprised the Community Choir.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving Around a Big Table

"We are at our best when we invite people to a Big Table."

That is one of our five core values at New Hope.  It seems like a pretty good reminder for Thanksgiving, too. 

That is why I am excited about hosting an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Thursday, November 21 @ 6:30. The theme is "Living Gratitude Together," and we will have participants from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and other faith communities sharing how gratitude and thanksgiving are expressed in their tradition. There will be an all-community choir singing a piece we have recently used in worship (Awakening.)  What begins in the Sanctuary will flow afterward into a reception in Fellowship Hall with favorite Thanksgiving desserts.

"One Day" & The Cycle of Gratitude

 

The Cycle of Gratitude keeps getting larger. The Recipient is blessed, but so is the giver. Gratitude increases. The world is made better and the work of God expands.  The Cycle of Gratitude...

Wholehearted Gratitude

Did you catch the video we showed in worship this morning? It's from David Steindl-Rast and I never get tired watching it! It is the perfect introduction to this month's theme: Wholehearted Gratitude.

What is the key to living wholeheartedly? Begin with Gratitude.  Gratitude is not only a window into the health of our hearts, but it is also the medicine that makes them whole. More than that, Gratitude makes the world sacred, again. 

Our 5x5* habit this month is to recall at least five things every day for which you can rejoice and give thanks. As you practice gratitude (yes, it takes practice!), watch what begins to happen to your mood, your mindset and the people around you.

Our memory verse of the month:

 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

Everything changes when we begin with Gratitude (starting with us!)

*5x5 is shorthand for Everyday Spirituality:5x5, which is a Rule of Life for the 21st century.  Check it out and begin the practices that make every day sacred and your own life flourish.