A family Christmas Tree Blessing

Many families bless their Christmas trees before lighting them. The evergreen of our Christmas trees is a symbol of everlasting life. It stands as a shelter over the Child in the manger. Here is a blessing you can use in your home...

Reading:
Our Lord Jesus Christ died upon the tree of the Cross.
He overcame the sin caused by our first parents,
Who ate of the forbidden tree of Paradise in the garden.
We trust in the sacrifice of Jesus, Whose manger points to Calvary.
If there is no cross in the manger, there is no Christmas.

Prayer: Lord Our God,We praise You for the light of Creation:the sun, the moon, and the stars of the night.We praise You for the Light of Israel:the Law, and the prophets,and the wisdom of the Scriptures.We praise You for Jesus Christ, Your Son:He is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Prince of Peace, Who fills us with the wonder of Your love.Lord God, let Your blessing come upon usas we light this tree.May the light and cheer it givesbe a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.May all who delight in this treecome to the knowledge and joy of salvation.

Sing together:
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, a lesson you can teach us.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, a lesson you can teach us.
That hope and love and faithfulness, are precious things we can possess.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, a lesson you can teach us.

Scripture reading – John chapter one (excerpts):
In the very beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. He created everything there is. In Him was life, and this life He gives to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not extinguish it…The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize him when He came. Even in His own land and among his own people, He was not accepted. But to all who believed and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God…the Word became flesh and lived here on earth among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one-and-only Son, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Prayer:
God of glory, let our hearts’ door be ever open, ready to welcome the newborn King.
Let us offer the best we have, to Him who gives us everything…Amen!

Fire insurance or discipleship?

We study and take seriously the teachings of Jesus, yet there are some who think the only important thing is what Jesus accomplished on the Cross, which gets us into Heaven. Jesus' purpose was not limited to getting us into Heaven. It was primarily to get us into the Kingdom of God…and the difference between those two ideas is enormous. The first is non-transformative and ego-serving. The second is radically life-altering, unto eternity. Genuine faith is always accompanied by repentance--a radical change in how we think and live as citizens in the present and eternal Kingdom. We have a new direction, not just a new destination. We follow Christ as His transformed disciples, not mere converts who have the password to Heaven's gates.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

~Prepare home-made Thanksgiving greeting cards
~Invite a single or elderly person over for Thanksgiving dinner
~Visit someone who’s hospitalized or in a nursing home
~Make a Thanksgiving praise banner
~Read Psalm 100 aloud at Thanksgiving dinner
~Write a letter of thanks to God from your family
~Read the story of the Pilgrims aloud before or after Thanksgiving dinner
~Sing a few praise choruses or the Doxology (“Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow”) at dinner
~Check with a local religious bookstore for special Thanksgiving decorations
~Have everyone in the family write on a slip of paper one thing they’re thankful for and tape them to a poster-board with the headline: “We give thanks for…”
~Make Thanksgiving place mats, place cards, and a centerpiece for the table.
~Buy or make a cornucopia and fill it with fruit, nuts, gourds and/or Autumn leaves
~Collect a family Thanksgiving offering for a missionary, or relief agency
~-Volunteer at a community food pantry or homeless shelter
~Attend your community’s Thanksgiving Eve inter-faith service

A life-and-death TEST

Paul regarded death with holy indifference. For many people, death is the greatest loss of all, but for Paul death was a promotion. Then he would see what he now believed. And so he declares in verse 21: “For me to love is Christ and to die is gain.” Christ was the purpose, power, and passion of Paul’s life.

This declaration poses a test for us:

“For me to live is ______________; to die is ______________.”

We fill in the blanks…

“For me to live is money--to die is to leave it all behind.”
“For me to live is popularity and prestige--to die is to be forgotten.”
“For me to live is pleasure--to die is the worst possible end of the party.”
“For me to live is power--to die is to lose it all.”
“For me to live is everything--to die is to cease to exist.”

Do we see death as our enemy, or as a gift? It's not easy to share Paul's ambivalence; let's at least try for his faith.

Praying & Paddling

For me, nothing beats kayaking down a calm river or around a lake. I get exercise, fresh air, great scenery, and a chance to pray and reflect on how God is working in my life. Unless I'm with another paddler, I can't help but pray while paddling. I've been paddling for about 5 years, and it's the best thing I've done for myself. There are many excellent put-ins in the greater Boston area. I wish I started this decades ago.

Tube Church

I invited a family to church recently and was told, “Our church is watching ____________ (a popular TV preacher).” I thought about this, and wondered:

--Does the TV preacher ever visit this family at their home (in person)?

--When there’s an illness in the family, does he stop by the hospital and pray with them?

--Will he get on his private jet and come here to baptize their children?

--Later on, will he conduct classes and confirm their children?

--Will he participate in their kids’ high school baccalaureate service?

--Will he attend graduation, birthday, retirement and anniversary parties at their home?

--Will he preside at weddings for them (after conducting premarital counseling)?

--Does the TV preacher ever call them on the phone just to see how they’re doing? Could they easily call him at his office or his home?

--If there’s a death in the family will the TV preacher conduct the funeral?

--How does this family receive Holy Communion? Will even one of the deacons or elders of any of the TV ministries bring the Bread and Cup to them?

--Will the TV preacher invite them over to his office for coffee?

--Does the TV preacher ever stop by where they work to see them?

--Can they list their TV preacher as a referral, for a character reference?

--When they don’t understand or agree with something they hear in a TV sermon, are they able to discuss this with the preacher after the service?

--When they are facing a tough decision or transition in their lives, does the TV preacher meet with them and offer pastoral advice?

--Do they enjoy fellowship activities with the people of TV preacher’s congregation?

--Do they really worship, or merely “watch” church?

--Do they use the Church Library of the TV preacher’s church to borrow devotional books and Bible study materials?

--If they’re having problems with housing, healthcare, employment, transportation, etc., will the TV preacher get involved, offer assistance, and give some good local referrals?

--What kind of religious education are their children getting, since they don’t go to Sunday School or Vacation Bible School?

--When they move into a new home, will the TV preacher come and do a house blessing?

--Will the TV preacher give them opportunities to serve the Lord on a church board or teach a class or sing in his choir?

--If he by chance happened to be visiting here on vacation and passed them on the sidewalk, would their TV preacher greet them by name?

Of course, none of the churches around here can attract the kinds of celebrities and musicians that flock to most TV ministries; none of the pastors here are best-selling authors, but the churches of our community can offer individuals a close, personal, caring relationship.

The only way TV preachers make a connection with people is by regularly asking them for money, to support their church. Jesus warns of preachers who “smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity…don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character…a genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook” (Matthew 7, the Message).

Most TV preachers, say some very good things, but they are no substitute for the worship and fellowship of a local church.

Perhaps the reason TV church is “enough” for some people is because it offers a no-commitment, “leave-me-alone” religion. The TV preacher is far enough away to pose no threat to people, who may even prefer him “at a distance”. They don’t have to be concerned that he might confront them with something they’d rather not hear…because they can easily grab their remote and turn him off or change the channel.

Church matters. Being involved in a local church is a vital as breathing. Church gives us strength to handle the tough choices and stressors that come to us, and gives us opportunities to live out our faith as we actively participate in church ministries. Church is rooted in community, being part of a family of faith.

“Let us consider how we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

"I'm thinking!"

Some of us remember Jack Benny. In a skit on his radio show, a robber held him up, pointed a gun at him and said, “Your money or your life.” After a long pause, Benny said, “I’m thinking! I’m thinking!”

“Is there a reason for living?” Solomon asks throughout Ecclesiastes. Many people find their purpose in material possessions, who live by the motto: “Greed is good.” Greed is more than wanting what someone else has--it’s wanting them to not have it. The Christian worldview does not mistake wealth for worth, nor does it endorse greed as a virtue. The Bible isn’t opposed to wealth, only to the unhealthy pursuit of happiness through any means apart from God. You can’t hug a mutual fund. If our primary goal in life is material wealth, we will end up with empty, futile lives and spiritual bankruptcy. So much for the idea that “I will be happy when I become rich.” Wiser minds speak of the “curse of riches.” Solomon in calls it “a grievous evil under the sun.” Materialism isn’t owning things, but being owned by things.

In the late 1800’s, an American tourist visiting Poland was welcomed at the home of a learned Rabbi, Hofetz Chaim. He was surprised to find the Rabbi’s home was a simple room filled with books, plus a table and bench. He asked, “Rabbi, where is your furniture?” “Where is yours?” replied the Rabbi. “Mine?” asked the puzzled American. “but I’m a visitor here; I’m only passing through.” “So am I”, said the Rabbi. Let’s not get too tied to this world, and we’re not home yet.