Book recommendation:  Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads With an Indian Elder by Kent Nerburn. Though this book records Kent's encounter with Dan, a Lakota elder, it is filled with incisive observations. The author (and the reader) learns some hard truths about himself and his assumptions about Indians. Check out the author's website, www.kentnerburn.com.

God Finds Us

Read 2 Samuel 7:1-17

How does that make you feel to hear God has already FOUND YOU?  

Luke 2:1-6 and 2 Peter 3:8-15a

In Luke, Mary and Joseph are in the waiting game.  Wait to go to Bethlehem.  Wait on a donkey.  Wait to find a place to stay.  Wait in a stinky stable.  Wait for Baby Jesus to be born.  Endless waiting. 

This past Sunday, I led our students in a spiritual practice called Lectio Divina (latin for Divine Reading).  A Biblical passage is read 3 times, with time to reflect between each reading.  After reading the story of Zechariah being struck mute after the news of his wife's miraculous pregnancy (Luke 1:5-24), my eyes wandered down the page.  I was using a Student Study Bible where highlighted at the bottom of the page was a short reflection titled, "Elizabeth and Zechariah: End of an Era".

Luke 1:18-25

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Genesis 3:1-7

 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals God made.  He said the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"  

The First Sunday of Advent (November 27) marks the beginning of a new year in our church. It is a time when we yearn for the gift that God promises the world through the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.  When gathered for worship, we lean forward, anticipating the fulfillment of the promise of new life.  Through our songs and prayers, we confidently proclaim the present reality of all things new in Jesus Christ!

During the Advent season, we so often refer to “waiting,” waiting for the birth of the Christ child, waiting for the second coming of Christ.  And at first glance, waiting implies a passive posture.  You wait for the bus.  It’s not there yet, so you sit and wait.  Waiting rooms are lined with chairs as clients remain seated until their name is called.