Life as Advent

Luke 2: 6-15 (NIV) “⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Merriam-Webster describes the term “Advent” in three ways: ‘the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting’, ‘the coming of Christ at the incarnation’, and ‘second coming’. Prayer and fasting are a strong way to get into the coming of Christ.

photo courtesy of
GraphicStock

Churches all over the globe and of a wide range of denominations celebrate Advent with the lighting of five candles, one for each of the four Sundays before Christmas and the fifth for Christmas Eve as the Christ Candle. As I watched the Love candle being lit this past Sunday, the third of Advent, I considered the meaning of Advent, considered it to the point that it framed my write up of the El Rio Toy Ride in which I’d ridden in the day before.

If we are practitioners of Advent, to what purpose is our practice? To improve at lighting the Advent candles of Hope, Peace, Love, Joy, and finally the Christ Candle? No, I don’t think that is the case. Rather, I believe that our liturgical approach to Advent is to serve as inspiration to improve at hoping, loving, being joyful, and in finding and advocating peace. Finally, we are to improve at being Christians. That is, we must improve at being Christ’s expression on earth of the four elements of Advent; hope, peace, love, and joy.

My friends Merriam and Webster go on to say that the non-capitalized version of advent is ‘a coming into being or use’ as in the advent of winter for the start of our flu season. I feel like this is a more action oriented version, the verb sense, than the noun ‘Advent’ as a thing or season. I like this because it can spur us into the action of living our lives as the advent of Christ’s coming, His presence now on earth.

I’m going to risk getting a little deeper with what I found during my research than I usually do and if my friends Lee and Darren read this and find my interpretation off, they are welcome to weigh in. Advent comes from the Latin adventus which is the common translation of the Greek parousia. Parousia is referenced to the Second Coming of Christ. This allows us to share in the longing for the Messiah as well as encouraging us to be vigilant to His Second Coming, to advent it now and to all whom we meet and in how we live. Life as Advent.

I’ll wrap it up by providing a YouTube link to Charles Shultz’s Linus reading the scripture I led off with, the advent descending upon the shepherds. This is my all-time favorite Christmas video clip:

Enjoy, go out and advent Christ in all you do to everyone you meet. Turn the tide. Merry Christmas.

In His grip, jerry

This Crooked Stick

“²⁶Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”1 Corinthians 1: 26 -31 (NIV)

          My friend Josh Horton said something about God using crooked sticks to draw straight lines and attributed his quote to the artist Propaganda, a rap artist that has been billed as a poet and political activist, a husband and father, and an academic and emcee. This was a couple of weeks ago at The Big Picture Weekend and the saying has been rattling around in my thoughts since then. I suppose that it resonates with me in identifiable ways beginning with my paternally given nickname “Stick” and ending with my knowledge that I am imperfect and anything good that comes out of me must be from God.

          I researched the phrase and found that some of the earliest attributions date back to the German reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) as well as Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), Founder of the Jesuit Order. A similar quote from Thomas Watson (1620-1686), Puritan and Nonconformist preacher and author, reads "God can strike a straight stroke by a crooked stick." The thought has been around for a long time and these are variations on theme from my leadoff scripture, 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31. Most of us are well aware of our shortcomings when stacking ourselves up to Godliness and yet Christ is able to use us and loves doing so.

          Other sayings offer the same sentiment. “God Uses Cracked Pots” is a book by Patsy Clairmont. See 2 Corinthians 4: 7. Another is when God used a donkey to speak to Balaam to show Balaam the truth. (Numbers 22) And, earlier today Jim McClelland and I were riffing during a text session about some events that adversely affected how we go about things and surprising both of us. To a final comment Jim said, “The imperfections of each strand of the rope, eh?” Ecclesiastes 4: 12b says this about that, ”A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (NIV) This is especially true when we are finely twined with Christ, our imperfects become moot.

          We’ve used the theme “It’s Not About Me” in Junior High Ministries often. When I am asked about, or rather, unduly praised about Mission Arizona this is most likely to be my response, “It cannot be about me.” If it were, the results would blow around like the sands of the Sonoran Desert rather than take root in the kids and bear fruit in many wonderful ways.

          As it goes, this crooked stick is pleased to be of service and if my pot is cracked, let the light of Christ shine through.

Even the crooked stick
can bloom

For the record when Paul said “as it is written” he quoted Jeremiah 9: 23 – 24:

²³This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

or the strong boast of their strength

or the rich boast of their riches,

²⁴but let the one who boasts boast about this:

that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,” (NIV)

In His grip, jerry

Many Hats

^“19Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9: 19 -23

          This morning I awoke to for a short communications update prior to heading out to work with my contactor on our new front deck and cover. One of my friends posted a beautifully written sentiment on how she will have a week alone with each of her sons over the next month and contrasted how each of those weeks was likely to pan out, so different from each other; one with a fast pace filled with projects, friends, and spontaneity, the other to be simplified and basic, honoring each other’s space while inviting the other into deep thought and consideration. In the post, I could sense her excitement at both of the coming weeks and her wonder at having two boys so very different from one another.

          The thought came to me that she was being ‘all things to all people’ and I commented on that in my reply to her. I took the above scripture out to front and had it rattling around in my mind and spirit as I worked the jackhammer on a stubborn bit of concrete on an ancient landing to our front door.

          We know that as Christians we are to be in the world but not of it. Upon reading First Corinthians 9 I see that we need to be all things to all people. For me; when writing this post I need to perceptive, when working the jackhammer with a contractor – rough and ready, when riding motorcycles with friends – Shakespeare on a bike, when with kids – as a child, when with family – a son, dad, brother, whatever to whomever.

          Something stood out for me in reading my friend’s post. For her sons she will behave differently for each so that each will feel valued, honored…loved. And yet, she will be the same thing for both – mother. It is like that for Christians as we are out and about in the world in the various venues that we find ourselves, we will be different for the different folks that we encounter but we must remain one thing for them all – a child of Christ. In that regard we must be consistent.

          In my work-a-day world I often described myself as a chameleon and often changed my modus operandi to fit the meeting and meet the needs of those present in order to move things along and accomplish our goals. I’ve carried that modus into life. I do this, we do this, not without some risk. We change how we are operating at the risk of losing sight of who we are in Christ. It is then that we lose touch with Jesus and lose the opportunity so “that by all possible means I might save some.”  And there lies the tragedy if we do not remain firmly planted in the Kingdom while wondering around on earth.

So we should be all things to all people, God’s handymen and handywomen, jacks of all trades, wearers of many hats, and remain steadfast in ourselves as Christ’s disciples.

In His grip, jerry

Fan Into Flame

“Fan into flame’ or ‘Ordination to Proxy’

Thanks to Pastor Neal for the use
of his cool slide and the sermon

^“6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” 2 Timothy 1:6-9a (NIV)

My young friend Tim Gray was ordained this weekend to the ministry of the word and sacrament and I am now free to call him the Reverend Tim Gray or any other derivative that seems to fit at the time. I am honored to have been asked to participate in his service of ordination. Honored and humbled. Honored, humbled, and challenged. Challenged that I need to continue on the path God has before me and to stay firmly ensconced in His story. I believe that there is a conspiracy afloat in that regard what with Tim honoring me as he did and others patting me on the back for things that I’ve done simply because I’m too stubborn stop.

Tim’s service was an amazing time of worship, prayer, the consuming of God’s word, blessing one another, laying on of hands in his commission, and a reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant to name a few. The elements of the service built one upon the other until we saw Tim well ordained.  He then served his first communion after which he charged us with a genuine authority from a shepherd’s heart. I was glad that I got to call our gathering to worship and offer the opening prayer, it allowed me to participate in the other service elements with prayer and blessing without performance anxiety hanging over my head.

Tim’s former pastor, the Reverend Neal Neuenschwander, has been a mentor to Tim as he accepted the call while at The First Presbyterian Church San Pedro. Pastor Neal gave a powerful sermon based on 2 Timothy 1: 1-7. I’m still working it through and coming to terms with it while hoping for far reaching effects. He took such joy in God’s word that it was/is contagious and I for one felt emboldened to the point that when we were laying hands on Tim, much like Paul did for his young protégé, I sensed the power and authority being processed through each of us to Tim. I pray that it will be a wellspring for Tim to draw upon again and again throughout his ministry.

While talking with Pastor Neal after the service I remembered a former pastor that I served under who used to say that at weddings, everybody got a little more married. I feel like that was the case during this service, we were a little more ordained to our callings whether it be singing in a choir, serving cookies at fellowship, being an elder, teaching, preaching, or praying, whatever – we all are ordained for the purpose of His calling on us and the more so with this powerful sermon and service.

As I worked through what ‘ordination’ means I tried to find a way to extend Tim’s ordination to any and all who have had anything to do with his development and was going to say that y’all have been a little more ordained to your calling by proxy even if you were unable to be present. When I really looked at those two words, ordination and proxy, I saw that I was wrong in how I intended to present them. Nevertheless, rest assured that if you impacted Tim’s growth to the ministry, one way or t’other, you have been further ordained to carry out your calling. Go to it.

That being said, I have not been deterred from pairing the two words and find that as I have dug in about this I have a deeper understanding of them and how they relate to each other. In short, to ordain is to “invest officially with ministerial authority. And, a proxy is a person who is given the power and authority to do something on behalf of someone else. So, we are therefore ordained by Christ to act on His behalf on earth as Jesus stands at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:56) We are Jesus’ proxies and ordained to His truth and grace and to have them operate in us and through us to all we encounter.

          “Fan into flame the gift of God…”

In His grip, jerry

Grace - Graceful - Full of Grace

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling 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.” John 1: 14 (NIV)

Jesus is full of grace and truth. He is our shining example, our mentor for graceful earthly living. I have seen the phenomenon resident in individuals on the trails of the Eastern Sierra, riding with me in groups of motorcyclists, in my family and friends, in children whom I’ve been tasked to watch over, and displayed with prominence in room 7C at Oak Park. Therefore, I am blessed beyond measure, the blessings overflow the cup I’m given, and I hope the excess spills over those in need of more.

Grace as defined in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary – “1a: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b: a virtue coming from God c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace”

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12: 9

with permission from
graphicstock.com

When I am in need and languish in brokenness I am reminded that His grace is sufficient for me and that it must be enough for me to continue. Jesus’ sacrifice has made it so. Webster tells us and we are taught that God’s grace is freely given to us without merit and for His glory. Paul tells us that it is sufficient for us. Take it, it’s free (but not without the cost of ‘self’) and a requirement of the Kingdom of God.

Chris Tomlin wrote a great song of praise, “Your Grace is Enough”. Every time I sing it I’m met exactly where I am in my walk of faith. For your edification, the first verse, chorus, and refrain:

Great is Your faithfulness oh God

You wrestle with the sinner’s heart

You lead us by still waters and to mercy

And nothing can keep us apart

So remember Your people

Remember Your children

Remember Your Promise

Oh God

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough for me

Graceful as defined in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary – “1: displaying grace in form or action 2: pleasing or attractive in line, proportion, or movement”

^“21My son, do not let wisdom leave your sight.

Carefully observe sound judgment and discernment,

²²and they will be life to you

and a graceful ornament for your neck.

²³Then you will travel safely on your way,

and your foot will not stumble.

²⁴When you sit down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.

²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden disaster,

or the devastation that comes to the wicked.

²⁶Indeed, the LORD will be your confidence,

and he will keep your foot from being caught.”

Proverbs 3: 21-26 (ISV)

And so we appear graceful to those around us when we cling to God’s wisdom and when we pay close attention to sound judgment and discernment. To the casual observer we go through life as the deer through the forest and the antelope over the plains. They will either see it without understanding or they will understand and come to believe.

Today, accept His grace as it has been poured out on Calvary, seek his wisdom and wear it as a garland, and go about your day full of grace to dance in God’s presence.

In His grip, jerry

Float Like a Hummingbird

Morning devotions
(couldn't snag one of our Picnic Dinner)

Acts 2: 42-45 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.”

Wilderness Tour ’15 – Float Like a Hummingbird

I know, I now. Muhammad Ali said, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Well, I felt like I was floating like a hummingbird during our Wilderness Tour Picnic Dinner the Monday evening after our first day-hike. I floated, I flitted from one person to the next, darting in and tasting their day. We shared; old friends, young friends, old not-so-young friends, and a collection of new friends shared the best that the day had to offer.

Earlier, while four of us waited for the shuttle that would take us from Agnew Meadow back to Mammoth Village after our hike to Shadow Lake I had the opportunity to observe a pair of Rufus Hummingbirds. This should explain my use of these amazing birds in my analogy. First, the male appeared across the road and darted about from flower to flower occasionally popping up to hover and turn this way and that, searching and looking over the landscape while checking us out as well. Soon his mate turned up and alit on a nearby bush. The male went into his courtship dance rising straight into the air twenty or more feet before diving straight down to his love interest. I’ve seen them rise up to fifty or sixty feet in more open country. Just as he passed her and before entering into his loop to rise again he let out an ear-piercing chirp, easily the loudest sound I hear from these tiny birds. After several of these displays the two rose together and spiralled round and round each other in a frantic dance. They broke off to taste a flower or two and then darted off into the forest.

I felt just like my little friend as I darted around the picnic area and then pulling back to hover and turning, first one way then another, while I considered where to pick up a little nectar of someone’s glorious day. It was such a pleasant sight; twenty-eight of God’s people in animated discussion and reliving experiences while on wilderness trails of varying difficulties. We all should have been tired and ready for some quiet in-room contemplation but we couldn’t get enough of being with each other. This was as it should have been.

We were blessed with an infusion of LCPC kids in Mammoth for a week of altitude training with the CVHS Cross Country Team. They’d run, worked out, ran some more, and yet, were as lively (and lovely) as the rest of the WL Tour people. We ate our picnic dinner that was largely designed and prepared by our own Chef/Pastor Andy Wilson. That guy is a dynamo. Dinner was followed by a wonderful discussion about the local geology as delivered by Doug Given. The group gobbled up the information like desert only to follow it up with insightful questions asking for more.

I had full day, first waking early with hummingbirds darting about my stomach (have to maintain theme here) with thoughts of starting off the week with my devotion knowing that the brokenness that had been building for days was just below the surface. I shared my little story, choked up and let a tear fly as I am apt to do, and all in the midst of heroes in every sense of the word. Missionaries were sprinkled about through the group like raisins in a prime cup of Raisin Bran cereal; the whole Kennedy family who serve in Cairo, Egypt here for R&R, Young Chul Oh serving in northern Thailand here on an educational sabbatical, Lauren Gossett back from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Holly Wilson recently returned from Nepal where she was serving during the massive earthquake that rocked the Himalayas. There were many DR trip veterans and a bunch of friends who’ve served with me on Mission Arizona trips. I was at the same time humbled and uplifted.

As I sit back just now and hover in my chair, first looking at the previous paragraph I’ve just written, then to my notes, then to the list of WL ’15 Tour members, I can see that each one is God’s servant in a critical mission in His Kingdom. ‘Twas grace that brought us together and we found restoration, recuperation, and renewal.

I assure you that the days that followed were full of the same. Praise God!

In His grip, jerry

Thundering Quotes

Wilderness Tour ’15 – Thundering Quotes

This Calvary’s Thread post is more whimsical than most found in this venue. Don’t let that fool you. I took serious joy in collecting these quotes during our Tuesday hike to the Tuolumne swimming hole. A couple of other strategic areas during the day yielded quotable material as well. For me, this is a joy that can only be experienced while talking with members of Christ’s Family. There is one quote that I sincerely plan on resisting but feel compelled to report it anyway in the effort to be fair and objective. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine which it is knowing that the sleepiest will get it right away.

Thunder rolled around off and on throughout our trek alongside the Tuolumne River in the highlands of The Yosemite National Park. Thunder plays a big role in the bible and my thoughts on the phenomenon bounced around like echoes and conjured thoughts about what could be determined in the sound of it. Here are a few that I found flipping through the scriptures:

Mark 3:17 “James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’…”

Job 40:9 “Do you have an arm like God’s and can your voice thunder like his?”

Isaiah 29:6 “the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise…”

1 Samuel 12:18 “Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain…”

And Psalm 77:18 “Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world…”

While on the trail and upon our return to the trailhead I asked some of my hiking partners from the day their thoughts on thunder. The following are some of their quotes, I’ll leave it to you to determine who the various speakers might have been:

• “We are racing the rain.”
• “Brian.” (for obvious biological reasons)
• “Jesus’ stomach growling…”
• “Bowling” and “God Bowling”
• “Voice of God”
• “There is a song about thunder being God’s voice and not fearing the sound of His voice…”
• “Rattling sheet metal…”

During our commute to and from Tuolumne Meadows for the day’s hike two things stood out to me from our discussions. One was a new term coined by our own Josh Horton, “Assurement”. This ersatz writer’s attempts to define the term came up blank and I can only say that I believe he was using the French term “assurément”. I can attest to you that the term “Bus Plunge” we discussed during our traverse through the Tioga Pass with shear drop-offs and without the benefit of guardrails was no assurément. Thanks be to God for Doug’s expert driving.

One of my own quotes elicited a good laugh but will go on to be the basis of a more serious post later this week. My new friend Michael Lopez gave an inspirational morning talk. One take away I had was “Don’t Tex and climb.” A humorous quote for really serious point that I will attempt to do justice to in a subsequent post.

Scene of the crime: The Burger Barn in Bishop California. The crime: several of our burger hounds had pulled three tables together around the corner of a building and I was the last to go round to find a seat. One of the excellent Burger Barn employees, a heavily tattooed young man and eager to please, picked up a chair and carried it around the corner for me. As he set the chair down at the far end he said, “I’ll just set this down here for you, Pop.” Nuff said.

Tuolumne Swimming Hole
and Slide

My favorite quote of the day came while I was swimming with Sammy Kennedy at the waterhole. There is a main pool fed by a smaller upper hole via a gentle, six-foot slide. Young Oh had been the first use the slide, the older boys who ventured to swim, Michael Van Citters and Austin Marks, followed suit. I swam over to enjoy the cold spa feeling of sitting under the waterfalls feeding the upper pool. When Sammy, an 11 year old jewel complete with his red baseball cap, came to the pool and worked his way over to the slide I asked him if he was going to slide down. To my inquiry he turned and gave me a serious look while saying, “I feel it is part of my obligation of being a boy.” He turned back to the task and promptly slid down to the great pool below.

To all my friends and readers, I wish for you to stay in touch with your inner child and adhere to the obligations therein, to go about life in happiness, and with Joy in your heart. Hear the thunder and smile.

In His grip, jerry