Miscellaneous Missives

He will  delight  in fearing the Lord. He won’t judge by appearances, nor decide by hearsay. He will judge the needy with righteousness, and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land. He will strike the land with the rod of his mouth; by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. Righteousness will be the belt around his hips, and faithfulness the belt around his waist.  - Isaiah 11:3-5 Ah, delight, now that's an Advent word if you get rid of fearing the Lord.  Didn't all the Advent and Christmas stories say, "Fear not"?  Let's stick with the word delight.  Sometimes I delight in being a obstinate.  For example, I sit at the back during meetings and geek on my computer.  Today's meeting was no different even though the dean of students parked himself back in my corner.  Some would think that since an administrator is in the back of the room that good behavior should ensue.  Unfortunately, I tend to think the opposite....

A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stump, from his roots a budding Branch. The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God. - Isaiah 11:1-2, The Message Where have you seen hope spring up in unexpected places? This day, watch for the life-giving breath of God in your midst, that brings wisdom and understanding. Desmond Tutu had inspirational words about Nelson Mandela that are fitting of Advent.  "Nelson Mandela embodied and reflected our collective greatness. He embodied our hopes and our dreams. He symbolized our enormous potential, potential that has not always been fulfilled." The wisdom we need in this world during Advent is the wisdom of our "collective greatness."  We are not alone in this world.  Together we can make the changes we hope we wish to see.  If we wait for one single person...

At that time there will be two men in the field. One will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other left. Therefore, stay awake! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t allow the thief to break into his house. Therefore, you also should be prepared, because the Human One[a] will come at a time you don’t know.  - Matthew 24:40-44,  The Message But in this text that continues from yesterday, we are reminded that sometimes more important than our doing, is our keeping watch on the here and now for signs of God's kin-dom breaking forth here on earth. Perhaps if we can stay alert and awake long enough, we might not only catch those glimpses of heaven, but help usher it in. This could be, perhaps, one of my least favorite Bible verses.  I'm not in favor of the some will be left behind ...

But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away. - Matthew 24:36-39 "The Jesus in the book of Matthew is aware of what’s coming, but he is also pretty focused on the needs of the day. In other words, he wasn’t so focused on the future that he ignored what the hungry, the imprisoned, the marginalized needed of him at that moment." First, I know this is blasphemous, but as I've said before, I'm not sure I believe in Heaven.  I believe in "heaven on Earth." IMHO, we need to be open to the amazement and focused on good behavior to make the world we live in a better place instead of doing it to "get into heaven."  Do people really bel...

But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the  time  and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!  -Romans 13:11-14, The Message  Book club was canceled tonight because of the snow.  It was a wise decision since my drive home from school was less than pleasant.  Instead of going out, I'm staying home, staying inside.  I have time to do anything I want.  As I tr...

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.” For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.  -Psalm 122:6-9 What will remain with you after this Advent journey? How will you spread the peace that God has given—the peace that surpasses all understanding—with others? I don't really know what will remain with me after this Advent season.  Maybe a better time to answer this is after Advent.  Perhaps I need to make peace with the fact that some of these prompts will not motivate me to write, but I am writing and posting pictures.  Speaking of making peace, I need to make peace with the fact that winter is unofficially here.  Officially it starts December 21st, but the snow that is starting to fall designates an unofficial start.  Yesterday the snow flakes were huge. ...

Bound I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem built as a city that is  bound  firmly together.​ -Psalm 122:1-3, New Revised Standard Version Other translations of this verse use the word  joined  or  compact  instead of bound. What experiences have bound you to something or someone? What people and places have built you into the person you are today? What memories do you join together to keep you going when you need encouragement? ​ Before I slid out of bed this morning, I checked my e-mail.  It's pathetic, but I am bound to my iPhone (iPad, any technology).  When I read today's posting from Rethink Church, I wondered how I was going to write about bound (joined or compact).  I think the word they're really looking for is bond.  What bond do you have that keeps you going?  Also, since Advent is a time of look...