The sound of a siren increased to an ear-piercing level as an emergency vehicle sped by my car. Its flashing lights glared through my windshield, illuminating the words "hazardous materials" printed on the side of the truck. Later, I learned it had been racing to a science laboratory where a 400-gallon container of sulfuric acid had begun to leak. Emergency workers had to contain the substance immediately because of its ability to damage whatever it came in contact with.

As I thought about this news story, I wondered what would happen if sirens blared every time a harsh or critical word "leaked" out of my mouth? Sadly, it might become rather noisy around our house.

The prophet Isaiah shared this sense of awareness about his sin. When he saw God's glory in a vision, he was overcome by his unworthiness. He recognized that he was "a man of unclean lips" living with people who shared the same problem (Isaiah 6:5). What happened next gives me hope. An angel touched his lips with a red-hot coal, explaining, "your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" (v. 7).

We have moment-by-moment choices to make with our words-both written and spoken. Will they be "hazardous" material, or will we allow God's glory to convict us and His grace to heal us so we can honor Him with everything we express?

Prayer for Today

Dear God, help me to see how my words affect other people. Show me how to encourage them.  Amen.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

-Ephesians 4:25

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is in theaters now and one of the most incredible films of Tom Hanks' career. It's about America's pastor, Mr. Rogers, and very much for adults and teens. The messages and themes are more important than ever. One of those poignant messages is one of the ideas Fred tried to impress on all of us throughout his life and ministry, a mantra of sorts. "Anything human is mentionable. Anything mentionable is manageable."

This is critical for all of us to learn, so we can navigate the tough subjects with which we wrestle, from faith and friendship and family to suffering, and as Fred says in the movie, death. Most of us are taught as polite Southerners or good Mid-westerners or pragmatic Northerners that speaking about hot topics like religion or politics. This is largely because we have forgotten that important childhood lesson from Mr. Rogers. The passion, the goodness, the mad or frustration we feel is mentionable and manageable. We can express ourselves in managed ways and "stop stop stop when we want." A skill that is essential to authentic and caring relationships and gatherings... like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This week, we will gather with the people we love, and many parties and gatherings in the weeks to come. We can be polite (or rude) or we can be authentic and loving. Fred said repeatedly that love wasn't a perfect state of caring. It requires of us to do the work. We may have to cover tough subjects or deal with relatives with whom we have had hard times over the years or faced mutual loss. We will have to offer and receive forgiveness, which Fred called, "It's a decision we make to release a person from the feelings of anger we have against them." In other words, we aren't called to just be polite and avoid the tough stuff. We are called to work very hard to love one another and manage our emotions together. I hope your gatherings will be full of that kind of authenticity and love. And I hope you have a beautiful day in your neighborhood.

Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to mention what matters and ask others for help. Because that's okay too. Amen.

"Fear not!" - Luke 1:30, KJV

When it comes to fear, we often seem to have something of a love/hate relationship with fear. For the most part, we don't like to be afraid. It makes us feel uncomfortable - at least for a while. Brain research tells us that when we are afraid, it activates the "fight or flight" parts of the brain that go back to our most primitive brain structures. When something scares us, we tend to react quickly - maybe because that response is what saved our ancestors from the lion prowling in the forest looking for the next meal. But, we still react the same way now when we are afraid -- even if there is no real lion anymore.

However, there are some of us who seem to like it when we are afraid! Many of us will actually pay someone to scare us. Between 1995 and 2013, we paid $7.6 billion to go to watch movies that make us feel afraid. And that doesn't include books, TV shows or video games that do the same thing. One psychologist suggests a reason for this: "Fear is a very normal human emotion. One way of mastering that fear is to put yourself in a fearful situation that you know is going to have some external controls." (Rahul Mehra) That psychologist goes on to say that it is often the assurance of safety that makes the fear worth the price of admission - the knowledge that, in the end, it is going to be okay. That feeling of the adrenaline rush, combined with the assurance that we made it through, feels good to some of us.

So, why is the message of "Fear Not" found in four of the stories about the birth of Jesus? Is it simply because folks are terrified when a real angel appears in each story, or is there more to it than that? That is what we will begin talking about this Sunday as we start Advent and look forward to the good news of the birth of Christ!

Prayer for Today

Loving God, when we face our fears in life, help us to remember you promised that you will always be with us, no matter what we face. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

But even there, if you seek God, your God, you'll be able to find him if you're serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul.

-Deuteronomy 4:29

The writer calls for us to seek God with all our being-heart, soul, and body. That's no small task.

Where are some places that you have experienced God's presence recently? Where were you? Who were you with?

I have been spending time over the past few weeks working with Susan McLeish to prepare our Advent devotional. I have been reflecting on how we prepare ourselves for Advent and thinking about ways that we can prepare a space for people to be open to experiencing and learning more about God's great love for us. Often times, my most meaningful experiences or "aha" moments happened when someone else had prepared a space where I was open to listen and look for God working in my life. They helped me to feel comfortable to ask questions and challenged me to open up my heart to encounter God.

Take the risk to find God today in your life. Search, and you will find God in unexpected places.

Every single encounter with God holds the promise of a new direction; a new perspective; a change of heart and mind. Go now resolved that your life will be different, transformed, made over again by the overwhelming grace of God.

Prayer for Today

God, help us to be bold in searching for you in unexpected places today. Surprise us with finding you in the actions and words of friends and strangers. Help us to find you today. Make your presence known to us in a real, tangible way. In Christ's Name, Amen.

Author Henri Nouwen recalls his visit to a museum in 

St. Petersburg, Russia, where he spent hours reflecting on Rembrandt's portrayal of the prodigal son. As the day wore on, changes in the natural lighting from a nearby window left Nouwen with the impression that he was seeing as many different paintings as there were changes of light. Each seemed to reveal something else about a father's love for his broken son.

Nouwen describes how, at about four o'clock, three figures in the painting appeared to "step forward." One was the older son who resented his father's willingness to roll out the red carpet for the homecoming of his younger brother, the prodigal. After all, hadn't he squandered so much of the family fortune, causing them pain and embarrassment in the process? (Luke 15:28-30).

The other two figures reminded Nouwen of the religious leaders who were present as Jesus told His parable. They were the ones who muttered in the background about the sinners Jesus was attracting (vv. 1-2).

Nouwen saw himself in all of them-in the wasted life of his youngest son, in the condemning older brother and religious leaders, and in a Father's heart that's big enough for anyone and everyone.

What about us? Can we see ourselves anywhere in Rembrandt's painting? In some way, every story Jesus told is about us.

Prayer for Today

Father, help me to see myself for how much You love me. Amen.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

-John 13:35

One of my happy duties as a pastor and youth worker is to document our activities through photography. And I try to teach and share this duty with our youth to capture new perspectives and free myself up for other duties. Like every good youth leader and parent, I typically force them all into one group photo at the end of a major event. It's rarely our best picture. It identifies everyone who was present, but doesn't capture the moments of interaction and relationship. But I left the camera on the tripod as we loaded the van at the end of our weekend retreat last Sunday. And the youth snapped some of our best photos of the weekend of pure joy and shenanigans. Pastor Neal saw the photos and commented, "they look like they love each other." They do.

Youth do things that we forget to do or choose not to do as adults. They're silly with each other. I think silliness is essential to love. Aside from the physical restrictions and limitations of aging we have as adults, when is the last time you gave a piggy back ride? Got one? Did a silly prom pose with three of your best guy friends? Laid across the legs of five friends in a queen size bed? Wrote your name in the smoke rising from a campfire? Gave someone bunny ears in a photo? Posed silly for a picture? On purpose? When did you last laugh till you cried and became totally vulnerable to a group of people? When did you last dance with no music? When did you last throw your arms around as many people as could squeeze into a selfie and take 10 pictures and try desperately to find one where you were the least blurry from laughter?

Next week is Thanksgiving. Many of us will have kids home from school or be at gatherings with grand-kids, nephews, and nieces. Watch those kids and youth. Watch how they love. Observe their silliness... and join it. Scripture tells us that what is foolishness to the world is wisdom to God's kingdom. Love, real, accepting, silly, irrational, unconditional love is foolishness to the world. It's blurry photos and cackles and superhero poses. This week, find young people, and join in their silliness. That's the kind of love, in which God delights and calls us to live. Take some selfies and dive deep in their joy. They'll know you're a disciple when they see your love. So will everyone. And love for children is great practice for loving everyone else.

Prayer for Today

God, make me known as one of yours through the eyes of love. Make me so joyful in the expression of my love that it marks me as yours. Amen.

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends...

- John 15:14-15a, NIV

I usually do not look to beer commercials on TV for inspiration, but recently I saw one that caught my attention. I really did not notice it until the very end of the commercial when it showed a few people who were obviously enjoying each other's company. It was then that the final words appeared on the screen: "A few friends are better than a thousand followers." The "thousand followers" part seemed to be directed at Twitter and those who might mistakenly think relationships are only about how many "followers" one might have. But, the picture of a few friends enjoying each other's company face-to-face, pointed to something deeper that may not be found online.

The words of Jesus from John's gospel found at the top of the page reminds us that Jesus often viewed those he encountered as his friends. Jesus even speaks of a transformation from "servants" to "friends." I think that one of the most important aspects of our Christian faith is relationships - first our relationship with God through Jesus; and secondly, our relationships with each other. Because Jesus calls us "friends" we can then become friends with one another. We need both kinds of friendships.

Recently, one of our church members was telling me that she and her husband had belonged to a number of larger congregations with thousands of members. However, she said that she and her husband had found many more friends as members of JCPC than at the larger churches they had belonged to before. Now that may seem kind of counterintuitive - if there are more people you should have more friends, right? Well, maybe it doesn't always work that way. I think one of the real gifts of a church the size of JCPC is that you don't get lost in a crowd and it may be easier to find friends. So, may God bless you with deep friendships.

Prayer for Today

Thank you, God, for calling us your friends. Help us to be faithful friends to one another as we reflect your love and grace into our world. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ, our Friend. Amen.

This past week I found myself praising God on numerous occasions. There was a sun drenched Monday which reflected the season of fall in all its glory. The leaves were a spectacular palate of colors pressed upon the Carolina blue sky. Later in the week, these same leaves were falling; sweeping across roads and roads powered by a brisk wind. Later, they would gently fall in the sub-freezing temperatures.

I would say prayers of praise and gratitude to God our creator. Prayers led to songs and I began to sing one of my beloved hymns For the Beauty of the Earth. Here are the lyrics.

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child:

Friends on earth, and friends above;

For all gentle thoughts and mild:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy Church that evermore

Lift'eth holy hands above,

Offering up on every shore

Her pure sacrifice of love;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

When I behold the beauty of the earth I can't help but worship. I think at the core of our being is the desire to behold the beauty of earth and to worship our Creator.

Here's how the psalmist states this drive to worship:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are him; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. -Psalm 100: 1-2

Notice that the hymn For the Beauty of the Earth doesn't end with us outside in nature! We are born and built to worship God and church is the place we share our joy through the beauty of our worship together. See you next Sunday and we'll share thanks and praise together!

Prayer for Today

Fill our hearts with such joy and awe, Creator God that we will shout for joy together as we gather to worship you. Amen!