When my husband, Dan, was diagnosed with cancer, I couldn't find the "right" way to ask God to heal him. In my limited view, other people in the world had such serious problems-war, famine, poverty, natural disasters. Then one day, during our morning prayer time, I heard my husband humbly ask, "Dear Lord, please heal my disease." 

It was such a simple but heartfelt plea that it reminded me to stop complicating every prayer request, because God perfectly hears our righteous cries for help. As David simply asked, "Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love" (Psalm 6:4).

That's what David declared during a time of spiritual confusion and despair. His exact situation isn't explained in this psalm. His honest pleas, however, show deep desire for godly help and restoration. "I am worn out from my groaning," he wrote (v. 6).

Yet, David didn't let his own limits, including sin, stop him from going to God with his need. Thus, even before God answered, David was able to rejoice, "the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer" (vv. 8-9).

Despite our own confusion and uncertainty, God hears and accepts the honest pleas of His children. He's ready to hear us, especially when we need Him most.

Prayer for Today

Dear God, as you cleanse our hearts, grant us courage to ask for Your divine help, believing that You hear us and will answer. Amen.

The angel said to him, "Zacharias, 

do not be afraid. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son. You are to name him John.

-Luke 1:13

The angel said to her, "Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God.

-Luke 1:30

The angel said to the Shepherds, "Do not be afraid. See! I bring you good news of great joy which is for all people.

-Luke 2:10

This past Saturday, our 13 year old and I had a big first... his first All-State band tryout. He had practiced and prepared, but was nervous nonetheless that it wasn't adequate. We sat and waited for his turn in the school cafeteria with dozens of other kids practicing and waiting. I wondered how many were nervous and excited, ready for something new, and how many felt prepared. I figured in our moment of hope and expectation, I'd call in some prayers. I texted three of our recent youth graduates who were active in marching band, one of whom had been a drum major.

They each replied with similar sentiments that made me quite proud of their maturity and experience. They all indicated that going to one's first all-state tryout under-prepared is in itself a bit of a right of passage, but that it helps to adjust for more realistic expectations in the future. And they agreed anyone could and should be anxious, but that they'd pray for him. To me, their messages were familiar. Like the words of God's messengers to the holy family and Elizabeth and Zechariah. "You won't be prepared. It's okay to be anxious while you wait, but don't be afraid. You won't be alone."

I'm sure Joseph and Mary, as well as their cousins were full of anxiety and hope for their children. And I'm sure that messages from those with experience, close to the source, assurances they weren't alone were meaningful and calming. They were for me and my child. As you wait for Christmas and prepare your heart and home for what is coming and any anxiety that accompanies those preparations, I hope you'll hear from people and messengers and still small voices that peace is coming and you are not alone. Peace. You are not alone.

Prayer for Today

Lord, help me be at peace this Advent. Remind me I am yours and not alone. Amen.

"That was a lot of beautiful music." Those were the words I heard myself repeating this past Sunday when folks asked me about our worship services. I felt gratitude for a number of things, but especially for our Chancel Choir. My thankfulness was not only for what they did on a "big" Sunday, like one that contains "a lot of beautiful music" - but also for the not-so-big services all through the year when they lead us in worship. For most of the year, they meet each Wednesday night and part of Sunday morning to prepare for worship. Not only do I appreciate their musical gifts, but I admire their diligent rehearsing each week. In recent years, that choir is not only a musical group, it also functions as a small group. Walking by the choir room on Wednesday evenings, I have heard laughter as they enjoyed each other's company, and seen tears as they prayed for one another in hard times.

Last Saturday I took time during the preparation for Sunday's worship to welcome our eleven guest musicians and five soloists who were hired to help our choir lead worship. Knowing that some of them may not have come from church backgrounds, I shared with everyone these words from our Presbyterian Book of Order about the place of music in worship:

The singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is a vital and ancient form of prayer.  Singing engages the whole person, and helps to unite the body of Christ in common worship. The congregation itself is the church's primary choir; the purpose of rehearsed choirs and other musicians is to lead and support the congregation in the singing of prayer. Special songs, anthems, and instrumental music may also serve to interpret the Word and enhance the congregation's prayer. Furthermore, many of the elements of the service of worship may be sung. Music in worship is always to be an offering to God, not merely an artistic display, source of entertainment, or cover for silence. (W-2.0202)

I thank God for our Chancel Choir and the gift of beautiful music!

Prayer for Today

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. (The Doxology)

I seem to be surprised a lot by the passage of time. Sometimes it's hard to settle down in the midst of all the internal and external chaos. We are entering into a season of holidays that are filled with so many events and celebrations. Each year this season often sneaks up on me and I feel a sense of being overwhelmed by all that happens in the next 13 days. When the to-do list keeps growing, my stress level increases and then I am reminded of God's invitation through the prophet Isaiah:

All of you who are thirsty, come to the water! Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat! Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk! Why spend money for what isn't food, and your earnings for what doesn't satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good; enjoy the richest of feasts. Listen and come to me; listen, and you will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful loyalty to David.

-Isaiah 55:1-3

When I get overwhelmed during this season, I have learned to stop and notice what I am doing, what I am buying, and how I am using my time. God's promise is for a deeper life, a different way of living, one that doesn't balance on the edge of chaos and collapse but is grounded in God's abundant, generous, restful life.

At the height of his success, when the crowds pressed him for more, Jesus drew away to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16). When anyone else would have been hurrying faster, trying to perform bigger miracles and preaching to more people, he took a slower path, really seeing even lepers along the way (Luke 17:14) and noticing a woman who touched the hem of his cloak (Luke 8:45).

Life, schedules, demands, needs - they'll never let up. But God's promise is that in the midst of life's chaos, in spite of life's chaos, there is a different path, a better way, into which we can live.

I would invite you to be overwhelmed by the presence of God in the birth of our Savior rather than overwhelmed by the chaos of the season.

Today, what will you do to live into that better way, grounded in God's abundant life?

May you find God's peace and enjoy the richest of feasts as we enter into a season of thankfulness and gratitude for the amazing gift of God, in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Prayer for Today

Gracious God, guide us into a way of life grounded in your love. May we take time to stop and experience your peace and nourishment this holiday season. In Christ's Name, Amen.

Advent is a time where light and darkness co-mingle in a redemptive dance. John's gospel announces the mystery this way:  

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  -John 1: 4-5

St. Paul continues the theme:

"For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;"   -2 Corinthians 4: 6-8

Earthen vessels we are; chipped, cracked and imperfect. Yet it is the light that shines through our brokenness that reflects the redemptive dance of Advent.

The great singer-writer Leonard Cohen offered these lyrics in his song Anthem that reflects this truth:

"Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

The story of Emmanuel, God with us, is the incarnational story of Jesus being God incarnate and entering into our brokenness in order to heal us. Strange mystery this incarnation, it isn't the perfect offering we bring to God, but rather God's light shining through our cracks, our human brokenness.

This coming Sunday, December 15, 2019 in our Great Hall at 5:00 p.m. we will worship God as earthen vessels through whom God's love light shines brightly. Our Stephen Ministry is hosting a Blue Christmas service where we pray for healing and wholeness in the light of the one born in Bethlehem. Please join us and bring a friend. The light of the world is the love of God. Come all ye faithful and experience God's love.

Prayer for Today

Light of the world, come shine brightly through our cracks and brokenness. Where we are broken heal us and teach us to love deeply for it is in the depth of our wounds that you heal us. Amen.

According to an old story, a man named Nicholas (born in 

ad 270) heard about a father who was so poor that he couldn't feed his three daughters, much less provide for their future marriages.

Wanting to assist the father, but hoping to keep his help a secret, Nicholas threw a bag of gold through an open window, which landed in a sock or shoe drying on the hearth. That man was known as St. Nicholas, who later became the inspiration for Santa Claus.

When I heard that story of a gift coming down from above, I thought of God the Father, who out of love and compassion sent to earth the greatest gift, His Son, through a miraculous birth. According to Matthew's gospel, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son whom they would call Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (1:23).

As lovely as Nicholas' gift was, how much more amazing is the gift of Jesus? He left heaven to become a man, died and rose again, and is God living with us. He brings us comfort when we're hurting and sad; He encourages us when we feel downhearted; He reveals the truth to us when we might be deceived.

Prayer for Today

Jesus, thank You for the way You left Your Father to be born in humble circumstances. May I never take for granted Your presence in my life.  Amen.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

-John 3:16

Christmas is my favorite. I freely admit I'm a sucker for every Christmas movie and TV episode ever. I own a stack of them none of my friends can rival and I eagerly dive in each year. So many of them explain in touching or silly or sad moments some facet of the meaning of Christmas. Spoiler alert - there are many. One of my favorites is in Home Alone. The film is primarily a story of a child outwitting burglars and surviving being left home alone. But anyone who has seen it knows that it remains so popular because the main character, a bratty child, learns to appreciate his family, and they, him.

In one particular scene, toward the climax, the kid has realized how much he needs and misses his family. He heads to see Santa on Christmas Eve, catching him with his beard down, trying to get into his car. He says he's old enough to know how this works and even though he isn't the real Santa, he knows he works for him. He says that instead of toys, please tell Santa he just wants his family back. This is remarkable as a breakthrough, but also because it's already been revealed that he knows he doesn't deserve presents at all this year, that he's been "a pain." But he's still expecting Santa will come and bring gifts.

I think that reveals the remarkable child-like faith we are all to emulate. This is important! The original historical St. Nicholas brought gifts to poor children and helped poor families. His gifts were not a reward for a year of good behavior, but a reminder of the gift of grace Christ was to our world, and each of us. We do a disservice to St. Nick and to Christ, as well as our kids, when we emphasize the naughty and nice list or the behavior-monitoring duties of elves on shelves. Gifts are not earned. Gifts are given for love, for relationship. And every kid knows what we can only learn from them... gifts come because we need them, because we expect them, because we are loved.

This Christmas, celebrate the magic and myths of Santa and elves and flying reindeer, but be sure the emphasis is on the mystery of love and God breaking into our lives because God loves us. And maybe find a way to do like St. Nicholas. Go find those in need, share what you have. Remind the world of the first Christmas gift... one we needed, not one we deserved.

Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to give and receive gifts with grace and in the spirit of your greatest gift to us, your son. Amen. 

When St. Augustine was trying to find his way in life before he was a Christian, he tells of a time he heard the voice of a child somewhere nearby saying over and over again, "Take up and read. Take up and read." It led St. Augustine to take up and read the Bible, and as the saying goes, "The rest is history." God spoke to St. Augustine through those words and it changed his life. He would later change his world, and today he is considered one of the great pillars of the Christian faith.

As we begin the season of Advent, we may already be thinking about gifts for Christmas. If you know me, you probably know I read a lot of books. So, if you are looking to give books as gifts this Christmas, I have three to recommend. The first is The New Testament in Its World by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird. N.T. Wright is one of the world's leading authorities on the New Testament. This rather large book takes most of his writings and condenses them into one volume. If you are looking for a great resource on the Bible, this would be a good place to start.

My second recommendation is Who Is An Evangelical? by Thomas S. Kidd. If you follow the news and politics, you know the word "evangelical" gets tossed around a lot to describe people. This accessible book traces the history of the movement, leading up to where it is today. This is a book for anyone who follows politics and wants to be informed.

My third recommendation is Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor. She writes from her Christian perspective about teaching her college students the world's great faith traditions - and what she discovered she likes about each of them. It is a really insightful book for anyone who wants to think about how we relate to other faiths as Christians.

Prayer for Today

Holy God, fill our minds with your knowledge and wisdom, so that we might live this life you give us to the fullest. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

What was the first thing to bring light to you this morning? A lamp? The sun? An overhead light?

How do lights help you throughout your day? Where do we need light?

Can you think of someone who is like a light for you?

At the Giving Thanks Dinner, Chap and Will did one of the craft activities where they created a star out of air dry clay and put a tealight candle in the center. They chose blue clay and decorated it with small beads. As we prepared for Advent over the weekend, I placed the star in a small red bowl and wrote this prayer that accompanied the activity on a card.

Star Prayer

As we light this star,

we pray that people will find the light of Jesus this Christmas:

Light in darkness

Light to the lonely

Light to the sad

Light to the sick

Light to the worried

Light to the lost. Amen.
(written by Mina Munns)

Each dinner so far, Will turns on the light and we say the prayer together.

Consider the star in the story of the Nativity leading to Jesus who is the light of the world. How will you share that light this Advent season?

Prayer for Today

Prayer included in Reflections.

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  -Luke 2:7

No place for them. Such stark words Luke chooses to use to proclaim the birth of Emmanuel; God with us! No place for them.

The mystery of God with us is that God enters into human existence through vulnerability on the outside of warm security. Try as we might we can't squeeze this truth out of advent. We fill our calendars with parties, gift exchanges, and our trees will be crowded beyond belief with presents. Yet the Christ child is birthed to be with us in the space of no place for them.

On Sunday, December 15^th at 5:00 p.m. the Stephen Ministries of Johns Creek Presbyterian and United Methodist churches will be hosting Walking to Bethlehem- A Light in the Night Blue Christmas Service.

This special time of worship recognizes the darker places in our lives that include loss, grief, and longing. We need a time to walk to Bethlehem because much of the ways that we celebrate Christmas don't allow for our deeper emotions to be honored and experienced. In other words, there is no place for them in our traditional Christmas celebrations.

Yet we need a place for them, a special time and space for them and according to Luke's gospel this is where we meet our Savior. The service will include prayers, litanies, scripture lessons, and a prayer labyrinth on which you can experience a closer walk with God.

I hope you will make space in your schedule to worship with us as we Walk to Bethlehem together and encounter the one who meets us where we are at; making a place where there appears to be no place for our deepest hurts and challenges. Join us, will you, Sunday, December 15^th at 5:00 p.m. in the Great Hall.

Prayer for Today

Saving God, you enter into our lives through the places we are most vulnerable. Through your Spirit, help us to sense your presence and restore our souls through the faith and hope that nothing can separate us from you in Christ our Lord. Amen.