Dear Tonganoxie UMC Family,

Dear Tonganoxie UMC Family,

It has been a joy to be back in the office the last couple of days following a wonderful week of vacation.  I feel energized and recharged and am ready for all of the exciting things happening as we get rolling with 2012.  I’m just going to jump in to some things that I want to share today.

Sanctuary Sound Concerns

Over the last several days I have heard concerns about the sound quality of things in the sanctuary.  Some concerns seem specific to worship this last weekend, but others seem to be ongoing and longer term.  I am grateful for the feedback we are receiving and want you to know that members of the Trustees and the Worship Team as well as some tech-y souls and myself are in conversation about what needs to be done to improve sound quality throughout the sanctuary.  One of the things that we are deducing is that there seem to be different spots in the sanctuary where it is easier (or harder) to hear.  Please feel free to put some notes on your connection card in worship Sunday regarding where you were sitting and how the sound quality was.  Also feel free to experiment with where you sit in the sanctuary over the next week or so while we work on plans to address the needs.  And, as always, please feel free to share concerns with me – your feedback is helpful and appreciated!

2011 Ends in the Black

Our books are still being finalized for 2011, but I am excited to share that we finished the year in the black by nearly $5,000.  This is a wonderful testament to your faithfulness and stewardship as a congregation, especially given how difficult the times are for so many.  Regardless of how frequently or how much you were able to give last year, I want to extend my gratitude to all of you who played a part in helping us meet our goals and obligations as a congregation in 2011.

Souper Bowl Challenge From McLouth UMC

We have received a formal challenge from the good people of McLouth UMC.  Specifics will be explained in worship this week, but the gist of the challenge is this –  between now and February 5th each congregation will collect as much canned soup (or ravioli, spaghetti-o’s, or chili) as possible.  At the end of the contest the congregation who has gathered the most wins a fabulous prize (and bragging rights).  All of the food raised by McLouth UMC will be used to fight hunger in Jefferson County.  All of the food that we collect will be split between Good Shepherd and the Food for Friends program at Tonganoxie Elementary School.  If we happen to collect more than these two programs can handle, we will look for other agencies or organizations in town and in Leavenworth County that can benefit from the food.  Please join us in worship this Sunday as we formally accept the challenge and please begin shopping for canned soup when you can find it at a good price.  Our goal is 3,000 cans from our congregation and I have a good feeling that we can do it!

Administrative Council Meeting and Potluck Sunday

Don’t forget that Administrative Council will be meeting this Sunday, January 15th, following the 10:30 service.  We will share a potluck meal together in Hughes Hall.  The meeting is open to everyone associated with Tonganoxie UMC and will include reports from all of our team leads as well as some preliminary conversation about long range plans for 2012.  Please plan to join us for this important meeting!

I hope that over the last couple of weeks you have been able to experience the blessings of this New Year and that as you look to the rest of 2012 you do so with a sense of hope for all that God will do in your life and in our life together as a congregation this year.  I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday as we continue our sermon series, “Come and See” by talking about the important work that we do as a congregation focused on “Inviting on Purpose.”

Grace and Peace,

Jeff

Dear Tonganoxie UMC Family,

I hope that you’re all doing well and settling into rhythms and routines this first week of the New Year.  I am currently on vacation enjoying a bit of time without too much of a fixed schedule.  My primary agenda for the week is to move all of the furniture from our “office” at home and consolidate it with the “guest bedroom” so that what has been the “office” can be set up as the nursery in preparation for our family’s new addition this spring.  My secondary agenda is to rest and relax a bit as we prepare for an exciting year of ministry together in 2012!  I’m writing today to share a few things and to encourage you to be present in worship this weekend as you won’t want to miss our special guest preacher, the Rev. Ira DeSpain.

Looking for TUMC Historical Information – Can You Help?

As I shared in last week’s email I’m going to be offering a class to serve as an Introduction to Tonganoxie UMC on Sunday, January 29th from 3-5 (mark your calendars now if you’re interested, whether you’re a lifelong member or someone just beginning to get involved with our church).  The class will serve as an opportunity for people to learn more about the church and then decide whether or not they might be interested in becoming members.  As  part of that class I’d like to be able to provide some historical information about the church.  Ideally I would share pastoral record (who served here when) and history of building renovation/addition/development as points of historical reference.  I would also want to be sure to include significant moments and events in the life of the congregation.  If you have any documents or records that contain this information, I would be most appreciative if I could take a look at them.  I wonder if maybe something wasn’t put together for our 125th anniversary?

Souper Bowl Food Drive & Competition

More official news will be coming in the next weeks, but we have been challenged to a friendly Souper Bowl competition with McLouth UMC to see which congregation can raise the greatest number of canned goods to support hunger ministries in their communities.  McLouth UMC has done this competition internally the last several years and last year raised more than 3,300 cans of food.  This year they have challenged us and we hope to beat that total (and them)!  This will be a fun and friendly competition that addresses a very real need in our communities and the surrounding counties.  All of the food we raise at Tonganoxie UMC will go to support Good Shepherd and Food for Friends (the weekend backpack program) at TES.  All of the food raised by McLouth UMC will support hunger in Jefferson County (and potentially into Topeka if they raise as much as they have in the last years).

Please start shopping now (find the deals and buy a case or two!) for the following items that you’ll be able to bring to church on 1/22, 1/29, and 2/5:

Canned Soup*

Canned Spaghetti-o’s

Canned Ravioli

Canned Chili

*”victory” in the competition will be based on total points scored.  Each team scores 1 point for each can of condensed soup and 2 points for each can of hearty (non-condensed) soup, spaghetti-o’s, ravioli, and chili.

Susan Geiger is leading our charge, feel free to be in touch with her to get involved!

New Sermon Series Begins this Sunday with a Special Guest

When Jesus called the early disciples there were questions about whether or not anything good could come from Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown. As the disciples began to experience the teaching and works of Christ they responded to this question with a simple invitation, “Come and See.” This January you are invited to “Come and See” the good news of God as we seek to live it out at Tonganoxie UMC. You are also encouraged to share this invitation with family, friends, and neighbors so that all might “Come and See” the good news of Jesus. This exciting series kicks off this Sunday with a special guest preacher, the Rev. Ira DeSpain, University Chaplain at Baker University.  Please plan to be in worship for his message, “Branded.”

I trust that you’ll be blessed by Ira’s message on Sunday and look forward to hearing about it and building upon the foundation that he provides as we continue the sermon series in the coming weeks.  I also look forward to returning to the office next Wednesday rejuvenated from my vacation time!

Grace and Peace,

Jeff

Well, I don’t know about you, but I must admit that I was relieved to wake up this morning and see that the world hadn’t ended! At one point last fall I watched the 2009 film, 2012, the one where John Cusack is a limo driver racing against time to save his kids and ex-wife as the world comes to an end in the year 2012. As I watched the film I contemplated a fun little sermon series to kick-off this New Year looking at apocalyptic predictions and end times and stuff. But to be honest, I found myself tiring a bit of all of that conversation last year.

Do you remember the conversation last May about the supposed end of times judgment happening on May 21^st? This Christian radio host and author was getting a fair amount of media play regarding his prediction that the world would end on May 21^st. When May 21^st came and went he amended his prediction to say that the final day of earth, and of the universe really, would be October 21^st. In a statement that received very little media hype on October 16^th he admitted that he really didn’t know when the world was going to end. Shocking, I know, this coming from a guy who first made a prediction that the world would end in 1994…

And so while I thought about a fun little Apocalypse 2012 sermon series to kick of the year, I decided against it. I also considered a message that looked at the idea of making New Year’s resolutions and talking about them a bit from our Christian perspective. There was something about that idea that just seemed a bit tired and overplayed as well.

As I have thought about this morning over the last couple of months I have wondered a bit what kind of a crowd we’d have and what type of a person would be here for worship on New Year’s morning. Though I could never decide how big of a crowd might show up to worship on the first day of 2012 I was sure of one thing, that those of you who would be here would be folks seriously engaged in your faith and hopeful for the role that God would play in your life in the coming new year.

The book of Revelation is one of the most unique books in all of scripture. Over the last century or so scholars have done a great deal of work in parsing out answers regarding who wrote what books of the bible, when they were written, and even the intended audience for the books. While scholars have established a fair amount of consensus around many of the books of the Bible, the book of Revelation is not one of those books!

On one end of the spectrum there are some who read the text as a literal prediction of the end times when Jesus will come back and the world as we know it today will end. On the other end of the spectrum are those who look at the various symbols and characters in the story and understand it to be a dramatic predicting and telling of the overthrow of the Roman Empire that was hoped for by those living in the period of it’s writing. An entire sermon series or bible study could be dedicated to parsing out each of these possibilities as well as countless others that exist between them, but I want not to take us down too many rabbit trails this morning.

I do, however, want to share one understanding of the book of Revelation that I find to be particularly helpful. I believe an exploration of these ideas might be helpful as we springboard into 2012. The particular understanding of Revelation that I want to explore this morning comes from Rob Bell in his short film titled Trees. He talks about the biblical narrative as a story that starts in the Garden of Eden in Genesis and ends in a new creation that is discussed in the Book of Revelation.

He explains that the scriptures tell a story about our human relationships with God that begin in the Garden where we are created. Shortly after being placed in the garden, however, we disobey. And as our story unfolds we experience separation, God reaches out to us, we reunite with God, we wander again, we reconnect with God again and we wander yet again. This cycle continues until such a time as God intervenes by sending his son into the world. In response to the gift of God’s son we then react to the message of Jesus by alternately being drawn to him and pushing him away.

Bell supposes, though, that life is not just a random journey through and toward nothingness, but that we are on a journey that does have an eventual end. As individuals and as creation there will be a time when God recreates, as it is referred to in Revelation, a new heaven and a new earth. Bell explains that there was a garden in the beginning of our story as Christians and that there will be a new heaven and a new earth in the future. We are living, Bell supposes, between these two times.

Chapter 21 of Revelation provides the dramatic climax to the telling of this story. The author writes…

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; ⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” ⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

In his commentary in the New Interpreter’s Bible, Christopher Rowland, puts forth the premise that the most significant symbolism in this passage is that God is again intervening and coming into contact with humans. Any separation that existed between God and humanity is being dismantled and that there is or there will be again a closeness between humanity and God that has not existed since the Garden.

I believe that God desires for us to experience closeness with God and that God works at making that possibility a reality. God is making all things new. The question that then poses for me is this. Are we also working to make all things new?

Over the past couple of years I believe that God as well as each of you who are a part of this faith community have been doing incredible work for the renewal of this congregation. The numbers that mark worship attendance and giving provide insight into this. I also see it in ways beyond anything that we can measure with numbers. There is playfulness that I see as people of different generations laugh with one another and share life with one another.

Near the end of 2009, some 13 or 14 months ago, Susan Geiger worked to put together a video with the Vision Team. The video served as the state of the church report for Charge Conference that year and I found it online shortly thereafter when the conversation was first beginning about the possibility that I might be appointed here to serve as your pastor. I want you to have the opportunity to see that video today on this first day of 2012.

Click Here to Watch Video

I wanted to share that video with you this morning for a couple of reasons. First of all, I wanted to share it as a way to celebrate the incredible things that have happened and that are happening here. As a community of faith we can celebrate that God is working to make all things new. I celebrate that so many of you have been a part of that work, working to make all things new. I have only come in on the tail end of the work that has been done, but from what I can tell great strides have been made in the transition from being passive to dynamic and from being fearful to faithful. God is making all things new and we can celebrate that reality as we look at our church! Thank you to the visioning team and to all who have played such a significant part in the work of the church over the last couple of years.

I also wanted to show this video today because the last line of text projected really strikes me. Anyone remember what it said? “We hope to transform lives.” While I believe it is important for us to celebrate where we have come as a church in the last couple of years, I also want to provide a little nudge this morning to each of you. If we believe that God is working to make all things new, do we believe that WE are a part of that all things? Do we believe that God is working to make our broken relationships new? Do we believe that God is working to make us new in those places where we experience hurt and brokenness? Do YOU believe that God is working to make you new?

Friends, we all have baggage. We have all done things that we aren’t proud of. We have all done things that fell short of what God would have hoped for us in those particular situations, but the good news is that God loves us and is seeking to make all things new. No matter who we are or how badly we have messed up in the past. You have heard me say it countless times, but it bears repeating here – God loves you exactly the way you are, but doesn’t want you to stay that way…

As a church we believe that our purpose is to be “a community of faith inviting all people to know God, connecting with each other, growing in our faith, and serving our community and the world.” As we seek to live out this purpose as a community I invite you to reflect on what it would look like to focus on making these themes – inviting, connecting, growing, and serving a priority for you and for your discipleship. I invite you to live into the reality that God is working to make all things new – yes, even you. And I invite you to partner with God in that work in 2012 and until the end of the world.

Greetings Tonganoxie UMC Family,

I hope that you’re all doing well and have been able to enjoy some of the unseasonably warm weather this week! I spent a couple of hours yesterday morning visiting businesses up and down 4th street on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and there seemed to be a general cheeriness about people that I can only attribute to the beautiful weather! I look forward to enjoying it a bit more today and tomorrow and hope that you are able to as well. I am finishing up my sermon and preparations for Sunday this morning, but I want to share a couple of quick things with you as we prepare to head into another holiday weekend and into 2012.

New Year’s Day Worship – One Service, 10am

This Sunday, January 1st, we will be worshiping together at 10am in the Sanctuary. We will have some extra strong coffee ready to go about 30 minutes before the service if you want to gather and visit before worship. The service will be a casual, yet meaningful opportunity to kick-off 2012. We will celebrate communion and reflect on the reality that God is “Making All Things New.” Please plan to be present for this service of worship!

Church Office Closed for New Year’s

The church office will be closed on Monday, January 2nd, in observance of New Year’s Day. The office will open again at 8am on Tuesday January 3rd.

Introduction to Tonganoxie UMC Class

I am currently working on putting together a brief class that will serve as an introduction to Christianity, to United Methodism, and to our Church. The class is being offered on Sunday afternoon January 29th from 3-5pm in the Chapel. Whether you are a lifelong member of our congregation or are not yet a member, this class will provide a great opportunity for you to learn more about who we are and who we believe God is calling us to be as a congregation. Once you have been involved with one of these classes you are welcome to join the church. However, you are welcome to attend the class and not join the church. More information will be included in the bulletins in the coming weeks, but I wanted to share this with you now so that you might mark your calendars.

I have now been your pastor for just shy of 6 months and it has been an incredible journey thus far! I am so excited to see how God continues to move and guide us in 2012 so that we might continue being (and becoming), “a community of faith inviting all to know God, connecting with each other, growing in our faith, and serving our community and the world.”

If I don’t see you before, I’ll see you next year (and in worship on Sunday)!

Grace and Peace,

Jeff

Did anybody find anything exciting under a tree at your house this morning? What was it?…

How about in a stocking? Anyone hang up a big overstuffed sock last night and just happen to wake up with some things in it? What did you find?…

I remember Christmas morning growing up; stockings were always hung by the fireplace in the front room. The tree was a couple of rooms away. My sister and I had to wait until the appointed hour before we could wake mom and dad up and then we would all begin with stockings. Our stockings often had some candy and some nuts in them. They often had some little trinkets or games or toys of some kind. One of the things I remember getting almost every year growing up was the lifesaver storybook, anyone ever get one of those?

Well, I think I must be getting old, because my favorite Christmas treat isn’t the lifesaver storybook. It isn’t a candy cane. It isn’t even something chocolaty, which is rare for me. This year I have come to realize that my favorite Christmas treat is an orange, or best of all one of these little Clementine’s. I just love these! They’re easy to peel. They’re sweet, but kind of tart, and they’re the just right size for a little snack.

Shortly after Heather and I started dating I had the opportunity to spend Christmas with her extended family in Salina. Her grandma and grandpa Kollhoff do a great job of providing stockings for all of the grandkids and every year, without fail, they put an orange in everyone’s stocking. I have to tell you, a decade ago I didn’t get it. I didn’t want an orange on Christmas; I wanted a treat, some chocolate, some candy of some kind. Like most all of the grandkids, I usually just set my orange to the side. It was so ordinary. I could get an orange at any point in the year. It didn’t seem like a Christmas treat, it just seemed so ordinary…

Today we celebrate the birth of Christ or as he is often referenced in the scriptures, Jesus of Nazareth. His mom and dad, Mary and Joseph, likely would have called him Yehoshua which in English we say as Joshua. The name Yehoshua is a compound word that translates most closely as God liberates or God saves.

We call him Jesus. His mom and dad likely called him Yehoshua and in the Bible he is called many different things. In the book of Matthew he is called Emmanuel, which means God is with us. The word Christ, which means anointed one, is often used as a name or a title for Jesus. The scriptures also refer to him as Lord (a kingly title) as both the son of God and the son of Man, as the Lamb of God and the Light of the world, and as Rabbi or Teacher.

While all of these names and titles and images for Jesus help paint a picture for us of who Jesus is and who he can be for us, there is one name or title that I want to focus on this morning as we talk about and celebrate the child who is born this day. That title is “Word of God.” Today we celebrate that the Word of God has been made flesh. I want you to hear again those first five verses of the John text that were read a few minutes ago…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

The Gospel of John has a very different feel to it than the other three gospels and it tells the story of Jesus, not in a practical narrative way, but with a more mystical tone. In John, the story of Jesus’ birth doesn’t reference a trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem and it doesn’t talk about shepherds or wiseman or angels. However, the story of Jesus’ birth in John’s gospel connects back to the very creation of our world, to the stories found in Genesis. Let’s take just a minute to unpack all of this…

Some force or spirit or being is present with God at the very creation of heaven and earth. The author of John identifies this spirit as the Word of God. And not only was this spirit or being with God, but at the same time that this spirit was with God, this spirit was God. And all that exists, all that came into being, came into being through this spirit, this essence, this Word of God. Everything that exists in all of creation, you and me, and everything that we can see came into being through this very word of God.

The author of John continues, then, with words that I find to be very powerful, “What has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.” Not only did this spirit, this word of God, bring all things into being, but in him was life itself and through him all things came to have this life which is the light of all people.

Ok, now I know this might be kind of hard to track in its heady philosophical language, but let me try to break it down. When God created the earth there was a spirit or a presence there with God. It was through this spirit or presence, this word of God, that all things came into being. But even more than just bringing them into being, this word of God brought life to all things because of the light that was the essence of this word of God. We are more than just an accumulation of atoms and molecules and cells. There is a life inside of us that is deeper than simply the physical and scientific realities that we know. Though so much of what we are and see and experience seems ordinary, it is truly extraordinary because of the light of life that is born this day.

John concludes the section of text that we read this morning with the statement…  “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” Today we celebrate the fact that the very word of God, the very creative essence of God that gives life purpose and meaning and beauty, is born into our midst. Today we celebrate that this life and this light have come so that the ordinary might be extraordinary.

This fall I was talking to Ben Myers, a member of our congregation, who shared a bit of his boyhood story with me. He had several siblings and their father died rather suddenly when he and his siblings were still quite young. The community rallied around his mom and their family and his mom worked incredibly hard. At the recommendation of several people in the community she opened an account at one of the local banks and tucked away all of the money that she could there as a means of providing protection for her and her family.

The 1930’s were a tough time all around, though, not just for Ben’s family. The local bank closed in the depression and never opened back up. Ben’s family lost everything that they had put in the bank and this single mom of several kids had to work even harder to survive.

Ben explained to me that his mom worked incredibly hard and did everything in power to provide for the family. She gardened extensively so that they could eat out of the food she raised. She was too proud to ever ask for anything from anybody and wouldn’t receive help or assistance in providing for her family. As Ben told me the story he had a reflective look in his eye and then he confessed, “sometimes I would go to the neighbors and they would give me an orange, but I would never admit it to my mom. She was too proud.”

When I used to get an orange in my stocking at Heather’s grandparents I would overlook it and just set it to the side. It was so ordinary I didn’t really understand it or appreciate it.

When Ben was growing up an orange was a very rare treat, something to be eaten without mom’s knowledge for she was too proud to accept help from anyone.

Over the last several months I have taken the time to really savor these little oranges. I peel them and breath in deeply the aroma as I watch the little mist spray up and fill the air in front of me. I have peeled the sections away from one another one at a time and enjoyed the delicious sweet flavor of the fruit. I hope never to look at this fruit as ordinary again. I hope to always be able to appreciate the extraordinary in it and in all of the life that we live in the presence of the word made flesh.

As we celebrate Christ’s birth this morning I invite you into an awareness of the incredible and extraordinary things all around us. I invite you to think about gifts that you might be taking for granted that you have the opportunity to see and to appreciate differently in the light of the life of the Word of God who has become flesh and who dwells among us.

This is Eden. Eden Faith Hodges to be more exact. Eden is Corbin and Rebecca’s daughter. She is Caleb and Leah’s baby sister. Yesterday she turned 5 weeks old. She was born on Friday night the 18^th of November and weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces. From what I can tell, she’s perfect.

She has 10 tiny little fingers and 10 tiny little toes. She scrunches her tiny little nose and makes these adorable little grunting noises when she sleeps. As her pastor it was an incredible joy to visit her in the hospital and hold her when she was just a couple of days old. I know that her mom and dad and brother and sister and grandmas and grandpas feel incredibly blessed by the gift that she is.

This evening I wanted to introduce her to you as we celebrate the birth of a child born some 2,000 years ago who would grow to change the course human history. Tonight we remember Mary and Joseph who would have held their newborn son and looked at him with the same affection and care with which Rebecca and Corbin and all of their family look at Eden. Tonight we celebrate the birth of a child. (Give her back)

Like I said, Eden was born on the 18^th of November, Friday night the week before Thanksgiving. And while she is an incredible gift to her family, to this church, and to the world – this wasn’t the plan!

You see, the Hodges had a plan. If you know Corbin and Rebecca, you know they had a plan! They were going to spend a quiet thanksgiving together, one of their last events as a family of four. Over those days together they were going to finish getting a new crib put together and painted for Eden. They were going to finish putting together her room. And then, on the Monday morning after Thanksgiving they were going to head to the hospital for a c-section that had been scheduled weeks in advance. Corbin had arranged to be off of work during the week following Thanksgiving. The Hodges had their plan.

Some 2,000 years ago now Mary and Joseph had plans of their own. Initially they had plans to be married and we can imagine what those plans might have looked like and the kinds of things they might have been hoping for and preparing for. And then an angel appeared to Mary telling her that she was going to bear a child. The plans that she and Joseph had quickly changed.

When Joseph heard what was happening, he began to develop plans of his own. The Gospel of Luke tells us that he planned to dismiss Mary quietly. He didn’t want to make a scene, he definitely wasn’t going to seek the punishment that he could have based on the law, but he was going to end their relationship and dismiss her quietly. And then an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph interrupting his plans and inspiring him to stick by Mary’s side. Again, Joseph’s plans changed.

And so again Mary and Joseph begin planning for their life together. Surely it will be different than they had first expected, but they began reworking their plans. As those plans are coming together, near the end of Mary’s pregnancy, they have to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem so that they might be registered for the census. I imagine they had some plans regarding how this would unfold, they would get to Bethlehem, get registered, and then get home to Nazareth before Mary delivered. They likely had plans for where they were going to deliver in Nazareth and who was going to be there. But while in Bethlehem, it came time for Mary to deliver and their plans had to change once again.

The gospel of Luke also tells us about Shepherds and the experience they had that night. I imagine that those Shepherds who were in their fields had plans as well. I imagine that after being in the field watching a flock over the night when your shift ends you want to go home and get something to eat and take a nap or get some rest. And suddenly, there before them, appeared an angel of the Lord telling them to go to Bethlehem to find this child who had been born. And regardless of what their plans had been, Luke tells us that these shepherds went with haste.

Mary and Joseph had plans and they were interrupted. Repeatedly. The Shepherd’s had plans and they were interrupted. It seems that, in many ways, the story we tell and celebrate tonight is a story about interruptions, isn’t it?

Anyone had to deal with any interruptions or changed plans over the last several days or weeks? Anyone sitting here tonight feeling like you can relate with the shepherds or Mary and Joseph or the Hodges?

If you’re anything like me, you have planned to do so many things, but they haven’t all gotten done. Maybe there were cards you wanted to write or things you wanted to bake. Maybe there were some presents that you never got around to buying or things that still need to be wrapped when you get home tonight. I would imagine that in the last several days and weeks most of us have had to deal with an interruption or two and then altar our plans accordingly. It is hard to tell where the time has gone. We are here to celebrate Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas morning. And you know what, it doesn’t matter whether our plans unfolded the way we wanted them to or not and it doesn’t matter whether we got everything done that we thought we wanted to or whether we think we’re ready. Tonight we are here to celebrate.

In fact, in the midst of all of the interruptions and changes of plans we have experienced, we are incredibly blessed with the opportunity to receive remarkable gifts. Again, think about Mary and Joseph. How do you picture them in those moments after Jesus is born? Do you think they’re focused on the fact that they’re not yet married or that they’re not at home or that they’re not in a formal room, but rather in the midst of animals? Do you think they’re focused on all of the things that didn’t go as planned?

I imagine that in those first moments of holding their baby boy, all of the plans that didn’t work out, simply slip away. I picture Mary and Joseph holding the young Jesus and marveling at his ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. I picture them watching with wonder and awe as he wrinkles his little nose and makes funny little grunting noises while he sleeps. I believe that Mary and Joseph would have been so consumed by the amazing miracle of the gift that they had been given that all of their unfilled plans would have seemed completely insignificant.

One of the special things that we celebrate today about the birth of Jesus is that his birth was not just a gift to his mom and dad or to the shepherd’s some 2,000 years ago, but that it continues to be a gift to you and to me and to all of our brothers and sisters throughout the world as well.

Tonight we celebrate the one who we proclaim is the king of kings and regardless of what is happening with the mess of politics in our country and around the world, we can celebrate a ruler unlike any other who invites us to a different way of living.

Tonight we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace and the good news that regardless of the stress of our financial struggles or the tension that exists in relationships with family and friends, we have the opportunity to live in relationship with one who offers us meaning and purpose and most of all peace.

Tonight we celebrate Christ the wonderful counselor who can help us deal with and rise above the pain and frustrations we so often experience.

Tonight we celebrate the birth of one who offers us freedom from those things that entrap us and forgiveness for all of the ways that we fall short of who God has created us to be.

In the gift of Christ that we celebrate tonight, we are offered the opportunity to see and to know God in remarkable ways. As the angel proclaimed to the shepherds in the field, we are invited to experience the “good news of great joy for all the people.”

Sunday evening, just a little bit more than a week after Eden was born Heather and Hannah and I took dinner to the Hodges and had the chance to visit with them for a few minutes. As we chatted I asked Corbin and Rebecca if they had done any reflecting over that weekend about the fact that the initial plan was to pack up that night and head to the hospital the next morning to have Eden. We chatted a bit about how all of those previous days, had been bonus days, even though they hadn’t initially been a part of the plan. No matter how hard we work to plan, sometimes things don’t go the way we intend for them to, sometimes things happen whether we’re ready or not.

Tonight, whether you’re fully ready or not, you are invited to welcome the gift of this child. And though this child will grow and live in ways that teach us how to better connect with one another, and will challenge authority in ways that become threatening, ultimately to the point where they will have him put to death, and though we know that he will ultimately die and rise again, tonight we need not be too focused on all that will be. We are invited simply to pause, to breathe, to reflect, and to treasure the gift of God’s love come to be with us.

Tonight we celebrate the birth of the one who came with ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes to change the way that people understand and relate to God and one another. A child is born. And we are invited to embrace that gift whether we’re ready or not.

Dear Tonganoxie UMC Family,

Last night the Clinger house was filled with the energy of 13 youth, a couple of younger kids and 6 adults who gathered together for the youth group’s Christmas party.  There was a ton of great food, fun games and some silly presents as well.  It was a great time and a real joy to host in our home!

I know that this weekend and next week have the potential to be incredibly busy for many of you, but I have several exciting things to share this morning and hope that you’ll take a few minutes today or tomorrow to read through this note.

A Church With Purpose

As a United Methodist Church our mission is that of the denomination, “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”  This fall, as we worked through our series of small group gatherings and our retreat it became clear that our ministry together would benefit from a clear and defined sense of purpose to guide us in living out that mission.  Last Sunday at charge conference a statement of purpose was adopted to provide us with such a guide.  You will hear more about this in the coming days and weeks, but I wanted to introduce you to it here this morning.  Tonganoxie United Methodist Church exists to be “A community of faith inviting all to know God’s love, connecting with each other, growing in our faith, and serving the community and the world.”  The keys here are four words that I would  like us all to begin to really internalize – inviting, connecting, growing and serving.

Invite Friends, Family, Neighbors

This Sunday morning we are going to be blessed with several great opportunities to prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas.  Next Saturday is Christmas Eve and next Sunday is Christmas morning.  In addition to wonderful opportunities for worship, the next ten days include many great opportunities for inviting people to experience God in our community.

I’d like for you to consider sending an email to friends or family members or neighbors who might not have a place where they plan to worship in the coming days.  You can cut and paste what is below and of course, feel free to amend this language to fit your situation.

Dear (blank),

I attend Tonganoxie United Methodist Church and would like to invite you to consider joining me sometime in the next week or so.  This is such a crazy time of year with so much going on, but I have found that taking the time to be in worship really helps me center and focus on the things that are most important in life.  I think you would enjoy the opportunity to worship with us and would love to have you join me.  This Sunday, the 18th, is a day full of special music.  Our 8:30 service will be a special service of Lessons and Carols, at 9:30 we are going to have a special children’s music program, and our choir will present their Cantata at the 10:30 service.  We also have two special worship services planned for Christmas Eve, one at 7pm and another at 11pm.  On Christmas Day we are having a special worship celebration at 10am that will be a lighthearted and fun celebration of Christ’s birth.  We will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and even celebrate with some special cupcakes.  I’d love to have you join me for any of these worship opportunities.

Sign the email as you’d sign any note to this friend and personalize it as much as you’d like.  Remember, we don’t invite people to the church for the sake of the church, we invite people to the church because we believe that they will benefit from encountering God in our community of faith.

If you’re on facebook I would also invite you to consider following the link below and clicking on “share” underneath the picture.  You will be able to add a personalized note or invitation and the information about our worship opportunities will appear on your profile.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=261286147258448&set=a.261286093925120.73976.238329159554147&type=1&theater

Clingers’ Open House

Sunday afternoon Heather and Hannah and I are hosting a Christmas Open House at the parsonage from 4-7pm.  We simply desire to provide a time to welcome you to our home and to share in some food and conversation.  You are welcome to come when you can and leave when you must.

Souper Bowl Challenge

Our congregation has been challenged by McLouth UMC to a little competitive mission project in January and early February.  We will be competing to see which congregation can collect the greatest number of cans of soup for local hunger projects as a part of the Souper Bowl of Caring.  McLouth UMC has divided their congregation into teams for several years and held an internal competition, last year collecting some 3,300+ cans of food.  This year they desire to see the event grow even larger and have chosen to challenge us to a competition.  Susan Geiger has agreed to help lead our charge in responding to this challenge and there are already a number of exciting ideas circulating.  If you’re interested in being a part of the planning of this project, an initial meeting is going to be held on Monday the 19th at 11am at the church.  If you’re interested, but not available for that meeting you can send Susan a note.

It is an incredible gift and a joy to serve as your pastor.  I look forward to sharing all of the special times in worship with you over the next 10 days as we prepare for and celebrate Christ’s birth and I am excited about our ministry together as we head into the future as “A community of faith inviting all to know God’s love, connecting with each other, growing in our faith, and serving our community and the world.”

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you Sunday in worship!

Grace and Peace,

Jeff

It had to have been a startling request! At the very least it would have been disruptive. At worst it was incredibly dangerous. She was only 13 years old. She was poor. She wasn’t married. Yet there stood an angel of God announcing to her that she would bear a child who would grow to be the messianic king.

And so, if nothing else, this request was disruptive. She and Joseph had a plan to get married. Surely they had plans for how that would all play out, a vision of what their future was going to be. And now an angel appears telling Mary that she is pregnant. What would the angel’s announcement and God’s plan mean for Mary and her relationship with Joseph?

And beyond disruptive, this plan likely would have seemed downright dangerous. On the most basic level, living conditions were rough in the 1^st century and being pregnant and delivering a child posed a serious threat to the health of a woman. Having a baby at all was dangerous.

When the angel brought the news that this baby that she was carrying would be the king, it would have meant that this child was to be a direct threat to both King Herod and the Roman Empire. This was dangerous business. If the ruling powers were to find out what she had been told by the angel, she and the child would surely be killed. After all, Herod had already killed two of his own children and his favorite wife because he believed that they aspired to take over his throne.

The danger, however, wasn’t just in giving birth to a son who would become king. She wasn’t even married. The law commanded that if a woman was engaged to be married and was found to be pregnant by another man, that she was to be put to death. God’s request to Mary was dangerous indeed!

In his Advent devotional, The Journey, Adam Hamilton paints this picture of how disruptive and downright dangerous this request would have been. Yet what is so remarkable about Mary’s response is that she doesn’t even seem to acknowledge or be worried about the disruptions or the dangers. And so this morning I want us to spend some time exploring Mary’s response and a lesson that it might contain for us.

Today is the 3^rd Sunday of Advent and we continue our journey of preparation for the coming of Christ’s birth. Two weeks ago we began by talking about the call to keep awake as we seek to travel through this season – to keep awake to God’s work and God’s nudges as we seek to travel not just the path of preparing to celebrate the past, but also the path of preparing for the future coming of Christ in our hearts, our lives, and the world.

Last week then we looked a little bit at what it might mean for us to truly prepare for Christ’s coming during the season of Advent as we named some of the realities that make this most wonderful time of year so dang tough. It is a stressful and anxiety producing time of year and as a culture we have taken to spending excessively to the point of generating debt and creating a significant amount of waste. We were then introduced to the invitations offered by a movement called the Advent Conspiracy; invitations to worship Worship Fully. Spend Less. Give More. and Love All.

It’s interesting that as we look at the Gospel of Luke we don’t really see any direct insight into what Mary thought or felt as she reflected on the message brought by the angel. But what we do see is what she did and what she said after the visit by the angel, the visit that contained that message of disruption and danger. To begin with we are told that Mary went with haste to visit her relative Elizabeth.

Luke tells us that Elizabeth wasn’t a young woman. In fact, when her husband Zechariah was visited by an angel announcing that Elizabeth would bear a child he said, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years?” Yet shortly after the Angel’s visit Elizabeth conceived and in the sixth month of her pregnancy the same angel pays a visit to her relative Mary. And when Mary hears of the plans that God has for her she takes off to go and to visit her relative Elizabeth.

When Mary arrived and greeted Elizabeth, Luke tells us that,

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Elizabeth immediately knew that she was in the presence of the mother of her Lord and rejoiced and celebrated that. She had a powerful experience of God as Mary came into her presence and she put that experience into words. Elizabeth, verbalizing her experience of God, sets the stage here for the second thing that Luke tells us Mary does following the visit from the angel. Shortly after arriving at her destination Mary speaks words that celebrate what God is doing in her life. Hear these words again spoken by a poor, thirteen year old whose life has just been disrupted and put into great danger:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Having had her life disrupted and potentially put into danger, this young girl speaks these magnificent words of praise that echo strains of the song sung by Miriam, the mother of Moses as well as the song sung by Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Mary places herself in the company of these great women of faith as she sings words of praise of God’s redemption and of the work that God is doing.

One of the commentaries I read this week made special note of the tense Mary uses in the words she speaks here. She does not speak in a future tense about things that God will do, rather she speaks in the present as if these things have already and are happening. God has shown strength, scattered the proud, brought down the powerful, lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry, sent away the rich. God has done and is doing all of this according to the promise he made to Abraham and all of his descendants. Mary seems to understand what is happening here, that God is doing something amazing through her, even though her life is being disrupted and changed in unimaginable ways.

As we read these words and look at Mary’s story today, I believe it extends to us an invitation. As we prepare for the coming of Christ and journey through this season of Advent I believe Mary’s words invite us to proclaim with our voices, to put into words, the good news in which we believe. The good news that God our savior is doing incredible things in our lives and in our world now. On this journey through Advent we are invited to proclaim in word the good news of God.

Now, many of the words that I have heard spoken about the Christmas season in the last week or two have been focused around the debates that seem to rage just a bit stronger each year. The debates about whether employees of stores should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. The debates about whether our schools have Christmas breaks or holiday breaks and whether they have Christmas music programs or Holiday music programs. Friends, I want Christ to be the center of Christmas, I really do. However, I’m not sure that engaging in these debates or these arguments is really the best use of the words that we are invited to use as we proclaim the good news of Jesus.

The proclamation that we are invited to do in the tradition of Mary and of Elizabeth is something that happens at a deeper level than these cultural debates and clashes. We are invited to make clear statements about the things that God is doing in our lives. We are invited to share our stories of transformation and hope with our families, with our friends, with our neighbors.

In a message a month or so ago now I shared one of my favorite quotations, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel always. When necessary, use words.” As a general rule I stand by this sentiment and think that one of the most powerful ways that we can share our faith is to live it out and share by example.

However, I invite you to consider, that in the craziness of this season, with all of the mixed messages that surround us, that with the bizarre blurring our Christian faith and secular religious traditions, that this might be the perfect time to proclaim our faith in words.

Over the next couple of weeks there are some exciting things happening in community of faith, opportunities for people to experience God’s love through worship and times of celebration. Next Sunday we’ll have a special service of Lessons and Carols at the 8:30 service, at 9:30 the kids will present a special music program, and at 10:30 the choir will present their cantata. The following Saturday night, on Christmas Eve, we have two special services planned, one at 7pm and another at 11pm. Christmas morning we also have a special service scheduled at 10am, a fun and light-hearted service to which kids are invited to even wear the pajamas.

Each of these events can offer you an opportunity to put your faith and your excitement about what God is doing into words. Next Friday when I send out my email I’ll include a simple sample text that you might cut and paste in an email to friends or family or some words that you might take to make your own and invite someone to join us for worship on the 18^th or on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

Elizabeth and Mary had powerful experiences of God and put words to those experiences. We are invited to do the same. I invite you to consider whether or not there might be someone – a friend, a family member, a co-worker who might benefit from really hearing the good news of this season. I invite you to consider putting into words the hope that you have because of this child that is to be born. I invite you to then share those words and to proclaim that good news and that hope.

Last Sunday I preached a message that included an invitation for this Advent and Christmas from a movement called The Advent Conspiracy; an invitation to Worship Fully.  Spend Less.  Give More.  Love All.  Though I spent a good part of last week preparing this message and preached it twice on Sunday, this Wednesday morning I still found myself in a place full of stress and frustration.  It was the 7th of December and I really hadn’t bought anything for Christmas, Heather and I hadn’t really even finalized our Christmas budget or plans for our families, and I found my anxiety to be elevated and a general sense of crankiness to permeate my soul as the expectations and pressures of the season mounted.  As I reflect on that morning in hindsight now I can only chuckle and think, dang, it is a tough time of year, isn’t it?!  I hope and pray that you have had a blessed week and that you’re finding time in the midst of the craziness of this season to reflect and prepare for the coming of Christ in our lives and in the world.  I want to share just a few brief things with you in today’s email.

Financial Secretary Job Opening

In last week’s email I mentioned that Norma Hunter would be retiring at the end of January and that we would be hiring a person to manage the finances of the church.  Wednesday evening Staff Parish finalized a position description for a Financial Secretary (roughly 10 hours a week) and we are now accepting applications.  If you or someone that you know might be interested in applying for this position or wants to at least see the position description, please contact the church office.  Applications are available in the office and are due by 9am on Monday the 19th of December.

Year-End Staff Appreciation

Tomorrow morning Staff Parish is hosting a Christmas Brunch for all of our staff in conjunction with a quarterly staff meeting.  The aim of this brunch is to show our congregation’s appreciation for all that our staff does throughout the year.  While I often serve as the “face” of the church as the pastor, the ministry that we do would not be possible without the gifts and dedication of our staff.  I do hope that you’ll take the opportunity to express your gratitude to them as we wrap up a wonderful year of ministry.

Staff Parish has also invited some of our volunteer music leaders who play an integral part in the weekly worshiping life of our congregation.  I hope they know how appreciated they are for all that they do.

Join us for Charge Conference (and Potluck) This Sunday

This Sunday, December 11th, following our second service, we will be having our 2011 Charge Conference, our annual business meeting for the church.  We will be sharing a potluck meal together following worship and then will conduct the business of the conference (adopting the pastor’s compensation package, the church budget, and the church leadership for 2012 as well as adopting a statement of purpose to guide us in 2012 and beyond).  After votes have been taken on the necessary matters our District Superintendent, Mike Chamberlain, will lead a time of reflection and conversation on the ministry of the past year and plans for future.  I look forward to hearing what you all have to say during that conversation!  This meeting is open to all members and friends of the church.  I do hope you’ll plan to join us!

Again, I hope and pray that you have had a good week.  I look forward to seeing you in worship Sunday as we continue our Advent Journey and “Prepare the Way” by exploring Mary’s story found in Luke 1:46-55 and the invitation we have to be people “Proclaiming in Word.”

Grace and Peace,

Jeff