Tuesday, December 27, 2011

merry christmas and happy 2012

merry christmas! i hope and trust that the jesus born on christmas eve will be born within you each and every day to come!

our men's groups provided gift packages for a house in the neighborhood this christmas. so this is what christmas looks like at our church...being of service and in mission to others. twenty holiday bags filled with socks and boxers! various sizes. do you remember getting socks and underwear for christmas when you were growing up? i always did! and honestly, it wasn't very exciting. but now i have a different appreciation for the difference between needs and wants!

our men's groups, two of them, meet on thursdays. the longstanding group meets for breakfast and bible study at 7 am! all retired men, except for me; they cook, and i set the table; what a deal! we get into some very interesting bible study conversations after breakfast...check us out some time! if nothing else, at that time of the day, the coffee is hot, the food is yummy, and the conversations will take you from here to the holy land and everywhere else!



the evening group, or the men's bbbs...baby boomer bible study...has been meeting at starbucks. very awesome to be able to meet in public. but we are starting a new study on january 12th at 6:30 in our church library. undoubtedly, the conversation will also be stimulating. now, we haven't discussed coffee, but with this group, certainly there will be some!


after signing the cards and packing the bags, the gifts were transported to the 'gift house', and it is my hope that everyone had a very merry christmas! awesome men's groups, don't you think?!


like many other churches, we celebrated christmas eve on saturday night, with a traditional service of carols and the story, and candles! and then on sunday morning, a surprisingly large crowd gathered for christmas service; we even had coffee fellowship time, and a more contemporary worship service. included in the message for christmas eve was an invitation to decide which nativity character you most identify with, and the suggestion to keep your nativity set out throughout the entire year to remind you to share the light and spread the love.


during the christmas morning service, we had the opportunity to view a little youtube expression of christmas. a number of people asked to view it again, and so i am including it here:




at the united methodist church of merced, we hope that the coming year will be filled with peace and good will; we hope that you will deepen your spiritual relationship with God by offering the light and love of jesus in everything you do. and above all, we hope that we can be the instruments of peace that will empower the world to come to its senses! we'll start by sharing that peace with our neighbors and families and strangers in our midst. we hope that peace will expand throughout the world by people like you who will feel the spiritual warmth and beauty of welcome. you, too, can share the love. what a great gift to share in 2012!


i will be on vacation next week; i'm taking a break from my typical week, including blogging! so instead of taking time to read my blog next tuesday, spread a little love in the new year. thank you for your faithful support, and i'll return on january 10th. blessings be to you and yours in the days ahead. . . .

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

christmas week...ready or not!



'twas the -- almost -- week before christmas and all through the community, the fog was now lifting so the frantic shoppers could finish! The wreath was finally hung on the parsonage front door with haste, as the pastor finally realized there wasn't much time left!

the services were planned with the utmost of care, seeking to be excellent and ready for the christmas worshippers who attended. the church was all decorated with poinsettias and candles, and the advent wreath was all ready for its lighting on saturday.

the christmas dinner was being readied by church elves with love, so that tonight we might welcome our neighborhood with warmth and good cheer; tables were set, music was tuning up nicely, and a story of the season was ready to be shared.

in the pastor's study, gifts were being prepared for the outreach by the men's group -- the third year we've given out socks! e-mails were being returned, plans for 2012 were being addressed, and unpredictable events were also being fixed. no wonder this season is so hectic but nice, for very kind angels were ready to lend their aid.

the sun, how it shown through the cloud-covering like 'good cheer', no racket on the room -- a good sign that we didn't have a leak; the pikes hadn't frozen; the bills were getting paid-- a first in a long time -- even in this economy, we're seeking to respond to the many needs of others -- a year of hallelujahs and amens; god has blessed us in some way, everyone!

and with no fears to contend with, the week will progress; less frantic, less hectic, less troublesome, less chaotic; on time, on budget, on a wing and on a prayer. we're ready. we're waiting. we're hopeful and peaceful. we anticipate the joy. we anticipate the love.

come christmas eve the star will shine, the music will chime and the voices will sing. one final gift that needs to be placed in his place; baby jesus will arrive and give us all a new life!



merry christmas to all -- and come see jesus saturday night (8 pm).


(this nativity was placed on the altar this year, and was gifted with a barn. we celebrate the gift of love returning again this year, and hope that each and everyone will be able to embrace that love and extend such love to others in the year to come. christmas is not only one night long, but happens each and every time love is shared. may you be the love the world so desperately needs! you don't have to rhyme; just look at me! it is the sentiment that is the most important to spread!)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

a (not) typical tuesday in advent

so, here are the highlights of a (not) typical tuesday in advent.

i hosted our circuit leaders meeting. in our area of united methodism, our churches are divided up into circuits -- mostly geographical, with the aim to be connectional and to be accountable to one another, and to explore what we can do better together for the mission of god than we can do on our own.

preparations included what merced is seeking to become known for...hospitality; being ready with expectation for those who will be coming -- our, in other words, people who are not yet here. sounds like a real advent phrase; getting ready; being prepared for those on a journey. so, what does this mean? it means a 'costco run'...'cutties', muffins, good coffee, hot water for hot beverages (not just tea), making sure people know where to park, what entrance to come in, where the restrooms are, and having the heat on, the room set up for meeting and lunch and welcome snacks. all was in readiness!

lunch was bubbling -- two kinds of soup, multi-grain bread, butter, dessert, everything ready in a moments notice. ok, so one of my crock-pots is wearing out, making one of my soups warm, but not hot...fortunately, in our fireside room, there is a microwave!

the meeting finished, 'a spontaneous elephant gift exchange', and a sermon starter for christmas eve; great conversation, and a little known fact....

...for those NCIS fans, and for those who have no idea what that means, check on the youtube link below; i love how we share things in this group!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP2bqK5b5JY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

all this to say, pauley perrette -- abby of NCIS fame -- is a united methodist; an awesome video, no?

moving on ... no time to waste; the journey is not yet finished; bethlehem -- well today, the journey will be to the wesley hall -- is quickly approaching.

each year our united methodist women host a catered christmas dinner; this year our chancel choir was the entertainment; we have been practicing a cantata; a musical story based on the journey to bethlehem; a delightful opportunity to sing and share the story of our faith. if you were unable to attend last night, fear not -- to use a very biblical/advent phrase -- there is always sunday -- the fourth sunday of advent; the sunday of love.

our offering to the congregation will include this musical celebration, complete with orchestra! awesome, awesome.

if you haven't yet gotten into the mood for christmas; if advent is just a reminder that there are only 10 shopping days left before christmas; this is the sunday NOT to be missed! and, as an aside, if you are still looking for that perfect christmas gift -- fear not! -- and read my blog from last week for a great idea!

by the time yesterday was over, and i was beginning to let visions of sugarplums dance through my head, i wondered...is this tuesday? i didn't do my blog! fear not, came the answer, there is always tomorrow.

and so there is; today is tomorrow, well, only if you are thinking about yesterday.

have i lost it? no! i know that easter is yet to be.... anyway, merry christmas, a little early!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

the season has begun! a wesley student treat

i only took this picture because i saw someone else do it!

that's what advent was like for me, after a non-stop week-end. it all began on friday night when a group from church went to see 'the wizard of oz' at playhouse merced. i'm not sure why that began to get me in the mood for christmas, but it did...perhaps it was the apple trees in the forest that reminded me that i haven't put mine up yet! whatever the reason, it is worth a viewing...it closes on sunday, december 18th.

then there was our united methodist women's 81st annual holiday bazaar...an event not to be missed...with all kinds of holiday spirit, a tea room for resting, cheese balls, attic treasures, the infamous jam and jelly room, a christmas room, a candy room, silent auction, bake sale, linins room and a hmong room with beautiful handwork and egg roll sale; yummy fruit cakes too! all this finished up with a wonderful 'christmas around the world' luncheon! what a treat...always the first saturday of december...mark your calendars for next year.

sunday we lit the candle of peace and focused on joseph...the week before we focused on hope and mary. worship was followed by the opportunity to be in mission; our social action team, led by dave hetland, sponsors a women's prison holiday gift bag project. about 80 people came and put together the packets, 3650 in total. what a meaningful way to help remember the women imprisoned; reminding them that they are thought about, and prayed for.

that evening, our wesley club merced hosted a christmas party. the board members were invited to mingle with the students. we gathered in our 'wesley house', had a wonderful dinner, followed by a spirited gift exchange, and then the students retreated to play apples to apples, while the board members moved in on dessert -- homemade sugar cookies that we got to frost! the picture of the tree above was part of a plate of dessert that someone else brought -- gingerbread and tree cakes, festively frosted. yum.


this lighted christmas tree stands in the front room of the wesley house, lighted as a reminder that in the midst of all the troubles in the world, and all the issues that students need to contend with -- finals being one of them, beginning soon! -- the light of jesus still shines brightly.

o holy night...in the coolness of the winter, and in a world that is not always welcoming, these students, many a long way from home -- like mary and joseph -- can find a place of warmth and care even in times like these.

our board seeks to be very supportive of the students, and our campus minister, jennifer, is a gift to them and to this ministry. we hope that we can be a place of support and faith for them, so as they depart from campus, they can know that they are important, loved and cared about, and encouraged to grow in their spiritual awakening.

we hope to provide an element of the christian faith that encourages them to be the light that shines in the world's darkness. we hope that they will be encouraged to grow in their faith, and to have hope, peace, joy and love light their path. we trust that these elements will guide them into adulthood, and bring them to a place where they can feel that sharing with others, in spiritual ways, is as natural as breathing.

may we all learn to feel that way; because god has been so generous to us, we in turn, can be 'jesus' to others as we journey together on the road of life. and if you wonder how you can be supportive of students, or want to give something unique to the 'person who has it all', perhaps you'll consider making a donation to wesley foundation merced; a beautiful gift can can be sent in your name to anyone you choose, as a reminder that your care for them has been extended to others. check out their website at www.wesleymerced.org

blessings to you as you continue to journey toward bethlehem. may you be renewed and strengthened as you share love this season . . . .