Pet Rocks And Other Christmas Gifts

I was browsing on the internet the other day and noticed that they are selling pet rocks again.    As I saw the ads for pet rocks,  I thought back to a Christmas in the 1970’s when I got a pet rock for a Christmas gift.   They were a fad at the time.  You can see a picture of a pet rock above.   Pet rocks are certainly easier to take care of than a dog or cat.    They certainly do not need shots or a litter box.  What do you do with a pet rock?    What do you do with any gift that you receive?   We can use it,  throw it away, give it away, or simply stash in into a closet, attic, or drawer to never be seen again. 

We prepare in these days not only to give gifts to friends and family, but to celebrate the greatest gift of this season or any lifetime-  God’s gift, Jesus Christ.   There is a scene in the gospels when the Roman leader, Pontius Pilate, has Jesus before him.  As Jesus stands there,  we hear these words in Matthew 27:22,  “What shall I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?” 

What shall we do with the greatest gift of this season or our life,  Jesus Christ?     I cannot tell you what happened to my pet rock, but I can tell you that I have not seen it in decades.  Will the gift of Jesus Christ be something that you get rid of when the thrills of Christmas are gone, or will Christ become a part of your life and routine in the days ahead?    Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer:  O God,  we look forward with great expectation the coming of Christmas and the coming of your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Prepare our hearts to give him room in this season and in our lives.  Amen.

Remembering December 7

December 7, 1941 was the date.  The place was Oahu in what now is the state of Hawaii.  On that Sunday morning, Japanese planes attacked the United States Navy installation of Pearl Harbor destroying many lives and much of the Pacific fleet.  While the attention of military personnel and local residents alike were focused on what was happening at Pearl Harbor, Marie was concentrating on something else.   At the Naval Hospital just a few miles from Pearl Harbor, she was giving birth to a little girl that she had carried in her womb for 9 months.  On a day when many lost their life a few  miles away from her, Marie gave birth to a new life. While many around her felt deep sadness,  Marie felt the joy of a new baby. 

I had the priviledge to be Marie’s pastor many years after that December day.  Though it has been decades since she told me that story, I still remember it.    While many Americans remember December 7 as a day of sadness, Marie remembered December 7  as a day of joy in her life.

Historians can give you many reasons why our country suffered such a major attack at Pearl Harbor that day.  Surely one of the reasons was that our armed forces were not prepared for such a violent and devastasting act.  On the other hand,  one of the main reasons why Marie gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl near Pearl Harbor that day was because she had followed medical counsel from her doctor.    It is always important to be prepared.

In these December days, Christians everywhere are in the season of Advent.   Remembering the urging of the prophets long ago to prepare for the coming of God’s anointed one, the Messiah, we prepare for the coming of Christmas and the living Christ into our midst in these days.  At the same time, Advent reminds us not only that Christ comes, but Christ will come again.  There will come a time when Christ will come and will create a “new Jerusalem” defeating the principalities and powers of this world.   On this December 7 and in this season, let us prepare accordingly.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:  O God,  who has come and is coming: prepare my heart through the power of your Holy Spirit for your coming in these days;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Password

A few weeks ago,  I was at a church gathering out of town.  Several of the attendees at the meeting including myself came to the meeting equipped with our laptop computers with information that we would discuss during our time together.  So that we could get on the internet, we asked one of the event hosts what was the password for their internet.  We were told the password is joyfulness.  I typed the letters of that word on my laptop and soon had success in being online. 

Though that meeting is past, I have been thinking about that password.  Joyfulness is more than a password to gain access onto the internet; no, it is a password to a fulfilled life.  We will encounter the word “joy” often in the next few weeks during this Advent and Christmas season.    Many of us will sing or hear sung the hymn “Joy to the World” or perhaps hear ”tidings of comfort and joy” as we hear the story about the birth of Christ Jesus.    How can we know joyfulness in this season and in every season?

Here is a short list of things that bring joyfulness and fulfillment to me.  I share them not in any particular order but simply as they come to mind.   They are as follows:  

·         Giving to others without expectation to receive anything tangible in return

·         Loving others and being loved by others

·         Spending time with children and with older adults

·         Singing songs and hearing music   

·         Watching the wonder and beauty of God’s creation and God’s creatures

·         Being forgiven and forgiving others

            My hope and prayer is that the things I listed above might be a part of my life in the busyness of these days.  Don’t like my short list of things that bring me joyfulness and fulfillment?  Then, make your own list and discover your own password.    Better yet, make those things a part of your days.  -  Have a joyful week.-   Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:  O God, help joy be more than a word I  read or a word I sing.  Help joy to be known in my heart.   Give me eyes of faith to see the joys around me in these days;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Grateful For What Isn't

I love holidays.   They call me to  pause and reflect about  things that I need to remember all the time and not just one day or season of the year.   Thanksgiving is no exception.    Perhaps some celebrate Thanksgiving because of the feast before them or because of the time away from work or even because it is the beginning of the holiday shopping season  What I appreciate most about the Thanksgiving holiday is found in the name of the holiday itself.   Thanksgiving.  I appreciate being reminded of the goodness and graciousness that God has given me in this year and this life. 

Recently, I opened a letter from a health care provider  in our area that shared good news.  The tests provided a good report.  There was no sign of cancer or any other serious illness.  It got me thinking about  thanksgiving in a different way.   Some times I give thanks to God for what is and sometimes I give thanks to God for what isn’t.   

Yes,   I give thanks to  God for all there is in my life.  There is food to eat, a home to live in, and clothes on my back.   Yes,  I give thanks for a wonderful wife to share life with and for all our family.  Yes, I give thanks for the holy priviledge that is mine to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am blessed beyond measure for what is.

Yet, there are  times that I give thanks to God for what isn’t.   I give thanks that when I gather to worship there isn’t a  legal authority forbidding me to assemble to worship the Lord.  I give thanks that I opened a letter that told me there was no cancer, and that I am not in the hospital or a long term medical facility.    Sometimes, I thank God for what isn’t.

Whatever this Thanksgiving holds for you,  I encourage you to join me in taking time to pause and reflect on what is and isn’t in your life that causes thanksgiving and gratitude to swell up in you.   Have a great Thanksgiving and a blessed week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

            Prayer: All praise, glory, honor, and thanksgiving be to you, mighty God.   Thank you for all your goodness that goes far beyond what I deserve.  Praise your holy name;   through Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

Reporting For Duty

Another Veterans Day has come and gone here in the United States.   While we share some of our  holidays  with people around the world,  Veterans Day is a distinctively American holiday.   On that day, we honor those who have served our nation’s call to arms in times of war and peace.   While it is related to Memorial Day, it is different in that Memorial Day focuses on those who died in military service while Veterans Day focuses on those who served and returned.  Like many of you, I have relatives who  served in the military in days past and currently have a son-in-law who serves in the United States Army.  In recent days,  I have been thinking of an old hymn that includes these words:

Am I am soldier of the cross- A follower of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His name?/  In the name, the precious name, Of Him who died for me, Through grace I’ll win the promised crown, Whate’er my cross may be.  

One of the things that is critical for those in military service is following orders of their commanding officer.  Failure to follow orders can result not only in the charge of insubordination at a minimum but also  the loss of life at the worse.   As Jesus faced his own crucifixion, he put it this way as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane:  “not my will, but thine be done.”.     Are we faithful soldiers of the cross or do we face the charge of insubordination to God our Father?    

The Salvation Army was founded by a British lay preacher named William Booth.   He used the metaphor of being a soldier of the cross in his work for the Kingdom of God.    One of the things that the  Salvation Army has always focused on is working with the least and the lost among us.    William Booth put the cause of being a solder of the cross this way:

"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!" 

Can Christ Jesus count on you in the fight to touch the least and the lost?   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

            Prayer: Holy God, there are so many people that need to know the touch of your love.  I am reporting for duty.  Use me, Lord;  in Christ’s name.  Amen.  

Little Things, Big Results

Our clothes dryer at our home  was not working correctly.  The dryer door would not stay shut.  While I recall days in my life  when we did not have a clothes dryer at our house, today there are no clothes lines at our house or in our neighborhood.  The problem with the dryer was a small, but important one:  the small door latch had broken off.   After discovering that the dryer was no longer under warranty, we discovered on the internet not only a company that sold a dryer latch kit for under $5 but also a video that showed how to fix the problem.  In a couple of days, the dryer latch kit arrived at our home and the problem was fixed in a matter of minutes

That experience has had me thinking in recent days about the importance of little things.  The performance of that clothes dryer was dependent on a dryer latch that cost  a retail price of less than $5 and took less than 5 minutes to install.   I believe that the effectiveness of our Christian witness as a church and individuals is also dependent on little things.  It costs no money to share a smile, a warm welcome, or to make a phone call.  It costs little money to send a card to a friend or stranger who is sick and needs encouragement, or to prepare a plate of cookies for a new neighbor.  Yet, what a big effect those little things can have on the friend or stranger at our church, in our neighborhood, or in our workplace.

The apostle Paul uses the human body as a metaphor to make a point about the importance of little things in the body of Christ, the Church.   If you have ever had a toothache or a splinter in a finger, you know well that little things can have a big effect.   In I Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul puts it this way:

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of only one part, but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “Since I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “Since I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body^[e] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body according to his plan.^[f] 19 Now if all of it were one part, there wouldn’t be a body, would there? ²⁰ So there are many parts, but one body.

 There are many people who lament the money or the talents they do not have to make a difference.  Perhaps we need to look not so much at the big things we do not have, but at little things we have and can do to make a difference.  Have a joy-filled week.- Pastor Randy Wall

            Prayer:  Lord and God, thank you  for the grace and goodness you have given me every day of my life.  Help me take action today to touch somebody in your name;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

A Communion of Saints

It is a new month we call November.   A general election is only days away and candidates of many different persuasions are making their  final case of why you should vote for them.  The month of October just ended with Halloween and the fun that offers for the young and old.  Amid all that is going on, it is easy to forget the importance of November 1 on the Christian calendar.   November 1 is All Saints Day.  Protestant traditions don’t have a path to sainthood like our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters.  Those that associate sainthood with living a life without blemish perhaps shudder at the mention of the very possibility that someone could be a saint.   Despite such objections,  All Saints Day has become more important in my journey as a Christian in recent years. 

We say we believe in the “communion of saints” in the creed we call “The Apostles Creed”, one of the oldest affirmations of faith in our Christian tradition.  What do we believe about that communion of saints?    Here is what I believe about the communion of saints.    I am grateful for the lives of followers of Christ that have gone before me who now know their final rest in the Lord.  None of us is without blemish, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.   Yet, I am grateful for the saints  for the  memory of their  words and example are a source of inspiration for me as I seek to follow Christ now. The faith that I have in Christ has been formed and shaped by their lives. Their lives made a difference in my life.    I give thanks to God for them.  I am reminded of the words of Hebrews 12:1-2   which says:

Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles^[a] us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us, ² fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of^[b] the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

            Do you believe in the communion of saints?   What do you believe about them?   Amid the busyness of these days,   I encourage you and myself to take time to ponder that.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

            Prayer:  Lord,  I  give you thanks for the lives of the saints who now know eternal rest in you. May their lives inspire me to greater heights of serving you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.