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#magi & #cupcakes

Instead of doing the Kings at the end of Epiphany, we are joining them at the beginning of their journey this year.

I’m going with the idea that the wise men saw the star and actually made it to Bethlehem when Jesus was a baby (there is an idea floating 0ut there that the “three kings” came later, when Jesus was a toddler).

stars

This is an interesting story to be included in the narrative. We are given even less specifics than usual.

Some Magi, more than one, maybe men, maybe women, saw a star and traveled to find a baby in the manger. If they really began their journey in time to see Jesus as a baby, then they were the first ones to hear about Jesus (besides Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth)…weren’t Jewish, they weren’t even local. They were probably African.

The message then, is clear that Jesus has come for all people, for the different ones.

And I, for one, am amazed that this story made it to the birth narrative, because its about some strangers. However, those who were finally getting around to writing it down they included this.

It reminds me of the cupcake story From Jan Edminston (see her blog here https://achurchforstarvingartists.wordpress.com/!). She said one day her church handed out cupcakes, just to share some joy. They weren’t advertising, and if asked they said we are from the church over there and waved vaguely down the way.

It had an impact, because years later, people still remember when that church handed out cupcakes?

Who are your magi? What are your cupcakes.

New Covenant did a flash survey (one day, just whoever was there) and we filled out how we serve God in the community (please write down things that are not directly connected to the church) through prayer, goods, money, talent and time. Keep in mind that attendance maxes out at about 40 adults, and this was not a full Sunday

We support 40 different community charitable organizations through goods and money (and some organizations had multiple donors on top of that!)

We give time and talent to 20 separate community needs!

Prayer is utilized in 17 discrete situations.

These are our cupcakes, these are our magi. This teeny tiny church is nourished and supported and so we go out and make a HUGE difference.

And it doesn’t matter which church over there is the center for all this, but that we have been and will continue to be lead by God to extend love and BUILD THE COMMUNITY!

#peace and #advent #prayer

Prayer of Confession: Lamb of God, we confess that we do not always do peace well. We confess that we are not always the instruments of the kingdom. Reshape us, Lord. Mold us from swords into plowshares, makes us the tools of your peace through the planting of seedlings of hope, joy and love where ever we go, heal our hearts so we might in turn bring healing to others we pray… (Silent Prayer)…Amen

I Have Anxiety, So I Bought a Sassy Mug

Sarah Howell-Miller

I have anxiety.

I’m probably on the mild-to-moderate end of that spectrum–even at its worst, my anxiety has never succeeded in taking me out of school or work or life completely, and I take seriously how much more debilitating it is for others than it has been for me. At the same time, I think I’ve downplayed its effect on me, so I’m trying to give myself the grace to admit that it does affect me pretty profoundly from time to time.

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Building the #Nativity: (#christmas) Mary & Joseph

There are very few pictures of Mary and Joseph that are not Joseph pulling Mary on the Donkey for Bethlehem.

We aren’t there yet, though.

Besides, they aren’t Even LOOKING at each other!

But I can tell that Mary and Joseph aren’t really pictured before Jesus. Even though, they had some kind of relationship as they were engaged. Let’s face it, Mary and Joseph probably were from the same small town and knew each other really well, no matter how well they knew each other.

So this week we filled in the first characters by telling of when Gaberial tells Mary and then Joseph about Jesus coming. Its interesting because as the artwork shows, we clearly do not picture them together.

There are two distinctly similar portions to these accounts. The first of which were that Mary and Joseph were the afraid.

Can you imagine how they each felt seeing an angel? How worried they were about this unknown, and surprising child? Jesus Christ is probably the most surprising child ever!!

No wonder they were afraid.

Today is also the Hope week of Advent. You know what hope is? ITs saying yes when you don’t know what will happen.

That’s Mary and Joseph.

That’s parenthood too, when you have a child you don’t really know what is going to happen.

My mom remembers women who swore they would come back to work after having a baby, and then realize they couldn’t stay home. Then she knew others who were trying to stay home who were going crazy and needed to go back to work. This taught her that parenthood is one of those things you have ideas about, but you don’t really know until you get there.

And even if you have a partner in parenting, that person wouldn’t necessarily parent the same way. In fact sometimes what works for one parent doesn’t work for the other.

In a way we are all Mary and Joseph, trying to figure out how to relate to Christ. Each of us working to get to know him in our own way.

Faith is a bit by parenting. You have ideas about how it should work, but you don’t really know what practices and theories work for you until you put it into practice. Active, Contemplative, Environmental, Introspective there are many ways to practice faith.

I think of how afraid Mary is that Joseph is going to leave her, and Joseph so afraid about the leaving he thinks they must do. Each of them being afraid, and lonely in that fear.

Church is unique too, because just like a family, even though our practices are different other people’s faith practices can inform our own. Even if those particular practices are never our cup of tea, we can still strengthen one another by sharing about our faith.

Family is that way too!

Last year I talked about how we are the family in the waiting room, waiting for Christ and becoming family. We are becoming family through church.

When Joseph hears that he should keep the baby & Mary, that’s the moment they start to become Family. Before Christ even arrives.

As we build the nativity, we might each be drawn to different characters, but look at the variety of family, friends and strangers that come to see Jesus. This is because God invites each and every one of us to become a part of the family.

Heck, Jesus wasn’t really the son of Joseph, but the practice of inviting others to be a part of the family start with Joseph, continues with the Nativity,then the Jews, then eventually we are all adopted as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I think of when Joseph is no longer alone in his fears, of the moment when he tells Mary what he was hoping and worrying about Jesus, and Mary shares back. This is the moment they become family, before Jesus is even born.

(Here is our version of the family, we made with the kids as Our First Building the Nativity Ornaments)

This is what I think happened then, even tho there is no such art of Mary and Joseph

We do not have to be a certain ethnicity or worship a certain way or even read the Bible in a certain language. That’s because the Good News of Jesus Christ is translatable. Christianity can fit into any culture (when we do it right).

We are all invited to come and join the nativity, so join us as we build the nativity this Advent season

Christmas: What if we just owned it?!?

This is year, we are owning Christmas. We are telling the story of Christmas all of Advent, Mary & Joseph, then the Magi start their journey, then the shepherds, then the angels. I got the idea from Narrative Lectionary which takes Lent apart to slowly tell the Holy Week Story. We are doing the same. Let’s See how it works!

katyandtheword

The elves are starting. Many parents do the elf on the shelf thing (Not me, Advent is busy, and we find them creepy although lots of parents do a good job) or even the kindness elves. Christmas flyers are being sent out, and of course retail has been talking Christmas forever

Tumblr is starting to look snowy

And us pastors are DEFINITELY starting to think about Christmas-Auditions for our Xmas play have started this week. (which we put on for children as food drive…YAY)

Technically, in my family, we aren’t supposed to listen to Xmas music til thanksgiving

(but I give myself a pass to sneak it in the car, when I’m alone)

And you have to watch Love Actually 6 weeks before Christmas, because that’s when the

movie starts……and that may be before Thanksgiving.

Then on thanksgiving we toast with Egg Nog and watch our first official Christmas movie–which…

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Do the #refugees make you feel uncomfortable?

That might just be God tapping you on the shoulder.

Do the refugees make you uncomfortable? Do they shake you from your feeling a safety and make you rethink life? Perhaps they make you hug your children tighter at night.

Today my husband and I discussed the possibility of WWIII calmly trying to assess whether that is a reasonable concern.

Friends, my faith does not solve these problems, but it assures me that the risks are worth taking.

Another name for the Holy Spirit is “the one who stirs up.” The Holy Spirit both stirs us up and comforts us at the same time (I don’t know how, but its true).

Christianity isn’t supposed to be sitting on our laurels of blessings, feeling at one with the world.

It is a call to action to serve and love one another, to be open to other human being

And lets be honest, that’s dangerous. Its dangerous to open yourself to being in relationship with others. But that is our call as Christian.

We are called to preach and embody Christ and the Good News Even at the risk of our own lives. Does that include refugees who might be terrorists?

As a Christian you are called to be in some kind of relationship with every other human being on the earth.

Because they too are creations of God.
Do the refugees make you uncomfortable?

That might just be God tapping you on the shoulder.

#Prayer for all the #homeless

Lord Jesus, God, brother, healer, hope of the world. I pray for all those who are seeking asylum. No matter what the reason, no matter who they are. Those who are political, religious or emotional refugees from their home, how can I not cry out on their behalf. There are so many kinds of homelessness in the world Lord, and my heart breaks for all those who cannot find sanctuary, sabbath and peace. How can we do better? How can we find space for the sanctuary, sabbath and peace? How can we open our doors to those who have nowhere else to go? How? Lend us your Holy Spirit so we may build places of safety for all of your children to go home to…every single one.
Amen

Useful #Bible Verses

Its called Proverbs because its a life truth, right?

The #Myth of Katy: #fairytale and #theology in action

…..Mary Poppins says that until your baby curls are cut, babies can understand the languages of nature–birds and bees and breezes and other babies all sing together to tell the story of creation.
When I was little I listened hard to the story, attending to the spirits alit on the wind, looking for the chatter that filled up the clouds, attending to the adults as they told more and more stories of how the world worked.
You know how every single relationship is a story in action? How every time you relate to someone in your life sister, love, fairy godmother, you are storytelling. I want to know the big story, I want to participate in writing the world, co-creating reality, understanding the endings. I want to know who plotted this world, and how, and where all the people fitted together in the cloth of time.
You know why names are magical? Because they are first gift we are given, because to name something is to claim it through perception. Stories grow with us, they change as we change. The more complex we are, the more complex the story becomes. To name something is to grow it into creation. Which is why we are able to become old enough to read Fairy Tales again (as C. S. Lewis says). I’m working on being mature enough to hear the bird, breeze, bee, and baby breathe their true names into my ear once again.

#Professional #Human

“I’m basically a professionalized human” I tell my non-religious friends as I try to explain the hows and whys of life and the wherefores of my deep thoughts upon it.

Much like philosophers and theorists, theologians are about the practicum of life

Both how it works and how it could work

and so when I caught a speaker on NPR, a snippet of one of their TED talks or some other type lecture (nope don’t know any more I was driving to my run and that’s all I caught) that purported that no one was telling the “current story” of humanity, I found myself yelling at the radio.

NB: I don’t really do this often.

I’m like, “That’s what religion does” and the lecturer says “religion tells the established story”

“It shouldn’t” I muttered

“It shouldn’t!” I found myself yelling “that is when religion doesn’t work”

“The story” the lecturer went on “should be open to telling about what it should be now.

“Well what do you think we are doing” I said. I thought about how an alive God is more interactive than the safe God that so many people would prefer. I thought about the “checklist Christianity” that so many people would rather deal with than the struggling, wrestling, ongoing dynamics that living actually involves.

If we had the right way to live, we would do it.

Or we would all be the same, copies of each other doing the exact same perfect thing.

Of course that isn’t right. Its more dynamic, that’s why we need people “in the trenches” so to speak.

A colleague and I discussed that there are few jobs more “in the trenches” than parish (i.e. regular old small church) ministry. There you are thrown all the problems of life and are doing small, little teachings to help people get through the day. There you deal with the mundanity, the normalcy, the muggle-ness of life and the practice of God’s presence and miracles in the ordinary.

Its there you practice being human.