A Gift Shared

One of my friends from Spiritual Direction training shared this with our small group as a gift. It was too precious not to give to you.

"Christmas is for Healing"
By Macrina Wiederker, OSB (from her book Seasons of the Heart)
Loving you, of course
I am not at all interested in how much money
you are spending on Christmas gifts this year
but rather, in how much blood, sweat, and tears you are shedding
to make Christ a vital part of your life
for you and I will never be able to erase the fact that he came:
to touch lives - to break bread
to heal hurt - to forgive sins
to wash feet - to calm seas
to walk on water - to give us the Spirit
and to care immensely.
Yes, to care enough
to be born in our Bethlehem
to live in our land, and weep over our cities
and die and rise again.
So now it's Christmas
and I am not sure what part of you is crippled
or where you need to feel God's saving power
but with everything in me
I believe that Christmas is for healing
And he came to heal.
So if you can trust Jesus enough to
walk out on the waters of getting involved,
of washing feet and anointing people,
of breaking bread and working miracles,
I am almost sure his saving presence
will touch those blind and crippled parts of your life
and Christmas will come to you.
More than anything else
I want to give you Christmas this year
It's a gift, an offer
You can take it if you like
but I can't really give it to you
like a wrapped up package.
It is deeper than that,
It is warmer, brighter, holier.
It is more personal.
Christmas is more challenging
that a wrapped up package.
It is an offer
It is a mystery
It is birth
It is hope.
It is Christmas and
God can never be born enough. . .

Christmas Eve- the Super Bowl or Daytona Race for Preachers!

Finally the big day is here!  For us preachers tonight is like the Super Bowl for NFL fans or the Daytona Race for NASCAR fans.  That is how huge this evening is.

My preacher heart has been dreaming and waiting.  Waiting and dreaming of this night for decades.

My ministry appointments have had me serve two large congregations where I was an associate on a staff.  That meant that I have not in my eighteen-almost-nineteen-years of ministry preached on Christmas Eve.  My senior pastors have always preached this night.

This is not to say that I have not had meaningful ministry; I have.  Nor is this to say I have not helped and aided in making the holiness of tonight come alive for many; I have with great joy shared in the ministry of Christmas Eve.  Preaching is the only aspect of tonight's service that I have not yet done.

That tradition ends tonight!  Thanks be to God!

All this build up and anticipation, I hope, means the Spirit has something special to deliver through me this evening!  My sermon prep showed that I had too much material and kept having to edit down, and down, and down.  (A sign of the situation, no doubt!)

May the Christmas angels use me tonight!  And may our worship of the Babe of Bethlehem be joyous!

New Tradition

Our family joined in the Ridge UMC's tradition of bell ringing for the Salvation Army on the first Saturday of December.

We dressed in warm clothes.  Wore our Santa hats!  And made Merry!

We all three had such fun that we must do it again next year.

But, we've decided we need a better bell to ring.  So, practice has begun with the Knight family bell choir to learn Jingle Bells in time for December of 2016!

Hope the practice goes well this year!

Advent is Change and then Not Change!

Numerous aspects of our lives change daily or yearly, yet relief from the whirlwinds of change come with Advent and Christmas.  These holy days ground us because of the traditions woven into our celebrations.  Layers of memories fuse into previous memories blanketing us with comfort, strength, and peace. 

We are creatures of habit, aren’t we?  That is not to say anything good or bad about us.  It just is.  We like things to stay the same.  An adjustment to our status quo or equilibrium is an occasion for coping with grief, newness, and unknown possibilities. 

So what happens when a source of our strength- the holidays- means the recognition of change?  Because all of us at Ridge can say together, “Advent and Christmas will be different for the entire Ridge UMC family in 2015”.  Our congregation has made its way through: senior pastoral leadership transitions, other staff changes, death of beloved members who will celebrate their first Christmas in heaven, and shifted ministries from the way-its-always-been-done to new ways of serving Christ in our world. 

My family too has journeyed through massive change this year; we sold our beloved Avon home, Diana graduated from Hickory Elementary in Avon, my appointment changed, we purchased and remodeled a new home in Munster, and our family relocated to this community. 

If you and I are honest with one another, some of the changes we like better than others.  That’s normal.  Some changes are easy to move through and adjust.  Others give us pause. 

Yet, I am reminded that one thing remains the same.  A cradle will stand ready to welcome the Christ child this year.   My family has not yet decided where the Nativity scene will be displayed in our new home, but He will be with us!  We will all welcome the Babe of Bethlehem once again because Jesus Christ stays the same. He is forever and always as our Emmanuel, our gift of possibility, new life, second changes, healing, renewal, and hope.

Maybe 2015 is the best year, after a season of tremendous transition, for all of us to crawl into Christ’s cradle and wrap our arms around the Hope of the World! 

See you at the cradle!

My Thankful List

Every year my gratitude list grows and grows.  And, I suppose, that is a very good thing.  Generosity begets generosity.

This Thanksgiving our traditions have been re-arranged because we live in a different community, but my hearts overflows with gratitude for the variety of blessings I enjoy.

Here is my list (hope you make your list too):

1. Beautiful, safe haven to call home and find refreshment and renewal.
2. Loving, kind family of three (plus dog and fish who keep having babies.
3. Health of mind, body and spirit (although I am very glad to have a new gym membership.)
4. Hope, I have hope because I know Jesus, and he is my hope.
5. Congregation in which to learn how to grow into a more generous, loving pastoral leader.
6. My husband's job provides him with challenge, and blessing.
7. My kiddo's tenacity to conquer her tough homework.
8. My extended family and friends whom I miss dearly.
9. The wonder of Facebook because it does help me stay in touch with people.
10. Colleagues who are loving, supportive, and encouraging.
11. My BFF whose power lunches always give me a boost.
12. The privilege of witnessing how God's spirit grows within people to move them to be and do more than they ever imagined!

Happy Thanksgiving!

House Blessed

Finally, we made it!  The day of our House Blessing and Open House arrived this past Sunday, November 8th.  The weather was lovely and the company delightful.

In between the door bell and the phone ringing,  we read scripture, prayed, and shared our hopes and dreams for safety, rest, renewal, and the making of new memories here in Munster!

It was a joy to share our treasures and hard work with our new church family.  The fish even behaved for all the guests.

Now, that the house is blessed, you know what that means, right?!
REST!

Celebrating Gary

Today staff and members of my former congregation, Calvary United Methodist in Brownsburg, Indiana gathered to celebrate the life and witness of Gary Irwin.  Not only was Gary an active member of the congregation, but he had also served on staff for a number of years.

The following letter is something that I wrote and was shared at the celebration of his life today... I continue to give God thanks for 'loaning' to me such amazing, precious people.

May the family, friends and church community be comforted in their grief. Blessed are the mourn for they will be comforted.

"One of my first memories of Gary was over a decade ago in Disciple 1 Bible class back at the Green Street church.  He brought his can of pop and draped his arm around Debbie and that is how we began to know one nother. Gary was ready to ask questions, like, "what about that or this...?" 

Later, I learned Gary was stubborn, funny, proud, a tease, loyal, a hard worker, and a great member of any team!  Gary was the only Vietnam vet I ever met to tell me funny, silly stories from Vietnam.  He had the spiritual gift of encouragement. He knew what to say and when to say it. Gary also had the powerful gift of intercession.  He was a warrior at prayer!  I was glad he was on my side.

One of the very best things about Gary... Which is why he was awesome husband, father, father in law, grandfather, uncle, friend, teammate, solider, and church member - is that Gary had your back.  His fierce loyalty, consistency, and tenacity of love was all ways and always there. He made sure you knew that he was ready to do or be anything for you.  

No wonder we are all deeply saddened by the huge hole in our hearts at his passing.  Who will have our back now? Block us from the winds of the world? Make us feel safe in the dark of night? 

Gary was humble enough to know his limitations... As much as he'd enjoy this funeral fuss he would much rather just go and get a beer and talk about your life.  Then he would remind us that what he did for us is small, tiny in fact, in comparison to God's tremendous love and loyalty in Jesus.  God had Gary's back and God will now watch over ours.  

Your friend,

Michelle Knight