The Christmas season is one of many joys and wonders. Family gatherings, parties with friends and coworkers, decorations, gift giving and receiving, special food, beautiful decorations, and all the lights, celebrate Jesus' birth! If it seems a little over the top, maybe that's because it is! What else can we do to honor the God of abundant provision, generous love, and beauty beyond anything we could imagine ourselves? As God's goodness shines through the darkness of December in the child of Jesus, may our gratitude and thanksgiving shine God's love into a dark world - in our Christmas observances and in all we say and do through this special season and beyond! Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DARyXapQZhA

Christmas in Plain Sight: Advent 2

The happy season of Christmas is upon us! Everywhere around us is joy and merriment and fun and frolicking! And we are so glad to join in with glad hearts... unless we aren't. For many, the joy around us puts our own pain, heartache, and hurt into stark contrast. For many, loss and troubles seem all the more poignant when placed against all the hype and happiness of the season. The good news of Christmas, though, is that the season is not one of superficial optimism. It is one of eternal, tenacious hope. Jesus came to us not because the world is already full of peace, hope, joy, and love. Jesus came to bring light to those who sit in deep darkness. Be at peace if you are not happy this season, Jesus came especially to be with you. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CPQmqUY4eE

There is so much to enjoy about the Christmas season! The music, the gatherings, the gifts! And of course, the decorations! Some start to decorate the day after Halloween. Others have traditions of bedecking on Thanksgiving, or December 1, or even Christmas Eve. We put up trees, string lights on the house, and as a way to welcome family, friends, and travelers, we festoon our gates and doors with garland, wreaths, and holly. It is through these entryways that those we love most come home for the holidays, our friends enter and become family, and people join us in celebrating all that is wonderful about the season. When those within and those without come together, love is shared, joy is spread, and we are changed. As we welcome others in - as we are welcomed in - we can proclaim with the biblical writers, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7caXQxZ3G8

Yay, God!

Grandparents used to have "Brag Books" to show off their grandchildren. These small photo albums were always nearby to show a friend, family member - or complete stranger - how cute and accomplished their grandchildren were. Today we have Facebook, Instagram, and smartphone photos always at our fingertips to show off kids', grandkids', pets', and even our own best and brightest moments. The only "Brag Book" God has is God's people who tell the stories of God's good work in their lives and in the world. Thanksgiving Sunday (November 20) we "Praise God for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!" (Psalm 150:2 NRSV) as we brag on God's good work in and through the people of Union Chapel Indy... Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf8HEKXoUAo

Don't Forget to Remember!

The older we get, and the busier we get, the more we seem to forget. What was I supposed to pick up at the grocery on my way home? Why did I come into the kitchen? What are the names of the new neighbors we just met last night? We bemoan the state of our memories and employ all sorts of tricks to help us remember, including asking the people around us to remind us and help us remember. But we don't just forget details and tasks of our daily lives. We also tend to forget really important and helpful things, like how very good God is and all that God has done for us and God's promise to always be with us. Don't forget to remember all God's mighty work on your behalf. Because what God has done, God can do again. (Read Mark 8:14-21. Recall one time when God abundantly provided for a need you had.) Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL4OK-YqiA4

Discovering one's heritage has become big business. For a fee, services will connect you with family members and family history you might not have known about. Ancestry.com boasts that they are "Connecting 20 Million Members to a Deeper Family Story." Even in a world where we are constantly connected through social media and technology, we long for significant relationships and connections. There is something comforting in knowing that we have a history and a story that includes other people; a story that ties us to others across time and space. Whether we know our biological family tree or not, we can all claim a place in a very significant story. Through God's love shown and given to each of us in Jesus, and lived out generation after generation in the church, we join a loving family that stretches back to the first followers of Jesus. The legacy of love we receive in faith connects us with people of faith across all time and space, encourages us for life today, and moves us forward in that same love. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UF7sixgR5U

There is power in securing our own destinies. We like to be the planners of our futures, the decision-makers for our next steps, and the authors of our own stories. Even as children this was our tendency. We made up our own rules for playground games and we liked the books in which we could pick the ending. To be in control makes us feel safe and gives us a sense of security. To that end, we also stockpile supplies, money, and resources. If a little is good, more will be better - and safer! As we've explored some of Jesus' parables in this series, "Go & Do," we've discovered that parables allow us to choose our own ending. We get to decide how Jesus' stories will end in and with us. When we discover that Jesus loves us, how will that change us? How will that love show up in where we go and what we do? When we discover that we are more blessed in relationship than when we are isolated, who will we go to? What will we do to be a blessing and be blessed in friendship and connection? And this week, when we discover that we are blessed with far more than we will ever need, what do we do to bless others with that abundance? This week we write the ending of our own giving story as we seek to bless others out of our own blessings. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5wQMSujNsk

Who we believe these days has become quite a topic of consideration. Is your news source really a news outlet, or is it... something else. Who do you trust to speak truth, provide reliable information and advice, and have your best interests at heart? Most of us won't listen to just anybody. And those we trust the most are those with whom we have a shared history and know the best. And if we have good news to share, a blessing to pass along, or wisdom to impart, who might listen to us? It will only be those with whom we have a trusted relationship. God blesses us with connection not solely for our own benefit, but also for the benefit of those around us. When we share what we have with those we know and love, the entire community benefits. We are connected not to build ourselves up, we are connected to care. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FrsiAJcjNc

In nearly any given situation, it’s natural to ask ourselves, “What is required of me?” In a new job, we want to know the expectations and responsibilities. In a social setting, it’s helpful to know if we are in a casual situation or if we are in a more formal setting where our very best manners are called into play. Maybe we’re new to town, or a school, or a neighborhood… How are things done here? What is expected of me to be a good citizen, succeed in class, or be a caring neighbor? The Bible, our faith tradition, and our personal biases contribute to what we believe is expected of us as followers of Jesus. But maybe the best place to discover this is from Jesus himself. And, as much as we’d like to know precisely what the basic expectations are in certain areas of our lives, Jesus calls his followers to generosity and compassion in all areas. Jesus doesn’t ask us to just meet a list of do’s and don'ts, check off just so many boxes, or just believe certain things. Jesus asks us to give him our hearts, our relationships, and our physical and material lives - everything. To be a good steward of the abundant blessings and grace Jesus has poured into our lives, is to let Jesus have his way with our lives and possessions. Jesus expects more than our presence in church and a few dollars in the offering plates; Jesus expects us to go and do like he did… living and loving, generously, faithfully, and with an abundance of mercy and compassion. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0SI6pRv3uw

Run Toward It

Pain, trouble, heartache and brokenness... alienation, loneliness, and loss. These things are a part of every life. Nobody likes them. In fact, it's natural to want to run from them. Many people spend their entire lives doing all that they can to stay as far away from these things as possible. Jesus, on the other hand, spent his earthly ministry with people experiencing these things to offer them hope, love, acceptance, and grace. And in the Gospel of Luke he tells the story of a father running to embrace and kiss his estranged son when he sees him on the horizon. Jesus doesn't just welcome the hurting, he seeks them out, searches for them, and runs to them with love. God's love and grace as experienced through Jesus is tireless, tenacious, and persistent. Jesus doesn't just welcome us, he runs to us. Having experienced the love of God through Jesus when we felt we least deserved it, we might look with new eyes towards the hurting and needy around us and ask, "To whom are we running?" Worship link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQXJ2c4NXAI

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