The sacred gamble

God decided we were worth the risk.

That's my conclusion, reading the story of Aaron's robe. When he went in to meet God, he took the stones "used to determine God's will" in pockets centered over his heart. It comforts me to know God chose to place the tools for decisions close to the heart, rather than another body part like the elbow or back of the ankle.

If I were trying to communicate, I don't know that I'd use the toss of a few stones to make my intentions clear. But that was what Aaron and his family did: they rolled the dice, so to speak. The early church did the same, choosing someone to replace Judas after he betrayed Jesus and hanged himself.

W and I have "rolled the dice" a few times in the past, using our best guess and fervent prayers. Kirsten's care was one of the puzzles for our family when Kirsten was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age 15. We tried all kinds of alternative treatments and medicines (at one point the poor kid was choking down 54 supplements a day). My folks took care of the bills, telling us to pursue every option. We did - and it cost them tens of thousands. For what?

After a year, of "you should be almost cured" (Dr's and therapists' words), K was admitted to Children's in Seattle. Her hip was replaced because the disease had stolen her cartilage and her hip bones were scraping. Yes, she was in incredible pain.

W and I cried buckets of tears, asking if God had seemingly given us false direction. Every time we had been on the verge of taking her for traditional treatments, some nurse or friend cured of arthritis or doctor would warn us of the side effects of RA drugs and propose a less harmful treatment. We asked God for direction, rolled the dice, and did our best. Ouch.

We're no wiser than before about that year's delay. Could the JRA have been arrested? We watch her go through the hellish surgeries and arthritis complications. This is the first time I haven't sat by her bedside during recovery. (Thanks hon, for picking that up this time - I'm writing, reading, researching trying to get the dissertation beast caged and sent away.) 

Each time I wonder if I'm going mad. What is God doing? Why does he who promises to visit with healing in his wings and the balm of Gilead stand and watch her suffer? 

I have no answers.

But I sew those little stones into my apron, take a gamble that God has a plan, and enter the holy place to ask for direction. 

I'm a holy roller because I know God is good. He took the chance that we would seek him and come into relationship with him. In fact, he thought we were worth coming to earth, living and dying among us to reconcile us to himself.

What unknowns does the day hold for you?


Read more:

*"'In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chestpiece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the LORD. Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron's heart when he goes into the LORD's presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the LORD's will for his people whenever he goes in before the LORD.'" Exodus 28:29–30 NLT

*For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 KJV 

*So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:23-26 NIV

Watered deserts

"The desert isn't really empty, It teems with life. Few animals live in it that we'd recognize from forests and meadows, so people assume that nothing survives there. But the desert has its own creatures and plants."

I was a bit skeptical about that until I started looking at photos of desert plants and animals.

Wow. Not only do many things live in the desert, but they have their own beauty and adaptive grace.

We assume daily life includes good health, enough money to pay the bills and a bit extra, luxuries like hot water and warm shelter, and people whom we love and who love us back. 

But that's not always the case. Suddenly, where we planted a lush garden, the desert surrounds us. A child runs away from home. Spouses neglect and abandon the family. Parents get dementia or die. Investments fall through or we overspend and get into financial trouble. Houses burn down or are swept away by natural disasters. What then?

We celebrated granddaughter Kinsey's baby dedication at Creekside Church yesterday. Pastor Don Ross preached about the splendor of God among us, becoming human and understanding our weaknesses and pain. We ate a wonderful meal prepared by our daughter-in-love Melissa, assisted by another d-i-love Rebekah. My parents even drove a few hours from their home in Canada to be with us. (Watching great-grandma hold Kinsey = fantastic.) Then we spent the evening with our daughter, safely moved to a rehab facility for therapy and skilled nursing care after foot surgery last week. 

On the way home, my heart swelled with praise that God gave this daughter to us, so I could rub her back and pray with her, so W could help her work out medical issues and sit by her bed, so her brothers could learn to care for others besides themselves. My Dad and Mom make a special effort over and over again to celebrate life moments with us. Indeed, my memories of the day are sweet, unexpected pleasures in the wilderness.

God promises his followers streams in the desert. Instead of the death we expect, parts of us that we never knew existed may start to flourish. Friends come alongside to help. People we haven't heard from in years offer resources we need.

If you are in a fruitful, flourishing period, find someone who needs the bounty you can share. And when the sun beats down with unrelenting heat and you think you cannot bear it, ask God to lead you to a well of refreshing water.


Read more:

*Waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. Isaiah 35:6 MV

*This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. Isaiah 44:2-4 NIV

*How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues." Psalm 31:19–20 NLT

*Christ says, "I came that my sheep may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 MV

Hearing truth in a new way

I like listening to the Bible read aloud. At STAG (St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge UK), W and I looked forward to the weekly scripture readings. The readers practiced the OT and NT readings for each Sunday morning rather than just showing up and fumbling through the passages. Bright, cheerful students articulated words and shaped sentences with those beauuuutiful Cambridge accents... they read entire chapters that informed the morning sermon and our weeks. Much of the scripture memory that drifts through my mind comes from those readings.

Knowing another language makes it easy to find variations in translations and readings. I don't know who was reading the German text, but last night his voice drifted through the hours. I listened to Galatians over and over, one chapter at a time. His clear speech and modern German differs from the readings of the Luther Bible of my childhood churches, bringing fresh focus to Paul's letter to the ancient church in Galatia. Old truths, read in a new way...

Seems like not much has changed. Listening to Paul's exasperation with the Galatian believers, I've thought about the rules and regulations that we force on each other in the Church. My studies of early Pentecostal women proves how we let history and our worldviews impose themselves on God's gifts. Instead of embracing the liberty of the gospel and the life of the Spirit, we press freedom into cultural boxes to impress our neighbors and restrict the behavior of fellow Christians to "acceptable" plainness, trying to prove to God our ardor in following him. When he lived among us, Jesus berated those who added rules and restrictions to God's law.

I love the grin of Prince Harry as his grandmother Queen Elizabeth walked by, reviewing his troop in 2006. Her visit required pomp, procedure, and protocol but Harry couldn't keep from smiling, "I know her! She knows me! Hi Grandma!"

God-beyond-our-understanding is so holy and beautiful that we couldn't survive an unshielded look at his face. Sometimes I can only gasp in wonder during prayer. Haven't we all fallen on our faces when God's presence comes near?

Thankfully, he is not just "mystery." His standards of right living align us with his perfect nature and protect us personally and in society. What good person could argue with respect for God and authority, honesty, faithfulness to marriage and family, and protecting the property of others (the 10 Commandments)?

Yet, if you're like me, you constantly go your own way, trample down side trips along the path to life, and have to come back again and again to ask forgiveness. When my emotions betray a lack of trust, he embraces me and welcomes me back into balance.

My Christmas gift to myself is immersion in scripture. I want to hear and listen as He speaks Word and words. And follow closely after him.

When my life ends and God does his review of the ranks of footsoldiers, I want to hear him say, "Well done, Rosemarie. You've been a good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord." That will surely bring a big smile to my face, too. Are you looking forward to that day?

Read more: (Thanks, Moravians.)
*Psalm 141:1-4 Obadiah 1; Jonah 1,2; Revelation 11:1-14

I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting
covenant with them. Ezekiel 37:26

God has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant.
2 Corinthians 3:6

Prayer: Merciful God, your covenant is remembered and renewed in us. Our Lamb
has conquered, let us follow him. Amen.

The point of prayers

A friend wrote me yesterday after a year filled with the life and death of those she loves. "I've been asking myself all year what good it really does being a Christian our WHOLE lives when its the end that seems to be the important part and during our life the "best" we can hope for is peace in our spirit. I don't want to devaluate that, because I know those who have no peace, suffer greatly, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say... "

I do understand what she wrote. Some days, as the apostle Paul wrote, if all we had was this life, we'd be hopeless and helpless:
"Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. And those people who died after putting their faith in him [would be] completely lost. If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

"But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us" (1 Corinthians 15:17-22) 

The good news is that Christ bring hope to this life as well as the next. Though life's grief washes over us, God's goodness sustains and helps. His pilot's hand remains steady on the rudder of our little lifeboats, no matter how tempestuous the storms.

I lay awake in the night, thinking of the pain our daughter endures and the surgeon's report. Her operation went well. But, because all the steroids taken to manage arthritis, her bones have become so porous that he didn't know if they would support an ankle replacement. What next? I thought, as the radio played a worship song, "God is good, God is good, His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good..."

My feet are healthy. I looked at them this morning, wiggling my toes and flexing my ankle. I thanked God for health. W and I are grateful that we can run up and down stairs to get things for Kirsten. We're glad our walks invigorate us rather than causing us great pain. Our straight wrists and elbows bend easily and our shoulders rotate so we can reach high into the air.

Today, looking into the fog outside my window, I know God is near. Though there's not much about him I understand, I am confident that he could touch Kirsten and those others who suffer this Christmas. His word could heal completely without added effort on his part of theirs. The days ahead, uncertain though they seem, nestle in a file of the future, labeled, "He gives his beloved rest."

How does his peace settle your day today? Let his goodness be the point of your prayers.

Read more?

*Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:13–14 NLT

*[Paul wrote,] But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11 NIV

Sunshine and shadow

With grateful hearts we embrace the new day. Kirsten made it through the surgery yesterday; the doc said they did less work than expected. She faces another repair in a few months because the surgeon said it was too risky to do all the procedures at the same time.

We are thankful for skilled medical teams and hospitals with dedicated caring staff. That's the sunny part.

Some of the shadow is the illness that continues to rob our daughter of joint after joint.

The biggest part of the shadow for me as a Christian is believing God put all the diseases and illnesses of humanity on Jesus at the cross... yet that seems to do little practical good. People continue to suffer in spite of prayers and pleas to God for help.

I keep throwing responsibility for our daughter on God, who is her heavenly father. He alone can arrest the progress of her arthritis. If he chooses to make her endure this, we are thankful for his presence and must trust him to do what is right.

This morning, under a cloudy sky, my prayers for help mingle with thanksgiving. A few "if only"s mingle with a hearty, "Thank you for helping yesterday."

• If only... God would touch Kirsten and heal her whole system
• if only... she would never have to have another operation
• if only... sickness would be gone from our friends, our families, and those we don't know
• if only... people would have access to good care when they need it, without being nickel-and-dime-d to death by insurance (IF they have insurance)
• if only...

and "Thank you."

• Thanks for another day
• thanks for scriptures promising God alongside in the valley of the shadows, whether illness, deprivation, or other traumas
• thanks for friends and family who pray and are faithful companions on the journey
• thanks for warm shelter and plentiful food
• thanks for death, when we go to be with Christ and all the garbage of this life will be a distant memory
• thanks...

 Read more:

*Psalm 140:1-5 Amos 6,7; Revelation 9:12-21

*The Lord rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness. 1 Samuel 26:23

*Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

The Moravian prayer for today: Heavenly Provider, thank you for the seeds of hope, faith, and love you have planted within us. Just as the gardener tends to tender plants, may this season of Advent nourish our souls so that we may share our bounty. Amen.

Kirsten's surgery

Praying the Moravian Daily Texts over our day, as Kirsten faces surgery at Harborview at 2.

Psalm 139:17-24 Amos 5; Revelation 9:1-11.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Psalm 25:16

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the
message might be fully proclaimed. 2 Timothy 4:17

Lord, when we are in the depths of fear, pain, and despair, come to us,
we pray. When we are weak and darkness envelopes us, light our path.
When all hope is diminished, hold us close. Amen.

Pray with us? We know God could touch her with a word and she would be well.

• God's healing on her whole body, and on the affected foot particularly
• Surgery to go well, for the medical team and Kirsten
• Recovery: K's insurer offers good coverage "on paper," but with qualifications in the fine print. For example, she pays everything in rehab unless "you stay at least 4 days and have 3 hours per day of physiotherapy," etc. Don't know any place that would give her that much time per day. Guess the company is afraid she's secretly going to a spa where she'll only get a one-hour massage and sleep the rest of the day.
• Insight for W: this is the first time he's doing day-to-day care for Kirsten.
• Focus for me: I have to continue studies during this very stressful time.

Greatly appreciated. The K's

Two aunties

My Auntie Thelma died Sunday. Dad's only sister, she kept her brothers up to date on family and friends when their parents died. She was generous in showing her love with gifts: as youngsters, we envied all the presents her kids got at Christmas. She was noisy and had a flash temper: no one could yell at you like Auntie Thelma. Her generation of Europeans had a hard time expressing love, yet she always enjoyed a hug, a letter, or a phone call. I remember reading Auntie T's letters to Grandma (her mom) when I was a teen. Tall looping letters flowed across the pages, always white, half-sized stationary written on both sides. Grandma loved the updates and I got to know many of their acquaintances through  letters.


Diabetes and other health problems couldn't keep her from trips to town, visits with neighbors, and cooking. Always cooking. When her husband died last spring, she began clearing their lakeside home of years of accumulation. She and Uncle L had collected fabrics, groceries and sale items, knickknacks, and other "treasures," and she began to sort and clear the accumulations with the help of her kids. In the last months, as her body began to fail, she turned to neighbors and friends for help, refusing government health workers and hiding medical details from her doctors.

We'll miss her. She was a character, larger-than-life in our family story.

The other person I'm thinking about today is my Auntie Molly. I called Uncle Erich this morning on their anniversary date: today would have been 59 years, and he remembers the wedding as though it was yesterday. Auntie Molly was my "special" aunt, the one without children of her own who took my cousin and me to her house for coddling, peppermint tea, exquisite baking, and overnight stays under thick feather duvets. We tried on her hairpieces, experimented with her clear nail polish, played hide-and-seek in her closets, jumped the downy bits out of the feather beds, and sat proudly between her and Uncle Erich in church on Sunday mornings. She bought me a red patent leather clutch that I carried from age 10 through my teens, dressed fashionably and fussed over her weight, tut-tutted over her perfect housekeeping, and almost gave Uncle E a heart attack by leaving her robe on the family room floor. (He was ready to call the hospital to see if she had been taken ill: he couldn't imagine that anyone wouldn't hang up a housecoat: her excuse? She had been exercising and left it behind when a friend called her to have tea.)


Auntie M was the oldest sister of five children, who bossed everyone around, but never spoke an unkind word. I don't know anyone who didn't love her back. She was sunshine, always smiling, always happy to see people. Uncle E said when they visited the bakeries where she'd worked, people ran over to say hi and chat up a storm. Auntie Molly had more friends than anyone besides Uncle Erich. They were twin souls; he cared for her when her body began to fail and still mourns the empty place she left.

Auntie Molly passed away seven years ago, but I think of her on every birthday, anniversary, and holiday. She imprinted on the family her friendliness to people, her sparkle for life, her beauty and eye for detail.


Today I consider myself blessed to have known these women. Their lives were filled with prayer for family and friends. They taught us to love God and care for people, giving themselves away in different manners, disparate styles, but with similar passion and interest in others. Though they're gone, I know we'll see each other in heaven, and I look forward to telling them again how dear they remain in my memories.

Who left their mark on your life? A woman? A man? We'd love to read about why you remember them. (Comments welcome below. NOTE: photos are not of my aunties!)


Read more:

*Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel. Psalm 89:13-18 NIV

*[Jesus told this story about accountability:] The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money.

After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. Matthew 25:16–19 NLT

The long and winding road

The USA government built interstate freeways to provide straightforward transportation for war supplies. If the country were attacked, how could resources quickly move from one coast to the other? I-90 and other such "civilian conveniences" would help, provided the interstates weren't bombed out. The government had the will, authority, and money to make it happen. Farmers were moved off their land, city dwellers relocated, and construction crews employed. The freeways are fabulous at whizzing us from point to point, but at what cost? No one remembers, driving along without a sidewards glance.

We often think that the war contingency routes, the straight-ahead A to B journeys, are possible in real life. But daily living demands stops for food, refueling, and visits with others. 

Our daughter came home this weekend to undergo another series of operations to repair the ravages of rheumatoid arthritis. The illness continues to affect her joints. Just as unwelcome are the medications' side effects. She's a trooper, and prayers are appreciated as she goes through her pre-op doctor visits, surgery, and recovery for the next few months.

I've had a short season of freeway running this fall. However, I've been shunted off the wide trail and onto side streets again. God, who knows our paths, allows us the freedom and pleasures of cranking full speed ahead with open lanes on either side. He's with us when we––in the sheer velocity of progress––think this may continue forever. Yay, the goal is in sight!

All too soon, we pull onto an off ramp, wondering, "is this my exit?" We dawdle. We wait for refueling in grocery lines, hopping back in the car with a full load. Yay, supplies! We're ready for anything as we drive off. After a quick rest, we're back in the car.

Sometimes, our trip takes us to a Park & Ride. We seek refuge at the blustery bullet-proof shelter. "Is the next bus is on time or on a revised schedule?" It's out of our control.

None of this takes God by surprise, though it may frustrate and discourage us. Life certainly tears up our freeway maps and tosses the pieces to the four winds!

Survival requires a fixation on the goal. For me, the next interim point of the journey seems clear. I don't know if I'll ever reach it or if it was a diversion along the way. But until I'm told differently by my Navigator, I'm programed like a heat-seeking missile, dodging obstacles, going up and down to find the hot trail until my mission is completed. (Yeah, I understand that a missile is destroyed in the process, so let's not take that metaphor too literally!)

The next week's ups and downs include sitting in a hospital waiting room, making meals off schedule, and listening carefully to instructions, scribbling them down furiously to revise my work. The moving target seems very far off this week.

"Rosemarie, life is not a series of distractions. The diversions ARE life," said my mentor about 15 years ago. I recall her counsel in the early hours, while my devotions prostrate me again at the feet of Jesus, who remains The Same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Read more:

*"See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. … But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land." Exodus 23:20–22, 29–30 NLT

*Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Psalm 117 NIV

*[Jesus said,] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

"The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more." Matthew 25:14–17 NLT

Worshipping Calvin. Or not.

One of this morning's blogs mentioned that the writer and a theologian met over breakfast "to discuss Calvinism." God has told us to think deeply about his ways in the world, but really... I got to thinking, why is their topic Calvin's doctrines? 

Why not meet to discuss Jesus? Or why not meet to discuss God? And see how the conversation unfolds?

Supper with Jess and Jeff, a couple of our friends, is grand. My husband and I eagerly anticipate time with them.We eat at nice places that feel like splurges because of great food. My senses of taste and texture, smell and seeing, feel heightened and we are fully sated when the evening is done. 

But it's not just that we all like good restaurants. It's not just the friendly company that stimulates us. W and I have talked this over many times before and after our visits. "We love spending time with Jess and Jeff. Isn't it fun to spend time with people when every conversation turns to God?"

Friends of W or me know we have broad areas of interest. When something takes our fancy, we read and read and read about it. We love research. For us, knowing is more than half the fun. Hence, those 30 books beside our bed... on Robert Gurney's contemporary architecture or 1 Corinthians or birch bark canoes.

Lately though, both of us are splashing through scripture, wading through the Word, and gorging ourselves on God's truth. I listen to the Bible read aloud a few times a day. W's read the Bible through many times since Spring, cover to cover. 

"What do you get out of it?"  I asked him, hopeful for a tidbit or tasty spiritual morsel. "What have you learned?"

"Ah, that's not a valid question, because that's not the point," he replied. "I read for immersion, not to learn or to look for answers or to prove a theology. I'm reading because God gave his Word to us."

Likewise, when we eat with Jess and Jeff, we're not just filling our stomachs. Without exception, talk turns to the wonders of God among us. The surprises in the world He has made. The whys and hows and wherefores that tantalize us from scripture. The riddles and mysteries and revelations that make serving Jesus an ongoing adventure!

It could be a crushing bore, except that God comes to meet us, time after time. We breathe in his presence, and adrenaline starts to flow in the lively exchanges. People at neighboring tables often lean in to listen. When we fold the napkins beside our plates, wave away desert, push the chairs in, and walk out through the foyer to the car, we're just bursting with fresh amazement at the goodness of God.

Do you cultivate friends like this? If you don't have a Jeff and Jess, get thee to church or a small group. Listen to find someone who loves God (so much that their whole life is a hunt to know Him better). It may take a while, years even, to search out those intentional and maturing disciples of Christ. Be someone like that, too. You'll rarely have a better time, or go to sleep more satiated, than after a physical and spiritual meal together! 

Read more:
*The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name—he is holy. Psalm 99:1-3 NIV

*As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV

*Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:1-3 NIV 

Worshipping foreign gods

We would have thought they were mad. Utterly bananas.

When I was a kid, had anyone placed an idol in their living room or spent hours meditating on "nothingness" for peace of mind, we would have called them crazy. Seems everywhere I look, there's a buddha sitting on a tabletop. Decorators like to express a feeling of tranquility in a LR or bedroom by adding foreign gods as symbols. You can find out how to build a shrine or "meditation room" in the DIY section of the library. Any neighbor on my childhood street who would have checked out such a book would have been marked as an insane person.

Reading history, it's easy to see how the West abandoned their love of God, in whom souls find rest, for the frantic pace of capitalism and consumerism. We fell in love with stuff, and then found our souls empty.

"Want to be really empty?" asked priests of world religions. "We can show you how." In came the gods made by hands, subtly in music (via John Lennon and Yoko Ono, yeah we thought they were nuts when they first broadcast Eastern rites). Foreign gods came creeping in with decor (oh, it's just a pretty statue. doesn't mean anything to me.) They disguised their houses of worship as holistic wellness centers (check out the "meditation rooms" that used to be chapels in hospitals, catholic retreat centers, and airports). And slowly but surely idolatry pervaded our homes and thinking ("You know, I think this guardian angel on my keychain really makes a difference, don'tcha, Saint so-and-so?")

It's not like we were ever all Christians. But the church used to be a place of refuge, where you knew someone would listen, pray to God with you, and offer help in times of trouble. I doubt if most of my fellow Seattle-ites would turn to the church rather than a bar or social services. Few people notice church buildings: it's like we have blinders on when we drive by.

I was creeped out by this photo on the BBC news this morning. Clinton is in Myanmar (formerly Burma). When would the heads of state take Communion in a Christian church... or even attend worship services with our government leaders? Yet with a smile on her face, Mrs. C. pours a symbolic water sacrifice on the altar of a god who is no god, a representation of demonic forces and evil. Is no one thinking about the message such a ritual binds us to as a nation?

We have bowed our hearts in the high places. Israel was severely punished for such abandonment of God. Rich and poor, influencers and peasants... all were swept away by economic downturns and wars and natural disasters. What makes us better than they? (Or has God become blinder to the sins of our leaders?) We will suffer God's justice because he notices those whose hearts incline toward him and those who worship things made with hands.

Christ sacrificed himself, One for all, so that we might have access to God. "Oh, Lord, let us not turn away from the abundance, peace, and joy you promise." We no longer have to sacrifice as the Israelites did, but we must turn day by day with hearts wide open to the God who has saved us and loved us enough to die on our behalf.

What abundant life we celebrate in this Christmas season! Don't let it be lost among those you love. In this season, decorations and business, presents and feasting can consume our time for worship and meditation on the One True God, who made us and wants to call us his own. 

Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord have mercy... on us all! Let's pray together today... for our governments, neighbors, and others who do not yet worship the Creator. 

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*Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. The lampstand will stand in the Tabernacle, in front of the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning in the LORD's presence all night. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel, and it must be observed from generation to generation. Exodus 27:20–21 NLT

*Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness;  come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100 NIV 

*While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him. People were asking, "What is this know-it-all trying to say?" Some even said, "Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That's what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death."

They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, "Tell us what your new teaching is all about. We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean." More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new.

So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: "People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, 'To an Unknown God.' You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him. This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.

"God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us, and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. 'We are his children,' just as some of your poets have said.

"Since we are God's children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't like anything that humans have thought up and made. In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death."

As soon as the people heard Paul say that a man had been raised from death, some of them started laughing. Others said, "We will hear you talk about this some other time." When Paul left the council meeting, some of the men put their faith in the Lord and went with Paul. Acts 17:16-34 CEV