Let's Celebrate Christmas ALL year

Jen and I really enjoyed this Christmas. Maybe it was extra special because we know it is our last before we move to Florida. We were faithful to our tempting Advent calendar from Trader Joe's and only ate one piece of chocolate a day. Jackson loved opening all the Christmas cards that filled our mailbox daily and even helped hang them on the wall. We also discovered Clare's love of dancing— she's wild! We also had a great time visiting with our neighbors— who brought presents for the kids and invited us into their homes for cookies and cider. There really was a special feeling in the air this Christmas.


Yet now that Christmas is over, some of that special feeling is gone. The parties and gift-giving is over and the air just feels a little more stale.  Yet why does that have to happen? Christmas is something that can and should be celebrated all year. I'm not talking about leaving your Christmas lights up all year or drinking hot chocolate in the summer. I'm talking about celebrating the fact that God loves us so much that he came and lived among us. That is what Christmas truly signifies— God becoming flesh and blood in the person of Jesus. God wanted to show humanity what he was like in a way that was tangible. In 1 John 1:1 we read, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." They're talking about Jesus. They heard, saw and touched him. Christmas is important because it shows and reminds us that God loves us so much that God entered into it in order to bring healing, hope and restoration.

As Christians, our lives are to point people toward Jesus. This means that we need to love, forgive, share and celebrate just as Jesus did while he was on earth. You don't need to thump people on the head with Bibles or pretend that we have it all figured out— we are called to point people to Jesus by the way that we love each other.

Here are a few practical ways that we can celebrate Christmas year round. First, love and spend time with people and get to know them. Not just family, but neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers. That is what Jesus did. Second, be more generous and give. Let someone know that you care about them and expect nothing in return. Imagine what that would feel like?  Finally, the best way to celebrate Christmas is to be thankful. Constantly remember what God has done, is doing and is will do in the future and share it with your family, neighbors, and even strangers. 

May we point people toward Jesus as we share life together. Amen.


Merry Christmas!
Ryan Hansard

(Weekly readings: Psalm 147;  

Isaiah 61:10-62:3; 

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7; 

John 1:1-18)

It's Christmas time!

Tonight we attended a Christmas Eve service and watched this video. I wanted to share it with you. The video is based on the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke (found in the Bible). I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas. 

Restoration

“Don’t imagine that the world divides naturally into those who can understand what Jesus is saying and those who can’t.  By ourselves, none of us can.  Jesus was born into a world where everyone was deaf and blind to him.  But some, in fear and trembling, have allowed his words to challenge, rescue, heal, and transform them.”

-         N.T. Wright (Christianity Today Magazine)

I heard a debate the other day about businesses using “Happy Holiday’s” vs. “Merry Christmas.”  The debate continued with the argument that as a society we need to put the “Christ” back in Christmas.  In our society we love to argue religion and politics.  People get so upset if someone says anything against their own personal beliefs.  Around the Christmas season the arguments tend to escalate.  This year is no different, because some people celebrate the Birth of Jesus while another group celebrate the season.  The secular world and the Christian world collide on this holiday called “Christmas.”

   

N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, helps us understand that even in Jesus day the message of Christ fell on deaf ears.  Some believe His message and others do not.  Some people saw Jesus for who he was, the Messiah.  Others saw him as a threat to their religious structure.  The Pharisees had a religious structure where they controlled the schedule, the sacrifices offered, and the community.  The governing officials had a tight rein on the religious groups in their region.  They did not understand how a baby boy, born in a stable could uproot their whole society. 

            During this week in advent the scriptures remind us; even during the time of Isaiah, it was prophesied that God would give a sign.  The sign was “the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).”  Immanuel meaning, “God with Us.”   Psalms 80 mentions the phrase or the cry, “Restore us, O God.” 

            During this week leading up to Christmas, how do you feel?  Do you feel tired or exhausted at the end of another year?  Has the events of this year been positive, or have you had some moments you wish could be changed?  Maybe you lost a loved one.  Maybe you had a great year- job promotion, new baby, career change, etc.  I find myself reflecting on the past and looking toward the future.  No matter where you find yourself this Christmas season- you have a choice on how to respond.  Is your cry going to be “Restore us, O God?”  Maybe you do not understand how a baby boy, born in a stable could change your life?  Are you comfortable, year after year? 

The choice is yours- is the story of God going to fall on deaf ears or are you anticipating, like me, how His words are going to challenge, rescue, heal, and transform?

Week 4 Advent scriptures- (Isaiah 7:10-16, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-10, Romans 1:1-7, and Matthew 1:18-25)

Patience

The best way to see if you are a patient person is to go to Disneyland. This past Friday Jen and our two kids braved the crowds at Disneyland. Thankfully we know Eeyore so we got free tickets, seriously. After standing in line after line I'm convinced there are at least two kinds of patience; active patience and inactive patience. Active patience is when you don't mind the wait. Often this happens when you meet someone next to you and you start having a conversation, the wait seems to go by more quickly and you enjoy yourself. Inactive patience is when you are just standing in an endless line of strangers and you can feel yourself getting older.

The readings from the lectionary this week focus on patience and waiting. John the Baptists asks Jesus  "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus and had the job of preparing the way for Jesus. However due to John's preaching he finds himself in prison and he is forced to wonder and even doubt if Jesus is the one the Scriptures promised who would come and make things right, the Messiah. Jesus responds by saying, "The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." In other words Jesus says, "Yes, I'm the one, things are beginning to be fixed and restored."

Here is where patience comes in. Picture yourself in John's position, you believe that Jesus is going to come and make things right, but you find yourself locked up in a prison cell. Jesus tells you all the good news about how people are being restored and lives are being turned around, but your own future looks hopeless. At this point we are challenged to see things from a different perspective. We often view things as if we, or our families, were the center of the world. It is important to be able to look and see what God is doing, even if our own lives are difficult at the moment God is still working and bringing new life through the Spirit.

As Christians we are called to be patient as we live in the time between Jesus' death and resurrection and the future time when God will restore and renew all things. In theology this is referred to as already/not yet, because God has begun to renew and restore but the complete renewal is still to come. So as we wait for this to happen we are also called to action and participation. This is active patience and it involves living in the moment in light of God's future. For example, Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and be merciful even though this is not our natural way of responding. As Christians we are to point to different way to live, we won't always get it right but we are to participate in what God is doing in the world.

Ryan

Hope

Unemployment Benefits that had been extended up to 99 weeks started running out Wednesday. Unless Congress approves a longer extension, the Labor Department estimates about 2 million people will be cut off by Christmas. – Tom Breen, chicagotribune.com (Dec. 1, 2010)

As many of you know I am a school counselor at an alternative school in North Vernon, IN. We have a Work One, an organization that helps people find employment next to our school. On Friday, one of the consultants from this organization warned us that Monday may be very busy. On Monday morning many people are losing their unemployment. This news came on the heels of watching Thursday Night Football, where Deion Sanders talked about Michael Vick and his return to football after prison. Deion mentioned how Michael Vick brought hope to the field.


I began to read the Advent passages from this week and I was surrounded by the events of unemployment and Michael Vick bringing hope to the football field. No matter what your opinion is concerning unemployment benefits, Monday is going to come and people are going to lose everything. People have relied on the government and the government is saying “Enough.” According to this article from the Chicago Tribune, Christmas will be a very sad season for many people in our communities. I ask myself, what is the role of the Church during these uncertain times? What about the role of people who call themselves Christians? How do we respond? Unemployment is a real issue. Our society seems to be so starved for hope that we have to find it on a football field. We cannot take away the pain of this world, but we can bring hope. What is our role this Christmas season?


Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The Early church knew a thing or two about tough times. Persecution was something followers of Christ experienced every day. The Early church did not have security or safety and they feared for their life daily. How did they respond? They responded with love, gathered together, and gave to anyone who had a need. The Early church knew where their hope was found and they lived it. Their comfort and peace were found in Christ.


On the Second Week of Advent let’s pray that God help us to remember where hope is found. Let Him help us to find strength when we cannot go on, comfort when we feel alone, and peace in the Christ child who was born to transform the world. 


For a lot of people this year will be a very difficult Christmas season and maybe we can provide for someone who is in need. Maybe this year we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to make a difference.

Are we awake? Matthew 24:36-44

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and this marks the beginning of another Church year. Josh and I believe that this is a good time to begin a weekly post relating to the Gospel lectionary reading. For more information and the reading schedule check out Revised Common Lectionary.

We hope these posts will do a number of things: first, it would be nice if people read them. Second, it creates a space where people can interact with a Biblical text. Third, it helps Josh and I keep focused on preparing for church planting next summer in Florida. And finally, the lectionary keeps us on our toes because it forces us to engage parts of the Gospel story that we might ignore. An example of this is today's passage from Matthew 24:36-44.

I'm not going lie this text is confusing. Some believe that this passage refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in A.D. 70; and others believe that is refers to the second coming of Jesus. And for the record I'm thankful I was never forced to read or watch any of the "Left Behind" books. If you have no idea what I'm talking about consider yourself blessed. We also have a reference to the story of Noah (if you haven't read that story in a while read it Genesis 6 and 7), the reason for the flood was the corruption of the earth and violence. Interesting, we need to be reminded that God is not pleased when we hurt each other. The passage also refers to Jesus as the "Son of Man" which adds to the confusing. One thing is clear this passage calls Christians to be awake, ready and to keep watch.

So what does it mean for Christians to be awake and ready? This passage and the stories that follow show that to be awake means to do things that you are supposed to do. Part of being a Christian means to share life together. We shouldn't take for granted the gift of life that we have been given. Another way we know if we are awake is if our lives are marked by love and forgiveness.  This time of year there are so many distractions and things on the calendar that it seems our lives are more marked by shopping and the holiday drinks at Starbucks. As chaotic as the holiday season is, it is important to reflect on what Jesus has done, is doing and will do in our lives.

We need to realize that being ready doesn't mean that we try and figure out a date for the second coming of Jesus, or when the world is going to end by the Mayan calendar (2012, for the record). These dates and times are not important and unknowable— this week's passage mentions that Jesus doesn't even know them! We are to live each day as if it were our last. It is not my intention to use fear to motivate people because I believe that is more harmful then helpful. We just need to see the importance of giving thanks for life, and all that God has done and is going to do.

Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Ryan

May we be people who are awake, Lord forgive us when we fall asleep. Help us to keep watch, help us to be ready, help us to know and share your love and forgiveness. Amen.

Florida Here We Come!

After spending a week in Wesley Chapel, FL with Josh and Jen, Ryan and I feel this is where we need to be. God is calling us to leave Southern California and move to Florida and be the church for this community. We drove around the area, talked with locals and got a feel for what we think this town is missing. Most people who move to Wesley Chapel come to get away from the city (Tampa). They are starting their families and just want to own a home, have safe parks and good schools for their kids. They aren't necessarily looking for God, but they didn't close the door fast when I mentioned why we were thinking of moving to FL. Who knows... maybe our paths will cross again! So although leaving our parents, jobs (with amazing health insurance) and our newly bought home are VERY scary things, moving somewhere safe, growing and in need of a new church is very comforting. Especially when we feel that God is calling us...