Dave and I were getting out the Christmas decorations and starting to get the house ready for Christmas. One of our nativity sets is my favorite because we bought it the first year we were married (34 years ago). We were unpacking the nativity set and we looked through the whole box and we couldn’t find Jesus or the donkey. I didn’t panic too much. I thought Jesus has to be here somewhere. We kept searching and unpacking other boxes and finally, we found Jesus! He had been packed in another box with the donkey. I’m not sure why he got put away separately, but he did.  (Dave probably did it :-)

At times, I try to pack Jesus away from the rest of my life. I’m not sure I want to give him control over how I spend my time or my money. I think I can handle my messes on my own. I'm not really sure I want his opinion on how I'm acting. It’s easier at times to compartmentalize him from the rest of my life. Jesus can make life so messy. Sometimes he wants me to reach out to someone when it isn’t convenient. Other times he says things like, “If you are having conflicts in any of your relationships, leave your gift on the altar and go make things right.” (My version of Matthew 5: 23-24). He asks me to give up my need for control and to keep him at the center of my life. He wants me to follow him instead of following MY schedule.

Don’t worry about having a perfect Christmas. Let the mess be part of the joy. The unexpected, untidy parts of our lives keep us open to God’s leading. The Archbishop of Canterbury said, “I'm never sure whether to wish anyone a peaceful Christmas, because it hardly ever is. But I can wish you joy in the midst of the mess, and every blessing from the God of ordinary, untidy, surprising things.”

I took Jesus out of the box and placed Him in the center of the manger. Lord, help me to keep you the center of my life.


Pastor Margaret

Psalm 119: 9-16
(From the The Message Translation)
How can a young person live a clean life?                                                                                      By carefully reading the map of your Word. 
   I'm single-minded in pursuit of you; 
      don't let me miss the road signs you've posted. 
   I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart 
      so I won't sin myself bankrupt. 
   Be blessed, God; 
      train me in your ways of wise living. 
   I'll transfer to my lips 
      all the counsel that comes from your mouth; 
   I delight far more in what you tell me about living 
      than in gathering a pile of riches. 
   I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, 
      I attentively watch how you've done it. 
   I relish everything you've told me of life, 
      I won't forget a word of it.


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Words have always been a powerful thing in our world and will continue to be.  Words from God- powerful and full of incredible meaning.  Words from world leaders- have been influential and at times incredibly destructive.  Words from musical groups- have been sung over and over, and memorized.  Words from our friends- comfort us.  Words from our enemies- try to break us.

On a personal note I had a "God moment" last evening while attending our Wednesday night Disciple Bible Study.  It was an evening filled with personal words from members of the class.  Words of experience, encouragement, wisdom, and love.   In a day when a lot of the words we may here in our lives might be criticism, negative, and hurtful.  I loved being a part of a group whose words were uplifting, encouraging and spoken to build one another up in love!  To the members of that disciple Bible Study a huge thank you for the words you spoke.  I know that God was very present in our discussion and that He was speaking to hearts and lives that night! 

May we continue to use our words to encourage.  May we be mindful and listening to the words God has for us from one another.  And may we be sure to spend more and more time in the Word of God!

Pastor Adam
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Extra Reading / Listening
If you have the time click the link below to listen to the song Words by train.   There are 2 reasons I wanted to include this song with this post.  1-  Are the words that come from us constructive or destructive?  Think about the words that are coming from your mouth.   2-  There are words in the world that will try to separate us from God.  I personally see lyrics in this song that reflect our relationship with God.  God saying to us: "I'd give anything, but I won't give up on you."  Us saying to God: "Like stones in my pocket people try to wear me down.  Someone always wants to take the love I've found."

"Words" song by the musical group Train 
(you can click the title to go to a youtube video of the song)
Here are the lyrics to the chorus: 
Words they'll try to shake you
Don't let them break you
Or stop your world from turning
When words keep you from feeling good
Use them as fire wood and let them burn

Yesterday in worship I broke the rules again.  I preached through a rather large section of scripture - or to put it another way, I said a little about a lot.  For those of you who may be inclined to teach or preach in the Church, I don't necessarily recommend this style.  In preaching, we are supposed to do the opposite - we are to say a lot about a little. "Why?" you ask.  

Simple answer:  God is too big.  We are too small.  Even the greatest theologians and biblical scholars agree with this statement.  We are not designed to "get it all," or "understand it all" in a moment.  We are designed to seek God daily and get nuggets of truth daily.  It is our daily food, because Christ is our daily meal.  

So I pose one question:  Have you eaten of Christ today?  You don't have to gorge.  He is delighted when we simply stop our activity and eat a simple meal.  Jesus said, 

“I am the bread of life; 
whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Pastor Paul

In the past 7 months God has been teaching me about generosity, by working at a coffee shop.  I love the unexpected lessons God teaches us in our day to day lives. I haven’t worked in the customer service/retail world since I was 20 years old.  Working at Red Leaf Coffee has been an amazing experience in many ways and taught me more than I even know.  This morning someone in the drive thru decided to buy the coffee of the person behind them in line and then still left us a $3 tip.  This person who did this wanted us to let the car behind them know that Jesus loved them.  This lesson in generosity hasn’t just been about money but remembering to be generous with compliments, appreciation, and love. 

May I and May we be generous this holiday season:
Generous to the waiter or waitress that is making minimum wage while serving me/you a meal, generous to the person who might not be able to afford a meal, generous with friends and family, generous with grace, compassion, and forgiveness, generous with sharing the LOVE OF CHRIST!

Want to say thanks to the person who cared enough to buy someone else’s coffee in drive thru today, it was a reminder that I should be generous with what God has truly blessed me with!
Pastor Adam