Psalm 72:1-7. 18-19

“May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.” vs. 4

As the new king ascended the throne in Israel the psalmist gave voice to the hopes of the people. They had an agenda, and they didn’t have in mind more palaces for the royal family or tax advantages for the rich. The people of Israel yearned for a king who would defend the cause of the poor and give deliverance to the needy. And over and over again they were disappointed. There’s something about power that breeds corruption and it’s seldom used to advance the concerns of the poor and the needy. As a result the kings of Judah were almost uniformly a disappointment, and ultimately the government fell, easy prey for foreign invaders. When Jesus came and began his ministry he gave new hope to the downtrodden and the hungry. He loved to hang out with them and he called them “blessed”! Of course he wasn’t the righteous king the psalmist was hoping for but he did something even better. His movement gave birth to a whole army of followers who walked in his way and who gave their lives to stand with the poor and work for justice. It’s at this time of year that their ministries are most visible–even the secular world gets involved and newspapers call it the Season of Sharing. All that caring has been sparked by Jesus, and as we participate with generous hearts we can hear the angels sing with joy.

Thought for the Day: How do I respond to holiday giving appeals?

Isaiah 11:6-11

“They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” vs. 9

Having lived through a virtual two year shutdown of our country, and now, another contentious election, hope is a precious commodity. For some reason leaders of all kinds have been led to sow a message of fear and distrust that has found its way into too many hearts. Many seem to live on the edge of outrage and some have even adopted hatred as a way of life. With that as a backdrop followers of Jesus are bound to be faithful to the message of hope that fills the gospel and that was a staple of the prophets. Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom is one that deserves our attention now and always. God, the One who is the source of all and who inhabits all, will one day bring peace to our warring and tumultuous world. We may doubt that now–just as the folks in Isaiah’s day likely doubted his words. But we are not called as disciples to live in the “what is”! We are people of “what will be”! And as long as we have breath we will continue to have hope and pray that the innate goodness of humanity will one day prevail. Having that dream as our daily mantra will make a difference as we live into what seems to be an uncertain future. God is—and one day God’s love will most certainly prevail.

Thought for the Day: What difference does hope make?

Isaiah 11:1-4

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” vs. 1

In some homes a Jesse tree has appeared in the family room right alongside the Christmas trees. Usually Jesse trees are not impressive in themselves; they’re just large dead branches stuck in some sort of non-descript container. They’re not at all like Christmas trees, but they are meant to be decorated. Each day during Advent some sort of symbol is tied to its limbs–the items are meant to be reminders of the scriptural story from creation to the birth of Jesus. The ornaments can be plastic or paper–there are all kinds of guides on the internet to help. By the time Christmas arrives the tree will be full and the family ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Sometimes families have a ritual each evening as the ornament is hung–it could be a story or a bible verse along with a prayer. While Jesse trees haven’t been around very long, it’s a worthy tradition, particularly in those families who are interested in giving meaning to the season of Advent. It’s a daily reminder that Christmas requires a waiting period, a time of reflection and anticipation. Isaiah was anticipating that one day there would be a new king, one who would rule in an entirely different way, and we see in his words a description of Jesus, the one on whom the Spirit rested in full. In our Advent waiting we pray that the same Spirit would rest with us daily.

Thought for the Day: What Advent rituals has my family used?

Matthew 22:40-44

“Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” vs. 42

As technology and science have progressed we have become more adept at predicting the future. We’ve even gotten pretty good at predicting the weather and can be fairly confident about when the next storms will be moving in. But there are some things that remain a mystery and that happens most frequently as we try to figure out endings. Jesus’ words about the end bear that out. He tells his followers that they can’t possibly know when the Lord is coming again–but he does tell them to wait with anticipation. As it turns out, that’s probably the best way to live in this world, even if we’re not among those looking for the Lord’s imminent return. Rather than plowing ahead and wasting energy trying to control our futures, it’s far better to relax and wait. We’re not talking about passive, apathetic waiting here though. Believers will wait with anticipation and expectation, looking for signs of God’s activity in the world around them, and alert to manifestations of divine love and mercy. God is God and even in our secular world there will be occasions when God will be unmistakably present to us under the guise of ordinary things. This doesn’t happen for everyone. Some will see and others won’t. Someday we will come up against our ending–it’s as inevitable as one season following another. But before that day there’s plenty of waiting to do. And big surprises are on the way.

Thought for the Day: What’s it like to wait with anticipation?

Crown and Cactus is Returning

Some of you are familiar with a blog that I wrote for about 5 years and that I stopped writing in November of 2017. For a few reasons that I think are legitimate, I’ve decided to start sending it out on a weekly basis once again. It’s based on “Stories from Lake Wobegon” from Minnesota Public Radio, one of my favorite programs for a lot of years. It’s about a mythical congregation located in the East Valley and tells stories of that congregation’s efforts to establish a thriving faith community in difficult times.

If you are interested in following the blog you can find it at www.crownandcactus.wordpress.com. You can subscribe at that site if you enter your email in the proper place. The first one is scheduled for 5:00 a.m. on November 27. You won’t find it until then. Given my expertise with the media, you may not even find it then!!!!

Let me know what you think!

Matthew 24:36-39

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” vs. 36

When Matthew wrote his gospel many believed that the end times were near. The armies of Rome had destroyed the temple and many believers were sure that Jesus would surely soon return. But as Matthew recounts Jesus’ words about the end he makes it clear that all we can know for sure is that God is. No one, not even Jesus, has any idea about the timing of the second coming. So in lieu of such knowledge we focus on the first coming, and through the Sundays of the church year we take time to consider the mission of Jesus Christ. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a time to reflect on what the birth of Jesus means for believers. Some will be lighting candles on a wreath or trimming a Jesse tree. Choirs will be rehearsing for special concerts that mark these weeks before Christmas. Naturally the world pays little attention to Advent. For most the weeks after Thanksgiving are spent preparing for Christmas–a church holiday that has found new life in our consumer driven culture as a reimagining of the Roman mid-winter festival of Saturnalia, a time for merry-making and festivities. So it’ll take some discipline for people of faith to use these four weeks in a contemplative way. There are going to be a lot of distractions! But Christmas is all the sweeter when we remember to use Advent for meditation preparation.

Thought for the Day: How will I be preparing for Christmas?

Romans 13:11-14

“Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.” vss. 11-12a

It’s so easy to lose track of time. Everyone knows the feeling! We get involved in one thing or another and before we are even aware that time has passed, a glance at our watch or phone can throw us into a panic. And it isn’t only minutes and hours that can slip away, it’s even more disconcerting when the same thing happens with years. Again, it happens to us all. It’s like we’re sleepwalking through life, paying little heed to the passing of the decades, when something happens to awaken us. It could be illness–maybe the arrival of a significant birthday–often awakening comes with a death. Those moments can be occasions for significant regret–we fear we’ll never be able to do those things we’ve put off. We begin to wish we could turn back the clock and make better persons of ourselves. Paul is bold enough to remind the Romans that the hour has come for them to wake up and begin to live as children of the light. They only have a lifetime–and that might soon be over. It’s a reminder that we could all take note of. If we’ve got some changes that need to be made, it really makes no sense to keep putting them off. One day we will run out of time!

Thought for the Day: What have I been putting off?

John 6:25-35

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.’” vs. 32

As the years pass each major holiday seems to acquire a unique identity, and that’s certainly true for Thanksgiving. For most Americans this is a day for coming together as families, maybe watching a little football, and then gorging on a multi-course meal that is bound to include turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. Occasionally, depending upon how many health conscious folks will be present, there will be creative variations on the old favorites. Sometimes there will even be a prayer, one that will recount the blessings of the year and perhaps offer thanks to God as the author and giver of life. Thanksgiving really is a good time for all of us to express deep gratitude for all that we have and are. Too often we get so caught up in the economies of our materialistic system that we actually forget the divine origin of all our bread. Like the people Jesus fed we eat and are satisfied, and then ask for more, sometimes never pausing to give praise and thanks for all that we have received. Perhaps this year we can do better than that! We’ve come through some trying times, and we’re actually doing pretty well. There is much to be thankful for–and God will be glad to hear from us!

Thought for the Day: What Thanksgiving traditions am I observing today?

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

“Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.” vs. 11

The Israelites, convinced that the God of their ancestors had directed them to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land, codified thanksgiving as a part of their written law. Each year after the harvest they would take a portion of the firstfruits of the land and return it to the altar of the Lord. And then together with all the people of the land (including the aliens), they would celebrate thanksgiving. Tomorrow everyone in our land, people of every faith and no faith at all, will be following our nation’s tradition and celebrate a feast that we call “Thanksgiving.”  It has become a significant holiday for us, but only some will be using the day to offer thanks to God for their material wealth and possessions, and even fewer will be setting aside an offering of “firstfruits” as a part of their celebration. It’s sad that so many miss that connection between gratitude and giving. Without the giving, Thanksgiving can easily become a symbol of excess and overindulgence, and gratitude is quickly swallowed up in the frenzied buying of Black Friday. It would be good for all of us to carve out time tomorrow for reflection on our many blessings and maybe even do some giving.

Thought for the Day: What are my firstfruits?

Psalm 122

“Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.” vss.3-4

The ancient Israelites were convinced that God was responsible for their existence as a nation and enshrined regular festivals of thanksgiving in their law codes. And the people were grateful! Ordinary folks recognized their dependence upon a benevolent God for survival and sustenance, and looked forward to their annual pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem with their thanksgiving gifts and sacrifices. We still do thanksgiving, even in our largely secular nation, and occasionally some will take time to give thanks to God. Mostly though it’s a holiday that focuses on family, feasting, and football, and God is at best an afterthought. We’ve found out that it’s possible to give thanks and gather together without even considering that there could be a place for God in the picture. For the most part we attribute our material well-being to our own hard work and the free enterprise system and maybe a dash of good fortunee. Bit by bit God has become an afterthought for most. But not for all! Some of us, like the psalmist, recognize that all we have and are is a gift from God and are bound to give thanks to the Lord, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of the year.

Thought for the Day: What does Thanksgiving mean for my family?