January 7, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Christmas Season Thoughts

With the Twelfth Night Party on Monday, the Twelve Days of Christmas officially came to a close.  Those who gathered celebrated with good food and a lively gift/theft exchange.

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, also called The Manifestation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.  This is the day when the Church remembers and celebrates the arrival of magi (of an unknown number) from the east who journeyed to Bethlehem and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In short, the Twelve Days of Christmas arose because the Western and Eastern Churches (the two Churches based in Rome and Constantinople) celebrated Christmas on December 25 and January 6 respectively, and those days were twelve days apart.

We generally tend to think of the Christmas season as one of joy, gift giving, frivolity, and carols, among other thoughts along those lines.  But the Christmas season also gives us the days of Saint Stephen, the first deacon and martyr of the Church who was stoned to death (12/26); Saint John, who was exiled on Patmos (12/27); and the Holy Innocents, remembering the children of Bethlehem that Herod had slaughtered because he wanted to eliminate threats to his rule (12/28).  And on Epiphany, when we remember the arrival of the magi and the gifts they brought, we also remember that both the magi and Joseph were warned in a dream to hastily get out of town to escape Herod’s wrath.

Christmas reminds us of the joy of new birth and of God with us.  We are also reminded of the horrors and abuses in the world.  God is with us in both the good times and the bad times.  As we close out the Christmas season, may we have the courage to stand with the innocent, abused, neglected, and downtrodden in the name of the One who came to be with us through all manner of human conditions.

Blessings,

December 31, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Names

Our name is the only thing we have when we come into this world and the only thing we take with us when we leave this world.  In some cultures names are given by others as representative of who we really are or of some significant event that defines us – think Dances With Wolves.  Some names have deep family roots – a former parishioner comes from a family where all male children are named Charles.  And in some cultures a name was a secret to be kept because it was believed that knowing a person’s name gave you power over them.

Names play an important part in Scripture.  It was Adam who named all the animals and Eve.  God changed Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah.  Jacob’s name was changed to Israel.  Moses was so named because it means “to draw out,” as he was drawn out of the water by Pharaoh’s daughter.  Jesus means “Savior” or “Deliverer” in Hebrew.  Saul, the persecutor of the Church, became the evangelist Paul. 

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Holy Name.  Tomorrow is the Eighth Day of Christmas, and it was on the eighth day that Jewish boys were circumcised and named.  And it was on the “eighth day,” the Day of Resurrection, when Jesus’ full divinity shown forth to the disciples.

The Wednesday Night BBQ resumes tonight and we will be talking names.  What is the meaning of your name?  Does a certain name inform your life?  What do you think the importance of names are?  These and other questions will be looked at on this Eve of the Holy Name.  I hope you can join us; and if you can’t, I hope you spend some time pondering names on the Eighth Day of Christmas.

Merry Christmas,

December 24, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Christmas

No matter what the calendar says, it certainly doesn’t feel like Christmas – especially with temperatures running in the mid-50’s.  It may not look like a Currier & Ives postcard out there, but it’s still Christmas.

Members of the Altar Guild came in Monday to clean, polish, and set up for our Christmas services.  It may not look like Christmas outside, but it sure looks like Christmas inside the church.  And on Monday evening before I left the office for the day, I went into the church, turned on one solitary light, stood at the back, and appreciated the quiet beauty of it all.

Today is Christmas Eve.  The reality of the events we will celebrate this evening was far from peaceful.  There was no silent night.  There were no peaceful manger scenes.  There were no people gathered in a respectful awe.  Instead, there was a birth (which is anything but quiet), the scent of animals filling the air, and a bunch of shepherd showing up unexpectedly.

Be that as it may, I kind of prefer what we have turned this coming night into.  Because, while not historically accurate, it does give us a sense of God with us in chaotic times.  So wherever and however you spend tonight, I hope it fills you with the peace of Christ and love of God.

Merry Christmas,

December 17, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Worship

For all the Advent talk about slowing down, focusing, and breathing in an effort to appreciate the season of Advent, as well as bringing more meaning to the season of Christmas, we (I?) sure have a hard time making that happen.  Between shopping for Christmas gifts, decorating the house, planning or attending parties, writing Christmas cards, and mailing said presents and cards so they arrive “in time,” we can often forget what Advent is calling us to do.

With all of these activities and expectations, it’s easy for us to get caught up in the busy-ness or the doing of what seems to be expected.  We need to find time, especially during this season, to make space for simply being.

This is but one reason why our Sunday worship is vital to our health.  Our worship can be a calming presence in life.  It can be a place where we come to reset the rhythms of our life.  It can be a place where we find both solace and strength.  It is a place where we receive both pardon and renewal.  It is a place where we can slow down, breathe, and simply BE in the holy presence of God.

No matter how busy this season of slowing down seems to be, I invite you to make the necessary and intentional time to come worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  And while you are in the holy presence of God, allow the Holy Spirit to reset the rhythm of your life and help redefine what is important.

Blessings,

December 10, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Joy

This coming Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent.  It is known as Gaudete Sunday, which is a Latin word meaning Rejoice.  The color of Advent is traditionally purple because it was seen as a penitential season similar to Lent – as Lent was the season of preparation for Christ’s resurrection, Advent was the season of preparation for Christ’s birth.  That penitential tone was broken up on the third Sunday when a pink/rose candle was lighted and some churches would use rose-colored vestments and hangings.  Many churches have recently switched to blue for Advent as a way to more overtly honor the role of Mary.

Regardless of whether a church uses blue or purple, the Third Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of joy.  And in our readings this week we have Isaiah proclaiming the blind shall see, the deaf hear, the lame shall leap like a deer, and the mute will sing for joy.  Our Psalm speaks of justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, and orphans, widows, and strangers will be cared for.  Jesus tells people this is the time the blind see, the deaf hear, lepers are cleansed, and the dead are raised.

The joy of this Sunday shouldn’t only be reflected in scriptural readings and worship.  The joy of this Sunday should be a goal to which we aspire – we should be working for justice, healing, and wholeness to bring joy to those around us.

Our job is to proclaim the love of God and extend hope to all people.  By working to live into that vision we will be working to bring a bit of joy into the world.

Blessings, 

=========================================================

 

JOIN US!!

Wednesday Night BBQ (Buffalo Bible Questions) via Zoom

5 Pacific/6 Mountain/7 Central/8 Eastern

Click here to Join the meeting

Meeting ID: 871 6340 7294
Passcode: 02241869

November 19, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Meals of Thanksgiving

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above . . . Hymn 291

Yesterday Marilyn oversaw a group of cooks that included Dollie, Kim, Mildred, and Nikki, as they put together several lasagnas (16 to be exact) for the Surprise You Sale on December 6.  If I remember right, last year was the first year that people could purchase and take a lasagna home.  It was such a success that they’re doing it again this year.

Lasagna, paired with a good salad, is one of my favorite meals.  So it was a joy to hear those women working in the kitchen with conversation and laughter . . . and that’s not to mention the aroma that wafted through the parish hall.

Meals are an important part of almost every culture.  They symbolize welcome (think Sarah preparing the meal for the three strangers that Abraham encountered), inclusion (think Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners), and/or the sharing of cultures (I think about meals I shared with my daughter’s host family in Germany).  Next Thursday is Thanksgiving and most of us will spend time sharing a meal with family and friends. 

And while Thanksgiving is a big event in our culture, let us not forget that we share in a Thanksgiving meal every Sunday.  Every Sunday we participate in Holy Eucharist, a Holy Thanksgiving, where we offer our thanks and praise.  Every Sunday we participate in Holy Communion, which is the sacred meal of the Church and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

We are surrounded by meals.  And while Thanksgiving meals are special, fun, and important, let’s not diminish the importance and meaning of that sacred meal we share every Sunday.

Blessings,

November 12, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Remembrances

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down . . .

This past Monday was the 50^th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.  Yesterday was Veteran’s Day, originally designated as Armistice Day to remember the end of WWI and those who served in that war and was then changed to Remembrance Day in other countries to remember all men and women who served in the military.  And, of course, November 2 was All Saints’ Sunday when we remembered all the saints of God.

As I said last week, death is an inevitable part of life.  But just because it is inevitable does not make it easy.  The burial service is rightfully an Easter liturgy because it finds its meaning in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But even in that joy of resurrection we are faced with deep sorrow at the loss of a loved one; that is normal and good.  Besides mourning a death, we may also be faced with taking on additional tasks and/or responsibilities that the other person always took care of or maybe there’s a permanent empty space in our lives.

But as we continue on in our lives we, hopefully, find ways to remember those who have gone before.  Every year on November 10 the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald is rung 31 times in the maritime cathedral – 29 times for each crewmember, once for every sailor who lost their life on the Great Lakes, and once for Gordon Lightfoot who immortalized that ship and crew.  On November 11 people around the world remember those who served and/or gave their lives in military service.  On All Saints’ Sunday the church remembers all the saints of God, both known and unknown to us. 

And we remember at other times and in other ways.  I remember my dad who couldn’t contain his laughter as he read Amelia Bedelia to our very young daughter, or the passion he had for his favorite football team. 

Death may be inevitable, but our remembrances are vitally important.  May we find ways to remember those who have gone before in ways that bring us joy.

Blessings,