Gift Giving

This Christmas season I'll admit I have been amongst those who really just want to make it through the season and hope that somewhere along the way I will take time to breathe and reflect on Christ's birth in a meaningful way.  I love the Advent season that rolls into Christmas.  The anticipation of celebration, the reunion of family, the familiar sights and smells that bring a comfort of home are all elements that bring me joy.  Sometimes, I become so wrapped up within the season that I don't take time to enjoy the season. 

One thought struck me this season as I drove home from celebrating with my family was the joy of gift giving.  As adults, we can use a refresher in gift giving from children.  Naturally in our commercial driven and over saturated culture, gift giving has become to some, obligatory, a burden, and an expectation.  I personally like taking the little time I have to wander to different stores and search for an item that the recipient will open, not expect, and make them feel loved.  The excitement or pleasure of finding the perfect gift is often reflected in the story of "The Gift of the Magi" this time of year.  This year, in my own celebrations of Christmas, it was reflected in receiving gifts from children.  Items ranging from a tissue box crafted into a "memory box" for keepsakes, a cookie plate, a smiley face pencil, specially decorated cookies, a fuzzy puppy with a pink scarf, and even a bug ring were given with such excitement and pride to be able to share in the art of gift giving.  I know that each item was selected by the kids as fore-warned by each parent to emphasize the skill of selection of their children.  And while I love each token gift dearly, I was most appreciative of the excitement in giving.  From the somewhat understandable "present" from a small child as he pulls the gift out of his mothers hand to the "open mine first" as a gift is placed in my lap, it made me more excited to open it when they were just as excited to give. Kids have got it down. "If I'm excited...you're excited!"

If a child can be so excited to select a small token out of love to share, how much more excited must our Father in Heaven have been to share His gift of love through the form of a Child.  The perfect gift for humanity carefully chosen to come and be amongst the people of earth to show compassion, love, teach forgiveness, and to repair the chasm separating humanity from God through the resurrection.  How can we not be excited about that?!  At Christmas we come together and celebrate the birth of Christ.  At Christmas, how God must be pleased that we take time to recognize the beautiful gift given to us through Scripture, readings, and song.  At Christmas, may we not forget to be excited to help others recognize the gift of Salvation through Christ so they may embrace the joy of receiving Gods love.

Leading without a voice

I lost my voice last week.  This hasn't happened to me in years.  It was a byproduct of one of he worst colds I have ever encountered which kept me home from work all week. I couldn't talk or sing, it was debilitating, frustrating, and eye opening.  I talk a lot.  Talking is required of me at work, at church, and even in my home.  Apparently I find it necessary to remind the microwave that "I already heard it beep".  It never listens. 

 I also lead with my voice.  I share, give direction, and teach during rehearsals in preparation to lead worship.  Kind of hard to do when it's gone.  I learned a lesson in leading without my voice.  One of my personal goals in my music ministry is to have it less dependent on me.  I want to find ways to push my leaders to grow and come out of there comfort zones.  Not having a voice this past week pushed some of my leaders and myself to realize how much they depend on my vocal cues.  Without my voice they had to know where they were going musically and do it with confidence.  In the realization that I wasn't there to keep them on track, they stepped up to the plate, learned, and worked harder.  This week I came to rehearsal with most of my voice and I didn't need it.  The drive to know our music better was higher and driven by a desire to lead our congregation better.  Whether my voice was there or not.  God has blessed me with great musicians.

I don't always need my voice to lead.  Losing it reminded me the importance of stepping back to help others gain confidence, and to remind myself of one of my ministry goals.  It seems like a simple solution but it is easy to lose sight of when you're constantly trying to do better, come up with new music, and always seem to run out of time to do it in.  Unlike my microwave, my musicians listen (whether I have a voice or not).  They listen to me and they listen to each other.  The latter is what makes them stronger and more able to be less dependent on me.  I hope They know they are needed, wanted, prayed for and loved.  Especially from their music leader with no voice.

When I go to church, I desire to worship God

I went to a Community Church this Sunday.   I drive by it all the time and thought I’d check it out by going to their second service.  It was okay.  It is the random holiday Sundays where I need to remind myself that you can’t really judge a church by one Sunday and yet...can you?  

I walked in, not greeted by anyone and asked a gentleman who looked like an usher where I could find a bulletin.  There were not so many people there that it wasn’t obvious I was a visitor.  I sat down in a row by myself and felt a bit like the plague because two rows in front of me and two rows behind me people had sat.  There was even more people who sat on the side aisle.  The senior pastor was very sweet and talked to me a bit before the service started and tried to introduce me to someone else who looked my age.  

The service was basically the most patriotic service I have ever been to.  It’s not as though I haven’t sung patriotic hymns but I don’t recollect them ever being the starting and cap of worship.  We opened with America the Beautiful, had an awkward announcement about VBS, and went right back into a couple worship songs in keys that were not congregationally friendly (at least, in my opinion).  Following the opening songs was a prayer, offering, and a video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0CBP0NVeo) which transitioned into a sermon by the associate pastor that was half history lesson on the birth of America and how everyone who signed the declaration of independence was Christian and half on Matthew 6:25-34.  The half about Matthew I didn’t completely agree with as I don’t believe that my faith exempts me from anxiety and fear but rather allows me hope and faith that God is more interested in giving strength to handle the torments that sin has leashed into our world.  The sermon was thus ended by somehow having us repeat that we are “King people”.  I am not a king.  I am a child of God.  I am a part of God’s Kingdom.  I understood the preacher's metaphor but had a difficult time embracing the language.  I’m not really quite sure how everything tied together but it may have had more to do with the other scripture references from the New Testament he continued to weave together.  This was all done while dressed in full military regalia (and please don’t get me wrong.  I am not anti-military.  I have a huge respect for those who serve and have served our country.  I am all for being patriotic, in the proper setting.) and with a  sound system that was way too loud for for the size of room.  I found myself plugging one of my ears half way through the sermon.  

The service was finished off by quickly and abruptly transitioning into communion, and closing with “Mine eyes have seen the Glory”.  Nothing says God loves you after sharing communion like singing about the wrath of God barrelling through the countryside.  I talked to a couple people shortly after service and left.  I wasn’t really quite sure what happened but I did not feel as though I had the opportunity to be ushered into God’s presence as a community, be awed by scripture, or have the time to dwell in the peace of the spirit.  Nope.  

I hate being critical because one of the beautiful things of having so many churches is that it allows people to worship God in various ways that speaks more closely to their hearts.  And yet, it didn’t feel like worship.   It was so woven into political/historical/non-biblical propaganda that it completely turned me off.  

My brief conclusion?  When I go to church, I wish to worship God.  I will pray for our nation, those who serve, and for other nations.  I will give respect where respect is due.  I do not desire to worship my country and hail it above everything else because that is an act reserved for God.

Let someone know they are a Big Mario

I had a birthday this week.  Celebrating birthdays is a beautiful thing and I have no problem celebrating the upward progression of the lives of my family and friends.  In fact, I quite enjoy it.  This year I came to a realization...that amidst the hoopla that may or may not come on one's birthday, I'd rather just know that someone genuinely cares or has taken a minute to think about me.  It may sound selfish or even a bit egocentric, but one must admit, I'm assuming everyone has thought this at one point in life whether it is a birthday or just plain ol' Hump Day! (insert camel here).  

It comes in various forms: the ridiculously long text message that should have been an e-mail, the phone-call from someone you may not have expected, the "Happy Birthday" before your birthday appears on Facebook, and even Face-Time with people you love.  My heart swells when those I care about, care about me.  It is akin to the moment when Little Mario jumps on a magical mushroom and is Big Mario until reality strikes and he runs into rather than on top of the danger disguised as a squishy blob with feet.  

My conclusion to this little bit of revelation in my mind?  Take the time to think about someone else...and let them know you did.  We all deserve to swell into Big Mario on occasion.