If all of us, individually and as a community of faith, could be a little more childlike, offering ourselves as ambassadors of God to the people around us, offering all we have, all we can, without restraint, without shame, and without worry for our own futures…
If we could exhibit those childlike traits, we would all make major strides toward creating the Kingdom of God in our midst.
“Follow me.” Follow You where?!?
“Follow me as we experience God’s transfiguring power. Follow me as we heal the sick, learn about forgiveness and accountability, discuss money management, confront authority as we seek social justice, and share one last Passover meal together. Follow me.”
When we, individually and as a community of faith, follow Jesus through all of that… then we will have experienced what it means to be the hands and feet of God in the world. And with so much “on the job training,” we will be well-equipped to passionately share our vision of a world that loves God, loves ourselves, and loves others.
Read MoreIn life’s most dramatic moments – good and bad – would you rather be connected with a Divine WHAT or a Divine WHO? We need to wrestle with Jesus’ question, “WHO do you say I am?” I encourage all of us to consider WHO answers that are no doubt informed by our understandings – our theologies – of WHAT Jesus was and is.
As we better understand our own theologies and relationships with God, we will be able to more comfortably, more instinctively, and more enthusiastically share our faith with the people we meet – people who desperately need to hear and know that they are precious children of the Living God.
Through His words and actions, Jesus challenges us to empathize with the hurts and angers of others so that we can find ways to share God’s blessings. Actively look for ways you can share God’s love – especially with people you may find challenging to befriend. Because the people who are the most hurt, the most angry, the most depressed, are also the people most in need of God’s love.
Read MoreToday’s reading talks about the events just before the birth of Jesus. But twice in today’s chapter, the original author avoided the common Hebrew word for birth; instead, he used the word genesis which is an overt connection to the original Genesis – the story of God creating something dramatically new.
Today’s story is about God creating not just a baby, but a whole new way for humanity to be in relationship with God.
People learn by asking questions. But sometimes we may feel too shy or embarrassed to ask a question (or several!) because we wonder if we’re the only person who doesn’t know the answer. We don’t want to look foolish, ignorant, or like we’re not fully committed to a cause or belief system. But in today’s reading, John the Baptist shows us that it’s good to ask questions – especially tough questions about our faith. Those questions can lead us to seeing God’s presence in our lives.
Read MoreAdvent is a time for reflecting… for reprioritizing… for repenting, redirecting… all of which prepares us for greater intimacy with God and an increased capacity to receive the new and unexpected gifts God has prepared for us.
Advent matters because WE matter – each one of us. Our lives and our relationships with God and each other matters. And through these relationships, we can anxiously anticipate God birthing something wonderfully new into our lives.
Susanville United Methodist Church
60 South Lassen St, Susanville, CA 96130
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Susanville United Methodist Church is a California tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 94-2988437.
