Christian Reflection and Prayer

(When the Christmas Season gets to be
to much feel free to read this Reflection)

Scripture:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before
the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered
the ark; and they knew nothing about what would
happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the
other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill;
one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know
on what day your Lord will come. But understand this:
If the owner of the house had known at what time of
night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and would not have let his house be broken into. So
you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will
come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
(Matthew 24:36-44,) NIV

Advent
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival."
The focus of the entire season is the celebration
of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent,
and the anticipation of the return of Christ the
King in his Second Advent.
Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most
churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the
fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the
Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas
Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is
counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with
Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.
The Spirit of Advent
Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of
anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is
a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the
world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in
Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression.
It is the cry of those who have experienced the
tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse
of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by
a God who has heard the cries of oppressed
slaves and brought deliverance!
(The Season of Advent Anticipation and Hope
by Dennis Bratcher)

Reflection:

You know to be perfectly honest with you, for me
the celebration of Advent is almost as exciting as
the celebration of the the birth of Christ (Christmas).
For me the anticipation of a great event, such as
Christmas, is really exciting. Ask yourself this,
"Are you excited about the birth of Christ, are you
excited about the Second Advent, the coming again
of Jesus Christ? Thats what these four weeks before
Christmas is all about. It is not about rushing around,
being stressed out, being angry, being frustrated, and
worrying about how we are going to get enough money
to buy those Christmas presents. The Christmas season
is about preparation, and anticipation of the birth and
second coming of Jesus Christ. Thats it! Nothing else.
During Advent we are celebrating the fact, as Christians,
we are no longer bound by the chains of the evilness of
the world, we have been delivered from sin and posess
eternal life, we are free in Christ Jesus. And with that
freedom we serve others, with that freedom we love all,
and with that freedom we experience the love of Jesus
Christ. Sit down now, relax and enjoy the Christmas
Season, experience the freedom and joy of serving
others because of your love of Jesus Christ. When you
can do this you are truly celebrating Christmas! Why
don't you start now.

Prayer:

God Bless Us One and All (Tiny Tim)

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We gather today, Lord of abundant life, as grateful children.
Delighted and humbled by our bounty, we celebrate gifts of
food and shelter, of colors that dance at dawn and dusk; we
relish the scent of cooking foods, of burning leaves and
summer's wet grass, of snowflake, of animal fur. We
marvel at the intricacy of spiders' webs and fish bones, newborn
babies and lines etched on faces of grandparents come for a
visit today. All gifts from Your hand. When our meal is completed,
leftovers stashed, and naps taken, we will leave replete, energized,
and eager to go generously into the world and share our good fortune.
- Rev. Lynn James

Think you've got nothing to be thankful for?
Just sit down here and think again.
By Bob Perks

"I have so much to be thankful for.
I wouldn't know where to begin," she said.
I wouldn't know either. As I looked around
her home, I couldn't find a thing that she could include.
I have discovered that the friendliest, most welcoming
people in the world are those who have little in the way
of material things to offer. What they lack in
possessions they make up for in spirit and love.
Some years ago I had been working for the
Commission on Economic Opportunity. It was
the year following a devastating flood in Pennsylvania.
My job was to interview low-income families and assess
their needs. Up until that moment I thought I had seen it
all. The odd thing was I was looking at nothing at all,
and this woman was thankful.
The home, though technically out of the flood area,
looked like it had been a part of the destruction.
The front porch steps were missing, replaced by a
few cinder blocks and planks. There were several
broken windows, and part of the foundation had
caved in, exposing the basement to the weather.
That particular day it was in the upper 30s with
a strong wind blowing. Snow was predicted
by nightfall. Thanksgiving Day was approaching,
and quite frankly my heart was not into doing these
surveys. Like many others, I just wanted to start
my holiday early. This was the last stop for me.
Tomorrow like millions of other families we
would be gathered around the table filling ourselves
to capacity. Oddly I hadn't even thought about
what this family was looking forward to. I just
figured they would be taken care of by some
organization or church. I looked around the
kitchen for some sign of a charitable box of
goodies but saw nothing there. The house was bitter
cold. The young children ran several times through
the kitchen playing, laughing like any other kids.
I happened to notice that they were barefoot on
this cold linoleum floor. At one point I said to
one of the youngest girls, "You should go put
your socks and shoes on before you get sick."
She replied, "Mommy, did this man bring me
some shoes I can wear?" "No, Sissy. He didn't.
Go put on a pair of mine. He's right--you need
something on your feet." I was embarrassed for
having put her in that position. "Well, I'm finished here.
Thank you for your time. I hope you have a wonderful
...." I didn't know what to say. How could they
possibly have a wonderful anything?
"Look, I'm sorry. I know there must not be much
to be thankful for these days," I said nervously.
"Well, you certainly are wrong about that!" she said
emphatically. Then, rising to her feet, she walked into
the living room and stood in the middle.
"My dear, I am truly blessed for all of this.
I know it doesn't look like much. But who made
the rules that say that we can only be thankful for
things that cost money? "Sit here on this chair," she
told me. "That chair may be worthless even to a
junk dealer. But I sat in that chair and waited for
months when my son was in the service. That was
my worry chair. I sat in that chair, prayed and gave
thanks when the good Lord brought him safely
home to me. It was in that same chair I was sitting
when my daughter came home from school and
told me she was going to college ‘cause she got a
full scholarship. It was my joyful chair.
It was also in that chair that I sat holding my daddy's
hand when he died. They had sent him home telling
us there was nothing more they could do. He wanted
to be at home. We put the chair next to his bed, and
I ate, slept, and cried as I sat in that chair holding his
hand. He was all the world to me when I was growing
up. I owed him that much.
"So how much is that chair worth in dollars? Nothing.
But I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said.
Then walking over to a picture on the wall she said,
"You see this man? He's the man that has loved me
for all these years. He's at work now. He doesn't make
much, but he works hard for it. He paid for that chair
in sweat. How much money value do I put on him?
There isn't enough money in all the world for the true
value of love."
"Those kids running around the house. Yeah, maybe
someone would say I'm not a good parent. But you
go and ask them if they love their mommy and daddy.
Then tell me how much that is worth," she said.
Then she added, "I'm thankful for my sight, I am
thankful that I have good health, considering everything
else. I am thankful for my faith. Oh, how thankful
I am that I have something to believe in. I am thankful
for the second-hand quilt the lady down the street gave
me yesterday."
She gestured toward the other room. "Do you hear that
laughter? I'm thankful my kids are playing and laughing
like other kids in the neighborhood. How much would you
pay to find something to laugh about when things aren't so good?
There is so much I am thankful for that most people take
for granted," she said. I stood up and picked up my briefcase.
It was time to go.
She walked over to the chair I'd just vacated and sat down,
adding, "So now I call this my 'Thankful Chair.' Tomorrow
when we gather round the table to share whatever meal God
will provide--and he always provides--I will be thankful that
He sent you here to talk to me," she said, smiling.
I knew then that, in addition to making my report to the state,
I would be coming back with a pair of shoes and socks, as
well as some other ingredients for a happy Thanksgiving.
"Thanks for sharing your 'Thankful Chair' with me," I said
, walking out the door. "I believe one day I will find that priceless."
I was right.