At Water’s Edge

Turning the Corner

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Betsy

I live on an island off an island off an island. My commute to work requires me to travel over two bridges and drive on an incredibly curvy road for three miles. At one point the road curved around a small Methodist church that was large enough to block your view as you drove around it, causing several accidents. The DOT finally came along and straightened out the road after centuries of curviness. As we traverse Colington Road, we all have to be alert to what is just around the corner. It might be a political sign, a muddy rut, or even a chicken. Turning each corner is a challenge of staying alert.

As we say goodbye to an old year and welcome a new one, we have an opportunity to “turn the corner,” offering us a time to reflect on the trajectory we’ve been on and possibly change direction. It is not uncommon to see people back in the gym, (regular gym-goers hate January with its crowded classes and busy weight rooms!) starting new diets, pledging to be more thoughtful and intentional, and otherwise making changes that promise to turn the corner on some aspect of their lives that needs fixing.

You know, Jesus was all about the turning-the-corner-life. God sent him to get us out of the muddy rut humanity was in, and offers us a way out through belief in him:

Acts 3 (The Message)

^19-23“Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus.

For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’

The act of turning toward God and having him wipe away your sins results in God pouring out showers of blessing to REFRESH you. In all the ways we will seek a refreshing this new year, this soul-refreshing is the most significant. And we need to be alert to what is just around the corner. If we meet heartache, illness, betrayal, despair, or even death there, we had better be prepared with God at our side.

Want to lose weight? Take off the heavy burden of sin. Want to get fit? Exercise your belief. Want to be more intentional and thoughtful? Immerse yourself in scripture. Ready to turn the corner? Give your new year over to God and see what HE will do with it.

The showers of blessing that come from turning toward God are peace, hope, joy, and contentment. Wouldn’t that make for a wonderful 2020?

A Moveable Feast

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Betsy

Today is Christmas at my daughter’s house, two days after December 25th. We are an airline family; both my husband and youngest daughter work for the airlines. Before he was a commercial pilot, my husband flew in the Navy. From the moment we said I do, we said I don’t need to have things fall on their exact dates. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. were likely to be celebrated before or after the actual event. Family being together trumps the actual day of a special occurrence, and when our children were very little, I wondered if they were confused about the actual dates of their birthdays and Christmas. It never really mattered much in our household. Many people have to work on holidays and know exactly what I am talking about.

From a liturgical perspective, we are in the twelve days of Christmas, so today we are celebrating the third day of Christmas. Of course when you think about it, Christmas should really be celebrated every day of the year.

On the church calendar, Easter is a movable feast, while Christmas is not. (unless Daddy’s a pilot. Or Mommy’s a first responder…) The date for Easter changes every year because it is based on the lunar calendar, and was fixed by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It is set to occur on the Sunday following the first moon after the vernal equinox. Thus Ash Wednesday, Lent and Easter are all movable feasts.

December 25th was chosen as the day to celebrate Christ’s birth somewhere around 336 AD. This was the day of the pagan festival of the winter solstice, where the birthday of the “unconquered sun” was celebrated. The fixing of December 25th as the Christ-mass thus shifted the day to the birthday of the “unconquered Son.”

Feasting was quite the thing among God’s people. The Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Booths, the Passover Feast, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the feast of First Fruits, the Feast of Trumpets….God’s people sure do know how to party!

Isaiah 25

But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
    a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
    the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
    Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
    He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
    Yes! God says so!

This prophecy is about another movable feast. When Christ came, he brought with him the feast described in the passage. When Christ returns, this movable feast will be celebrated again. Think of it! The finest foods, vintage wines, seven courses, gourmet desserts, and NO MORE DOOM.

As you sit down to a meal today, make it a feast. Think about all that you’ve been given and think especially about the feast to come. We are living in times when the pall of gloom has darkened our nation, our spirits, and our souls. But a better feast is coming. A brighter day is promised. A gathering of God’s people is being planned even now. Will you come to the table?

Yes! God says so!

The Table is Set by Mary Anne Mong Cramer

Boxing Day

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Betsy

The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day in the British Commonwealth. It is said to originate from two different sources. One legend says that Boxing Day was a day when the servants of Lords received a box of small gifts and Christmas dinner leftovers. They were given the day off to travel to their homes with said boxes. Another tradition suggests that it is a reference to the Feast of St. Stephen, whose feast day falls on December 26th. Stephen was one of the men selected in the Book of Acts to ensure that the distribution of alms was done equitably, including the Greek widows who were being neglected. On the Feast of St. Stephen, clergymen take the alms that were dropped in boxes at the church on Christmas Day and deliver them to the poor in the village.

In both cases, Boxing Day is a celebration of offering charity to the marginalized.

What a lovely reminder as we bridge Christmas and New Years Day. Those who have received much are invited to give much.

Luke 14 (The Message)

^12-14Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”

In this parable, Jesus seems to speak right into the type of Christmas that many of us experienced. We gave to our friends. We supped with our family. We received riches. We offered things to people who are able to offer things back.

But the way to be a blessing on Boxing Day is to box something up and give it to someone who had a scant or non-existent Christmas.

Your community has homeless people living in it. Your community has families who rely on assistance to make the most meager ends meet. There is need where you live.

What will you do on this Boxing Day?

God calls us to share what we have. Dig deep. Open up your eyes, your heart, and your wallet. Christmastide has only just begun, and it is always better to give than to receive. And this kind of favor is returned as you are blessed by your giving. You get to be a blessing today, and you will be blessed again at the Resurrection. Happy Boxing Day!

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Betsy

The Birth of Jesus

2 ^1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

^6-7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

^8-12There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

^13-14At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

^15-18As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

^19-20Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Exactly the way they’d been told.

The prophets foretold, the angels announced, Mary and Joseph waited, the shepherds came running, and there was the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing.

My prayer for you this Christmas Day is that your ability to see is as wide-eyed as a child. I pray you experience joy untold. May you find peace in a single moment, and may you believe like you’ve never believed before.

Merry Christmas!

With love from Betsy.

Darkness into LIGHT

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Betsy

Advent begins in darkness. This is a deliberate thing, meant to bring us back to a time when the prophets declared that the “people were walking in darkness.” That scripture is a word-figure for the reality of the absence of the Light of the World from our lives. Before Jesus arrived, God’s people had descended from the Garden of Eden into deep and hopeless darkness, until it was so ink-black you could not see your soul in front of your face.

We recognize the descent into darkness and Advent’s ascent into light in the things around us. The Advent wreath has four unlit candles on the first day of Advent. Each Sunday we light one, then two, then three, then four, and FINALLY we arrive at Christmas Eve, when the white Christ candle standing at the center is lit. What a joyful moment that is to behold…all the flames dancing at once in the air of anticipation met and expectation unfolded.

Ponder this Christ Candle lighting liturgy from the United Methodist Church:

O Finality.
O final Light.
O luminous One,
outshining lamp, stars and sun.

O End of Night.
O Day’s Light without ending.
O Light, all light,
outshining lamp, stars and sun.

Break forth, O heavenly Light, and reign to the ages of ages.
Shine forever and let no more greed or hatred near.
Illumine and save all creation,
outshining lamp, stars and sun.

O Light, we shall see face to face.
O Radiancy, we shall ever bear upon our foreheads.
O Splendor of Love, the world of greed and hatred ending,
outshining lamp, stars and sun.

That is a rich and beautiful series of images, emotions, and ideas. You may want to read it again. But the repetition of “outshining lamp, stars and sun” truly stands out. Jesus is the true light that illumines everything; a light that no one can extinguish.

Maybe this Christmas Eve is still dark for you. Grief, loneliness, illness, separation, missing your family, financial hardship…many things can dull the light. But all these things are worldly. Jesus is the Light of the World, and he longs to shine warmth, joy, and peace into your dark places.

Today is a day to do nothing else but embrace the Light. His light brings healing. His light brings solace. His light shines the way to eternal light, where literally none of those things matter. As much as it matters here and as deeply as you are feeling it, NONE of it will matter in eternity.

John 1 (NIV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

No darkness can overcome Jesus. He outshines the lamp. He outshines the stars. He outshines the SUN.

Bask in that light today. If you are headed to a Christmas Eve service, listen for the light, look at the light, and be the light. If you aren’t, ponder these words again just like Mary pondered the angel’s proclamation of Jesus’ birth…in your heart.

Jesus is the Light of the World! A light no one can extinguish.

I Believe, I Believe

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Betsy

One of my favorite scenes from the marvelous movie, “A Miracle on 34th Street” is a brief moment at the end of the film. It is Christmas Day and young Susan, her mother Doris, and attorney Fred Gailey are attending a Christmas party at an old folks home. Susan had asked Santa to bring her a new home for Christmas, and is terribly disappointed when there is no evidence of it under the Christmas tree. She sits alone in a chair holding the doll she received and says despondently, “I believe, I believe. It’s silly, but I believe.” The story line has focused on Susan and Doris’ practical and jaded approach to all things fantastical, but eventually both of them have been won over by Kris Kringle. Susan’s disappointment in not receiving the gift she longs for is palpable, and while her words express belief, her monotone delivery and her slumped-over posture betray her conflict.

Whoa. Ever been there?

Have you ever experienced a moment of disappointment that was so profound that it rocked you to the very core of your deeply-held beliefs? Life can do that to you. The betrayal of a spouse, the discovery of a loved one’s addiction, the diagnosis of a terminal illness, getting fired from a job you love, a teenager’s rebellion…the list goes on.

In the 9th chapter of Mark, there is an amazing story about a man who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus to be healed. The focus of this story is not so much on the healing, but what happens to the father’s beliefs:

Mark 9 (The Message)

^21-22He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

²³Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

²⁴No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

²^5-27Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.

We are almost at the end of this ADVENT-ure that we’ve been on. Advent has been a time of rediscovering the miracle of Jesus’ birth, of centering ourselves on the manger, and of diving deep into the prophecies and discovering the Messiah in a new and personal way. But at the core, our journey has been about belief.

Do you believe? Do you accept the glorious ridiculousness of the immaculate conception, God-made-flesh, angels surrounding the hillsides, and peace on earth?

I believe. And I believe that belief is a life-long journey. I believe it is not unheard of to stand before Jesus in moments of deep crisis and say, “I believe. Help me with my doubts!” This isn’t contradictory, it’s HUMAN.

“I believe. I believe. The world tells me it’s silly, but I believe.” To the Susan who lives within all of us, know that it is OK to sugar your beliefs with doubts. It’s just not OK to be content with staying doubtful. That’s why we go to scripture every day, to help us with our doubts.

When Advent is over, we will quickly approach a new year. Let us continue this journey into a deeper belief by being in the Word every day…together.

At the end of the scene in the movie, a miracle of circumstances leads Susan, Doris, and Fred into a subdivision where the exact home that Susan has requested sits, with a For Sale sign in the yard. As she runs through the empty house squealing in delight, Fred and Doris give voice to their doubts and in the same breath, confirm their belief in all things good: reconciliation, marriage, hope, family, a future together in that house…and Santa. They gaze off to the fireplace, and there sits Kris’ familiar cane. Their belief is rewarded!

So, too, will yours.

#unrushedchristmas

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Betsy

Let’s make this a THING! I have spotted FaceBook posts of families doing intentional, thoughtful things this season that aim to slow down the crazy roll we find ourselves on as Christmas approaches. The posts are marked #unrushedchristmas. One family posted pictures of a visit to a local restaurant that has massive outdoor decorations. They took their time looking at each one, and the children did a little dancing to the outdoor Christmas music that was playing on the loudspeakers. Another mom posted that she grabbed a cup of coffee and drove down our beach road to look at decorations rather than travel our busy and business-packed bypass. #unrushedchristmas is a movement aimed at creating mindfulness in each day of Advent so that we don’t arrive at Christmas exhausted and resentful.

What a supremely marvelous idea!

It occurs to me as I read these accounts that being unrushed in this season pays homage to the first Christmas, where nothing was or could be rushed. Think about the journey Mary and Joseph found themselves taking. Because a census was being conducted, they had to travel back to their hometown of Bethlehem, on a donkey and on foot. You don’t go anywhere fast with those modes of transportation.

Luke 2 (The Message)

To put this into context, the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem is almost 100 miles. At a good pace, that would be about 10 days of walking, and remember, Mary was just about ready to give birth. Nothing happened fast that first Christmas.

Neither should it today.

How can you slow down, take a deep breath, and breathe in all the glory, wonder, and majesty of the season? What can you do TODAY to unrush your rushing around? What can you let go of, simplify, or release, so that the season takes on a more humane pace?

I suppose the real question is, do you really need all that perfection?

Everyone longs for the perfect Christmas, the perfect tree, the perfect table setting, the perfect dinner, and the perfect gift. And we should know better. These things do not exist, yet every year we frantically pursue the perfect Christmas like it’s our JOB.

Stop.

Think.

Simplify.

Worship.

Adore.

Breathe.

Unrush yourself, and join in the awe and wonder of the miracle.

If it helps, imagine yourself walking almost 100 miles to get to Christmas. No matter how fast or slow you go, it will still be there. Christmas comes, whether we think we are ready for it or not. So sloooooow down and be mindful. Stop trying to create the perfect Christmas. Slow down and sit at the manger for a moment. Jesus deserves our full attention for his birthday.

Be #unrushed.

http://www.meredithksnider.com/

Frozen

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Betsy

In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that waits to be! Unrevealed until its season…something God alone can see.

These beautiful words from Natalie Sleeth’s Hymn of Promise speak of all kinds of good things. They remind us that cold Januarys turn into sunny Junes. They speak of change. They offer promise. They speak of God’s ability to see our potential when all we see is failure. They tell us about growth. Most of all, these words speak of the promise of the resurrection.

I can remember the first time I sang this song. It was at a funeral in my church in Georgia. I recall standing in our sanctuary on Windgate Rd. and looking out at the people who had gathered to say goodbye to their loved one. Sleeth’s imagery in the midst of death struck a chord with me that day that has reverberated each time I have sung it, as it speaks to a reality of life and death that we would rather not consider.

Consider the final verse:

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity. In our death, a resurrection; at the last a victory…

Sleeth is echoing the truth found in scripture regarding the resurrection:

Romans 6 (The Message)

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—⁷because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

I think the idea of dying paralyzes us, and we become frozen-in-place.

But maybe even more so, the idea of living is just as paralyzing. Just the IDEA of making necessary changes to the way we live freezes us in fear. The thought of letting go of anger, quitting drinking, releasing a long-held grudge, ending an affair, starting chemo, offering forgiveness to someone who hasn’t asked for it and doesn’t deserve it….like the icicles captured in this picture, we become immobilized in our determination to not have to alter how we live in any way.

God wants so much more for us than that. This passage sets forth a challenge: we die with Christ and we also live with Christ….but the life he lives, he lives to God. So should we.

We are stuck in cocoons of unhealthy habits and thoughtless words, but Sleeth likens us to butterflies who will soon be set free. We live in the darkness of our selfish behavior, but she reminds us we are just the ”dawn that waits to be.” In Sleeth’s poetry, we are a potential of something only God can see in us.

It’s time to thaw out. It’s time to warm up and become the people God intended us to be; loving, giving, full of promise, ready to grow in him, and ready to be set free.

What will you do today to respond to God’s call to unfreeze your life? Where is God calling you to make changes that will reveal your hidden promise? How can you be like Jesus and live your life for God?

How about we start today? Let’s get moving.

…unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see!

No Peeking

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Betsy

There is no better way to ruin Christmas when you are a kid than to sneak around and peek at your presents before Christmas Day. I did this once at the prompting of my evil older sister, and it was the WORST CHRISTMAS EVER. She had discovered the stash of presents my mother hid in her bedroom closet and ”forced” me to look. OK, forced is a strong word. I must admit that I was a willing participant. But what a miserable Christmas that was, trying to look surprised as we opened each present with our fake “oooohs and ahhhhs.” Never again did we make THAT mistake!

Christmas is all about the Big Reveal. Even better than seeing what make-over decorator magic Chip and Joanna have pulled off again this week, the big reveal of Christmas exposes so much more than how Christmas appears from the outside.

It isn’t just the gift of an infant in a manger. It isn’t just the presence of God on earth. It isn’t only the miracle of the immaculate conception. It isn’t just the Gloria in Excelsis Deo. It is all that, and so much more. It is a proclamation of freedom from the bondage of sin and oppression.

It is the gift of an inheritance as the rightful heirs of our Papa.

Galatians 4 (The Message)

^4-7But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage.

You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

In all that is amazing about this big reveal, let’s focus on just one aspect of this passage. At the first Christmas, we were given the privilege of INTIMATE CONVERSATION with God. We received complete access to an inheritance that affirms us as his children. We are granted the chance to dialogue with the one who offers us eternal life. WE HAVE ACCESS TO PAPA.

There is no present in Mom’s closet that can even come close.

How can you experience this great gift today? Where is God calling you into intimate conversation with him? What does inheritance in the kingdom really mean to you?

You are a child of God. Christmas reveals that. So open up this gift and use it. Talk to your Papa! This is one gift you will receive this year that is appropriate to both keep and re-gift. Go and tell it on the mountain, and everywhere.

All is Well

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Betsy

In 1989, Michael W. Smith wrote these amazing lyrics in a hauntingly beautiful Christmas song:

All is well, all is well
Angels and men rejoice
For tonight darkness fell
Into the dawn of love’s light
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia

All is well, all is well
Let there be peace on earth
Christ has come, go and tell
That He is in the manger
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia

I learned this chorus many years ago when I sang in a church choir, and every Christmas Eve, the words come back to me with a surge of joyful peace. They remind us that no matter what is going on, no matter what shock you have experienced, what disappointment or life-changing event has just come your way, all is well.

I had an opportunity to live out these lyrics one Christmas Eve when all was not well. Just days before Christmas, the pastor whom I worked with was removed from our church under complaints of misconduct. The congregation did not know. The bishop acted swiftly and appropriately according to our denomination’s well-outlined process, and suddenly I was alone, facing Christmas Eve services. All was not well.

Our District Superintendent came to preach, but as the congregation looked at me, confused, heartbroken, angry, and in shock, I felt God calling me to stand before them and assure them that even in that moment of incredible disruption, all is well…or at least it would be, with the passing of time and the completion of process.

So I sang the first verse to them.

In the face of things not being well by any stretch of the imagination, Smith’s lyrics take us back to the time of Jesus’ birth, when he came to set well all that was not well. We remember that the people had walked in darkness, and then saw his light, just as the prophet had foretold:

Isaiah 9 (NIV)

²The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

We remember that darkness fell when the dawn of love’s light was birthed in the manger. We remember that Jesus came to bring peace on earth, and in the fullness of time, we WILL experience peace. Sing Alleluia, for all is well.

What a shocking revelation. To think that in the midst of cancer, war, terrorism, the abuse and neglect of the poor and the elderly, homelessness, personal tragedy…all is well?

Yet Christmas comes to remind us of just that truth. Christ came in a manger to assure us that all IS well. We would do well to heed that truth. In contrast to earthly problems and crises, heaven stands wide open, proclaiming the hope, love, joy and peace of a future where everything and everyone is well.

So in the midst of your dark place, there is nothing better than to sing. Sing in the hope that it might come true for you. Sing in the expectation of God’s intervention. Sing, knowing that the Lord of the Dance has everything under control. Just sing.

In my situation, it took months of pain before wellness began to return. But it did, and it returned in waves. Take heart: your wellness is coming, so just SING.

All is well, all is well
Lift up your voices and sing
Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing Alleluia
Sing Alleluia
All is well!