Intersections

Have you ever met a polar bear? I don’t mean one of those giant furry things that you can see at the zoo in Columbus or other places. I mean - a person who willingly flings themselves into a body of water on the 1st day of January, regardless of the temperature? I have to admit, I’ve thought about doing it - to engage all my senses; momentarily feel a little more alive. Let’s be honest, frostbite doesn’t look good on anyone!   But when those crazies are in the water, what might they tell their onlookers? “Come on in, join me - the water’s fine!” Just because they’re freezing doesn’t mean they’re not having a good time. It’s all a matter of perspective. And maybe that’s how it looks on the outside to non-churchgoers. Ask someone to join you for church, and if you don’t know that person particularly well they may raise an eyebrow at you and wonder if they should call someone to take you home. It’s not the standard that it used to be - I’m gonna say something you might disagree with...

What are you looking forward to doing tonight? Hopefully, this is the highlight of Christmas Eve for most of you. I know it is for me. I am blessed to be worshipping and celebrating the birth of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. After the service, my family and I will go to Tadj’s cousin’s house to visit with family we don’t see as often as I think we would like. We’ve packed the kids’ pajamas, so we know we’ll leave late. Those kids need to get into bed once we get home because you know who will stop by.  We’ve been preparing for weeks, and now here we are. I hope tonight lives up to all the ads which have been touting how you’re supposed to feel on Christmas. I hope you’re warm (especially tonight) and loving, even if your wallets are empty. Tonight is a night for peace and joy.  Several years ago, when Aaron was just a baby, we went through Franke Park for the light display. But we went on Christmas Day, at five o’clock, right after it got dark - or maybe it was seven. B...

               Let me start out this morning with what seems to be an obvious question - we are about two weeks from Christmas - how many of you are FILLED to the BRIM with JOY? Now, we are an authentic community, so let’s be real with one another - is there anyone here who can say they are overflowing with joy that we can come to you to be filled?   It’s hard not to have your heart be moved by our scripture today - this whole 35th chapter of Isaiah. Even the title makes our ears perk up a little bit - the Joy of the Redeemed. Well, I’d like to be redeemed, and I’ll have some of that joy too, please? I’m pretty sure that’s what we are all doing here. Starting with this scene in the desert, that this land will be GLAD, and rejoice and blossom. Why? Because the Lord is coming. The barren, the weak, the scared, the sick, all will be redeemed. They will be able to wear this joy as a crown. Verse 10, especially the end, is one that I’d lik...

  There was this giant tree in my parents’ backyard when I was growing up. It was probably the height of the two-story house we lived in, and I climbed that tree so much, although - not really ever very high. After I moved out for college, it was dying, and so they had to have it chopped down. When I came back, it was weird having this empty space where the mighty trunk with long branches stood. Then, after a couple of years, I saw a little shoot popping up out of the middle of it. I thought that was amazing! From this mighty tree, in its weakened state, there can be life coming out of it once again.   This is kind of what Isaiah is talking about in the scripture today. God promises that there will be new life given to a stump, representing the kingdom of Israel through Jesse, who is the father of King David. There are kind of two parts to this scripture today, verses one through five, and then six through ten make the other. The first part is about the reign of God and h...