Message-ID: <7216561.1075851842605.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 23:57:00 -0800 (PST) From: sandra.mcnichols@enron.com To: angela.barnett@enron.com, judy.hernandez@enron.com, juanita.marchand@enron.com, cheryl.dudley@enron.com, irene.flynn@enron.com, kathleen.speer@enron.com, adrial.boals@enron.com, julissa.marron@enron.com, marvia.jefferson@enron.com, charlene.richmond@enron.com, jeanette.mcbee@enron.com, diane.salcido@enron.com, regina.blackshear@enron.com, leslie.smith@enron.com, willie.harrell@enron.com Subject: [Devotions] Tuesday, December 19th Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Sandra R McNichols X-To: Angela Barnett, Judy Hernandez, Juanita Marchand, Cheryl Dudley, Irene Flynn, Kathleen Speer, Adrial Boals, Julissa Marron, Marvia Jefferson, Charlene Richmond, Jeanette McBee, Diane Salcido, Regina Blackshear, Leslie Smith, Willie Harrell X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Juan_Hernandez_Nov2001\Notes Folders\Daily blessings X-Origin: HERNANDEZ-J X-FileName: jhernan.nsf Too Good - to not share with you. Keeping our focus on the Reason for the Season........ may your day be blessed! S. ---------------------- Forwarded by Sandra R McNichols/HOU/ECT on 12/19/2000 07:54 AM --------------------------- "Kerry Nelson" @covenantlutheran.org on 12/19/2000 05:46:58 AM Sent by: devotions-admin@covenantlutheran.org To: "2 Devotions" cc: Subject: [Devotions] Tuesday, December 19th Good morning. Welcome to Tuesday, December 19th. "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices." Psalm 37:3-7 "Are you ready for Christmas?" The odds are pretty good that you are going to hear that question today, either spoken to you or by you. It is our seasonal snappy conversation starter. And we all know what it means... NOT "Are you ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus?" or "Are you considering again the degree to which you are willing to surrender your life to the lordship of the newly born King?" or "Do you trust that, when Jesus comes again, you will be among those who will spend eternity with him?" "Are you ready for Christmas?" means "Do you have your shopping all done, your presents wrapped, your cards in the mail, your packages to UPS, your house decorated, your travel plans in order?" Strange, isn't it, how Christmas transforms normal human parents into the shipping and receiving department for children who already have enough? Our fascination with Christmas has far more to do with the presents under the tree than with the incarnate presence of Jesus. And so this season of waiting becomes an almost obsessive preoccupation with what we might get... We sing about not pouting, shouting, crying, being bad or good... for goodness sake? Not really, reminders to be good at this time of year is not about the psalmist's advice to "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security." In our day, we throw a bone to being good so that Santa will be good to us. That's why, in just a few more days, "Are you ready for Christmas?" will be replaced as a snappy conversation starter by "Was Santa good to you?" So we wait. We wait for Sunday...for the festive worship service? For the singing of carols and receiving Jesus again in bread and wine? For gathering with friends and family, those in whom God also dwells for us? Or do we just wait to see what we are going to get? Maybe all this preoccupation with presents over presence isn't all bad... At least it gives a sense of urgency to the season, something that gives us at least a taste of the urgency in the faithful's waiting for the Messiah to come, and to come again. In the meantime? In the meantime we would do well to do as the psalmist advises, " Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." If we take some time during this last week of shopping before Christmas to remember that it is Jesus for whom we are waiting, it is God's presence which we are adoring, then maybe the real miracle of Christmas will happen in our lives. Not that we will get everything we desire, but that everything we desire will be holy. Let us pray: Draw near to us, dear Lord, in this season of waiting. By the power of your Spirit, fill us with holy desires and the ability to see through the glitter of this season, through the presents under the tree, to your presence in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen. ----- Pastor Kerry Nelson Covenant Lutheran Church http://www.covenantlutheran.org _______________________________________________