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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 12/18/2008 9:33 AM | Greetings on this lovely Spring day!
For some reason, no matter how hard I try to plan things out during Advent and Christmas, they never quite work out the way I plan. Oh, nothing major, but when I work hard to make sure that I can take some time to relax and enjoy this season, I still reach a point where it seems like all I want to do is get through it. I assure you, THAT is not the way to celebrate Advent and Christmas. Unfortunately, it has become the modus operandi for how we live our lives too much of the time. We get so scheduled that we forget that we the schedule is supposed to serve us, not the other way around. So, what are we to do about it? The short answer: STOP.
Oh, I can hear some of you: “That’s easy for you to say!” Well, no, it is not easy for me to say. In fact, it is terribly difficult for me to say. I love all the activities of Advent. I love the ramping up to the wonderful celebration of Christmas Eve. I love getting together with family and friends over the holidays. I love the special worship services that are prevalent this time of year. So what do I cut out? How do I stop without dropping one of those important and wonderful balls that I am juggling? I was asking myself that this morning when I decided that it was time to take some of my own advice. In the last BCC newsletter I wrote about how this is a good time to re-read the gospel accounts of Jesus birth and ministry, but I must admit that I haven’t yet just sat and done that this year, I’ve certainly been in and out of the story for weeks in preparation for worship and for sermons, but I haven’t yet just sat and read the story without a purpose other than to soak in the story. And so this morning, in the middle of important office work that needed to get done, with two appointments I knew needed to be met, a staff meeting coming up early this afternoon, a chapel story time with the Pre-k kids from the CDC….I just stopped. I pulled out my Bible and read the beginning of Luke, that wonderfully lyrical story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Of the shepherds and the angels and, eventually, the kings from the east. And it was wonderful. Memories from so many Christmases came flooding back, thoughts of folks who have been gone for too long filled my head, visions of hearing this story as a boy at St. James in Detroit were all around.
And it felt good.
Both my appointments went well. The office work got done. The CDC kids were busy with something and so I went and sat with them for a few minutes while they showed me their Christmas projects. The staff meeting went well.
A friend named Cary that I used to work with swore up and down that if you take time to take care of yourself, even in the midst of the most hectic pace you can think of, time will expand. I would look at him a bit skeptically because he was otherwise a very rational person. “I’m telling you, when you do what’s right and take care of yourself first, time expands so that the rest of the stuff will be taken care of, too.” But, I asked him, what if you didn’t stop? “Then,” he said, “you run the risk of running out of time with the other stuff. Because what I’m telling you is true: take care of yourself and time expands.”
Well, who am I to argue. I hope you will test out his theory, because I think today, it worked for me. In fact, it expanded so much, I just might go home early.
For an up to date prayer list and list of coming activities, please go to www.brookhavenchrsitian.org
For your prayers
Please keep Miki Morgan’s mother and the entire family in your prayers. Her mother has slipped into a coma and has entered hospice care. Please keep Miki and Blake close during this difficult time.
Please keep Sally Hazen and her entire family in your prayers. Sally is the mother of Barry Hazen and suffered a heart attack this weekend and decisions are being made concerning hospice care.
Please keep Herman Harpe, father of Janis Cannon in your prayers. He was hospitalized Sunday following a blackout. Decision are being made concerning skilled care.
Announcements
Remember that this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. you are all invited to gather in the fellowship hall for our annual Christian Education Pot Luck Breakfast. Bring a dish to share and be ready for good food, fellowship and fun activities as all ages meet together for this wonderful event. There will be no Sunday School this Sunday.
Our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be held next Wednesday December 24th at 6:00 p.m. This beautiful family friendly service is a great way to finish our Advent journey and celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Come and join us.
I hope you can make it worship this Sunday as we once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together. This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Advent, Christmas Sunday. The scripture is Isaiah 9:2-7 and the sermon is entitled “The Light Breaks Through”. Have a great rest of the week…and at least once today…STOP!
Be peaceful,
Brad | | | Permalink | Trackback |
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