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Stop and Enjoy |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 12/5/2007 11:24 AM | So, here’s how my morning started out: Just before heading out the door to go to church, I began to pull some things out of the freezer and cupboard to put in the crockpot for dinner tonight. While I was doing that I was also thinking about what I had on my plate today. Write a midweek missive, firm up some plans for the Christmas Eve service, attend staff meeting, make some phone calls to some folks who are a bit under the weather, make sure our Advent readers are on board, continue to work on my sermon for Sunday…and then the phone rang. It was someone I needed to talk to, nothing of earth shattering importance, but still, a call I wanted to take. So, as I prepared the ingredients for dinner, I sat with the phone crooked on my shoulder and carried on the conversation, some of which had to do with things that I had to do today. When the call was over, I put the phone in it’s cradle, started to put the ingredients and seasoning back in the cupboards and refrigerator, cleaned up the counters, put the cutting board in the dishwasher and went to put the lid on the crockpot.
Hmmmm…the lid on the crockpot. I know it was on it when I pulled it down from on top of the refrigerator. I must have set it on the table. Nope. In the dish drainer. Nope. In the refrigerator. Nope. The cupboard. Nope. Any of the cupboards. Nope. In the laundry hamper…bathroom…bedroom…office…on the couch…under the couch. Wait a second! This is crazy! I didn’t leave the kitchen the whole time I was doing this except to answer the phone. I went to the living room again and looked on the phone table…in the magazine rack next to the phone…in the chair next to the phone. No. No. No. What the…?????
Nothing gets me madder than when I do something stupid. (I know, I know, it’s surprising I’m not mad most of the time, eh?) As I stood in the kitchen looking carefully around I got more and more exasperated. I may have said some things out loud, but this is a family missive, so I won’t dwell on those. I went round again…I looked in the freezer…and there it was. I don’t even want to dwell on what I was thinking when I did that. At least I found it.
So, why am I sharing all of this with you? Well, the answer is a two parter: first, look what can happen when we fail to devote our attention to only one thing at a time. I know that many of us are multi-taskers, but every once in a while it becomes clear to me that when I have too many things going on at once, I do nothing well. And even more important than that, I don’t take the time to enjoy what it is that’s going on. Instead of really concentrating on my friends phone call and really engaging them, I instead dealt with them in a perfunctory, and probably less than satisfactory way. Second, this is the time of year when we are most likely to be overcome with activities and events, and the result is that we get stressed out and don’t enjoy the season. We don’t really take the time to reflect on the meaning of Advent. We don’t have the ability to truly prepare our hearts for this new thing happening when we are so hung up on the minutiae of all that threatens to overwhelm us. So here’s my advice this Advent season: STOP!
Stop and take time to read your Advent devotional. Stop and take time to meditate on what it means that Jesus – Immanuel, God with us - was born, lived and died and was resurrected for us. Stop and enjoy the company of family and friends. Stop and thank God for all the good gifts that you have been given through God’s grace. But most importantly, just STOP and BE. Just as Jesus regularly took time to get away from the pressing crowds, to simply stop and be refreshed, we must do the same.
And, as soon as I find my briefcase, I am going to do exactly that….it couldn’t be in the freezer…
Announcements:
The trees are almost gone…looking out the door of the church to the front lot I see that all we have left are on the lot...none are stored in the caged area! But we are not quite done…but unless it rains today or tomorrow (fat chance!) they should all be gone by Thursday. We still have a couple slots to fill today and Thursday, so please go to the website and sign up! The end is in sight! Thanks to all of you who have worked so hard these last couple of weeks. It is greatly appreciated.
There are three ornaments left on the “Angel Tree” in the narthex. If you would like to adopt a child from the Child Development Center for Christmas, this is your chance! Each ornament has a number and lists the age, gender, sizes and wish list of child for whom you can make Christmas special. Anyone who has taken (or will take) an ornament, please return the presents unwrapped by Sunday December 16th. Please attach the ornament or something that clearly tells what number was on your ornament to aid in the distribution.
This Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church (around the corner on Ashford Dunwoody Rd.) come and join with our Brookhaven neighbors in an Ecumenical Advent Service sponsored by the Brookhaven Christian Ministries group. This wonderful service of scripture, prayer and music will be followed by a reception.
The second session of the three session Inquirers Class will be held this Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in my office. This week we will be concentrating on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), it’s history, it’s operation, it’s ministries. Next week we will discuss the history and mission of Brookhaven Christian Church. So, even if you missed the first session and you would like to know more about our denomination and congregation, please come! All are welcome!
You are invited to a Special All Sunday School Pot Luck Breakfast on Sunday December 23rd at 9:45 a.m. Come and share good fellowship and good food. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Kinney, Director of Christian Education. Please note: this will be in place of our normal third Sunday Fellowship Pot Luck luncheon, which will not be held in December and will resume in January.
I hope you will be able to join us this Sunday as we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent: Peace Sunday. Come and enjoy the freshly decorated Sanctuary as we gather to praise God in worship. The sermon is titled “A Restless Peace” and the scripture is Matthew 1:18-25. Have a great rest of the week!
Be peaceful,
Brad
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