Journeys

Today Dee and I  are planning a journey to her "ancestral" home of Herman, Minnesota for the celebration of Thanksgiving.  It is a four-hour pilgrimage north to a small, west central farming community of less than 500 residents.  It amazes me how relatively easy the journey can be.  Fill up the tank in the Ford Explorer, plug in Three Dog Night's greatest hits album, grab a hot cup of coffee and a Casey's donut in Redwood Falls, and the next thing you know we are there, pulling into the long lane of my in-laws farmstead. 

Journeys!  Our lives are filled with journeys to places near and far.  During the holiday season our hearts are kindled with the warm memories of journeys we have taken as families over the years.
I find it interesting that we begin our celebration of Christmas with a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, two relatively tiny towns.

Mary and Joseph grew up in Nazareth, a town of maybe less than 200 at that time - a village in the shadow of the larger, cosmopolitan city of Sepphoris, a town of culture, shopping and prosperity.
Nazareth, on the other hand, was a little burg of farmers, shepherds and laborers who probably walked an hour each way to sell their goods and services in Sepphoris.

As I picture a place like Nazareth today, I think of Herman, Minnesota, and all the other tiny towns in rural America - towns without all the advantages of "big city" living.  These are towns last on the list to get high-speed internet.   These are places where honest, hard-working people live.  This is what I imagine when I think of Mary's hometown.

So what must it have been like for Mary and Joseph to leave Nazareth and journey all the way to Bethlehem for the registration ordered by the Roman authorities?  The journey had few convenient "pit stops" along the way.  The road conditions were terrible and bandits could be encountered along the more remote stretches of highway. 

Mary and Joseph were making a journey of faith.  Their willingness to follow a star was the navigational system that brought them to a place of new beginnings.  Not only did they begin a new family in a manger in Bethlehem, but they set their infant son, Jesus, on a path of new beginnings.  His birth would set in motion a chain of events that would bring healing and salvation for all the nations.

But this great gift of Christmas began with a journey - a story of faith few could have imagined.
May God bless each of us this Christmas season with new adventures.  May we go places in our heart that would more closely connect us to the grace of the infant king Jesus.  May His Spirit be our guiding star that brings us from our "ancestral homes" to a new place - a place where God can use us to deliver hope to a new generation of people.

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Bob

Renew Your Life!

 

 Recently a pastor friend of mine, Kai Nilsen, wrote a book entitled Renew Your Life: Discovering the Wellspring of God’s energy.     Kai begins his book by highlighting the renewing energy of the Holy Spirit as he connects the Spirit with the simple, natural act of breathing. 

His book was inspired by a season in his ministry where “the breath” was knocked out of him.  He writes about his “compassion fatigue” and total lack of energy to serve others.  People would come to him with their problems and he simply didn’t care anymore.  He did not care!

 Years ago this condition was labeled burnout.   Today, we recognize the deeper issues that present themselves in episodes of anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue.   More and more people seem to be afflicted by these symptoms and the trend doesn’t seem to be reversing.

Pastor Kai shares in his book how he slowly regained his energy and joy for ministry, beginning with a simple practice of breath prayers.   He would find a place of quiet and relaxation and simply breath in and breath out, listening to his own breath and thanking God for the simple gift of life.

Kai writes:  After you feel relaxed in body and quiet in mind, think about something in your day that is causing you stress – maybe a meeting with your board or a confrontation with one of your kids – and name the energy you need for that particular situation.  Then pray this prayer over and over again saying “Spirit of God” as you inhale, and then as you exhale say, “restore my love,” or “give me patience” or “infuse me with energy.”  Breath this prayer over and over again until you feel yourself relax in regard to that particular situation.”

Kai continued to share that this prayer exercise didn’t work miracles overnight.  But little by little his energy was being restored.  He concludes his introduction by saying, “Prayer is as simple as taking an intentional breath and claiming that breath as Spirit energy, giving us what we need for the situation or the day.  Begin stopping, noticing your breath and making it your prayer.”

Throughout the Bible, the Spirit is referred to as the Breath of God.   God created life and humanity by his very breath in Genesis chapter one and two.   Ezekiel the prophet envisioned a time of restoration for the people of Israel as he saw God breathing new life into the dry bones of the slain people.  And finally in the book of Acts, the Spirit breath of God animated the flagging spirits of the early disciples and gave them new energies and courage to share the good news of Jesus with the entire world.

May God bless you with that same Spirit, that same gift of breath.  May you draw deeply from the wellsprings of God’s energy and grace!  The next time you are stressed out and facing a huge obstacle or challenge in your life, just breath.  Breath in the very life of God and be renewed!