I love the story of Simeon and Anna! It is one of the best Christmas stories of all and is usually told from Luke's Gospel on the second Sunday of the Christmas season. Unfortunately, it's a story that gets overlooked because most people stop thinking about Christmas the minute the clock strikes midnight on December 25th. Whatever happened to the 12 days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany, the day we celebrate the coming of the Magi and the gifts they came to share with Jesus in Bethlehem?
What I like about Simeon and Anna is their hope for the future. Even though they are both elderly, they each have a vision for a better tomorrow. They are both looking for the consolation of Israel and a day when God's Messiah will make things right again in the world. Many old people live in the past. They talk about the past. They idolize the past. Unfortunately, too many get stuck in the past.
Simeon and Anna were different. They dreamed God-sized dreams. They were open to the Spirit and willing to imagine a new kind of future. If they had Facebook back then and took the quick test called "Which 70s Rock Song Best Describes Your Life" it would have been for Simeon and Anna Fleetwood Mac's hit "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow."
That was certainly their word of wisdom to Mary and Joseph. "God has plans for this little one you are holding in your arms. This one is special. This one is destined to turn the entire world on its head and bring in the reign of God's justice and love."
Simeon and Anna came up to Mary and Joseph as they brought baby Jesus to the temple for his naming ceremony. They were like many older people in our own lives who came along at just the right time. Can you recall a time when someone older shared a word of wisdom to help you put some perspective on your life. Did you have a Simeon or an Anna who helped you "start thinking about tomorrow" in a new way?
I love the Christmas story of Simeon and Anna! It's about hope! It's a reminder that Christmas is closely connected to our future and a promise that one day all things will be made right again. God's up to something in the world and we are called to be a part of God's Kingdom activity.
2014 is over. There is no going back to the past. We can only move forward into 2015. So"don't stop thinking about tomorrow...it will soon be here! Yesterday's gone...yesterday's gone!"
Be like a Simeon or an Anna. Stay open to the Spirit! Look for Jesus, not only in the temple, but in the homes and back alleys of the towns and cities we live in. And then, help others better understand the true message of Christmas - that Jesus came to renew, restore and reconcile a broken, sinful and hurting world.
"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow!" You might be surprised what a difference that makes!
Monday, December 29, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Koselig
On our
recent trip to Norway, Dee and I discovered a new cultural concept called “koselig.” This word is similar to our word cozy or
comfy, but it has an even deeper dimension – it is not easy to translate into
English.
Koselig
might be similar to Perry Como’s Christmas Song. Do you remember the lyrics: “Chestnuts roasting on the open hearth, Jack
Frost nipping at your nose. Yule tide
carols being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimos…tiny tots with
their eyes all aglow, will find it hard to sleep tonight.”
This holiday
favorite creates a warm, cozy feeling.
Or how about that Christmas number that goes like this, “The
weather outside is frightful, but inside it’s so delightful…” All of these verses come close to capturing
the essence of koselig, but not quite.
Norwegians
call Koselig “inner summer.” It is a
mood, an attitude that keeps them happy and content through the long, dark days
of winter. In some parts of Norway, the
sun only shows itself for a few hours during the winter season. But Norwegians light candles, play music,
drink a little wine, create a warm and cozy atmosphere where good friends can
sing and laugh together. That’s koselig.
Recently I
read a devotional by Herb Chilstrom, a former bishop of the ELCA. He wrote about his trip with his wife Corinne
to several of the Scandinavian countries during the season of Advent. It was there that he experienced what the
Norwegians call koselig, but on a deeper, spiritual level.
He writes: “I
recall visiting a church in Denmark. In
the near pitch darkness of the early evening we stepped into a nave that was
bathed in white. Every wall, the pews,
the altar – everything was painted in brilliant white. I could feel my spirits rise just standing
there.
The same was true in
every city in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Candles glowed in nearly every window. It was as though each residence was sending
out a message. “It may be dark outdoors,
but in this home there is light and warmth.”
That sounds
like koselig to me! It’s an inner light
that cannot be overcome by darkness. It
is a light, the light of Christ that shines out for all to see.
Jesus spoke
of his followers being “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). This raises some good questions for us to
ponder this Advent season: Do others see
me as a light in their world? Do those
who wander in doubt and confusion see me as a source of comfort, hope and
stability?
As Herb
Chilstrom writes in his devotional, “If we are to be light we must first realize
that the illumination does not originate with us. Rather, the light we have to share with others
is reflected from the grace we have received from God. God lights up our lives in order that we
might light up the lives of others.”
That’s an
Advent kind of koselig! May the fires of
God’s love and the warmth of Christ’s presence illuminate your soul and give
you great contentment and peace in this Christmas season.
Blessings,
Pastor Bob
Friday, March 21, 2014
Spring has Come!
Spring has Come!
This has
been a long hard winter. The cold came
early and the snow came late to northwest Iowa.
I lost track of the number of days the wind chill was under -20. And the number of potential thawing days
could easily be counted on one hand.
The only way I was able to cope with the dark
and the cold days of January and February was to start looking to the future,
looking carefully for signs that perhaps spring is on the way. Here is my short list of indicators that
new life is soon to spring forth:
·
People
start filling out their March Madness tournament brackets.
·
The
Taco House is open for business!
·
The
robins start strutting around my front lawn, despite a late season snow storm.
·
The
five foot snow bank by my driveway is now down to two feet.
·
The
sun is setting after 7pm!
·
Easter
is coming!!!
Perhaps this
last indicator of springtime is the best of all. Easter is the celebration of Christ’s victory
over the grave; it is a beautiful celebration that the cold chill of winter is
now overcome by the warmth of God’s power to create new life for all
people. And there are signs of this
victory all around us!
When I see
two people talking to each other after a long period of silence, I shout out
inside, “spring has come!”
When I see
someone beginning to heal from a broken relationship and they are starting to
smile again, I sing out, “spring has
come!”
When I see a
family hurt by unemployment, continue to find ways to give to their church, I hum
to myself, “spring has come!”
When I see
that young “twenty something” worshiping with us when many of his friends are
sleeping in on Sundays, I laugh out loud,
“spring has come.”
Can you add
to this list? Can you count all the
indicators that winter is now in the rear view mirror? Go ahead! Use all of your senses and take in the
amazing signs of hope and resurrection?
Look for the green shoots bursting through the hard crust! Listen
for the sounds of joy and good cheer!
Feel the embrace of new friends and old coming together!
The winter
is over. Springtime is here! Let the Holy Spirit open you up to all the
possibilities for spiritual growth and new beginnings. May the glorious resurrection of our Lord
Jesus change and transform the way you look at the world. May the Spirit give you the eyes of faith to
celebrate even the small victories, the tiny indicators that God is up to
something Big!
Friends in
Christ, may God truly bless your Easter celebrations! And if you are in town this Easter, come join
us for one of our many special Holy Week and Easter services. Come and join the chorus:
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Spring
has come!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Top Books in 2013
Each year I post a list of books I read both professionally and just for fun. Here is my list from 2013:
Happy reading in 2014!
Blessings!
- Calico Joe by John Grisham (resurrected my childhood love of baseball)
- Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King (My trip to Italy made this a much more interesting book)
- A Journey of Grace: The Formation of a Leader and a Church by Bishop Herbert W. Chilstrom
- Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler (good book to prepare me for a trip to Chile)
- My Invented Country by Isabel Allende (another required read before heading to Chile)
- Clergy Renewal by A. Richard Bullock and Richard J Bruesehoff (you guessed it, professional reading material)
- The Sacred Acre by Mark Tabb (powerful book on the life of coach Ed Thomas)
- The Girl that Sang to the Buffalo by Kent Nerburn (I finished the trilogy! Start by reading the book Neither Wolf nor Dog by the same author)
Happy reading in 2014!
Blessings!
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