The Expectancy of Advent December 2, 2012

A Moravian star emergency.  This rare predicament is unique to a particular subset of the population – Moravians. We are a small church,  one of the oldest Protestant denominations in the world. There are about a million of us world-wide, with less than 10% of that number residing in North America.

A Moravian star emergency is likely only to happen during Advent, the season of the church year leading up to Christmas. That is when Moravians (& others) display the Moravian star, beginning with the first Sunday in Advent and ending with Epiphany, the celebration of the wise men’s arrival on January 6. So, back to my pastor friend, for whom Advent is quickly approaching (three days!) and for whom the sanctuary’s 110-point Moravian star is not working! He has called all experts in the workings of Moravian stars, and as you can imagine, this is not a very long list. Having done all he can, he realizes with some anxiety, all he can do now is . . . wait.

Waiting. . . we all do it, though it seems in these days of immediate gratification that we are not content to wait long before we become frustrated and irritated by our waiting . . . for traffic to clear, the doctor to appear, for the web page to load, for dinner to arrive. Waiting frustrates us because we have so many expectations . . . expectations of clear roads, efficient service, quick internet speeds, fast food. We are impatient people, full of expectations. Our waiting is not peaceful or contemplative.

Yet Advent turns all this on its ear. During this holy season, we are required to be expectant, to wait. Waiting is an intentional part of Advent as we anticipate the coming of the Christ child. We hear in Jeremiah 33:14 the words of promise . . . “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” We wait.

“Behold, a promise. . .” No frustration here, only hope. For with the birth of one small child, a tiny babe in a manger, our “hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee.”

Stop. Breathe. Wait in hopeful expectancy for the coming of the Lord. As Advent arrives and we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, how do we wait? How might expectancy help us behold God’s promise?

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, thou long expected Jesus;
born to set thy people free;
from our sins and fears release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

(Words: Charles Wesley, 1744. Music: Rowland H. Prichard, 1830)

And oh yes, my friend’s waiting paid off. The beautiful star was fixed in time to shine brilliantly for the first Sunday in Advent. The season of hope and expectation has arrived!

Some inspiration for the post came from Behold! Cultivating Attentiveness in the Season of Advent by Pamela Hawkins. This book is available for individual and small group use. You can find it in The Resource Center, Moravian Board of Cooperative Ministries, 500 South Church Street, Winston-Salem, NC.  www.moravianbcm.org

The Assist November 17, 2012

(Note: this story was first written in early March of 2012. I just noticed it in my draft post list and decided to go ahead and publish it, since it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.)

Assist, n. 1. An act of giving aid; help. 2. Sports a. A fielding and throwing of a baseball in such a way that enables a teammate to put out a runner. b. A pass, as in basketball or ice hockey, that enables the receiver to score a goal. c. Official credit that is given for such a pass.

My son, Jake, is a lacrosse player. Since his first experience with the sport, when he announced to me (at age 9) that lacrosse “is my destiny,” to today as the only freshman on his high school varsity team, the boy has lived and breathed lacrosse.

His high school team is “rebuilding,” which is a nice way of saying they aren’t very good but have tremendous potential. A new coach with discipline and a plan has helped tremendously, but we know that part of the reason Jake is playing varsity is because he is one of few players with several years of community league experience. At a different high school with a more established team, Jake would be playing JV and playing it well. Here, he’s proving to those upperclassmen that he can hold his own on a varsity squad. The pressure is rather intense, as is Jake. He wants to do well, he wants to learn, and he wants to be a team player. Amazingly, not traits that all lacrosse players share. But I digress.

The team had their first home game last night, playing a new team with even less experience and skill. We scored so many goals in the first couple of quarters that Coach was able to put in a variety of players to give them some experience. One of those kids, we’ll call him Jordan, is a special needs kid. Not quite sure what his issues are, but he seems to process life a little differently than the rest of us. He’s a senior and the written policy is that seniors can’t play JV. The unwritten policy is not to cut seniors from a team, so Jordan is playing varsity. He has no real hope of ever seeing much game time, so this big blowout appears to be his opportunity.

Coach puts Jordan in the game at attack, an offensive position that circles the goal and hopes to catch a pass they can immediately shoot and score. The ball makes it way to Jake, who has an open shot at the goal. Remember, this is a kid who loves to score, who NEEDS to score to prove to his older teammates he’s got the chops. So, what does he do? He sees Jordan hovering near the goal with no defenders on him, since he is not perceived as any kind of threat. In a split second, Jake passes the ball to Jordan, who shoots, and to everyone’s  amazement, scores.

Pandemonium ensues!! Jordan is euphoric, jumping up and down, running to embrace his teammates on the sidelines, who hoist him to their shoulders while the crowd goes wild. If this had been on YouTube, it would have been a instant classic. I turn to the mom beside me, just as she says, “Did Jake pass that ball to Jordan?” “Yes, yes,” I nod, “I believe he did.”

I can’t quite describe the feeling that came over me as I realized Jake made that moment happen. If I were the Grinch, I would say my heart grew three sizes that day, but my heart is already pretty normal-sized, so I’d use that old cliche that my heart “swelled with pride” instead.  Jake went on to score at least once in that game, but when you ask him what the highlight of the game was, he says, “Jordan’s goal.” I smile and agree, but for me, the highlight was, and always will be, the assist.

How to Start A Movement August 3, 2010

I’m liking this:

Definitely worth the three minutes!

Seven Commandments According to Ruth January 5, 2010

 

Still working on my fabulous self-help book — I can’t imagine it will ever be done, as I am waiting to resolve all my “issues” first!  Whenever it is done, these “Commandments” will be part of it. Consider this a sneak preview!

1. Accept what is. This is your life – today, right now – what you want is not what is real – what is real is what is – right now! (Compassionate acceptance of self and others and the entire situation exactly as it is will lead you to freedom. – Cheryl Huber)
2. Pay attention. Another way to say “live in the present.” Be alert to your surroundings and the actions and feelings of others. Avoid dwelling on the past or forecasting the future.
3. Expect nothing. Be pleasantly surprised! This is not as depressing and cynical as it sounds. We are often let down when our “hopes and dreams” do not turn out the way we believe they should. Why continue to set ourselves up for disappointment when we can live free of expectations and be happy?
4. Take nothing personally. Why do we continue to believe that the actions or non-actions of others have something to do with us? This does not absolve us of responsibility; it just means the world isn’t out to get us.
5. Be kind to yourself. Humans are not perfect – this has been well-established throughout the annals of time! Yet we continue to hold ourselves to impossible or unrealistic standards and beat ourselves up over the slightest failing. We must be kind to ourselves.
6. Honor yourself and others. Two words but a whole book could be written on them. This requires responsible action. What kind of life do you need to lead to honor yourself? Change is incremental but always happening. This also includes issues related to balance and taking care of ourselves. An extension of honoring yourself is of course, honoring others. Think the greatest commandment.
7. Be who you are. What more can we say? Embrace who you are and enjoy what you have to offer your family, friends, the world.

Be aware, these are not just pithy statements you can re-visit every few weeks or months or years. Success (is there such a thing?) requires constant re-visiting, daily revisiting. I find whenever I am out of balance, depressed, or unproductive; inevitably, I am violating one of these commandments. The worst offenders? 3, 4, & 5.

On which commandments could you use work?