This week at staff meeting I had to have Crystal read our scripture for our devotions because the words were blurry. I’ve had to zoom my word documents to 130% so I can make out what I’m typing. I’ve come to the realization that I can’t see. I’m not sure if this loss of sight is caused by my recent pregnancy or my recent birthday. Either way I am impatiently waiting for my eye dr. appt next week. I am more than ready to see life clearly again.

In our spiritual lives we go through this same process. We can clearly see God working around us, we have joined Him in his mission. Then suddenly things become less clear. We get caught up in our preconceived ideas about religion, or maybe we forget the work and want to focus on the theological implications of the ministry that we are involved in. We can kind of see God working, but we cannot discern what God would have for us to do.

This week we are looking at John 9. The passage is about a man born blind, who receives his sight. We will talk about the man’s journey from spiritual blindness to clearly seeing Jesus as the Son of God. We will also talk about the disciples and the Pharisees, because they were blinded by their theology, were unable to see this man and rejoice in the miracle that Jesus did in his life. My prayer is that we can move forward in our journey of faith together, with our eyes wide open to what God has in store for us, just like the once blind man. And that we can break through the preconceived ideas of faith that may be blinding us from seeing how God in working in our lives and in the lives of those God has called us to serve.

New Year’s resolution. It is famously known as a set of goals that we get pumped to achieve for the new year, but it would last only for one or two months. I remember the gym I used to attend was usually full with people in January and February. All the gym classes are full, and there are always people using treadmills and elliptical machines. I assume this is because many people put exercise or work out on their New Year’s resolution. Seriously, it is the busiest time in any gyms. But when March comes around, the people stop coming. There are treadmills and elliptical machines available anytime again. The gym becomes an ‘empty’ place again.

The sad thing is, we come up with an obvious excuse: we are too busy in our lives. All the hype, excitement, and decision disappear or get postponed with this excuse. This is what was happening when Haggai was prophesying; people were busy with their lives and they did not have time for rebuilding the Second Temple. The Israelites lost their priorities by trying to satisfy their own lives. During this time, there was a great famine and drought in Jerusalem, and Haggai reveals that the famine is God’s sign of urgent to rebuild the temple.

Christmas Traditions

There is so much that miss about my childhood Christmas traditions, that I didn’t even know I liked when I was a child. Growing up in the Swedish Capital of Nebraska, in the Swedish Covenant Church, with a 100% Swedish father, and 100% Swedish grandparents, much of my child hood traditions are rooted deep in Swedish traditions.

Our church would put on a St. Lucia celebration on Dec. 13th (or close to it) with buns, coffee, sandwiches, glugg, and a pageant. We would have “Carols and Breakfast” the Sunday before Christmas, where the kids in the church would share their musical talents, and at each place setting you could find a Swedish hay ornament, and before we would leave we would be given an orange or an apple.

One of my favorites was our 11 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. We would spread the light from the Christ candle around the sanctuary while singing Silent Night. As we finished the song, we would hear the bell from the Lutheran church begin to ring, as we ushered in Christmas morning. Then we would drive home, and every year, I was sure I saw Rudolf pulling Santa’s sleigh.

Every other year, we would rotate the 11 pm Candlelight service with Julotta. Julotta was early but I still loved it. We would always have a ‘grandpa or grandma’ of the church sit in an old wooden rocking chair, the kids gathered around them, and they would read the story of the birth of Jesus.

We all have our Christmas traditions, current or from our childhood, that I hope makes you smile when you think about them. I pray that this Christmas season you are able to enjoy them with your family and/or friends.

Also, I would like to invite you, if it isn’t already your tradition, to join us for our Julotta service this Christmas morning at 8 am. We will “bring in the light” of Christ through worship and song, and then we will celebrate with a delicious “Taste of Scandinavia” Breakfast. Just as a reminder we will not have our normal 10:30 am service this Christmas Sunday Morning.

I pray that you have a Merry Christmas!

We are blessed on this 2nd Sunday of Advent to have a local pastor, Charlie Dial, from Harvest Church as our guest speaker.

Charlie was raised in southern Oklahoma in a pastor’s home. After graduating from High School, he moved to Charleston, SC and lived life a little on the edge. At 18 years old, Charlie received Christ into his life and became the youth pastor at Mount Pleasant Church. God then directed him to Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, OK. He graduated in 1995 with a Biblical Studies degree. During his time at Southwestern, he met his wife, Djuana, and the two of them were married on June 20, 1992.

Planting and pastoring Harvest Church is Charlie & Djuana's life. They are passionate about having fun in church and removing the boundaries of religion with the message of living a God-inspired life. They challenge people to fulfill their true purpose, become mature followers of Christ and flourish in every area of life.

Charlie & Djuana live on the East side of Sioux Falls and have three children: Zac, Caleb & Aryn.

In eight days the majority of the country will be stuffing their faces with turkey, mashed potatoes and delicious desserts. Some of us will watch football, some will prepare for their Black Friday Shopping, and some of us will be enjoying time with family. Whatever our plans are, we all have many, many reasons to be thankful. As 21st Century Christians, one thing that we have to be thankful for is that “the Stone that the Builders rejected has become the capstone.”

As we return to the book of Mark one last time before we turn our attention to the Advent season we find ourselves reading one of the 10 parables in Mark; a parable that tells of a generous vineyard owner and his violent, selfish tenants. As we read this section of scripture we may be more apt to skip over it, than engage with it, especially as we think about it in light of Thanksgiving. Except Jesus ends the parable with the words “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” This is why we as Christians have hope, and for this reason we can give thanks. God sent his Son to Israel and they rejected him. Even as Jesus was speaking this parable, he knew the cost of his rejection would be the cross. Yet Jesus knew this is what He came to do so that he could redeem a world for His Father that would include all who would come to faith in Him. This was God’s plan all along, that all should hear and that all are invited to be His Children.

It is my prayer as we all enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday that we take time to give thanks for Jesus, for his work on the cross, and that we can live as redeemed people.

The Gospel of Mark doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Jesus’ Disciples. In works of fiction there is often a character that functions as a “foil.” A foil is a character that embodies the opposite character traits of the hero in order to highlight the quality of the hero. While Mark isn’t fiction, the disciples often function as a foil to Jesus. They often embody for us the failures and weaknesses of humanity in contrast to the strength and grace of Jesus.

In this week’s reading the disciples, as Jesus moves closer to Jerusalem and his confrontation with the religious and political leaders, begin jockeying for position. They anticipate the culmination of Jesus’ ministry will be revolution, and they want important roles in the new order. But their aspirations are cut short when Jesus reminds the disciples of the upside down nature of his Kingdom.

Mark intentionally placed these two stories next to each other. What do children and a rich man have in common, or what is different about them? Both came to Jesus seeking a blessing. The children likely brought by parents and the man of his own accord. The disciples reveal our impulses. They rejected the children. They didn’t think children warranted Jesus’ time or attention. They were shocked at Jesus’ teaching that it was all but impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. They assumed wealth and high social standing were a sign of God’s favor and blessing. Jesus reveals a vision of the Kingdom of God as an upside down, inside out existence compared with life as we know it.

Having worked with both teenagers and adults I can testify that there are commonalities, but a whole lot of differences. Teenagers are stubborn, short-sited, hormonal, erratic, self-centered, and inconsiderate. Adults are all those things, but with more experience. [For the record, that’s a joke.]

There are a number of differences between adults and teens. One subtle difference I’ve begun to notice is the nature of the questions each asks. Adults tend to ask “how” questions. How do I do that? How can a person believe that? How can I achieve that goal. Teenagers tend to ask “why” questions. Why would I do that? Why does a person believe that? What would I set that goal?

Often adults stop asking “why” because they know why. Too often we stop asking “why” because the answers are harder to come by, or they reveal too much about ourselves or others.

A youth pastor can guarantee strong attendance and lively discussion in youth group by discussing sex. (Again, adults aren’t all that different.) The truly insightful students always push the “why” questions; “Why does God care if I have sex with my boy/girlfriend? Shouldn’t God be more concerned with child hunger, or murderers?”

In this reading Jesus is confronted with “how” questions about divorce, but Jesus immediately shifts the discussion to “why” questions.