“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven…”

Read Psalm 32

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven…”

Psalm 32: 1 (NAS)

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.”

David does also say that when he kept silent about his sin, his “body wasted away”…and his “vitality was drained away.” How David was burdened by his transgressions; how we are burdened by our transgressions. Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal) calls us to confess those things done and those things left undone. This then affords me the opportunity to listen to myself and to listen to the Spirit that will reveal those things to me that I need to confront, to acknowledge my shortcomings. While it is usually easy for us to recognize the for the opportunity to seek forgiveness for those most obvious transgressions, the ignoring of those less obvious commissions and omissions results in living blindly. By listening, praying and asking God to transform with forgiveness and healing, I then can grow more fully into maturity. I can truly find myself wasted away with my vitality drained by choosing to remain unconscious.

The call to consciousness is our life’s task for it is the call to openness and allows God’s spirit to inhabit more of me. I am truly convinced that our transgressions are a direct result of our unconsciousness, our unconscious fears, wounds, and insecurities that drive many of our choices and actions, many of whom are often self-destructive resulting in addictions…drink, drugs, food, idle business, etc. So may we all ask for the desire and for the strength to know ourselves so that the Light of Christ may penetrate our being, so that the Love of Christ may shine forth in our daily lives, so that we may be set free to truly live abundantly to love and serve one another.

Mary J. Wade (Birmingham, AL)

Prayer
God, Creator of the Universe, Source of all Wisdom, Truth and Love, please open me to the power of your Spirit to be still, to listen and confess my transgressions, known and unknown so that I might be forgiven and healed, so that I might become the person that you created me to be.

God Supplies our Need

Read this Scripture: Joshua 5: 9-12


Key Verse: Verse 12 b “The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land…..They ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.”

The Message:  God Supplies our Need

Times were really hard for the people. They had left Egypt and were wondering around heading for the promised land of Canaan. God had taken care of them by providing manna for them. Now it was time for them to take care of their own needs.

In our spiritual journey, we too must depend upon God for our well being.

God does take care of us. Then comes the time to dig down deep in our hearts and say, “Yes, God, you and I together can do this, we can make it.”

There are times at Church of the Reconciler that we do not know where our next meal will come from. Then, by the Grace of God, someone comes in with gifts of food for our people. Every Sunday, we have a meal that is provided by some group that has heard the call of God in their hearts to come forth and serve the poor. Through the years we have discovered that God is always there to supply our need.

“God is good.”

“All the time.”

“All the time, God is good.”
Prayer: Thank you God for people who are listening for your call. Help us to reach out to serve others and become stronger in our faith by knowing God loves us and supplies our need.
Nancy DeVore Higgs

How to live out that grace in our own lives.

Eph.2: 1-10


I bought a poster in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1991. It hangs on the wall above my desk as I write. Created at the Universidad Centroamericana, it commemorates the 1989 murders of 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her 16-year daughter. They died at the hands of the Salvadoran military because of their tireless witness for God’s justice in our broken world.


As we consider Lent, the example of the martyrs of UCA reminds us of the gravity of the journey. It embodies the sacrifice that some have made for their understanding of the obligations of a Christian life. It calls us to courage and commitment as we examine how faith and grace transform us if we allow it. In this time and place, these are not matters of life and death for most of us – yet this calling has everything to do with how we choose to live.

In the second chapter of his letter to the people of Ephesus, Paul asserts that “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.” That part is taken care of. Our responsibility is to figure out daily how to live out that grace in our own lives. Our inheritance is to believe and to act and to love. That is grace for me – this love that troubles the waters. The Lenten journey reminds us of the stakes.

Jennifer Sanders

I AM A RECONCILER

Read II Corinthians 5:16-21
That is (our message is this) God was in Christ reconciling the world to him self, not counting their trespasses against them, ant entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

II Corinthians 6:19

I am not bragging when I say I am a reconciler. I have no choice, you have no choice. “So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” V. 10.

Why should we appeal to others? Because we want others to know that no matter who they are, what they have done (or not done) or where they are from – they are valuable in God’s eyes. We are not to regard other people as mere humans but as humans whose value is decided by God’s his standards and not ours. Our worth is not based on a worldly standard that says we have worth only if we produce…

I learned that when we judge others based only on what we know it can be wrong. While visiting the lady who was my Sunday School teacher and Vacation Bible School teacher when I was growing up, I talked about how kind, loving and soft spoken she was and how she reminded me of what Jesus must have been like. Her husband listened quietly until I paused and then he said in his slow, thick southern drawl, “Yes, but preacher you don’t live with her.” That’s true but I know that not only was “Christ in” her but to me she was always “in Christ.”

PRAYER
Dear Creator God, thank you for reminding us that our mission is to be your ambassador on Earth and our ministry is to be a reconciler!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
By making friend, you make friends with God.
PRAYER FOCUS
People unlovely to me have already been loved by God.
William Ray Wade

Controlling our mouths and opening our hearts is what God wants.

Read Scripture: Psalm 19


Key Verse: Verse 14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Familiar words! The United Methodist Youth Benediction! As a youth growing up in the Methodist Church (Now the United Methodist Church) every Sunday night we would close the meeting with a prayer circle and the whole group saying the MYF Benediction. It gave closure to the meeting. It gave us a sense of community till we met again.

In Psalm 19 we have these words given to us to remind us to be blameless and be innocent of great transgressions. We are urged to let our mouths and our hearts be acceptable to God. In these days of Lent, let us also let our mouths and hearts be acceptable to God.
Prayer: O Lord, help us to live our lives that we can be acceptable to you. Amen
Thought for the Day: Controlling our mouths and opening our hearts is what God wants.
Nancy D. Higgs

God Has Been With Me

Read this Scripture: 1 Corinth. 10:1-13


Key Verse: 1 Corinth. 10: 13

“So, If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall!”

God Has Been With Me

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Standing firm to not fall as I go through life, I have come to know that God has been with me through all my suffering. And with that suffering, it produces perseverance and character. And with that I will not fall! I will keep standing on my faith.
Prayer: God be with us all.
Michael D. Brown

God’s Sensual Presence

Scripture:  Psalm 63:1-8

Text: My soul thirsts for you; my flesh pants for you, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.

As I have read this scripture over and over what continues to stand out to me at this time is the importance of our senses to our intouchness with the Divine. The writer of this ancient song seems unafraid and unashamed to refer to his senses as he speaks of the importance of God in his life. This suggests that he understood his body and the senses associated with his body to be integral to his spiritual life.
This suggests to me that what I experience through my senses is to be trusted, respected and appreciated.
Prayer: Thank you for enriching our lives through our bodily senses and speaking lovingly and faithfully to us through them. Amen.
Thought for today: May any attitude that our senses are a spiritual negative dissolve into thankful appreciation of them.
Glenn Hand-Truitt

God invites me to a more abundant life.

Read Isaiah 55: 1-9
Key vs 5: Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.


Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, even without money, everyone could have enough to eat and drink? God’s provision in creation was meant to be sufficiency, even abundance, for all. Sadly, our human, sinful nature has produced greed and selfishness, and many people lack even these basics Those with money often waste it on things of little value, or on damaging things like drugs and unhealthy lifestyles.

Everyone is invited to the abundant life God offers. No matter our circumstance, God offers pardon and mercy to anyone who follows God’s ways. Sometimes we “know” better than we “do”. There is no better time than during Lent to follow the advice of this scripture: Incline your ear (hear), seek the Lord, call on him (pray), forsake wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts (repent).
Life may be miserable because of circumstances, bad judgment, or injustice, or life might be relatively good. What all of us can have, with God in control, is a life full of blessings both physical and spiritual.
Prayer: God of glory, Lord of life, Creator and Redeemer, give us wisdom and desire to examine our ways and to come closer to our source of abundant life in Jesus Christ. Amen. Let it be.
Thought for the day: God invites me to a more abundant life.
Margaret Sherrill

Stand Up and Keep Going

Read Luke 13: 31-35


Stand Up and Keep Going

31At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."

32He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

34"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 35Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'

Jesus must have felt the need to complete the tasks God had laid out before him. He knew his time was short, with many things to complete before the end. He told those who were trying to make him leave that he had to keep going, and was not going to be intimidated by threats from Herod.

What about us today? Are we intimidated by people who want to keep us quiet when we speak of Jesus and the salvation offered to us? Do we tell them we have to keep going, that we have a goal to complete? Or, do we quiet down, and let the crowd speak for us, and slink off and complain that we weren’t allowed to tell our story. We have to stand up and keep going, today, and tomorrow and the next day, so we can be included with those who are blessed as Christians who come and speak and act in the name of the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, keep me strong in your name, so I may tell your story through my thoughts and actions. Amen
Carol Ruth DeVore, Charter Affiliate Member COR

“Observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us…”

Read Phillipians 3:17 – 4:1


“Observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us…”

Phillipians 3:17 (NAS)

“Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk, according to the pattern you have in us...for our citizenship is in heaven…”

The author of the Letter to the Phillipians, is exhorting all to follow the example that he has set with the warning that destruction is the end result for choosing to set ones mind on earthly things. Since our citizenship is in heaven, I have had to reflect on what this means for me in my life still here on Earth. While Jesus was alive he said often that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Therefore this certainly does not mean that Heaven is to be thought of as some place to which we go after our death, although Paul does allude to this.

Living in the Kingdom then means living as Jesus described and did…showing mercy, showing love to a neighbor that includes the Samaritan…the outcast and the marginal. When I am in community with those outside my usual group of friends, work colleagues, and get to know those in the homeless population that are participating as equals in our worship, who are sharing their gifts as well as their failures, I am acutely aware that I am “living in the kingdom,” a kingdom that is indeed at hand, a kingdom that is inclusive, that shows radical hospitality as Jesus did by dining with those considered unclean and to be avoided. And I am gifted with a reciprocal love and the realization that we are all alike, regardless of our outer garments, our station in life. We are there all being transformed as we are empowered and empower one another with the most radical change agent possible….love that knows no boundaries.
Mary J. Wade (Birmingham, AL)
Prayer:
God of love, God of Truth, open me and enable me to walk as you have demonstrated through the words and life of the Christ, so that I may truly live in the Kingdom here on Earth. Amen.

What Should We Fear?

What Should We Fear?


Read Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.

God said in these early writings : "I am a shield for you.” Wesley noted emphatically that God said “ I am a shield to you, present with you, (and) actually defending you.”

When I considered this: that God himself is a shield that secures us from destructive evils, a shield ready to protect us, and a shield that surrounds us. - then this assurance should silence all our perplexing fears.

What do we fear today? Being without health care? We also fear attacks by terrorists or criminals. We fear losing our wealth to identity theft, unemployment , rising utility bills, inflation and not having enough money to retire. Some of us fear religious fanatics. Others fear political fanatics. Some of us fear right talk radio while others of us fear left wing talk radio.

We fear global warming, the disappearing countryside and pollution. We fear losing our children to Internet predators and we fear losing our freedom to the mega corporations .

We still fear those who are different from us. If God in his graciousness is ready to stand beside us, then how are we to treat the others who exist along side us in these days of seeming chaos?

Kay Phillips

God, thank you for protecting us Let us share your love and safety with those around us.
When we feel afraid, remembering God’s promise and helping us can bring us peace.
God overcomes our fears.

Remembering why we come into the house of the Lord

Read Psalm 27


Key Verse:

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”

Psalm 27:4

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:

Changes at work, working more hours than ever before, having more responsibilities, more duties – something new every day it seems. Busy, busy, busy!!

Less time at home with my family which has grown to include an almost two year old, beautiful, very, very busy grandchild. I am tired and weary by the end of the day.

It has been an extremely cold and dreary winter. I woke up several weeks ago on Sunday morning, tired and moody. I wanted to stay home and sleep and rest and basically do nothing that day. But, I knew I had to go to church because of my commitment to the children’s ministry.

As I began to get ready for church, I felt as though God was speaking to me. “Are you coming to My house because you have to be with the kids? Is this a duty visit? Remember when you could not wait to run into My house to spend time with Me?

"Come, I will meet you there”.

I went that morning seeking God and expecting to experience His presence with my brother and sister believers. The Lord is my light; He is my salvation! How could I have gotten so distracted and busy that I forgot what a privilege it is to be able to go to the House of the Lord – to feed upon His Word, to get strength from His Spirit, and be transformed by the mystical power of Holy Communion.

PRAYER: 
Dear God, forgive me for coming to your house for any reason other than the hope of finding YOU there! Help me Lord to regain my “first love”. Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  Seek God above everything else, for when you find Him, you cannot help but be transformed unto love.

PRAYER FOCUS: Remembering why we come into the house of the Lord

Sharon Parsons

We will stand firm against the temptations the devil places before us.

Read Scripture Luke 4: 1-13


Key Verse: Luke 4: 13 “The devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.”

Jesus had been tempted three times by the devil. Each time Jesus was able to overcome the temptation. Finally, after the third time of tempting Jesus, the devil departed (retreated) but had plans to come back at another time.

We face very similar situations in our Christian journeys. Time after time we are faced with choices. We can either give in to the temptation, or we can stand firm in our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Verse 13 says that the devil retreated temporarily. By that we know that Jesus continually had to be strong. We too must continually be strong. How can we do this in the face of so many temptations that come our way? We can stay in “the word.” We can read our Bibles and pray. We can stay in a community of faith, living beside fellow Christians who can give us encouragement as we travel along together.

We know that the temptations we face will not completely go away. But we can be like Jesus, and refuse to give in to them.
Prayer: 
O God, we know that you are close by us to help us when temptation comes our way. Help us as we travel on our Christian journeys.

Though for the Day:  We will stand firm against the temptations the devil places before us.
Nancy D. Higgs,
Member of the Mildred Taylor Sunday School Class

Trust God for help in Times of Trouble

Read Romans 10:8b-13


Key Verse: Verse 13: “Everyone who calls, “Help. God gives help.”

Trust God for help in Times of Trouble

Our scripture verse tells us that God is ready to help us. We just need to trust in God for help This is hard to do. We want to take control and be in charge and do it ourselves.

Life is difficult. We face many problems today, financial, health, family.

Take a good look at your life today, see where you can live more simply. Look around you and see who needs help. Can you be that person God is sending to help someone. Spend some time these 40 days of Lent reading the scriptures and praying.

God is ready, willing, and able to help you. Ask God today for help.

A beautiful old hymn entitled, “Trust and Obey” comes to my mind. One of the verses says, “Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil he doth richly repay, not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” (p. 467 United Methodist Hymnal words by John Sammis, Music by Daniel Towner)

Try trusting , God is ready to help.

Prayer:  O God, we trust you for help in times of trouble. Be with us as we call on your name.

Thought for the Day:  Trust God for all things.
Nancy DeVore Higgs, Charter Member of COR

A Refuge in A Scary Place

Psalm 71:1-14


In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go;
give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you. I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.
They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him." Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.
May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

Key Verses:   In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

A Refuge in A Scary Place

The world is a scary place most of the time. I have friends just this week who are grieving the loss of a 3 month old baby, suffering from injuries in a terrible car wreck and waiting by the hospital bed of their 11 year old son to hear good news that he will recover.   Everyone needs a place of refuge and hope. The key verses from Psalms remind us that the Lord is our refuge and to remember that we always have hope.

Prayer: Praise to you, our Lord, for a place of refuge in a scary world. Thank you for giving us hope.

Beth Ann Higgs, founding member and Church webmaster

Give Generously to God and Community

Read this Scripture: Deut. 26: 1-11


Key Verse: Verse 10 “Celebrate all the good things that God has given you and your family; you and the Levite and the foreigner who lives with you. “

The Message:  Give Generously to God and Community

All of us can remember that our family tree has the fruit of abuse and battery, even cruel and savage slavery. Yet we know that God has listened to our voice and with a strong hand has brought us to this place and this time.

God is our covenant friend that has been gracious to us all our years. God has given us life and reason, and placed us in a world filled with glory.

May this season of Lent be a period for us to recapture a new gratitude and generosity for the gifts our covenant God has blessed us with, and out of that remembering, be transformed to give of ourselves generously to the community of life.
Prayer: Thank you God for all that you have done for us. Make us to be as generous and gracious as you. Amen

Lawton Higgs, Sr., founding pastor

Lord let me be a steward

All my life I felt that God never paid any attention. I was a good person I was active in church,I help people when I could and often made sacrifices for others. Many times I felt looked over and un appreciated. I left a many of jobs for the same reason. Alot of times I was miserable because I was spiritually self-centered. Through the grace of God I was able to attend a summit for the homeless. Being practically homeless and I had no job. I began to put all my efforts to ending homelessness and promoting housing for those who could not afford housing I began to speak against injustice and for the rights that were do to all. Soon situations in my life began to change ,peace became my companion . I felt great !


Out of the blue God put a good man in my life He offered me a house and a job to pay my bills. Our treasures are stored in heaven yet he rewards us openly.

Prayer: Lord let me be a steward.

Victor Beard, Member of the Coalition for the Homeless at COR

The Essential Thought is Mercy

Read this Scripture: Psalms 51: 1-17


The Essential Thought is Mercy

Have mercy on me oh God. According to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgression for I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Mercy is not simply feeling compassion but it exists when something is done to alleviate the pain and suffering of our sisters and brothers. Mercy moves the merciful to bestow mercy. Merciful means “full of mercy.” A fountain of mercy that is always ready to reconcile our difference in respect for each other. The merciful person is full of love and one who lives with the love of God and hopefully trust in each other. Having a feeling of sorrow over someone’s bad situations not the mercy described in Psalms 51: 1-17. Mercy is more than just a feeling, it begins with a simple recognition that someone is hurting and it is up to us as stewards to do something about the pain/hurt.

Prayer:
Mother, father and holy God, we beg you to hear our plea and understand our pain. We pray for peach and love for every individual. We must did deep in our own soul so that we do not, in our moments to feel good, dear God, become self-centered in the work we do for the good of others. We pray for a society that will embrace the “toiling majority,” that we live with us each and every day. We thank you Lord Jesus for your everlasting love.

Thought for Today:
Where are we called to serve?

Mary Jones, Lay Leader

Will You Be God’s Friend?

Read 2 Corinthians 5: 20b-6:10


Key Verse: “…Become friends with God, he is already friends with you”

2 Corinthians 5: 21

The Message: Will You Be God’s Friend?

Are you involved in the social networking on computers called Facebook? If you want to include more people, you invite friends to join you on your Facebook by asking them to “Be your friend.” You can have a Facebook account free by signing up and you can invite others to join you by simply asking them.

Our scripture today asks us to get involved in life by telling others about Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. It says that we are Christ’s representatives. It says that our job is to tell others!

As we participate in Lent this year I hope that you will be about making friends for Jesus Christ. Who have you told about Jesus lately?

Prayer: Dear God, Help us to be about making friends for Jesus Christ. Amen

Thought for the Day: Tell someone about Jesus Christ’s love today.

From a Mildred Taylor Sunday School Class Member

Ash Wednesday Devotional - Let’s Get Serious

Read this Scripture: Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17


Key Verse: Verse 14:” And round up everyone in the country; Get them into God’s Sanctuary for a SERIOUS prayer to God.”

The Message Devotional: Let’s Get Serious

Today is Ash Wednesday, beginning a 40 day period in the Christian church called Lent. It is a time of searching, a time of prayer, a time of looking at your life in relation to God’s miracle of resurrection, Easter Day.

In Church of the Reconciler we will gather for a time of prayer and “putting on of the ashes". Kevin, our pastor, will remind us of our commitment to live a life of service and prayer and place on our foreheads the sign of the cross from ashes.

My first experience of receiving the Ash Wednesday ashes was in Joppa. We were there in the St. Peter Roman Catholic Church on a trip to the Holy Land. Our entire group was worshipping in the huge cathedral and everyone lined up down the central isle heading for the alter toward the priest leading the service. I had not grown up with this ritual, but was moved by the beauty of the service. I got in line with everyone else to receive the ashes. I was not denied. From then on I have always included this SERIOUS part of worship to my 40 days of Lenten worship. As Joel reminds us in verse 14 of Chapter 2, we need to “round up everyone and come together for a SERIOUS time of prayer to God.”

Prayer: O God, help us to celebrate Lent this year in a SERIOUS manner of prayer.

Guide us in these 40 days as we contemplate the life of Jesus Christ, his teachings, and his resurrection.

Thought for the Day: As Christian people, help us to gather for a SERIOUS Lenten prayer.

Nancy DeVore Higgs

Beginning today, we will have a devotional each day for Lent from Reconciler people.

Todays's is by Nancy DeVore Higgs, one of the founding members of Church of the Reconciler; a Sunday School teacher and member of the Board of Stewards, wife of founding pastor and mother of current pastor.

Memorial Service for Homeless Who Died in the Cold - Thursday 2/11 - 10:30 AM

The memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Church of the Reconciler (corner of 2nd Ave North and 14th Street) for Lisa Coburn, 51, who died in a tent Jan. 19 at a homeless camp, and Jimmy "Pops" Smith, who was in his 70s, who died in his van on Feb. 6. "We are calling for clergy to join us ... to show that the lives of homeless people are valuable and precious," said Rachael Martin, assistant pastor.

The regular CAC subcommittee meeting on homelessness will take place at Church of the Reconciler as we accompany the homeless and other advocates--this time for a real funeral. It is one thing to hold a mock funeral, as we did for the 10 Year Plan in October; but quite another to have to hold a real one for people whose deaths would most probably have been prevented if the long-delayed plan had been implemented.

The Birmingham News story, on page 1 of the Local News,Homeless advocates call for Birmingham to act on chronic homelessness in city, includes links to the 10-Year Plan and to the upcoming Homeless Summit. Part of the story is pasted below. It was gratifying to read more supportive than ignorant comments on the story, but they also showed how much public education still needs to be done.

Weekly Update - February 3, 2010

Remember that this Saturday is our Leadership Retreat, and we very much need you to join us as we discuss and make plans for several of our ministries. We’ll meet from 9 am until noon, and we’ll have lunch for you when we finish. Please hit ‘reply’ and let me know whether or not you plan to attend, so I can make sure we have sufficient food.


The next date you need to put on your calendar, if you haven’t already, is April 23. That’s the night of our banquet. We had to move to a Friday night this year, so if you are able to help with set up on Friday, we’ll probably need some extra hands to replace the folks who will be at work. Stay tuned for announcements of planning meetings and ways you can help make this our most successful banquet ever.

This Thursday is Alabama Arise Lobby Day. We’ll have a full van of folks heading to Montgomery to join people from all over the state. Please be in prayer for a safe and effective trip for them.

Jim Walker is starting a new support program. After worship and our meal on Sunday, the church van will be going to Aldi each week for a shopping trip. The program is for those people who have found housing and have an income. We are not providing money for groceries, but are providing support and transportation, especially to folks who have recently found housing through the support of the church.

After many years of preparation, we have finally begun to find housing for many of the homeless people who are part of our ministry. We’ll soon have 20 people ready to move into apartments through the Shelter Plus housing program, and thanks in large part to the knowledge and efforts of Jim Walker, we are making headway in getting folks into public housing as well. We celebrate every time we are able to help someone get off the street and into a home, but that’s not the end of our relationship with that person. We help newly housed folks furnish their homes and provide whatever support we can to help make them successful in this endeavor. If you have any furniture, household goods, linens, or even food that will help a newly housed person settle into his or her home more comfortably, please call the church office.

Have a great week, and I hope to see you on Saturday.

Peace,
Marti

City and Birmingham Peace Project Reach Compromise on MLK, Jr. Day March with Homeless Coalition and Rosa Clemente

ALL PERMITS GRANTED! ! 
WE WILL MARCH AGAINST PERPETUAL WAR AND ON BEHALF OF THE HOMELESS!

 

BPP Attorney David Gespass, "We are gratified that the city has come down on the side of free speech and trust the problems we encountered were an aberration that will not be repeated."

 

Visit BPP Webpage: http://dianemcnaron.com/bhampeaceproject.html

 

Birmingham Peace Project has reached a full compromise with the City and will exercise our First Amendment Rights by marching as planned with the Homeless Coalition and our Sponsors and Endorsers on MLK, Jr. Day! All permits are in hand! The hearing in Federal Court has been canceled. See new Step-Off Place and Time!

WHAT: City and Birmingham Peace Project Reach Compromise on MLK, Jr. Day March with Homeless Coalition and Rosa Clemente

WHEN: Monday, Jan 18, 8:00 AM Assembly for Coffee and Signs, March and Rally

WHERE: North End of Twentieth Street by Linn Park at 8th Ave. No. X from Boutwell ("Short-Twentieth")

• 8:30 March Step-Off
• 9:30 Rally at Greater Birmingham Ministries with Green Party 2008 VP Rosa Clemente

(2304 12th Ave No, B'ham, AL 35234)

  

"Breaking the Silence: Perpetual War = Perpetual Poverty"

 ~Tabling, Speakers, Music, Breakfast and More!

 

Speakers:

Rosa Clemente, David Gespass, Rodney Cole, Singer Diane McNaron and the "Proclamation" Band from Miles College!

November Update and Christmas information

Here are a few dates for you to put on your calendar:

• Friday, Nov. 20, there will be a ‘Blanket In” at Kelly Ingram Park in honor of the National Coalition of the Homeless Homeless Day. Members of the Birmingham Coalition of the Homeless will be organizing and participating in the event. 
• November 22. The children will enjoy a special ‘music camp’ with guests after worship. 
• The church office will be closed Nov. 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving. 
• Saturday, Nov. 28 at 9:00, we’ll meet at the church to clean and decorate for Advent. 
• Wednesdays, Dec. 2 and 9, packing Christmas bags at 6:30. 
• Sunday, Dec. 13. We’re working on having a Christmas party for the kids after church on this day. We’ll let you know if it works out. 
• Sunday, Dec. 20. The children will present a special holiday program during worship, and we’ll hand out the Christmas bags to worshippers following the service.

About those Christmas Bags...

We will pack 250 bags for men, 100 for women, and 40 for kids.

Rachael is working on having another church take on the kids’ bags. If she is successful, we only need to collect ‘stuff’ for the adults. Typically we try to have knit hats, gloves, socks, underwear, personal hygiene items, sweatshirts, and candy/snacks. If you can donate, or if you know of a group who is planning to donate, please let us know what items you’ll be collecting so we don’t double up unnecessarily.

We took a vanload of 18 people to Sewannee last week to hear Rev. Michael Battle. Ask someone who went to tell you what the trip meant to them!

We currently have 9 people in Shelter Plus housing with 10 more who have recently been referred. If you have any household goods for people who are setting up a home...linens, dishes, pots and pans, etc...Jo Dobbins has graciously offered to store items until they are needed.

Visits to our Sunday Health Center are growing dramatically. We can use over-the-counter medications, band-aids, and other supplies. Mary Wade says anything you would keep in your medicine cabinet or first aid kit can be of use in our Health Center. (We do not keep prescription meds at the church. Those requiring stronger than OTC meds are given referrals to Cooper Green or Bham Healthcare.) We also need baggies to put the supplies in when we distribute them.

Needs for our children’s program: We need a group or groups to provide lunch on first Sundays. Eight large pizzas or 10 medium pizzas will generally feed our crowd. One church brings hot dogs. The kids enjoy hamburgers too. We always need juice boxes.

Have you started social networking? You can become a fan of Church of the Reconciler on Facebook. And visit our web site www.churchofthereconciler.org. Click on ‘Blog’ at the top of the page for current information about activities and needs. Or add your own comment on the blog.

Peace,

Marti

one-day trip to Sewannee on Oct. 29 for the DuBose lecture by the Rev. Dr. Michael Battle

If you are available to go with us for a one-day trip to Sewannee on Oct. 29 for the DuBose lecture by the Rev. Dr. Michael Battle, please plan to attend. We’ll take Reconciler vans and the event is free. More details to follow, or visit http://theology.sewanee.edu/dubosemedia for more information.

Sunday school for the children will resume on Oct 25.

There will be no Sunday School for our kids this week. A couple of our teachers are out of town, and we’ll have our hands full with the new lunch system. Sunday school for the children will resume on Oct 25.

new system for serving the common meal

We are going to institute a new system for the common meal on Sunday. The line has been getting more and more difficult to manage of late, so from now on, we’ll seat people in the sanctuary and take them in to the lunch room, in the order they arrive, 75 at a time. The plates will be served to them at the table, and they’ll have 20 minutes to eat. When the room is cleared, we’ll bring in another room full and they’ll have 20 minutes to eat as well. Those who wish to have more than one plate will leave by the 2nd Ave N door and re-enter from the 14th St door to wait in the sanctuary for their next turn. We’ll continue in this way until the food is gone.


We anticipate some resistance to this new plan at first, but we feel that once the adjustment is made, it will be a calmer and more civil way to serve food on Sunday and during the week as well. We can use all the help we can get for this first run, however. (The church staff has been announcing the change all week, so many will come to church on Sunday expecting the new procedure.) If you are free to help direct folks and keep traffic moving in the correct direction on Sunday, come prepared to volunteer from noon until we have served everyone (or run out of food).

Reconciler on Facebook

Become a fan of Church of the Reconciler on Facebook!

Hosted a first-of-its kind homeless summit

Check out the link for more information on what was discussed. The summit was covered in an article in The Birmingham News on Sunday, August 16th.

Vacation Bible School!

We are having Vacation Bible School this week. Thanks to all the volunteers that are helping us have a great week for our kids.

June 7-12, 2009 Update

This is a quickie, but here’s a few things to keep in mind:

This Friday, the church will be closed for Annual Conference.Friday, June 12, the office will be closed as well, as our pastors need to be elsewhere. (There may be some meetings, but the Day Program won’t be open for business.)

There’s an education team meeting on June 10 at 5:30 p.m., before the Wednesday night prayer meeting. We’re hoping to include all Sunday school teachers and folks who work with our kids in any way, so please plan to attend if at all possible.

Don’t forget Vacation Bible School is scheduled for June 22-26. We can always use more help, so feel free to drop by if you are able!

Have a great week,
Marti

Reconciler Update from Marti Slay

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, so we won’t be picking up kids for Sunday school. Teachers who are going to be there may be needed to work with a few kids who show up on their own, but Mary Wade won’t be there to do music. I’ll be out of town too. Remember that we also won’t have our usual Sunday school on July 5, and Sept. 6, because we have too much trouble getting shepherds on holiday weekends and we’re usually shorthanded on teachers as well.

Our new District Superintendent is Ron Schultz. Kevin met with him recently and said he had a very productive meeting. We look forward to having Ron join us sometime this summer for worship.

We’re working on getting out an issue of the RoundTable very soon. Let me know if you have any news items that need to be included.

Vacation Bible School is scheduled for June 22-26. Plans are coming along nicely, but we can always use extra hands, if you are able to volunteer. We’re still working on the meals. If you are able to donate anything or know of someone who can, call Rachael or Nancy.

We need to have an education committee meeting soon. We’re looking at setting one on an upcoming Wednesday night at 5;30, before the usual prayer meeting. If you work with the children in any way, we hope you’ll be able to be there. Specific date and time to come soonest.

Finally, thanks so much for all the kind words, calls and cards during my father-in-law’s recent illness and following his death. The support of my church family was a source of strength during this difficult time, and I love you all.

Have a great Memorial Day!
Marti

Donation Site for Reconciler

You can make a donation to Church of the Reconciler online. Support our ministry with a donation.

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who helped, attended and participated in the Banquet tonight. We will "Invest, Influence, Impact" life.

Jeremiah Castille - Featured Speaker at the Banquet of the Wide Open Door

Growing up in a dysfunctional home with abuse, domestic violence and alcoholism, Jeremiah was introduced to God’s love at the age of 13 and began to realize that there were opportunities for a better life. Blessed by God with athletic ability, Jeremiah was led to the University of Alabama and played football under the legendary, Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Coach Bryant instilled discipline and leadership into Jeremiah’s life and he was taught that with a positive attitude, strong work ethics and integrity, he could do great things. In Jeremiah’s senior year he was selected the M.V.P. in Coach Bryant’s last Liberty Bowl game. For six years, Jeremiah played professional football with Tampa Bay and Denver. As a member of the Denver Broncos, he played in Super Bowl XXII between the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.

Throughout his professional career, Jeremiah knew that he had a call from God to mentor, coach and minister to young people. It was clear to him that he was being called to return from the roots of which he came, the inner city. He was called to reach out to inner city youth and to bring them hope and faith for the future.

Banquet Invitation

You are invited to join Church of the Reconciler in this year’s celebration, hosted by Vestavia Hills UMC. The annual banquet allows you to participate in opening the door to provide hope for the growing population of homeless and less fortunate people in the greater Birmingham area.

It is truly in the faces of our brothers and sisters in need that we see the image of Christ. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…..” Matthew 25:35

Church of the Reconciler provides a church home for all of God’s children, ministering to the needs of food, clothing and medical support for the homeless community. 1500 meals are served each week at the Church of the Reconciler.

Saturday April 25, 2009
Vestavia Hills UMC

Doors Open 5:30 PM for Silent Auction
Banquet at 6:30 PM

Banquet of the Wide Open Door - 4/25/09

Church of the Reconciler presents
Banquet of the Wide Open Door
With Guest Speaker
Jeremiah Castille

Saturday April 25, 2009
Vestavia Hills UMC

Doors Open 5:30 PM for Silent Auction
Banquet at 6:30 PM

YOU can join us in Celebration and Support !!

Banquet
Your prayers and participation are needed to help us continue this ministry to the homeless. Tickets for the banquet are $150 per person or $1,200 per table.

Silent Auction
The banquet will also include the fun and excitement of a Silent Auction. Items will include artwork by local artists, restaurant packages, tickets to exciting venues, sports memorabilia and a host of other surprises.

Sponsorships
Your donations are always welcome at the Church of the Reconciler. You can be confident in the knowledge that God’s work is being performed in ministering to the needs of the homeless.

Church of the Reconciler
A multicultural/multiracial United Methodist Church
112 14th Street North Birmingham, Al 35203 205-324-6402

Spring Events @ Reconciler

Upcoming calendar items:
Wednesday, February 25. Ash Wednesday. Our usual Wednesday Prayer Meeting will be an Ash Wednesday service. 6:30.

Thursday, February 26. Alabama Arise Day in Montgomery. A van will be going from Reconciler. If you want to go and/or need more details, call Lawton.

Saturday, April 4. The SCLC will sponsor a march starting downtown and ending with a mass meeting at Church of the Reconciler. These are morning events, and we’ll get back to you on times when we know them. As host of the mass meeting, we want as many members and friends in attendance as possible. Please try to be there.

Sunday, April 5. Palm Sunday. Worship will include our traditional Palm Sunday march.

Friday, April 10. Good Friday Stations of the Cross. Starts at Reconciler at 11:00 am.

Sunday, April 12. Easter.

Saturday is Leadership Development Day

Please remember that this Saturday is our Leadership Development meeting from 9-noon at the church. We will be breaking into ministry groups and planning the church calendar for the next few months, and we need as many people there as possible. We need YOU! Lunch will be provided.

Banquet: Our primary effort right now is ticket sales. Individual tickets are $150, and tables are $1200. If you need tickets to sell and/or ticket sale packets, please contact the church office.

We also need items and services for the silent auction, so keep begging for stuff!

One other item: We need plates. 3-way divided, 11-inch foam plates. If you know of anyone looking to help out, they can donate plates for our meals.

The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert 40th Anniversary - Free Concert for the Homeless

"The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert 40th Anniversary" on Friday, January 30 at 1:00pm.

Event: The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert 40th Anniversary

"Free Concert for the Homeless"

What: Concert

Host: Church of the Reconciler

Start Time: Friday, January 30 at 1:00pm

End Time: Friday, January 30 at 4:00pm

Where: Rooftop of Church of the Reconciler United Methodist Church, downtown Birmingham

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=49598711395

Want to make a donation to help out people this Christmas?

Consider giving a donation to Church of the Reconciler. This page has a link to the Paypal donation for Reconciler.

http://www.churchofthereconciler.org/support.htm

Hello, friends!

I hope everyone had a delightful Thanksgiving weekend and is now looking forward to a blessed Christmas season. It is certainly a busy one.

Sunday Plans
This Sunday, Dec. 7, Christian Walk church will be with us to help shepherd the children. Most of the kids will practice for the pageant, and following the rehearsal, we’ll have a Christmas ornament project for them to do. We’ll take pictures of all the kids for the ornament they will make on the 14th. The ornaments we make on the 7th will be sent to Enon UMC as a way of saying thanks for buying pizza once a month for the kids this year.

Sunday, Dec. 14, Morningstar UMC will be with us as shepherds. They are also bringing stuff for breakfast. (A real one, like pancakes and stuff!) Teachers, please note that some of the youth coming will have spent the night in a lock-in. Most of those will be in the youth room doing a program with Rachael, while the more mature kids and adults will be shepherding with us. We’ll have to manage all the kids in the Sunday school area without the youth room that day. Santa will be coming to the fellowship hall at 12:45. The children will sit with Santa for a free picture, get a gift from a child from Morningstar, and then get on the van to go home. Church families can get a free picture with Santa, but they will have to stay at the church until 12:45. The pictures will be ready on the 21st.

Sunday, Dec. 21. The children will perform their pageant, we’ll be handing out Christmas bags, and Bluff Park UMC will be with us as shepherds.

Sunday, Dec. 28. We will not be picking up any children for Sunday school, as we won’t have shepherds on this day and we are likely to be short teachers as well. We may have a couple of kids who are either dropped off or who come with a parent, so we’ll have a simple project for those kids to work on.

Other Dates to Note:This Wednesday, Dec. 3, we’ll have our regular prayer service.

Wednesday Dec. 10 and 17th are work nights, and we’ll be packing Christmas bags. Come one, come all.

Also on Dec. 17th, our parish nurse, Elaine Marshall, is giving a Christmas party for the homeless women during the day program.

The church will be open on Wednesday, Dec. 24 until noon, then closed on Thursday and Friday the 25th and 26th.The church will open until noon on Dec. 31, then be closed on Jan. 1 and 2.
The church will be open on Monday, Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We’ll have breakfast, and William Boyd will be this year’s speaker.

On Saturday, January 24th, David Korten will be here. He will also preach on Sunday, Jan. 25, and lead an afternoon session. On January 26, we’ll have a morning session at the church to discuss Korten’s presentation, and he will return to meet with us in the afternoon.
Sunday, February 1st will be Stewardship Sunday.

Mark your calendars now for Saturday, February 21, Leadership day. We’ll be asking all members to come to the church for a day-long planning conference that will include break-out sessions for various committees. We need you there.

Thanks to each of you for all you do to make our ministry a reality! Have a great rest of the week.

Marti

Hope from tumult is in another's eyes

Hope from tumult is in another's eyes
Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Rev. Rachel Martin had her eye on commodities last week.
Coffee.
Sugar.
You can't run her business without them. And demand, in the last few weeks, put a dent in supply.

"Do you have any idea how much coffee and sugar it takes if you're trying to feed 300 people?" she asked.

Three hundred people?

That's the number coming regularly for breakfast to the Church of the Reconciler in downtown Birmingham, where Martin serves as associate pastor.

Three hundred hungry people.

Once upon a time that would have been high even at the end of a month, when the money is spent. This month, it was just a start.

It's as if volunteers at the Reconciler, who prepare and serve breakfast each Tuesday through Friday, are sloshing in a leaky lifeboat. They bail as fast as they can, but still the water rushes in.
This perfect storm of hopelessness should serve as warning to us all. The economic meltdown - illustrated nationally with a daily shot of a chagrined stockbroker - has real implications on the alleyways that split off Main Street.

There's the price of gas and tightening credit. Here we have poor mass transit and fear in the banking and health care industries. Carraway hospital is in trouble, along with the county itself. And Alabama Power picks this time to jack up rates.

The victims, sometimes, look just like us.

Last week Martin scrambled to find shelter for a pregnant woman with two young children who lost her job at Waffle House and was evicted from her apartment.

"She was not the type of person we're used to dealing with," Martin said. "DHR would take her children if we didn't get her off the street."

Just one lady. Just one situation. Just one story out of, oh, 300 a day.

And counting.

Through August of this year, the Jefferson County sheriff's department physically evicted 3,023 people - about 378 a month - from their homes or apartments.

That's a brutal event, kicking folks out of their homes and setting their possession on the curb. It is, as sheriff's Lt. Randy Christian says, "the saddest detail we work."

And it happens about 60 times a month more this year than last.

To 60 more families.

Samford University nursing professor Elaine Marshall brings nursing students to Reconciler, among other places, to offer services for the homeless. They check blood pressures, and offer advice. Recently they gave HIV tests.

It is a good service, and a dose of real-life education for students. But talk to Marshall and you find it is something more.

"It keeps me focused on what life is about," she said.

What's that?

"When you look into someone's eyes and develop a trust between you, then you see how precious life is."

It is about people. People helping other people.

Yes, times are hard. But it's not all about Wall Street or your 401(k). When just one human looks into the eyes of another - that's where we will find hope.

John Archibald's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Write him at jarchibald@bhamnews.com.

Update, October 8, 2008

Hello friends!
Here’s a few dates to put on your calendar:
Tonight at 5 pm, Staff/parish relations (personnel) ministry team
Friday, Oct. 10 at noon. Finance ministry team
Monday, Oct. 13, Charge conference at Enon UMC
Wednesday, October 22, Banquet committee meeting, 6:30 pm at Vestavia Hills UMC. We will not have our usual prayer meeting at Reconciler that evening. All friends of Reconciler are encouraged and invited to meet at Vestavia as we make plans for our 2009 banquet. Thanks to Tom Bole of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church for agreeing to be our banquet chair. Tom supported last year’s banquet and silent auction in significant ways, and we’re deeply appreciative of his help.

Other news: Elaine Marshall, a professor at Samford University has agreed to be our parish nurse. We are grateful for her commitment to the health of our community.

The Youth Y in Birmingham will make their facilities available to our children! We plan to schedule a tutoring session or two there and perhaps our recreation time for VBS as well. The gym include a climbing wall and track and other facilities that our children will enjoy.

This Sunday: We expect shepherds for Sunday school from Morningstar UMC. Enon UMC will be bringing lunch. From now on, we will no longer be asking the groups that shepherd to bring lunch for the children. The logistics of doing both are difficult. For now we will feed the children the adult meals. If you know of any groups that may want to bring the children’s lunch on occasional Sundays, please let Rachael know. We can usually purchase pizza or McDonald’s for about $50.

Please remember that the children are singing in worship this Sunday! If you help transport the kids, remind them that it’s a special Sunday to make an effort to attend. They are to wear khaki pants (or jeans) and white shirts. They’ll be singing after the passing of the peace and before the creed, so we’ll need to do our best to get them to church on time and get them breakfast in a timely manner.

And finally, our deepest condolences to Jo Dobbins, who lost her husband Ellis this week. The funeral was this morning. I know we’ll keep Jo in our thoughts and prayers.

Peace,Marti

Supplies you can donate to help our ministry!

Thank you so very much for your concern and support for our ministry to the poor and homeless in downtown Birmingham, AL. Church of the Reconciler is very much an embodiment of the Connectional Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Through your prayerful gifts and
support, we are in ministry, offering the The Bread of Life to the hungry, both physically and
spiritually.

Here is what we regularly need during the course of each week at the church:

Garbage Bags: 39 gallon or greater
Coffee
Sugar
Creamer
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Large Deep Steam Table Pans
Toilet Paper
Sanitary Gloves
Foam Cups: 8 oz.
Foam Plates: 11 inch
Napkins
Spoons/Forks

Thanks so much for your generosity in our ministry with the poor.

God Bless Us All,
Kevin Higgs
Pastor
Church of the Reconciler
205-324-6402

Children's Tutoring Program

"Count Your Many Blessings, see what God has done!" can be the theme song for the children's tutoring program at Church of the Reconciler UMC.

We averaged about 22 children each session (Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.) Students from Samford University came and worked with the children one on one each time. We have six computers set up with learning games for different grade levels. We had two students who knew all about computers to work with them and set up the programs for them on their level.

Refreshments were served each time thanks to Oak Mountain Mission. Many of our children do not get to have an evening meal because of

1. no electricity in their homes,
2. no money to buy food,
3. no car to get to the grocery store.

The children would store away extra food to take home to eat that night. We want to thank everyone who supports Church of the Reconciler in it ministry to the homeless and poor.

"When you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me" said Jesus. May you experience Jesus Christ anew this Advent and Christmas season when you look into the eyes of those who are poor.

Nancy Higgs, Church of the Reconciler UMC

Children Painting a Mural

Today, March 6, 2007, at 3:45 inner city children from around Birmingham, AL will have an opportunity to paint at mural at Church of the Reconciler United Methodist Church.

It is an interesting story on how this came about.

Jebb Brown (mother Leslie Brown from Trinity UMC in Homewood had a birthday recently. He had been with his mother and father down to Church of the Reconciler to serve a common meal on Sunday and his little heart was touched at the number of people who did not have enough to eat. He sent out invitations to his birthday party (a big deal for an 8 year old) and asked rather than bring him a present, to bring some money for Church of the Reconciler.

His mother has a friend, Janet Holloway, who paints murals and Janet, Jebb, and his mother will be at the church to help the children of Church of the Reconciler paint a mural on the wall in the children's section. They will paint Noah's Ark, showing God's great diversity of creation.

Just as in the Bible where a little child had a lunch and that lunch was turned into enough for all, God has used Jebb Brown at an early age of 8 years to bring together black and white children from Birmingham, Alabama to celebrate the diversity and goodness of God.


Please come and see for yourself ( and bring your camera) and write up this story for all to know.

We hear so much bad news; I hope this piece of Good News will get your attention.

Date: today, Tuesday, March 6
Time: 3:45 till 5:00
Place: Church of the Reconciler UMC at 112 North 14th Street
(across from old Sears property)
Contact Person: Rev. Kevin Higgs, Church pastor
Rev. Lawton Higgs, Sr. Pastor Emeritus
Nancy D. Higgs, Children's Ministry Representative

In Awe of the Christ Child

Scripture: John 1:1-14
“The Light has come into the darkness; and the darkness cannot put it out.”

We are once again, looking down, in awe at someone else’s baby. What do we see when we gaze at this child? To some, Jesus is about the past: A great historical figure whose life revolutionized religion, art, government, and social life… even commerce. For some he was an advocate of a humanistic philosophy, for others, an apocalyptic prophet, or a healer of body, mind, and spirit.

He and his legacy have been surrounded by harsh old saints, pious peasants, religious academics, zealous monks, in ascetic caves and in magnificent cathedrals. To some, Jesus is about the future: He is the Prince of Peace, that will come between Arabs & Israelis, Serbs and Croats, the privileged and the outcast. He is a changer of political systems and the bringer of a just economic world. To some, Jesus is nostalgia: recollections of a childhood Christmas, or belonging to the world of grandparents and great-grandparents. To many of his own time, both Jews and Gentiles – and to many today – Jesus was just another baby, nothing special at all, a poor child, born to a poor family, in a poor, occupied nation under the heel of a brutal dictatorship.

Those who lingered at the manger in Bethlehem saw something very different. In the mystery of the Incarnation, they saw hope and possibility, promise and fulfillment, light in the midst of the shadow of oppression, a light in the midst of what was, showing what can be. Come to the manger today. Hold the baby in heart and mind. Realize the light of God is with us, and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:
O God, who makes us glad at the yearly festival of the birth of Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence hold strong the faith that God is with us, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Rev. Kevin Higgs

Silent Night Holy Night

Silent Night Holy Night

The soft gentle words of Silent Night, Holy Night were written by Joseph Mohr in 1818. He wrote the words to this famous Christmas poem and had a close friend, Franz Gruber, set them to music. It has often been called the most popular Christmas carol ever written and has been translated into hundreds of languages to be sung around the world. It was first sung and played to the guitar accompaniment.

“Silent Night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright,
“Round young virgin, mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.”

As you listen to those words written in the 1800’s let us remember the Christmas story. Luke 2 in the Bible will give all the details of the story, from start to finish. Read the story with imagination, going with Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem. Be with Mary as she gives birth to Jesus. Be with the shepherds and wise men as they travel to honor the new born king. In your imagination, let the Christmas story become a new story for you this Advent.

Prayer: Loving God, God of the whole world, help us to seek heavenly peace this Advent and pursue it the entire year so that your kingdom my come on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer Focus: Everyone who is seeking peace in their lives.

Joy to the World

Joy to the World

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King,
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove,
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders, and wonders of his love.”

Joy to the world! This beautiful Christmas song written by Isaac Watts in the 1800’s, rings out with happiness and excitement! Instead of being a slow carol, this song is written to be song with true joy at our Savior Jesus Christ’s birth.

Do you know the tune? Why don’t you sing it with me right now!

Wow! That was fun! Did you sing it from your very being? What a good thing it is to sing God’s praises!

Prayer: Loving God, Creator of the universe and creator of Jesus Christ our Savior, we worship you and pray for your truth and grace for all. Help us to sing, all of heaven and earth to sing your praises.

Though for the Day: Help the nations to prove the glories of your righteousness.

God Calls to each of Us

Read Luke 3:1-6
“The word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;”
-Luke 3:2a-3 (KJV)

I can imagine John with his wilderness clothes and hair walking up and down both sides of the Jordan River calling everyone to repentance. It reminds me of the strange men I used to see standing on street corners, holding signs that said “REPENT”. I would avoid them. That word “repent” made me feel guilty, sinful, and condemned.

I began to read, study, and meditate on The Word of God. Through The Word God calls us to Himself. I wanted to come to Him but I was not clean enough, holy enough. Sick of sin, guilt, trying and failing to be good, I called out to God to “Show me how to come to you through Jesus. I don’t know how.” I didn’t know I was “repenting” (turning towards God and away from sin).
Jesus came to me. He had been waiting for me. He welcomed me with open arms, full of grace and love. I touched His wounds and knew He had died even for me. I asked Him to forgive me. My tears and sobbing would not stop, but holy tears are a balm from God that heals, cleanses, and changes.

Sharon Parsons

PRAYER: O God, help us find a way out of the wilderness by turning to You and following Jesus. Thank You for never giving up on us. Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When we turn to God, He will not leave us as we were. But we will never want to be the same again.

PRAYER FOCUS: Each of my brothers and sisters at Reconciler

Rejoice

Philippians 4: 4-7

Philippians 4: 4 “Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!”(The Living Bible)

A smile is contagious! Try it and you will see for yourself. Walk down a street or through a mall and smile at others and you will usually receive a smile in return. Smile at a child, and the child will return that smile.

When I was teaching school, the students would ask me why I was always smiling. My reply to them was simple. 1. It takes less muscles and effort to smile than to frown, and 2. People like to be smiled at! They don’t like to be around people who are frowning and seem unhappy!

As a Christian, we have a lot to smile about, a lot to rejoice about. Think of what all God has done for you! John 3:16 says it this way, “For God loved the world so much that he sent his only son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Living Bible) God raised Jesus from the grave for us to have eternal life. God cares!

Rejoice this day in all that you can do for others. Smile; share the good news of Jesus with your neighbors and friends! Rejoice and be happy! Be full of joy in the Lord.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for giving me joy that I can rejoice and praise your name.

Thought for the Day: Rejoice and be glad in all that you do.

Singing God’s Wonders

Isaiah 12: 2-6

Isaiah 5: “Sing to the Lord for he has done wonderful things…” (The Living Bible)

Have you ever been to an “all day singing?” When Lawton and I and the children were living in North Georgia when Lawton was attending seminary at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, we had the privilege of being the pastor and family of a small mill village town called Shannon. There was a Burlington Mill factory there and everyone in the town worked at the mill. At 12:00 noon each day the whistle would blow, and everyone in the town would walk home to eat lunch, and then walk back to the mill for the afternoon shift.

Life was simple in this small town and one of the great joys of the people was singing the old gospel songs. On Sunday nights and on Wednesday nights we would call out the numbers we wanted to sing and Paula would play the piano and her dad, Ken, would lead the singing.

We would have all day singings at the church where different quartets would come and sing for the church and the community. Everyone would come to the church and enjoy the foot stomping, hand clapping music of these quartets.

The Shannon United Methodist Church had two quartets in it. One was called the Adorations and the other was called The Lamplighters Quartet. They made records and tapes (This was before CDs.) We still have some of those old 78 records and tapes of their songs.

As our scripture in Isaiah says, “Sing to the Lord for he has done wonderful things.” The fun we had at all day singings, the joy of listening to the music and being part of a community of believers was an exciting time. It is fun to sing of the wondrous things that God has done.

Prayer: God of wonder, God of might, let us rejoice in the wonderful things you have done for us. Show us how to love each other in the way you loved the whole world by sending your son to be our Savior. Amen

Thought for the Day: Help us to sing the wondrous songs of your love daily!

Fear, Guilt, and Healing

Read Zeph. 3:14-20
Verse 17 b: “He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love…”

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I immediately wondered if the cause of the cancer was something I had done. Did I neglect my health? Did I abuse my body? Was it caused by some stress that I lived under? Was I being punished for some sin I had committed?

Treatment was radiation, chemotherapy, surgery and prayer. Friends and relatives submitted my name to prayer groups. I was amazed to receive cards and letters from various prayer groups around the country in the mail with signatures of people I had never known and people I would not know. These people requested of God that I be healed.

Amazingly, surgery determined that the tumor had totally disappeared. Had it been shrunk to nothingness by radiation or totally dissolved by chemotherapy? Had it disappeared through the miracle of prayer? I do not know. Perhaps all of these are the avenues through which God heals us. The surgeon did say to me that it is a rare phenomena for the tumor to disappear before surgery. Isn’t that what a miracle is: phenomena?

Prayer: Lord, Quiet our minds when we are fearful. Forgive our sins when we are guilty and hear our words of rejoicing and gratitude when we are healed. Amen

Thought for the Day: The Lord your God will…delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Everything will be OK.

Prayer Focus: Encouragement to those who are fearful, who are guilty and who need to be healed.

Kay Phillips

Away in a Manger

“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus, lay down his sweet head,
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes,
The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes,
I love the Lord Jesus look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is neigh.

Be near me Lord Jesus I ask thee to stay
Close by me for ever and love me I pray
Bless all all the dear children in they tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with you there.”

The song Away in a Manger, written anonymously in the 1800, is a song that brings back sweet memories of being in Sunday School and church as a child. This was a favorite song for children to be taught and to sing in the “White Christmas Pageant “ the Sunday night before Christmas at the Church. All the children were given a coin holder and asked to fill it up with dimes for the Methodist Children’s Home in Selma, Alabama. This was the home for children who were orphaned or who did not have a relative to take care of them. It was always an exciting time to get to bring your offering card full of dimes down to the front of the church.

Today, we often take up an offering for the Children’s Home, but more than likely the money is just sent in as a contribution from the Church. There are new ways of doing things, but sometimes the old ways are still good too!

At Advent time this year, let us remember the children that Jesus has in his care, the children of the whole world! Let us remember to share our dimes and dollars to help the poor.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep us in your tender care. Keep us close to you this Advent season.

Thought for the Day: Bless the poor children of this world and the poor children right in our own congregation.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

“Come, thou long expected Jesus, Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins 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.”

“Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us forever, Now thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit, Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to thy glorious throne.”

This Advent hymn was written by Charles Wesley, brother of the founder of the United Methodist tradition of the Christian faith, in the 1760’s. Charles wrote hundreds of hymns for our church. Many are song in our church services each Sunday.

As we think about the words of this hymn, let us think with Charles Wesley about the expectation of the Christ Child. Waiting with great urgency, the people of Israel wanted a king to set them free. They had no idea that it would be a different kind of king. They wanted a military ruler, for that is all they had known, but God had another idea. God had the idea of a king that would bring peace and love to the earth.

As we prepare for the coming of Christmas, let us find hope that God would rule in our hearts alone and that no other voices would keep us from loving each other and living in peace. Truly raise us to the glorious throne of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Thank you God, You are the joy of our longing heart! Be with us as we prepare for your coming into our lives this Advent.

Thought for the Day: Pray for those looking for rest in Jesus.

The Rock of My Salvation

Luke 3: 1-6

John is preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin. He is telling us to make a straight path for the Lord, for all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

After reading Luke, I remember going through some bad times. Sometime I would wonder why I’m going through all these ups and downs. At that time I really didn’t understand why and I didn’t know what to do. But one day I had a Dr.’s appointment and received some bad news. That day I cried because I still couldn’t understand why I was going through this. I honestly felt that my life was not worth any thing. I had no one to talk to or ask for advice. I felt lost, really lost.

Then I remembered something that has kept me going all these years. That was JESUS! I remembered praying Psalm 121. I remembered verses 5-8 and once again I started to cry, not because I was hurting, but because I was happy! I was happy knowing that I did have someone to talk to; someone who knew what I was going through. All I had to do was give it to him and let him take over. At that time, I saw the salvation of God. Like Luke said, “All flesh will see God’s salvation.” Every day I thank Jesus, thanking him for being the rock of my salvation.

Prayer: Lord God, you are so wonderful! You come when we need you the most. You show us love and understand our trouble. God, I just want to say thank you, thank you for being my rock and my guide. Amen.

Thought for the day: Jesus is our rock and our salvation. Thanks be to God.

Leewood Morgan

Love & Faith in Jesus Christ

Read Philemon 1: 3-11

"As you share your faith with others, I pray that they may come to know all the blessings of Jesus Christ has given to us."

Sitting in a jail cell in August 2004 because of drug and alcohol addictions, I called on God for help. I cried out to God in despair and told him this is not the way I want to live my life and that I was doing things I really did not want to be doing. I had a year of clean time and threw it all away to get high again and to go to jail again. This binge lasted six months until this arrest stopped me. I sat in jail many days and my hope began to sparkle as I began to read a Bible sent into the jail by a stranger. I simply believed God's word and believed deliverance from drugs and alcohol is God's will for me. I repented for all my sins and God changed me. I told God I would take Bible's back into jails upon my release. I simply believed God would make a way, and He has provided hundreds of Bibles to inmates. I am now a stranger who takes Bibles into jails.

How Great is Our God!

Prayer: My heart's desire and prayer to God for all is that they will be saved!

Thought for the Day: Once like Onesumes , I was useless as a servant, but now I rejoice in being a servant of Our Great God!

Jill Varney

Prayer Focus: Salvation For All

God Has Raised Up a Mighty Savior for Us

God is able to transform and recreate our boring, broken and hopeless lives. This is not speculation, but the stuff of history.

Zachariah would not believe that God could work in his and Elizabeth’s lives to give birth to a son that would be a great prophet to prepare the way for the Messiah. He was left speechless. How strange this is for a priest, a religious professional in the Hebrew community. Surely Zach had taught and preached how Abraham and Sarah had given birth in their old age to Isaac. And how Elkanah and Hannah had given birth to Samuel by the operation of God in their lives. Zach’s hopeless response to Gabriel, “Do you expect me to believe this?” did not stop God, it just stopped Zach’s joy and his talk.Now Gabriel’s message had unfolded in Zach’s and Elizabeth’s lives. They had joined the unfolding experience of God in human life. John was born! Zach could speak and rejoice again. Please hear this radical message spoken by Zach with his restored joyful voice. Trust it unconditionally. This message will transform and recreate our life this Advent. It is not speculation, it is the stuff of history renewed. It is God’s unfolding story in our very human lives.

God “set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, …So we can worship God without a care in the world, …The offer of salvation to God’s people, the forgiveness of sins,Through the heartfelt mercies of our God. …Showing us the way, one step at a time, down the path of peace.

Luke 1: 68-79 (The Message)

R. Lawton Higgs, Sr.

Preparing the Way

Read Malachi 3: 1-4
"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. --Malachi 3:1 (NIV)

Recently, my family and I moved into our first home. Not long after, a friend and coworker visited from Ohio and, of course, wanted to see our new place. I was very excited, but I got a bit obsessive about the house being perfect when she showed. I cleaned for days. I repaired imperfections in the paint; I scrubbed and swept and mopped and washed the windows.

When my friend arrived, she “oohed and ahhed” over the house and settled in for a visit. I looked up, and just over her head hung a long cobweb! How could I have missed it! All my preparations, and all I could see was the imperfection of my home I should have been so proud of. I let my obsession over things that don’t really matter mar what should have been a joyful time with my friend.

Old Testament scripture tells of messengers sent to prepare the way of the Lord. Malachi speaks of someone who will come as a “refiner,” making us pure and clean. The focus is on preparing the people; there is no mention of preparing our homes or our clothes or any of the things we so often place as important.

God does not care if we have fine possessions. So how to we prepare the way for Christ to become a bigger part our lives? We must concentrate on the things Christ says are important: a clean heart, a kind spirit, a sense of righteousness and justice.


Prayer: O God, help us prepare the way for Christ to be effective in our lives. Amen

Thought for the Day
How can I prepare myself to become a better person?

Karla Higgs

Sermon: December 10, 2006

Luke 3:1-16
I. JOHN:
John is the most unlikely Christmas character of all. We travel thirty years ahead, into the future of this story, to hear John’s message. And we find him out in the wilderness. Just look at him standing there with his messed up hair; a scraggly beard; dressed in his camel's hair coat. Mind you he’s not wearing Eddie Bauer or Tommy Hilfiger camel's hair. It's more like home made “whatever he could find” camel’s hair.

And look at his diet. It's not something you'd get at the local McDonald's. Locusts and wild honey? What kind of a McNugget meal would that make?

John just doesn't seem to fit into the general mold of Christmas, yet every year he shows up.
John the Baptist shows up to remind us that even though God speaks to us in the silence; sometimes God speaks to us in the thunder. Through John the Baptist, God uses thunder to get our attention.

John stands at the outskirts of Christmas, in the wilderness of our faith and thunders out his message of repentance to remind us of the true purpose and nature of Christmas.

II. HIS MESSAGE:
A. John intrudes to remind us that Christmas has little to do with all the materialism and commercialism that has taken it over.

B. John the Baptist Challenges us: All that we think religion is about is turned upside down.

C. Christmas Challenges us. That challenge is to totally shake up our world view. Most everything the world defines as important is pushed aside by this homeless, helpless child in a manger. Emmanuel, come to bring us closer to God, and in being close to God in Jesus Christ, to find new life and salvation.

John reminds us that there can be no salvation without judgment; There can be no salvation without judgment. Judgment is being honest before God.

It is very important that we are honest about what is wrong in our life. We must be honest in every area of our life: The personal, in our family, in our social relationships, on the street, in business, in government… in all parts of life… we must be honest about what is going wrong.
Because if we are not honest about it, we will never change. If we are not honest with God, we will never prepare ourselves to receive the wisdom and truth of God.

The ministry of John the Baptist was the task of getting people honest with themselves, and honest before God. John the Baptist ferociously attacked the religious leaders of his day. He called them self-righteous and foolish. He laughed and made fun of them because they were so cut off from the reality of their own arrogance.

“You think because you are the Children of Abraham that you are saved? God could make these stones children of Abraham!” These leaders pretended to be better than the Gentiles, better than the Samaritans, better than the so-called “sinners.” John laughed at them. John knew that Everyone: no matter who, no matter what, stands before God.

None of us can measure up. All of us must humble ourselves in honest reflection of the truth of who we are: sinners in need of redemption. There can be no salvation without judgment.
If you want to get closer to God, you need to get honest.

But, Thanks be to God that judgment is not the last word. John the Baptist was not just about judgment. John the Baptist was also about repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
With repentance comes forgiveness. With repentance and forgiveness comes New Life, reconciliation, and hope. When we get honest before God, we build a highway, made straight by the Spirit, for God to come into our life in a new way.

Are you preparing yourself for the coming of the Lord into your life?

Just as John the Baptist prepared the people for the Messiah with his DEMAND to get honest; the Holy Spirit is pulling at you, urging you to prepare yourself for the coming of Christ into your life. Get honest; get forgiveness; get new life in Jesus Christ.

What does John’s message of honesty and judgment mean for us today?
Our Government needs to hear the judgment, confess, and get honest before God about what’s really going on in Iraq. Corporate Empire. The immoral, unlawful war that has led to the deaths of a hundred thousand people. If we get honest, and change, then there will be new life and reconciliation.

Our State needs to hear the judgment, confess, and get honest before God about the tax system in Alabama: The most regressive tax system in America. Our City needs to hear the judgment, confess, and get honest before God about chronic homelessness in Birmingham. We need a Living wage; affordable housing; effective transportation.

--But it’s not just about that: We’ve got to deal with our own, personal issues as well.
We’ve got to get honest before God about our addictions: Crack Cocaine, Alcohol, Methamphetamines, whatever it may be…

The judgment is that these things will destroy us. The hope is that if you get honest before God, you can find redemption and salvation.

Prepare yourself for what God can do in your life. Prepare yourself. Open the door. Christ will come into your life, just as Jesus came to Mary, born in Bethlehem. Get Honest; Get forgiveness; Prepare the way IN YOUR LIFE for the coming of Christ, Emmanuel.

Kevin Higgs

Lo, How a Rose E‘er Blooming

I love winter. The air is cold and refreshing-not heavy and hot.

The landscape is stark and simple. I love to look out the frosty window and see the contrast of the dark, wet bark of the naked trees against the cold, blue sky. I also enjoy the rare discovery of a camellia bloom next to frosty leaves. This bloom is a small sign of hope of the spring to come. Winter is a time for nature to regenerate and rest. Not everyone shares my enjoyment of the season. Actually, many people laugh when I say that winter is my favorite time of the year. They say that winter is dark and can be gloomy. The days are short and the nights are cold and long. For many people, winter can be a depressing time when we feel cold and alone in the harshness of the world.

Advent is a time of reflection and waiting. It is the winter of the church year. We are waiting for and pondering the meaning of the birth of the Messiah. One of the hymns that we sing during Advent highlights this reflective mood-“Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming.” The words to this song were written in the 15th century in Germany. It has been sung for centuries in a hushed tone-whispering a message of hope from a dark and cold winter.

“Lo how a rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as those of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night!.”

Prayer: O Lord, Thank you for the stark beauty of winter and for the flower that blooms in the frost. Help us to find the beauty of Christmas in the harshness of winter and our lives.

Thought for the Day: “This flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere. True man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us, and lightens every load.”

Beth Ann Higgs

Luke 21:25-36

"The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will. Don't spend time worrying about your life. Instead, be prepared for the final day."(Selected verses from Luke 21:25-36)
In the midst of joyful preparation for celebrating our Savior's birth, we have these cautious words from St. Luke. The passage is talking about the end times when we should prepare for Jesus' final coming. Varied interpretations and much speculation about these times can confuse us, so let's focus on the present and what we can learn about Jesus' first coming! We should not spend time worrying about earthly things but center our thoughts on how to appreciate and accept this beautiful gift and then to live our lives in gratitude.

The message for us in the Advent season is one of watchful waiting. How long the Jews awaited a Savior! What joy that now we know Him! History and our lives are not meaningless. The Christian concept is that Jesus Christ is, and eternally will be, Lord of all. As the magi watched the heavens and the shepherds heard the angels sing, let us watch and prepare to seek the Child and live in the shadow of eternity which begins when this amazing Son of God is born in our hearts.

Prayer: Precious Lord, as we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, help us to use this time of waiting to more fully appreciate the gift of Jesus and to live our everyday lives in the light of eternity. Amen.

Thought for the day: Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

Margaret Sherrill

Authentic Hopefulness

1 Thess. 3: 9-13

Authentic hopefulness is important to being fully alive. Authentic hopefulness is rooted deeply in the waters of the Great Underground River that no one can dam up and no man can stop. It flows through all that is and includes our lives. There are times when glimpsing authentic faith, hope and love in others is renewing to our own. In The Message, a paraphrase of the above scripture by Eugene L. Peterson, Paul says to fellow followers of the Way in Thessalonica, Knowing that your faith is alive keeps us alive. Paul was in the middle of trouble and hard times when he wrote this.

Individually, all of us experience trouble and hard times. Collectively as humans in the cosmic drama of our evolvement, we also experience trouble and hard times. There are times when our individual trouble and hard times are a result of our immature attitudes and/or actions or inactions. But trouble and hard times do not necessarily mean we are always the direct cause of our distress. We have to honestly assess this. Trouble and hard times may also be a threshold for growth and development, both individually and collectively. During any time of difficulty and distress, authentic hopefulness helps us to survive and to keep us genuinely alive.

The Winter Solstice is a specific time as well as a metaphorical time when hopefulness is essential to keeping us alive when in the midst ofseemingly unrelenting hardship and darkness beyond our control. During December we will experience the Winter Solstice, a cosmic event beyond our control. Our part is how we respond to what we cannot control. Our response effects whether we emerge with hopefulness or depression and despair. We always have influence even when we do not have control. There is challenge for me here and I often need renewal of authentic hopefulness.

There is a song "I Am the Solstice" which says things I tend to forget. The following are portions of that song.

"I watch with loving eyes, it is my season. I release all fear and nourish the Truth. I bring peace and the stillness which comes from deep within. I bring rest and the gentle white snow that heals. I am forgiveness and through me you will forgive the past. Believe in me, the peace you seek is here...Come dance in the light of your spirit Be grateful that you and I are one. Accept yourself in Love and Truth with Me. We'll transform all things. In our embrace comes spring, new birth and life again."

It is my conclusion that much of the trouble and hard times we experience have to do with our individual and collective immaturity and that we are in a time of unfolding need for collective change, change which may be difficult for us individually and collectively but finally easier thanthe way of our current paradigm (model of how to live).

Teilhard de Chardin, the outstanding French 20th century scientist, priest and mystic came to believe through his studies, prayers and meditations that the cosmos in which we live has a repetitive pattern of expanding diversity, consolidating synthesis, a build up of pressure and then a leap across a frontier in which something new, good and exciting emerges which was always present but unimaginable until it visibly emerged. And he concluded that up till now the creative energy of the universe (The Cosmic Christ) has brought this about without human involvement (we were not present when much of this was happening). But now, as the youngest member of the cosmic family, we humans must dare to learn how to cooperate with the Divine intention in order for the process to continue forward. A part of this means we must authentically learn to cooperate with, value, and trust one another and all other aspects of the cosmic family. This is our metaphorical Winter Solstice and we are in it now.

To me authentic faith has always been about authentic hopefulness in the face of both the individual and the collective challenges we face. May we embrace the Winter Solstice individually, collectively, and metaphorically in ways that are supportive of the emergence of the good that as yet we do not see or imagine but is poised to emerge, that we may be alive.
Prayer: May the Spirit of Christ so fill us with authentic hope that new hope may be born in this century through us as it was born 2000 years ago through our elder brother, Jesus of Nazareth. AMEN

Thought for Today: There are new attitudes, understandings and actions that can nurture authentic hopefulness for me and for those I live among. I will look for them.

Glenn Hand-Truitt

What is your Motto?

Jeremiah 33: 14-16
n that day the people of Judah and Jerusalem shall live in safety and their motto will be, “The Lord is our righteousness!” (The Living Bible)

What is your Motto ?

The Lord is our Righteousness will be the motto of the people of Judah and Jerusalem in the days of the Lord’s coming. That is a good motto to have! It means being right with the Lord, doing the things that are pleasing to God.

What might that be? You could start by loving your neighbor! You could treat others as you would like to be treated! You could become a servant to your fellow (man or woman) rather than trying to one-up them in every situation! Your priority in life would be to follow Jesus and do as he would have you to do. It would be to work for peace in your life and peace in the world!

In our commercial life of the 21st century we hear a lot of mottos tossed around. Coke is the “real thing.” “Things go better with Coke.” Every business has a motto that is catchy and one that hopefully you will remember Sometimes there is even a song that goes along with the words to refresh your memory.

In this Advent season we are praying for a renewal of our lives as we remember Jesus’ birth. What kind of motto will you remember during this holy time. One that I would recommend is, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It has been around a long time, but it is still relevant today. Sometimes we forget that the whole season of Advent and Christmas centers around one little baby, born to a poor, homeless couple who is the Savior of the world.

So, this Advent, let “Jesus is the reason for the season “ be your motto!

Prayer: Loving God, open up our minds to the motto of “Jesus is the reason for the season “ this year during Advent. Help us to live our motto in all that we say and do. Amen

Thought for the Day: Let our motto be “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

Nancy DeVore Higgs

Advent, a Time of Hope

Psalm 25: 1-7 I offer you my heart, Lord God, and I trust you. Don’t make me ashamed or let enemies defeat me. Don’t disappoint any of your worshipers, but disappoint all deceitful liars. Show me your paths and teach me to follow; guide me by your truth and instruct me. You keep me safe, and I always trust you. Please, Lord, remember, you have always been patient and kind. Forget each wrong I did when I was young. Show how truly kind you are and remember me.

It is easy to open one’s heart to God when times are good. It is not hard to trust in God when all is well. But unfortunately, we all face difficult times. And whether our difficulties involve the enemy of addiction, a difficult neighbor or coworker, or a warring nation, it seems to be human nature to pray to God, as David did, that our enemies not defeat us.

What are we asking when we ask that our enemies not defeat us? What was David asking? The simplest answer is that, of course, we hope our enemies will fail and be defeated themselves. But perhaps David was asking instead for strength to prevail against his enemies, whatever may happen to them. Addiction can never truly be defeated, but many have, with God’s help, prevailed against it. Difficulties with neighbors or coworkers can be resolved. And even the longest war eventually ends, although it can be impossible to say who is the winner after years of death and destruction.

And once we have prevailed, our hearts are open. We trust in the goodness of God. But during the journey, how many of us can truly say we struggle through without doubt? When it seems that no one is on our side, when circumstances are at their most difficult, that is when it is most important to have hope, to trust in God that we will prevail. To believe that God will see us through.

When we have hope, we will not be disappointed. When we believe, we will see God’s paths and be guided by truth.

As we enter the season of Advent, it is appropriate to remember that it is the season of hope. Hope in a little child. Hope that a new life, which humbly begins in manger, will change the world.

Open your heart. Trust in God. Hang on to hope. Hope in recovery. Hope in others. Hope in peace.

Thought for the Day: What is your hope for your life in the coming year?

Prayer Focus: Those who feel they are alone and without hope.

Marti Slay