Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

My dear friend! Janice and I met in high school and shared a knack for drama. While she loved and went on to major in English, I loved Biology and specialized in the field of science. She was from a family of two and her brother was quite a bit older than her. I am the oldest of nine with the youngest 17 years my junior. She lived in a quiet apartment with her mother, and I lived in a noisy house with both parents. She lived in the city and I lived in the country. Our diversity of backgrounds was a kind of cement for our friendship. 

She introduced me to Trinity College, and we took her to Vermont for our first college visit. In the middle of January – to Vermont! It was the first trip that I had ever taken with my parents at the age of 17. Janice was one of my bridesmaids over 50 years ago. We both graduated from Trinity College in Burlington Vermont. I stayed in Vermont; she returned to Connecticut to teach. 

As often happens, our contact time decreased. However, we remained in touch with one another over the mail ways and sporadic summer meetings. She loved to hear the news of my large diverse family and learn of their activities. I made sure that she received the family newsletters which we were publishing on a frequent basis before Facebook. 

 
She met and married a fine man and adopted two sons whom she loved without limit. She lived in a beautiful house in Connecticut for many years. She was a revered English teacher in a local school. 

Once we were both in Florida, we managed to visit and renewed the warm friendship we had once shared, although again on a long-distance basis. When efforts to arrange a get together last year fell through with little explanation and her birthday card was returned this year as undeliverable, I knew that there was some dire reason. 

 
I found out about her death in a Facebook post from her son’s mother-in-law in which she had tagged Jan’s name. My sorrow at learning of this loss for all who knew Jan and in such an impersonal way is not able to be expressed in words. My guilt at not making more of an effort to contact her still haunts me. 

She was a kind, funny, smart, sharp, witty, silly, lovely, challenging (too many more adjectives) person! She was Winnie the Pooh! She cared; she was brave; she was honest and true. She was a loving mother and devoted wife. She is our loss. There will always be a gap that I cannot fill now that she is in heaven and not on earth. 

I will again have to practice acceptance about not knowing about her illness, about reading of her death on Facebook. I remind myself that this is not about me. It is about the loss of a dear friend, an important person in my life. God has His reasons for why certain events impact our lives. I don’t know that answer today, but some day… 

Go with God, Jan. All the answers will now be revealed. As Rich would say, “Save me a seat.” Love you always, just as God loves you always and unconditionally. 

Terri 

Someone asked if I found the holidays depressing. No, not at all. What I found discouraging was the end of the holidays. On December 26 the stores are tearing out all the Christmas decorations. On January 2 people are back to work and soon after the kids are back to school. On January 6 even us liturgical church calendar types have to admit Christmas is over. By the 8th everything is pretty much back to normal.

What’s worse, I think, is than nothing much has changed. Advent season had been a time of expectation and hope. The Savior was coming. Christmas celebrated his birth and then . . . well, it’s as if nothing had happened. What ever peace and good will fades away as folks get back top arguing about parking spaces and fussing at people they don’t like and generally complaining and griping.

We can’t fix the world, but we can do something. I believe we start with ourselves. Each day we should remind ourself that the Savior came into the world for my sake. How can we do that? We could pray, read scripture, meditate (turn an idea over in our minds), write in a journal. The second thing is to remember that the Savior came for everyone. We can’t touch everyone’s lives, but we can touch some. What if we set out each day to do something that makes one other person’s life better?  Could I show kindness by listening to someone, help someone with a chore, encourage someone.

Christmas comes to an end, but not the significance of it.

Read Philippians 4:5 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

That’s right. Here in the Sunshine State there is a Peace River. As a youngster, our family camped and canoed. The second-most beautiful river in FL is the Peace, in my opinion. First is the Juniper, which flows from the springs of the same name in the nearby Ocala National Forest. Quiet, serene, navigable twists and turns with the occasional rapids. No speedboats. 

This week in the church year we move from the Magi at Jesus’ cradle to the River Jordan, where our Lord and countless others received the baptism of repentance (not that Jesus needed it). Our spirits are filled with The Spirit when we come to the waters of the river. One of my favorite anthems our choir at Joy does was just sung a couple of Sundays ago. It is an old spiritual, “Come To the Water”. The dynamics – soft, medium loud, medium soft, big and full – make it so moving for the soul. The poetic words of Scripture, notably in the Psalms, sing of the justice that flows like streams (last Sunday’s Psalmody).

We can trust in the river of life. When we obsess and over-focus, we are not gently paddling down the Peace. We’re immersed in worldly concerns, divisiveness, and cumber. Camping and canoeing were escapism; no doubt about that. But we need to get away, to come to the waters. The river, the water of God’s unconditional love, we are fully aware. Fear is released with each stroke. Whether you canoe, kayak, enjoy the glass-bottom boat ride at Silver Springs, or drift in an inner tube, I encourage you to experience the peace and serenity of knowing Creator God’s power and unfathomable richness, as well as Abba Father’s ensuring grace.

Pastor Art

Tomorrow is January 6^th, Epiphany.  On this date we officially mark the visit of the Magi or Wise Men to the child Jesus.  Most of our nativity sets have probably had them visiting for a few weeks now.  And, if you’ve been to a children’s Christmas pageant, I’m sure you’ve seen those three kings marching in.

Today I’d like to think about the gifts they brought:  gold, frankincense and myrrh.    Strange things to bring to a little child.   It is sometimes said in jest, that if it had been three wise women, the gifts would have been diapers, blankets and little pj’s.  

A look at the familiar carol, We Three Kings, gives us a better idea.  I quote a few stanzas here to refresh our memories.

“Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign.”

Yes, that little babe in the stable and that little tot running around his parents’ little house – he was born a King.  How wise it was that these visitors knew this and came with a perfect gift of adoration.

“Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising,
Worship Him, God most high.”

The use of incense in religious rituals dates back thousands of years, as a symbol of sanctification and the rising of the prayers of the faithful to heaven.  With their incense, the wise men offered devout prayers and praise to the child who was God most High.

“Myrrh is mine,
Its bitter perfume breathes
A life of gathering gloom.
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.”

In their wisdom, the Magi knew what was foretold for this child.  In the most somber of moments, they offer myrrh for the sorrow and death which would come, “sealed in the stone-cold tomb.”  We’d rather not think about Good Friday while we celebrate the joy of Christmas, but this gift represents the truth to come.

And what shall we bring as our gift to the Child?  Not gold, not frankincense, not myrrh, but the gift of our heart to the one who loves us more than we can ever know.

Judy

*We Three Kings,”  Words and Music by John Henry Hopkins, 1857.

History was a little vague, but I think a blind English pastor, William Walford, in the 1800’s, had someone transcribe his poem of the words to Sweet Hour of Prayer (it later was put in music form).

On my morning walks, I have ear buds on and am listening to music, all different genres but mostly old hymns and sometimes current praise music (they usually accelerate my steps). On the last stretch toward home, I started to go through my prayer list for others.  When I finished those thoughts and prayers, the next hymn in my ears was SWEET HOUR of PRAYER. I laughed out loud. My cool morning walk, with birds tweeting and silly squirrels scampering all along my pathway, music playing through my ear buds, prayers being offered for those I love and BINGO, God, who loves me unconditionally, blessed me to hear this wonderful oldie! If I wouldn’t have been passing other walkers, I would have burst into singing along. LOL It was indeed, a sweet hour of prayer/walking. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”  Philippians 4: 6 “In everything by prayer and supplication… let your requests be made known to God.”

Sipping your morning coffee, out for a brisk walk, driving to work, walking the aisles of the grocery store, stretching yourself to full wakefulness, the time and place does not matter.  Create your own Sweet Hour of Prayer. He is listening!

Jill

As the calendar turns and a new year begins, many of us feel a renewed sense of hope and possibility. New Year’s resolutions often focus on health, finances and personal goals which are all good places to start, but how often do we achieve them?

 I recently read an article about making New Year’s resolutions. Of course, the article mentioned how much easier it is to “make” those resolutions, than to “keep” them. In fact, 90 percent of Americans will make resolutions, but only 20 percent will keep them. That is rather depressing when you think about it. We enter a new year with goals and hope for something better but very few of us will achieve them.

Perhaps a more meaningful resolution is to grow closer to God. When we place Him at the center of our plans, everything else seems to fall into proper perspective. This resolution starts with a true desire to seek Him daily, even in small ways. If we set aside a time for prayer and Bible reading each day and make it a routine, we can open our hearts to His guidance. Even a few minutes in the morning or before bed can transform how we face each day. Beginning each day with the reminder God loves us unconditionally, our hearts are renewed and our purpose is clear.

This New Year, instead of completely focusing on how to change ourselves, let our focus be on drawing nearer to God. When we seek Him first, our lives are positively transformed.   A year centered on God is a resolution that can bring lasting joy and eternal impact. Thanks be to God and Happy New Year!

Patty

Or is it? We do not know how long the wait will be until the Son returns to earth for the Final Judgement. We have waited through Advent, and the Christ Child has been born. Soon, he will receive a visit from the three Wise Men with special gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  

The Bible doesn’t give us much guidance on when the visitors actually appeared in Bethlehem. However, we do get a taste of the trials to come for the newborn child. His life will be dogged by controversy and finally death all for us.  

At this stage of His life, Joseph and Mary will take the baby and their meager belongings and flee to Egypt to escape the cruel killing of innocent children by Herod, who thought that he could change destiny. He could not.  

Just like the crucifixion could not be avoided. These events were necessary to fulfill the prophecies found in the Old Testament and to bring about our redemption.  

However, we are back to waiting for another reason: the second coming of Christ. The early church persisted in thinking that the second coming was imminent, and they spent their time preparing for that visitation.  

Who knows when that time will be? Only the One who will come at the appointed time. We are still expected to spend our time preparing for this reappearance of the Lord. Who knows what “imminent” means in God Time?  

We prepare by following the instructions which Christ gave us when He walked the earth. Love God above everything else; and love your neighbor as yourself. He loves us unconditionally, no matter what we have done or failed to do.  

This command makes quite a New Year’s Resolution. Are you up for it? Who knows, your wait may be over, and Christ may come in this new year. Happy 2026! 

Terri 

It occasionally bugs people that the Lutheran Church observes January 1 as the Festival of the Name of Jesus rather than New Years Day. It’s the way this kind of thing works. The church largely ignores the civil calendar and follows its own calendar.

I suspect the church decided to have a festival on January 1 to make sure people were in church and not out celebrating at a wild party. What January 1 was in the Christian calendar varies, Sometime it was the octave (eighth day) of Christmas. Sometimes the solemnity of Mary. Sometimes the circumcision of Jesus. Lutherans tended to follow medieval practice and call January the Circumcision and the Name of Jesus. Today it is just the Name of Jesus.

There are several texts that explain the angelic origins of the name Jesus. The angel Gabriel says to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31).

Iesus, as it appears in Greek, is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua which we usually express in English as Joshua. It’s a common name meaning savior. 

You might want to take some time today between the parades and football games to reflect on Caroline Noel’s hymn:

At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess him king of glory now.
It is God’s good pleasure we should call him Lord.
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.

Read Philipians 2:9-11 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

I think I was in the 4 year old class at Sunday School when we had to memorize the Lord’s Prayer.

Most folks say it every Sunday so it is familiar and albeit comforting and comfortable for us.

In confirmand class, I learned more details about the well-learned prayer taught to us by our Lord.

Hopefully, we learn and grow with age and purportedly that is what I’ve done. What an eye opener when I realized the impact of “Thy will be done.” But, but, but…..

I make plans and then ask God to agree to them. That’s funny, now that I think back on those times of trying to “convince” God of the merits of my plans. Haha!

There was such a huge release of stress when I relinquished the necessity to orchestrate the outcome and was able, with love, to say, “God, may Your will be done and whatever You choose, it will be the best plan for me, thank You.” Immediately there is a sense of relief. If God loves us unconditionally and wants only the BEST for us, then His plan will be AWESOME!

Since I turned in my reign of “in charge,” I’ve been so pleased with how well God can handle things. Thy will be done. Crazy, huh?

Be sure you add that to your daily prayers “Thy will be done.” You will thank Him for so perfectly loving you and caring for you.

Jill

The daily drowning of ourselves reminds us of the new life that comes through the waters of Holy Baptism. We get to be partakers in the sacred mystery that is dying, being buried, then resurrected. Sent forth to be servants in humble gratitude, equals in the mission of God. The Roman rite is okay for us non-Catholics to use, because we are ecumenically a catholic (universal) church, a communion of saints. It goes like this:

          The God of power and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed us from sin and brought us to new life through water and the Holy Spirit. He now anoints us with the chrism of salvation so that, united with his people, we may remain forever members of Christ, our Priest, Prophet and King.

Paul tells us in I Corinthians that we who are ungodly sinners are justified and made something through baptism into the community of Christ. With a new year upon us, new life can come through resolutions, especially if you actually keep them. New life comes in our prophetic hopes and dreams for our congregations. New life comes most of all by dunking, going underwater, immersing ourselves in the old Adam or Eve, then emerging washed and made new. Our feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness are overcome by the steadfast, unconditional love God the Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. I can’t wait for 2026 to be an epiphany of gifts to be shared!

Pastor Art