Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

When I was in my 30’s, my friend and I golfed in a league with older women (probably our age now). We often delighted in their conversations, which mostly centered around the issues of aging (probably what we do now) which at that time we did not fully comprehend. One of the conversations focused on how many of them woke up around 3 am every morning and how they could not go back to sleep. One even commented “that’s when I get my best worrying in”. We all joined in chuckling with her answer. Now… I ask how many of you wake up around three in the morning and often wonder why? Sometimes there are obvious reasons, but at times it just happens.

Many call 3 a.m. the bewitching hour where the air feels heavier, the worries are deeper and the world is very still. Folklore always suggested it was a time when evil happens, but as Christians it holds a less sinister, more hopeful meaning. It reminds us that God is present, His presence is unchanging and His power is undefeated.

While I don’t necessarily enjoy waking up at that hour, I think it may be a purposeful “God prod”. When I am slow to return to sleep, anxious thoughts might crowd my mind, but maybe God is trying to gain my undivided attention where I can focus totally on His grace and mercy without the distractions of daily life. He may want to tell me something in the way only He can at this quiet time. I think the most obvious answer for me is this God prod is Him showing me this is not an hour to fear, but a time to pray.

Throughout the Bible we read about Jesus’ light. In John 12:46, “Jesus said, I have come into the world to be its light. So no one who believes in me will stay in the darkness”. God often speaks to us in the stillness-through a whisper, a prompting or a comforting peace. What folklore labeled as “the bewitching hour” can become an hour of discovery for Christians. When the 3 a.m. darkness surrounds us, His light breaks through the darkness. Peace comes to us through God who loves us unconditionally. Remember the next time you are awake at 3 a.m., you are not alone. God is there holding you in His hands. Thanks be to God!

Patty

I bet if you asked around, people would tell you that November was their least favorite month. It’s gray and gloomy, cold and either wet or snowy. In New England, it was often all of those characteristics-maybe even on the same day. 

I, however, always loved November. I enjoyed the weather. And, when you did have a nice mild, sunny day, it was glorious. The trees, majestic in their nakedness; the sky so very blue and the sun a wonderful reminder that hope springs eternally. 

Then, of course, there is Thanksgiving in November. When I was a child, it meant time off from school and a great feast at my grandmother Gouvin’s house. Memere was a great cook. I am not sure where or how she learned to cook, but she cooked professionally for a family in one of the big houses in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  

Anyway, that is to say that the meal was an event, and I always looked forward to it. There were never any questions about where Thanksgiving was. It was at Memere’s. All her children and grandchildren were in attendance. The kids sat at the kitchen table, grown-ups in the dining room. I still remember the time that I was first allowed to sit at the big table. It was not a chore to attend this dinner, it was a joy, even doing the dishes. 

My grandmother used her skill as a cook to demonstrate her love for her family. She and Pepere were immigrants from Quebec, Canada. Neither spoke English when they came to America. All her life, she said her prayers in French. 

And pray she did. She prayed for all of us every day. She attended church every Sunday and holy day without fail. I became her driver when I got my driver’s license at 16. She would let me use her car to drive to “away” football games. She had faith that I would bring her car back in one piece.  

I see that I have gotten off the topic, sorry. Florida definitely does not have a New England November. But we do have Thanksgiving and following in my grandmother’s tradition, it will be around a table laden with delicious food, lots of love and a great big heap of gratitude to God, who loves us unconditionally and has poured unearned blessings and grace on us. 

May the blessings of our loving God be with you this Thanksgiving Day and every day. 

Terri 

I confess that what I remember about Thanksgiving as a child was going to Grandma Szlavik’s home for a huge Thanksgiving dinner. There was always a turkey–a rare treat in those days. 

Did we go to Thanksgiving services at church? I’m not sure. I only have memory of going to the service when I joined the Carol Choir when I was around eleven. I still remember what we sang for Thanksgiving, Healey Willan’s anthem “Sing to the Lord of Harvest.” I was delighted that this appeared in our hymnal as #694.

This hymn is a happy merging of a poem by an Anglican Priest, John Monsel, to a tune by German lawyer and composer, Johann Steuerlein, which he wrote for a song about how nice it is in May when everything turns green.

This is part of the last verse in which the theme shifts from the Lord of harvest to the Savior who laid his life down for us.

Your hearts lay down before Him
when at His feet you fall,
and with your lives adore Him
who gave His life for all.

An odd theme for Thanksgiving? No, it is the primary theme of Christianity. Christ came for our sake, gave his life for our sake, rose from the dead for our sake. What do we offer in return? Not a token of the harvest as in the old days, nor an hour on Sunday, nor a few words of prayer on Thanksgiving, but our entire lives.

May we always be thankful people.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

My daughter is a kindergarten teacher. The children love to create with their play-dough. Wondering just what they’ve made, you often ask “What’s that?” You’ll get various replies, perhaps a fire truck, dog, cat, doll, mommy and daddy, or my house. The point is, they are making the play-dough into what they want or need it to be.

As a Christian adult this reminds me of a hymn we sing at services called, “Change My Heart O God.” The hymn quotes scripture where it says, “You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, this is what I pray …”

When we first surrender to the will of God and ask Him to come into our lives, we don’t demand that we pick and choose His will for us. Rather we accept His forgiveness for our shortcomings and ask Him to use us for His purpose. We pray that His Holy Spirit will guide us into those areas that He has chosen, that He will utilize any talents He has blessed us with to accomplish His purpose. We ask to share the Good News of His Love and forgiveness to all who do not yet believe. That’s Gods Unconditional Love, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us and by rising from the dead conquered sin and death once and for all.

As Christians, in Him we live and breathe and are!  Maranatha!

Remember God loves you unconditionally!

Posted by our dear friend Joey

“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
“So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” Jeremiah 18:3-4

Some of you dear blog readers know at least a bit of my back story. I felt a desire to be a pastor as a youngster. Music got a hold of me and, long story short, I deferred that desire for a later date. God had a perfect sense of timing to match my delay. When I “grew up” and retired life as a Navy trombonist, I (He) knew it was time to lay that life to rest. I had just enough spiritual gifts to make my long-awaited second career a blessing; not work at all.

In Holy Baptism, we embark on a Christian vocation. I may be called by the Church into an ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament, but many of you are every bit as fervent in your faith as me. H. George Anderson was presiding Bishop of the ELCA from 1995-2001. Both stressful and satisfying to be the spiritual leader of 5.2 million Lutherans, he had the humility to say, “he who seeks this job deserves this job”. He was lifted up because of the Holy Spirit’s influence. As a disciple of the living Lord, he followed in faith and trust that he would be well-equipped by Him.

In the work force of life, any and every vocation can see your greatest passion, gifts, and skills meet the world’s greatest needs. It is then that your job, whether it’s paid or volunteer, brings the greatest JOY! It never feels like work when you are serving the Most High. Unconditional love is what we receive as payment. The “employee” benefits are out of this world.

Pastor Art

At first glance that statement looks redundant.  But, maybe not.  Am I just saying thank you, or truly giving thanks?  

Perhaps you, like me, had a mother who continually repeated “Say thank you.”  Hopefully you were not as reluctant as I was to do that.  Thank you for passing the spinach, thank you for giving me pillow cases for my birthday.  All kinds of times to say “thank you” even though I had no sense of gratitude.  I guess I was an ungrateful kid, but my comprehension of thank you was just a required part of good manners, and one to which I was not naturally inclined.

Then I was introduced to the verse, “Give thanks with a grateful heart.”  Mmmh, this added a complication to my understanding of “say thank you.”  Hopefully I’ve grown up a bit since those days, but I still need to be reminded of the “grateful heart” bit. 

To me, “saying thank you” can be a bit like “saying” the Lord’s Prayer or “reciting” the Creed.  All can be meaningless when we’re just repeating well-worn words.  For me these words need to come from a heart of gratitude.  They flow humbly when we’re conscious that the gift is ever so much greater than what we deserve.   Then we can give thanks with a grateful heart.

Judy

The Message version of the Bible states in James 4: ”So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time.” Sometimes in our faith journey, we lose sight of just how busy the “evil power” on Earth has been. Satan is having a “hay day” bothering our thoughts and disturbing life all around us. We get so caught up in our woes and trials, at times losing the comfort and wisdom of our Lord. It seems to drift from our mind and heart. This is the situation I found myself going through recently. A multitude of concerns and worries were mounting and filling my mind. My sleep was being adversely compromised. Walking the floor in the middle of the night became the norm for several days. Yes, I did some praying, but also wasted a lot of time going over and over the dilemmas on my mind. I definitely was not releasing them. An epiphany smacked me…I actually stopped walking through my living room and said aloud, “Satan, NO! I block you from me and my thoughts. Get lost!” God’s Holy Word tells me, whatever I block on earth is blocked in heaven! Matthew 16:19 “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever doors you lock on earth shall be locked in heaven; and whatever doors you open on earth shall be open in heaven!” (The Living Bible)

Do you want to know what happened?  Well, I went back to sleep.  I slept soundly until morning. My mind was no longer playing the repeated tape of my recent worries and concerns. I felt an enormous weight lifted from my mind. Isn’t our God a Mighty God? All powerful.  All knowing. He is our source of peace, love, strength, comfort. We all fall short.  We all falter.  We all sin.  The good news: God loves us unconditionally and never leaves us. Through all the ups and downs of life, we are His. Amen

Jill

 For the last few years, I have seen the axiom “Have an Attitude of Gratitude” pop up in many places…advertisements, cards, posters and signs.  This adage is more than a cheerful phrase but is a powerful way of living for every believer. When we have an attitude of gratitude we are choosing to see life through the lens of God’s faithfulness.

In a world where we rush through one worry to the next, the Lord wants us to pause and notice the goodness He has provided for us each day. When we have gratitude, it shifts our focus from what we think we lack, to what we have been given. This reminds us that every blessing, big or small, comes from our Heavenly Father’s loving hands.

The Bible tells us in 1Thessaloians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. This verse encourages thankfulness regardless of one’s circumstances. A grateful heart brings peace, strengthens our faith, and opens our eyes to God’s daily mercies.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving next week, let’s have an “Attitude of Gratitude”. In fact, let’s have a grateful heart every day of the year, not just Thanksgiving. Today, take a moment to thank God, out loud, in prayer, or in our hearts. Choose gratitude and let it shape your day, your week, your month, your year, YOUR LIFE with joy and grace! Thanks be to God!!

Patty

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about praying while driving on SR 200 in Florida. Since that time, I have been informed that this road is one of the most dangerous in the state of Florida. So, I guess that it is not a bad idea to pray to the Lord while traversing this road. Agree? 

Well, after I wrote that blog, I began to think about all the other places that I pray.  

*The shower: nice warm water flowing over my body brings me to think how grateful I am to be able to take a shower when I wish. Not having to fight with elements that make the water hazardous to use. 

*While brushing my teeth: again, my gratitude to the Lord jumps to mind. I have teeth in great shape and can eat with ease. I have much to thank God for after all these years of living. 

*Sweeping the floor: I have a floor to sweep! That also brings to mind the sturdy house and car that I am blessed to use. I can take this time to talk to God about problems, issues or requests.  

*In bed in the morning before I rise or at night before I fall asleep. I can review the day and plan for the future asking for Jesus’ guidance with decisions and actions. Then ask for God’s blessing for loved ones and people in need of God’s love. 

I think that you get the point. I want to stay in constant contact with God. That contact is a lifeline during times of trouble and times of glee. I want to let God take a share of any burdens and talking with God allows me to give up control of these burdens and humbly request assistance. And, you know what? I get the help I need either in the form of a thought that sends me in a different direction or a comment by another person that leads me to peace. These are not coincidences. This is constant contact with God who loves me and you-unconditionally. 

Here is a little prayer written by St. Catherine of Sienna a long time ago which assures me that God is near all the time. 

The Sanctuary 
It could be said that God’s foot is so vast that this earth is  
but a field on God’s toe, 
And all the forests in this world came from the same root 
Of just a single hair of God’s 
What then is not sanctuary? 
Where can I not kneel and pray at a shrine made
 holy by God’s presence? 

Terri 

I wrote about ministers last week. and I’m continuing now. 

One of the hardest things a minister faces is expectations. Members of churches often have expectations of their ministers that are sometimes at odds with those of the minister. That’s inevitable. 

What do we at Joy expect? We put it this way in our Constitution: “Every minister of Word and Sacrament shall: preach the Word, administer the sacraments, conduct public worship; provide pastoral care, seek out and encourage qualified persons to prepare for the ministry of the Gospel, impart knowledge of this church and its wider ministry through available channels of effective communication, witness to the Kingdom of God in the community, in the nation, and abroad, speak publicly to the world in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, advocating dignity, justice, and equity for all people, working for peace and reconciliation among the nations, caring for the marginalized, and embracing and welcoming racially and ethnically diverse populations.”

This isn’t multiple choice. Pastors are supposed to do all of this. Some are better at one ministry than another, but I tell you from personal experience you make a go of it as best as you can.

What should a pastor expect from a congregation? Their prayers, their encouragement, and above all a commitment to live out the Christian life to the best of their understanding and ability. No Christian has ever managed to do this perfectly, but we have to give it our best effort.

May God bless all of us as we carry out our calling together.

Read 1 Peter 4:10-11 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne