Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

“Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.”

It’s hard to imagine the conditions of Martin Rinkart’s (1586-1649) life when he wrote this great hymn. He was a Lutheran pastor at Eilenburg, Saxony, during the time of the Thirty Years War. The town suffered from plague and famine during the war, with Rinkart at one point conducting funerals for 40-50 people a day, including his own wife. I have trouble seeing how anyone could be thankful to God in the midst of such horror, but Rinkart managed it.

Paul instructs the Colossians, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Keep giving thanks to God in everything. But what if you don’t feel thankful. Isn’t it hypocritical to give thanks when you don’t feel it? Hypocrisy has nothing to do with feelings. To be hypocritical is to advocate one thing, but do another. What’s being encouraged here is to be thankful despite feelings. In fact, it might be good to pray, “God I thank you for all that you have given to me even though I don’t feel all that thankful right now.” It’s an honest expression of feeling that still gives thanks.

What wondrous things God has done! It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Read Psalm 100 (and if you have a Bible with the Apocrypha read Sirach 50:22-24) and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Originally posted by Wayne in November 2018

What a wonderful world this is! We live in interesting times. Technology, and communication are laden with mind-boggling advancement. 

Think for a moment about shopping. Easy to do right now; “’tis the season…”  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday – they all conspire to separate us from our money. The gifts can now come straight to our door, having been ordered and purchased in our jammies from our beds. The box with the blue “swoosh” on it, courtesy of that consumer behemoth known as Amazon. Door cams nudge us to hasten out there so no one snatches that precious parcel. I admit that I am truly amazed by the whole thing. Especially that in most cases it’s next-day delivery.

In modern times, we hear about “thinking outside the box”. Don’t get stuck in the rut of narrow-mindedness, they say. Be creative, bold, and innovative, we are told. For me, it evokes the question, “what am I protecting in this box?” In the case of the Amazon box on my doorstep, it’s the presumably precious treasure for someone on the Christmas list. If it were scooped up by a “porch pirate” (because we don’t have a door cam), would our life be over? Of course not. I might kick or throw something in frustrated anger, but “the sun will come up tomorrow.”

What am I, what are we, protecting in the boxes of our preconceived notions? Contemplate this, and you will come to know that our story, our notion, is part and “parcel” (heh, heh) of a bigger story or box. Our tradition grounds us but doesn’t tie us up in twine or shipping tape. We ARE free to think outside the box because our security lies in God and not always having to be right or have the “right” theology. We can withstand correction, threats, even persecution because Christ declares it blessing and reckons it as righteousness for His name’s sake.

God is always bigger than the boxes we build for Him, even when we think they are necessary for US to protect. Unconditional love is just that because it is not reciprocal or transactional. The gift of Christ does not come in a box.

Pastor Art

Such choices we have!  Will it be the apple pie or the pumpkin this year?  Will it be the mashed potatoes or the sweet potato casserole (or perhaps both)?   Will we invite someone to dinner or are we already part of a family gathering?   For others it will painfully be, how can I face this holiday in the midst of my grief?  It’s hard to think of Thanksgiving as just another ordinary Thursday. 

The holiday comes marked on our calendars.   We’ve observed it since we were children.   So, what to do now?  No matter what choices we make, it will be different from celebrations in years past.  I won’t be at Grandma’s table feasting on her spaetzle with gravy.  I won’t be roasting that turkey for my mom and dad to enjoy along with three young grandchildren.  I am not baking nine pies to take to my in-laws, so that everyone will have a piece of their favorite.  All good memories.

This year there will be four of us quietly enjoying a simple meal.  But my gratitude is no less.  God has kept me all these years; he has provided for me in sickness and in health; he will be with me and my family all the days of our lives.  For that I give God the glory.  God is good!  His unconditional love is beyond my comprehension.   Thanks be to God!

Judy

Henry Alford, (from England) in 1844 wrote the hymn, Come Ye Thankful People, Come.

Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come;
Raise the song of harvest home!

Our harvests tend nowadays to be gathered from local grocery stores or even delivered to our front doors.  Let your feast of Thanksgiving, not just your family’s favorite dishes of food, but your feast of GIVING THANKS for God loving you unconditionally, begin anew each day.  Your very breath, your heart beats, your eye blinks, and so much more you have to be thankful God provides.  Feast on all your blessings from our dear Lord.  Anticipate His return and gratefully receive His provisions.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jill

Sometimes life can really through a curve ball. As old as I am, with as many of life’s experiences as I have had, I know my family and friends have had curve balls thrown at them also. Not sure that I have ever met anyone whose life is unscathed from ups and downs, trauma, illness, death of loved ones, woes or any myriad of bumps or treacherous valleys.

If life has slammed you on occasion, have you ever pondered the thought that Jesus could not really understand what is happening to you? We know from the Bible, Jesus suffered. He cried tears of blood. He isolated himself in the desert for forty days. He was betrayed by a close friend. He was beaten, flogged, crucified, and died a horrific long drawn out death.

Now, back to you: Maybe you are in daily pain, living with it day in and day out; do you think God does not understand your agony? Are your finances so shaky that you wonder how you will continue living comfortably? Could our Lord possibly understand these crises? The answer is YES. Not only does He know of your circumstances, He feels them and if you allow Him, He will comfort you, guide you, pouring a healing balm of peace over you. He gave His life for you. Dying for you. He is ALL for you. At communion, you take His body, drink His blood. Total understanding and care envelope you through this sacrament.

“What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and cares He bears.” Oh yes, give Him every care, worry and trust. He does understand and will walk with you through the valley. That’s unconditional love and we are so blessed to know Him.

Jill (chosen from November 2018)

 Have you ever felt that just saying “Thank you” was not enough to express how grateful you felt about something?  I describe that feeling as being overwhelmed with gratitude.  I feel that way quite often. 

It makes me want to compose just the right note expressing the deep level of appreciation that I have for someone or something or some event.  Thanksgiving Day brings that attitude into focus in our household.  Clearly, we all realize that gratitude should not be left for expression once a year. 

An “attitude of gratitude” as a daily practice, makes the world a better place, even in the face of adversity and sorrow.  It helps to make my life a better life, even in the face of adversity and sorrow.  It doesn’t make the issues go away, it assists to make them manageable. 

I can be overwhelmed with gratitude at just about any occurrence.  Some of the obvious ones, you won’t have any trouble guessing, are sunsets, babies and children, family, friends, good music, and good food.  

However, I can also feel that swelling of gratitude while watching people going about their shopping at the grocery store, delivering the newspaper or driving down a busy road.  Yes, even SR 200!  

I am so very grateful to our loving Creator for all the gifts in my life.  For everything that I can do and, frankly, for some things that I don’t have to do, like walking miles for water or food.  Not to give thanks for what I have and for the environment that surrounds me, would be a rebuff to God.    

I don’t pretend to understand why some have so much more than others do.  I can only continue to play my role in this life and acknowledge my gratitude at every opportunity, not just on Thanksgiving Day.  I know that God loves you, me and all his creations unconditionally, for which I am very grateful. 

Terri 

I found this in Wikipedia about November 21: “164 BCE – Judas Maccabeus . . . rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar).” For those of you who keep careful check on holidays, this statement seems a little odd because Hanukkah this year takes place from December 25 to January 2, thus coinciding with Christmas. So why does the Wikipedia article mention November 21? Because in 164 BCE (Hebrew year 3597) the date of 25 Kislev was November 21. Confused?

The problem is that the Hebrew calendar has months based on cycles of the moon with the result that the Hebrew year turns out to be only 354 days long. Every two or three years it adds an extra month to bring it closer to the solar year of 365¼ days–more or less. That makes the dates for Hanukkah move all over the place from November to January. A similar problem of moon cycles is what causes Easter to move around every year.

Telling time from celestial phenomenon is a common Biblical topic. “You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting” (Psalm 104:19. Think about the meaning of that verse where cultures surrounding Israel thought of the sun and moon as deities. Hah! Says the Psalmist. Those aren’t gods. They’re only lights the real God made for telling time. God invented time. Who would imagine that calendars reveal the glory of God? What time is it? God’s time.

Read Genesis 1:14-19 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

We always see pictures depicting Jesus as a shepherd and verses to coincide about “feeding the flock,” “the shepherd leaving the flock to search for the lost one.”   He himself is given the title of “the Lamb of God.”  Why not a goat?  Curiously, a study of these two cuties that always show up in petting zoos might help us understand why God’s Word gives us so many references to sheep and Our Shepherd.

Once in a Bible study, I wrote down one of the phrases the leader used: sheep follow and goats butt. Hmm, that creates a real clear picture for me. Definitely, I would like to be a follower of Christ and not “butt” my way through life. Another difference between sheep and goats are their tails. Sheep tails are most often hanging down and goats’ tails are upright. Visually, I can see the tail difference as feeling humble before God and not arrogant or standing up to Him. Isn’t it wonderful that God loves us so unconditionally that He even guided the writers of His word to use powerful pictures for us to understand clearly what He wants of us? He wants to shepherd us and encourage us to follow Him. He does not want even one of us to butt our way into the life He created for us. He does not want arrogance and defiance to define us, but rather a humble, thankful approach to Him.

Bleeting or baaaa-ing. Fluffy or short-haired. Wooly or multi-colored.  The images of sheep and goats are often misidentified one for one another, differences hard to distinguish. Please Lord, allow my humbleness to show and guide my steps as I choose to follow you, my Shepherd.

Originally posted by Jill on November 4, 2018

(notes from Eugene H. Peterson’s book, “Working the Angles”)

Our mostly silent, sometimes spoken out loud communication with God is what we call prayer. Thankfully, there is no end to the possibilities, methods, and even time we give to this practice. Being a pastor, I hope I never consider it, or any aspect of what I do, as a job. Work? Yes. The worship word “liturgy” (liturgia) means “work”. This morning, I confess, I stunk at it. I was not in the right head space. Thinking myself a failure, I moped myself into starting the day. I also have the “JOY!ous burden” of being expected to do “performative prayer” – throughout worship, at every meeting and event. Add to that pre-op, hospice, etc.

The word of God comes first. Everything else, even at the start of everything, is our response. The teaching and training in holy communication (prayer) is the ongoing, continuous activity of faith. Like feelings, there is no right or wrong; prayer just is. It is impossible in God’s eyes for a humble, reverent heart to fail at prayer. Whether we do it “by the book”, off the top of our head, sighing, or weeping, we are seeking the presence of the living God. Be gentle to yourselves, dear readers. It is when you don’t think you have the time, the ability, the right head space, that our precious Lord covets our thoughts and words the most. “The Spirit intercedes for us…”

…with unconditional love.

Pastor Art

I am wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, cousin, friend, confidant, neighbor and acquaintance.  I have been daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and niece. I was student, teacher, subordinate, supervisor, winner, loser.  I was someone’s pride and joy, and someone’s challenge. I was playmate, teammate and first date.  I look back on my 80 plus years as a series of snapshots, each frame showing me in relationship with someone.

You too are and have been many things to many people. You have given and taken, won and lost, comforted and been comforted, loved and been loved.  Life is filled with relationships: some bring us joy, some are a challenge. Life is complicated!

But how about our relationship with our Almighty Heavenly Father?  He is a Father, full of love, forgiveness, patience, compassion and understanding – more completely and perfectly than any earthly father could possibly match, no matter how devoted.  He is always ready to wrap His loving arms around us.

Yet He keeps it so simple for us.  He calls us “My child.”  How awesome is that, the Almighty God wants us to be His child!  He asks us to look up to Him, to cling to Him, to trust Him. In a lifetime of changes, when friends and family come and go, there is one constant:  Who am I? I am a child of God.

You too are a precious child of God.  Remember He loves YOU unconditionally.

Judy posted November 2017

And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18