This time of year we get so caught up in the secular presentations of Christmas with Frosty and Santa and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, we often even in our songs forget the true focus of Christmas.
In searching the internet I found a wonderful re-write of Santa Clause is coming to town. I sang it for my children during the children's sermon this past Sunday. I hope you enjoy it.
Wipe away your tears, get rid of your fears;
Here's the best news you've heard in years!
Jesus Christ is coming to town.
He's making a list in the Book of Life,
That'll be the end of your trouble and strife!
Jesus Christ is coming to town.
He loves you when you're sleeping,
He loves you when you're awake;
He loves you if you've been bad or good,
But be good for Jesus' sake!
Now put on a smile, get rid of that frown,
Spread the "Good News" all around;
Jesus Christ is coming to town!
I love best of all my children realizing that Jesus loves them if they've been bad or good!
Blessed Third week of Advent. Katie
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Children's Sermon giving them each a large Jesus stocking to hang
The Empty Stocking is from the movie "The Bishop's Wife" which is an old black and white classic movie. Within the movie is a sermon written by the Angel Dudley for the Bishop to preach on Christmas Eve. It is one of my favorite movies and sermons.
Tonight I want to tell you the story of the empty stocking.
Once upon a time on a midnight clear there was a Child's cry,
a blazing star hung over a stable and
wise men came with birthday gifts.
We haven't forgotten that night down through the centuries,
We celebrate it with stars hung on the Christmas tree
and the cry of bells and with gifts.
Especially with gifts.
We buy them and wrap them and put them under the tree.
You give me a tie; I give you a book,
Cousin Mary always wanted an orange squeezer
and Uncle Harry could use a new pipe.
Oh we forget no one, adult or child.
All the stockings are full - all this is, but one.
We have even forgotten to hang it up.
A stocking for the Christ child born in the manger.
It's his birthday we are celebrating - let's not forget that,
Let us ask ourselves what He would with for most,
then let each of us put in our share:
Loving kindness, Warm hearts, a Forgiving Spirit,
a Generous Life - all the shining gifts which make up
God's Peace on Earth.
Then I ask the children to take their Jesus stocking home and hang it with the other.
I ask them to put something in it to represent their gift this year to Jesus. Maybe a heart
or a picture of themselves. Something they want to give baby Jesus.
The Empty Stocking is from the movie "The Bishop's Wife" which is an old black and white classic movie. Within the movie is a sermon written by the Angel Dudley for the Bishop to preach on Christmas Eve. It is one of my favorite movies and sermons.
Tonight I want to tell you the story of the empty stocking.
Once upon a time on a midnight clear there was a Child's cry,
a blazing star hung over a stable and
wise men came with birthday gifts.
We haven't forgotten that night down through the centuries,
We celebrate it with stars hung on the Christmas tree
and the cry of bells and with gifts.
Especially with gifts.
We buy them and wrap them and put them under the tree.
You give me a tie; I give you a book,
Cousin Mary always wanted an orange squeezer
and Uncle Harry could use a new pipe.
Oh we forget no one, adult or child.
All the stockings are full - all this is, but one.
We have even forgotten to hang it up.
A stocking for the Christ child born in the manger.
It's his birthday we are celebrating - let's not forget that,
Let us ask ourselves what He would with for most,
then let each of us put in our share:
Loving kindness, Warm hearts, a Forgiving Spirit,
a Generous Life - all the shining gifts which make up
God's Peace on Earth.
Then I ask the children to take their Jesus stocking home and hang it with the other.
I ask them to put something in it to represent their gift this year to Jesus. Maybe a heart
or a picture of themselves. Something they want to give baby Jesus.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
My Christmas Room for children's sermon
Last week as I was listening to the classic Christmas station I came across an old song that was perfect for my children's sermon. Jimmy Dean sang "My Christmas Room" long ago, and I think it captures in a way even children can understand what the Advent season's work is all about. Here are the words:
If I owned a great big house, I'd have a Christmas room.
When things about me all went wrong, I'd find Christmas still in bloom.
There would be a great big tree with evergreen perfume,
Its branches bright with memories safe inside my Christmas room.
In summertime when tempers flare, when peace seems a never thing,
I'd slip inside and I'd abide where herald angels sing.
But since I have no great big house when Christmas goes away,
Then make my heart a Christmas heart that carols every day,
And let it be my Christmas where good will toward all shall stay.
Are our heart being prepared to be Christmas hearts?
If I owned a great big house, I'd have a Christmas room.
When things about me all went wrong, I'd find Christmas still in bloom.
There would be a great big tree with evergreen perfume,
Its branches bright with memories safe inside my Christmas room.
In summertime when tempers flare, when peace seems a never thing,
I'd slip inside and I'd abide where herald angels sing.
But since I have no great big house when Christmas goes away,
Then make my heart a Christmas heart that carols every day,
And let it be my Christmas where good will toward all shall stay.
Are our heart being prepared to be Christmas hearts?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Worship in Spirit and in Truth
Our daughter came home last weekend, and as we saw her at the mall, just to see her face, just to look upon her, gave us such great joy. It reminded me that when we worship God, when we as Psalm 100 says enter his courts with praise, he feels great joy. We make him happy just by showing up. God inhabits the praises of God's people.
I preached about this this past Sunday as I wondered how we can get so excited about football games and jump up and down and scream and shout and be filled with passion for a team and sit so gloomily in worship, barely engaged with God, barely paying attention to God's magnificent presence.
I remembered that Isaiah in the temple was not the only one at worship that day, yet he was the only one who saw angels flying to and fro, heard the angelic choir singing holy, holy, holy, and saw God, the great creator of the universe, seated on a sapphire throne. Isaiah worshipped, confessed, and signed on for service in response, as we are to do every time we worship.
Then I remembered the Tudor series my husband and I have been watching on Netflix. I thought of how in the court of King Henry the VIII people came in to have an audience with Henry. They would enter reverently and drop to kneel on a pillow provided for that purpose. Then after saying whatever they came to say, they would back out, never forgetting to focus on and face the king. Do we focus on God completely?
Psalm 100 invites us to come into God's presence singing. I remember as a youth the first time I went forward for communion was at Montreat at the Youth Conference. They brought us forward 12 at a time and served us as Jesus would have served his disciples. And suddenly I felt like Jesus was really there and really serving us as we were passed bread and grape juice. He was so real to me that night, I promised him later alone, my life as a pastor in response.
Do we practice the divine real presence of God, of Christ in our lives today? I wonder. I heard a story of a man that did. He was dying and his pastor came to visit him. The pastor noticed a chair by the bed, and started to take it, only the man said to use the other one. When he asked why, he told him that it was Jesus' chair that was next to his bed. When everyone was gone he would talk to Jesus for hours, picturing him sitting in that chair. Not long afterwards, the man died and his wife called that pastor very distressed. She was so upset because she was afraid her husband had died trying to get out the bed, desperate to escape death, for he had died with his head laid over in the chair next to the bed. The pastor reassured her and said that her husband had told him that was Jesus' chair and he had simply laid his head in Jesus' lap to die.
Is God's presence that real to us. Do we truly worship God in Spirit and in Truth with passion and do we really feel God there in church, at prayer, and in our hearts. ?
I preached about this this past Sunday as I wondered how we can get so excited about football games and jump up and down and scream and shout and be filled with passion for a team and sit so gloomily in worship, barely engaged with God, barely paying attention to God's magnificent presence.
I remembered that Isaiah in the temple was not the only one at worship that day, yet he was the only one who saw angels flying to and fro, heard the angelic choir singing holy, holy, holy, and saw God, the great creator of the universe, seated on a sapphire throne. Isaiah worshipped, confessed, and signed on for service in response, as we are to do every time we worship.
Then I remembered the Tudor series my husband and I have been watching on Netflix. I thought of how in the court of King Henry the VIII people came in to have an audience with Henry. They would enter reverently and drop to kneel on a pillow provided for that purpose. Then after saying whatever they came to say, they would back out, never forgetting to focus on and face the king. Do we focus on God completely?
Psalm 100 invites us to come into God's presence singing. I remember as a youth the first time I went forward for communion was at Montreat at the Youth Conference. They brought us forward 12 at a time and served us as Jesus would have served his disciples. And suddenly I felt like Jesus was really there and really serving us as we were passed bread and grape juice. He was so real to me that night, I promised him later alone, my life as a pastor in response.
Do we practice the divine real presence of God, of Christ in our lives today? I wonder. I heard a story of a man that did. He was dying and his pastor came to visit him. The pastor noticed a chair by the bed, and started to take it, only the man said to use the other one. When he asked why, he told him that it was Jesus' chair that was next to his bed. When everyone was gone he would talk to Jesus for hours, picturing him sitting in that chair. Not long afterwards, the man died and his wife called that pastor very distressed. She was so upset because she was afraid her husband had died trying to get out the bed, desperate to escape death, for he had died with his head laid over in the chair next to the bed. The pastor reassured her and said that her husband had told him that was Jesus' chair and he had simply laid his head in Jesus' lap to die.
Is God's presence that real to us. Do we truly worship God in Spirit and in Truth with passion and do we really feel God there in church, at prayer, and in our hearts. ?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A Place to Start
This blog will be a spiritual journey of study and prayer and reading that can be shared with Christian friends who share the journey - hence Pilgrim's progress.
I just finished reading "The Shack." It is the touching story of a father whose youngest daughter was kidnapped and murdered. He returns to the shack where she was killed at the invitation of a note - signed Papa, his wife's name for God. I loved his encounter with the three persons of the Trinity in the form of a black motherly woman (father - would not have worked as he was abused by his), a middle eastern man named Jesus, and a beautiful rainbow wisp of wind that was the Spirit figure. They walk him through his grief with great love and wisdom. It is touching to read and feel the unconditional love of God through these three characters and the extent they go to help the daddy heal. It is so powerful to see the intimacy that God desires with each of us so vividly portrayed in the exchanges between the three and the dad. It made me feel like I had spent the evening with God being loved and cared for too. It had special moments of good food from Mama/Papa and laying back on the ground to gaze at the stars with Jesus and gardening with the Holy Spirit. Just intimate moments and unconditional love. Hearing them tell him that he is loved just for being, not for what he does - so touching to me. If only we could spend that much time with God. God saying he doesn't want to be first in our lives he wants to be in everything. So touching. He especially loves each of his children. Me too.
I just finished reading "The Shack." It is the touching story of a father whose youngest daughter was kidnapped and murdered. He returns to the shack where she was killed at the invitation of a note - signed Papa, his wife's name for God. I loved his encounter with the three persons of the Trinity in the form of a black motherly woman (father - would not have worked as he was abused by his), a middle eastern man named Jesus, and a beautiful rainbow wisp of wind that was the Spirit figure. They walk him through his grief with great love and wisdom. It is touching to read and feel the unconditional love of God through these three characters and the extent they go to help the daddy heal. It is so powerful to see the intimacy that God desires with each of us so vividly portrayed in the exchanges between the three and the dad. It made me feel like I had spent the evening with God being loved and cared for too. It had special moments of good food from Mama/Papa and laying back on the ground to gaze at the stars with Jesus and gardening with the Holy Spirit. Just intimate moments and unconditional love. Hearing them tell him that he is loved just for being, not for what he does - so touching to me. If only we could spend that much time with God. God saying he doesn't want to be first in our lives he wants to be in everything. So touching. He especially loves each of his children. Me too.
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