In the book of Deuteronomy (30:19) Moses says to the Israelites, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him, for that means life to you…”

Moses was simply reminding them that God has set before them a path, a way of living that is good for us and good for others, and we are ever faced with choices.

Sometimes in talking to our girls, my wife Robbie will talk about developing faith as digging a deep well looking for water. There is a real temptation to dig a bunch of shallow wells. I’m going to try a little bit of this, and a little bit of this over here, and a little bit of this religion over here, and we’ll do this church for a little while over here, all without ever fully committing. She says: What I want is not to dig a bunch of shallow wells, but to dig one really deep well… 

The truth is, even over a lifetime we could never fully plumb the depths of our own faith tradition. There are huge reserves of spirit and guidance. Most of us have found this to be true, or we wouldn’t be calling Dial Hope or reading this message. And yet, we are ever faced with this choice, aren’t we?  

Is this faith a path that I’m going to walk? And even if it is a path I walk, how much of my heart am I actually going to give? How much of myself am I going to invest? How deep am I willing to go? Community is messy. It’s hard. People step on our toes, they rub us the wrong way. Living a life of faith can be demanding. Some days we feel like we are giving more than we are receiving…

But Moses was not wrong, was he? There is ever before us life and well-being; death and adversity, blessings and curses… It’s not a matter of if we will encounter adversity and curses. We will. The question is when we face them, how will face them?

May you and I, may we be the kind of people who continue to choose the life and the path that God has set before us. May we choose to engage and to give and grow. May we invest our hearts… And as we do, may we find, that life, blessing, grace, and hope abound. 

Let us pray: Loving and Gracious God, as we sit on the edge of this new year, strengthen us in our walk with you. Center us, heal us, ground us, and use us as instruments of your peace; through Christ, we pray. Amen.

In the novel, “The Great Hunger,” an outsider moves into a small farming community. He immediately put out a “no trespassing” sign, and he refused any efforts at friendship from his new neighbors. One day a little child from the town climbed underneath his fence to pet his dog. But the dog is vicious and ends up killing the little girl.

As you can imagine, anger spread throughout the small town. When the outsider went to town no one would talk to him, and store clerks refused to wait on him. When spring came, no one would even sell him seed. 

In the end, the father of the little girl walked over and planted his field for him. This act of kindness is too much for the anguished outsider. “Why—you of all people?” he asks. The father answered, “To keep God alive in my heart.”

I don’t know how the father could have found the strength to reciprocate with love. But I do know we all share the basic human need for forgiveness. And we all share the need of being able to forgive. When we hold on to hatred, bitterness, and enmity, we damage our own souls. I honestly don’t know whether I would do as well as the father in this story. But I certainly see the beauty in it. I have seen time and again that for the person who had been wronged, being able to forgive, sets them free.  

Let us pray: Loving God, we thank you for your love, your forgiveness, your mercy, and your grace. Help us to live in light your light. Give us the strength and courage to forgive as we have been forgiven. Open us then to your healing and to new and abundant life. Amen.

Several years ago, my congregation was praying for a young woman named Lisa who was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer. In her last few months of life, she was a tremendous inspiration. 

Today, I’d like to share some of what Lisa communicated through a community-wide newsletter. Lisa wrote, “Part of my personal treatment (for this cancer) was to be able to find the good side of everything, the silver lining in the storm cloud… Three months after my diagnosis, I decided to document my ‘Cancer Perks’ on Facebook. The ‘perks’ of living with cancer include things as simple as not having to shave as often, or at all. My hair (wig) looks as great today as it will tomorrow, next week, and next month. This is the only time I have ever been able to wear ‘skinny jeans.’ And I’ve realized that life is truly short. Life does not always go as planned, and every day is a chance to give up to God as we do not have all the control that we think we do. To date, I’ve written 137 perks and continue to find joy even in dark places. I like to encourage others to see the blessings all around them because they are present daily. When you strip away the fear, the hate, the anger, the grudge, these blessings become more visible.”

Lisa went on to write, “My perks are just merely a perspective on life, knowing that every one of us has limited days on earth. It is a perspective that grew from my poor prognosis after my diagnosis. It is a chance for me to encourage others to see their blessings in everyday life. When you are given x amount of years to live, you begin to see things in a different light. And in some cases truly begin living.”

Through her Facebook page, Lisa also encouraged people to live in between: “Live in between the chemo, the doctor’s appointments, the kid’s school projects, the work meetings, the baseball games, the arguments with your family… Live in between it all. See your blessings and know that out of your greatest suffering can come your greatest offering.”

Thank you for inspiring us, Lisa! Rest in Christ. 

Let us pray: God of hope, we pray today for those we know who are battling cancer. We lift them and their families up to your loving care. Fill each of us with your grace. And open our eyes too, to the blessings present, even in our suffering. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today’s message was written by Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

The owner of a big, shaggy dog called the local veterinarian on Christmas morning. “It’s my dog, Molly,” he said. “There is a large swelling at the corner of her mouth.” “But it’s Christmas morning,” the veterinarian replied. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” “Please,” said the dog owner anxiously. Please let me bring her now.” “All right,” said the vet. “Bring her right now.” When the dog arrived, the vet made a brief examination, then said to the man, “Do you have any children?” “Good heavens,” the man replied, “is it contagious?” “No,” said the vet laughing. “It’s bubble gum.” 

Friend of Dial Hope, the joy of Christmas is contagious, but not primarily because of our gifts of dolls, electronic games, bikes, scooters, pretty dresses, ties, candy, cookies, and bubble gum. The joy of Christmas is contagious because of the spirit, the Christ spirit behind the gifts. The glory of Christmas is that God became one of us to tell us that He loves us … yes loves us unconditionally. And those who believe this make this spirit of giving contagious. 

Let us pray: God of love, we thank you that you cared enough to send us your very best, your son Jesus Christ. We give you humble thanks for the difference he makes in our lives. Help us now to make a difference in the lives of others and to make this day a masterpiece. Spread your mantel of grace and love over the men and women serving our country in faraway places. Be with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. We pray for peace … that peace will come and there will be war no more. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

You may remember that in the Christmas story, an angel appears to a group of shepherds tending their flocks. And Luke tells us that the glory of the Lord shown around them. And they were terrified. 

How often do we find ourselves afraid? Afraid of the unknown… what will the diagnosis be? What will happen to this relationship? Will I still have a job? Will my loved one be alright? There are other fears too… fear of terrorism, fear of crime, fear of the stranger.

One of the things that strikes me is that for each and every traveler who ends up in Bethlehem, one of the first obstacles they have to overcome is fear. Fear of Herod. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what the journey might entail. Fear of the demands this event might place on their lives.

Do you know what the most frequent command is in the Bible? You would think it would be Love God or Love your neighbor. According to Jesus, those are the greatest commandments, but, they are not the most frequent. The most frequent command is, “Fear not!” Far more than any other command, over and over we read the words, “Fear not.”  Fear not.

Why do you suppose that is? 

Maybe it is because when we are afraid we do stupid things… Maybe because our fear can divide us from other people… Maybe it is because fear can paralyze us from taking the next leap of faith or doing the right thing… Maybe it is because fear keeps us from seeing the beauty of the glory of the Lord all around us…

Maybe it is all of the above.

To the shepherds, the angels sang, “Do not be afraid.” To the women at the empty tomb, the angel said, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid, not because there is nothing fearsome. Do not be afraid… because fearsome things do not get to have the last word.

When the shepherds arrive in Bethlehem, there is good news and great joy. When the shepherds arrive in Bethlehem, there is the Christ child. There is meaning and hope and the promise of goodwill to all. But in order to get there, they have to overcome their fear. And so do we.

Let us pray: Help us, Gracious God, not make decisions based on fear. Instead, may we heed the command of the angel, and “fear not,” so that with courage and trust, we too might travel to Bethlehem with open hearts and open arms. Amen.