Pastor James Moore once told a story about a man who had suffered a severe stroke. This stoke affected his legs, one arm, and most of his speech. He was frustrated by his inability to communicate with others – especially his wife. 

One day his pastor came by to see him. He found it difficult to communicate with the man – so he spent most of his time talking with his wife.  As the pastor was getting ready to leave he remembered reading that some stroke victims can sing, even though they can’t talk. The pastor began singing the hymn, “Silent Night.” It seemed like a miracle, but the man who suffered the stroke also began singing. There was no stuttering, no breakdown in forming words. He just sang: “Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild.” As the man reached for his wife’s hand to hold, she joined in the singing, “Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.” “When we finished,” the pastor said. “The man smiled, and we could feel God’s presence.”

For many of us, there are hymns and prayers that are lodged deep in our souls. Even when we are not consciously aware of them, they are there. I give thanks to God for this. May they ever be a source of strength and hope for you.

Let us pray: We thank you for your faithfulness to us, O God. And we thank you for songs and words that have touched us deeply over the years; for the way that you have shaped us through them. As we sing and as we pray this Christmas season, draw us closer to you; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Over the past few days, I’ve shared the verse from Revelation 1:6 where John tells us that Jesus has made us to be a kingdom of priests, serving his God and Father.

But again, what does it look like to have a priestly calling?

Lately, I often think about the state of the world around us. There is so much uncertainty. And sometimes it feels as though the world is crumbling around us. I think about all the need, even in my own church.

But at the same time, we are a community of about 200 people. And I think about all the prayers, all the intercession. We may not be a whole kingdom – but we are certainly a large tribe. And there is a sea of prayer.

I know when I’ve been going through my own difficulties, I have felt their prayers. They have made an impact on my heart and in my life.  I know that many of you have felt the prayers of your own faith communities. Prayers echoed again and again on your behalf, prayers echoed again and again on behalf of the world, on behalf of our nation, and on behalf of our church. 

I’m a huge believer in the power of prayer. I’m a huge believer in the power of your prayers.

John tells us that Jesus has made you to be a kingdom of priests.

Let us pray:  We thank you, O God, for your calling on our lives. We pray that you would grant us healing, mercy, and grace upon grace. And even as we are being healed and renewed, use us as an instrument of your love in a world desperately in need; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yesterday I shared the verse from Revelation 1:6 where John tells us that Jesus has made us to be a kingdom of priests, serving his God and Father.

But what does it look like to have a priestly calling?

Many years ago our family took in two foster children, two sisters – four and six years old. And at some point early in their stay with us, I was cleaning out their room and changing the sheets. As I stuck my hand under the mattress, I felt something. I found a whole stash of french fries and half a sandwich. Then on the other side, I found some chicken. What I later learned is that it is not uncommon for people who have been close to starvation to hoard food.

I don’t know about you but I’ve never experienced anything like that. In that sense, I’ve never really truly been hungry. It just raises my awareness that there are people in our community even right here in our backyard who don’t get enough to eat, who live part of their lives wondering about their next meal. 

I think about the folks in my church who are out there walking the neighborhoods every year for Crop Walk to raise money and awareness, helping provide concrete food assistance for people in need. I think about others who work in food pantries and soup kitchens, feeding the hungry on a daily basis.

These are priestly callings. 

John says Jesus has made you to be a kingdom of priests.

I wonder how that priestly calling might look in your own life.

Let us pray:  We thank you, O God, for your calling on our lives. We pray that you would grant us healing, mercy, and grace upon grace. And even as we are being healed and renewed, use us as an instrument of your love in a world desperately in need; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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

A schoolteacher once asked a group of children to write down on a card the one thing in the world they were most thankful for. 

Most of the children wrote down the usual predictable things, but one boy in the class said that he was most thankful for his glasses. “Johnny,” she said, “l see that your glasses are the thing for which you are most thankful. Is there any special reason?” Johnny answered, “Yes, ma’am. My glasses keep the boys from hitting me and the girls from kissing me.” Now, Johnny had learned early that life can be tough – that we need all the help we can get. 

One of the most delightful plays to hit Broadway years ago was the popular musical, “Annie”, which, of course, is based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip. At the beginning of the play, the little orphan girls sing, “It’s a Hard-Knock Life!” We all can relate to that, can’t we? We all have felt the painful hard knocks of life. 

The little orphan girl wanted so much to be loved and to be saved from her desperate situation, trapped in an orphanage. Even though there seems no way, she has hope, hope wrapped in the dream that someday her parents will come back to reclaim her. 

And finally, she is rescued by the love and strength of Daddy Warbucks. 

In this troubled world, we all have something of Annie in us. We want some word of “good news”. Well, that is precisely where the Christian faith comes in – and that is what the Christian faith is all about. Remember how Jesus said it: “In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) These three powerful phrases sum up the gospel. Claim it and believe it. 

Let us pray: O Lord, our Shepherd, who leads us by still waters and into green pastures, we thank you for the times in our lives when life is strong and good. Teach us to remember, though, that you are with us at all times, even when the waters are not still and the pastures are not green and when the way is fraught with danger or difficulty. Your loving-kindness surpasses all our imagination, and your faithfulness is to all generations. Now let the joy of your presence break upon us like a gentle, cloudless sunrise with birds singing, that our spirits may soar to you in simple wonder. Through Christ our Redeemer. Amen. 

In his book, Peace Is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “If a child smiles, if an adult smiles, that is very important. If in our daily lives, we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it… You know a smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face… (Even) a tiny bud of a smile on our lips nourishes awareness and calms us miraculously. It returns us to the peace we thought we had lost.”

Hanh encourages us to remember to smile when we first wake up in the morning – even to hang a reminder – such as a picture, a painting, or some inspiring words near our beds. What a great way to start the day. 

In the Bible, in the book of Proverbs, we read, “A cheerful heart has a continual feast.” 

Another Proverb reminds us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.”

Let us pray:  Loving God, even in those dark moments, even when we are hurting or near despair, give us eyes to see the good and beauty all around us. Fill us again with your joy and grant us your peace.  We ask in the name of the One who came that we might have life, and have it to its fullest. Amen.