Today a special word of thanks to those of you who have supported Dial Hope Financially. Several donors have generously offered to match all gifts through the end of the year.  No limit on the match!  If you are able to participate, please go to our website for donation opportunities: www.dialhope.org.

The Apostle Paul almost always began his letters with words of gratitude and encouragement. We read the refrains: I give thanks to God for you… Look at all God is doing for you and through you… You are chosen… You are loved.

It is interesting. In the early church, not only did the apostles write letters of encouragement, sometimes they actually sent people out for that very purpose. At the end of Ephesians, Paul writes, “…Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.” In 1 Thessalonians, he writes, “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith…”

But there’s more. We are also to encourage one another. In 1 Thessalonians (5:11), Paul goes on to write, “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.”

Today, think about people in your life who could use a little encouragement—maybe someone who does a thankless job, maybe someone who has been feeling down. Find a way to encourage them. Let God use you even now to be a blessing.

Our prayer today was written by Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope. Let us pray:
God of love, flood our hearts and lives with the joy of your interior light, that we may be lighthouses to others. Through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Some years ago, a ten-year-old boy named Johnny was sitting alone on a park bench one afternoon. It was a beautiful spring day and Johnny was watching some other kids play baseball. An older man happened by, saw Johnny sitting there and sat down beside him. They entered into a conversation. They talked about the gorgeous weather, sports, and their families. Finally, the older man said, "Johnny, I want to ask you a question. If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?" Johnny thought for a moment and then said, "First, I would wish for peace and happiness in the world. Second, I would wish everybody would join a church. And third, I would wish that my best friend Billy, who is blind, would be able to see. That's what I would wish for." 

The older man seemed amazed by little Johnny's answer, and with a look of perplexity, he said goodbye and walked away. Johnny didn't understand why the man was confused by the answer. He sat there for a moment, and then picked up his crutches and hobbled home! Now you know where Johnny got that gracious, loving spirit, don't you? He got it from Jesus. He got it from the one who went to the cross for you and me. 

On the cross, God showed us how much he loved us and how much he wants us to love one another. Faith, hope, love - that's what the cross is about. Whether you are receiving chemotherapy, or radiation, facing the loss of a loved one, whether you are calling from Baghdad, whether you are depressed and lonely, whether you are a teenager or a child, remember - God loves you! And you are blessed to be a blessing to others. 

Let us pray: Loving God, who has given us a mentor and example of living in Jesus, we pray that you will give us the courage and will to see more clearly, love more dearly, and follow more nearly the Christ, day by day. Today, may we reflect the image and spirit of Jesus who was called "The one for others" because he sought to serve rather than be served. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

When I was right out of seminary in my first call, a wise elder from my church came by my study to help me unpack. As we got underway, he asked about my prayer life. I was a brand-new pastor, and I didn’t even know everyone’s names yet. I would be leading our community in mission and outreach, and there were many new responsibilities to learn. On top of that, I had a daughter who was under a year old. Life was crazy.

I was honest, and I told our elder that I just tried to fit prayer at the edges—whenever I could. He challenged me and said, “Joe, there are many people in this congregation and in this community who are desperately seeking a sense of God’s peace, healing, and hope. God wants to use you. But, Joe, you can’t give what you don’t have.” This elder went on to say, “I know you are busy, Joe, with a young family and a career. But I’m not talking about adding one more thing to your life. I’m talking about a center or ground for all of it.”

At first, I was kind of mad. I thought, who are you to come in here and tell me how to organize my life? But ultimately I realized I was mostly angry because he was right.

Do we want to hear God’s voice in our lives? Do we want to have God’s peace and guidance at the heart of who we are? Do we want a sense of integrity between our faith and our work, our faith and our life? Then we need to make time to be still and to listen.

In Psalm 46 we read, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Let us pray: God of Hope, in this busy holiday season, so often we find ourselves racing through life, and our souls are just starved. We find that we can go and go and go—but yet we miss so much of life that way. Help us to carve out time to stop and pray and sit in your presence. Through this time, draw us closer to you. Even now, may we live out of a deep experience of your grace and love. Amen.

The author Anne Lamott tells a beautiful story about a fellow church member who had adopted her son through an organization called ASK: Adopt Special Kids. Part of the adoption process included filling out a questionnaire, checking yes or no to your willingness to adopt babies that had been born addicted, terminally ill, with physical “defects,” or mental disabilities. She and her husband had checked down the entire list. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Lamott’s pastor said that God is like that too, like an adoptive parent who says, “Sure, I’ll take the kids who are addicted, or terminal. I pick all the (mentally challenged) kids and, of course, the sadists. The selfish ones, the liars… I choose them. I choose the disobedient ones and the terrified ones. The self-indulged ones and the trouble-makers. The damaged ones and the unlovable ones. In love, I choose them all. I will be a parent to them all.”

That depth of love, that expansive love, given for you, is the gift we receive at Christmas.

In the Gospel of John we read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”

Let us pray: We remember today that you so love the world that you gave your Son as a light to the world. Break into our lives anew, and help us to notice your unconditional love still at work in our lives and in the world around us. And then, Great God, empower us to be instruments of that same love, light, and grace all year long; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I was listening to a podcast some time ago with the author and educator Adam Robinson, and he was talking about a startling discovery he made. One day he just typed into Google, “How can I learn…”

You probably know how with Google, suggestions will pop up as you type to backfill your query. And these suggestions are based on the most popular searches related to the words you enter…

So he found that if you type into Google, “How can I learn…,” the number one suggested question is: “How can I learn English?” That means a lot of people would like to learn English. A lot of people are making that particular search. Makes sense. Then at number two: “How can I learn Spanish?” Then, “How can I learn to sing?” “How can I learn to code?” But what was astonishing was that the fifth most popular search was: “How can I learn… to love myself?” Which means that millions of people have been searching that… millions of people are struggling to love themselves.

One of our greatest needs as human beings is to be accepted, to be loved, to be valued… In the world, it’s true, we often have to earn that acceptance. We have to earn that value. Sometimes we even feel we have to earn that love. It’s not often just handed to us.

But what our Scriptures teach is that that love and acceptance and grace are at the foundation of our faith.

Sometimes people will say to me, “I don’t believe in God.” And I’ll say, “Well, tell me about this God you don’t believe in.” And nine times out of ten, I’ll say, “I don’t believe in that God either.”

Sometimes we get a skewed idea of who God is—that God is an angry God, a tyrant God, a God who hates, or a God who keeps score… But at Christmas, we see a very different reality.

One of the things Christmas shows us is this: not a God who remains distant or separate, not a God who comes to punish or condemn—but a God who was born in a stable, a God who loves us so much that he would step into this world in the person of Jesus to walk alongside us, to heal us, to save us…

On this Christmas Day, my prayer for each of you is that you would accept the ultimate gift of God’s love for you. May you know that love in the very deepest part of your being… And may you share that love with a world desperately in need. May it be so. Amen.