December 17, 2013

There is a prayer, written as a poem, in today’s box.

Change my heart oh God,

Make it ever true,

Change my heart, oh God,

May I be like you.

You are the potter,

I am the clay,

Mold me and make me,

This is what I pray.

The poem is surrounded by images of people formed from plasticine.  In the background is a photograph of clay on a wheel in a potter’s hands.  This is the scripture verse for inspiration:

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

Here’s the box:

What does it mean to be formed by God?  If we are all made in the image of God, can we see the beauty in each one?  Can we live as if it is true.  Can every human glimpse that in one another?

In a world where there is so much emphasis on a particular perception of beauty, we need that prayer and that vision.  We need new eyes for seeing and new hearts for loving.

Maybe, just maybe, the world can be transformed if we can truly care about one another.

The candles of hope, peace and joy continue to light our way.

December 15, 2013

We were opening the box in Sunday worship again today.  It really is fun that way, everyone is looking forward to seeing what might be inside, and today’s box had a battery pack on the back…the suspense was palpable!

Here are the words:

Come, house of Jacob, 

and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:5

We opened the box to significant sounds of oohs, and aahs, as the lid opened and tiny lights filled the space.  What did we see?  Humans, walking together.  A stable.  Angels.  A town.  Lights in the sky.  Stars.  Baby Jesus — we couldn’t really see him very well but we could tell where he was supposed to be by the light on the picture.  Footprints on the ground.  

The box was carried into the congregation for all to see.  

We needed to see that.  We need to be reminded, always, that we are called to walk together.  We are called to care for one another.  

This afternoon a group gathered at the church to pack Christmas hampers, and to wrap the gifts that accompany them.  Thirty-five helping hands for 10 families.  We are reminding ourselves and each other of what it means to walk together.  We are remembering what it means to walk in the light.

Come, all houses, all people, let us walk in the light of God’s love.  It is the week of the candle of joy! 

December 14, 2013

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

He shall judge between nations,

and shall arbitrate for many peoples.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up swords against nation, 

neither shall they learn war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4

Today’s box is filled with intricately cut paper.  Black paper, made to look like guns, rifles, standing on the left.  The box is meant to be ‘read’ left to right.  The guns are standing in a row.  Next, is another row of guns, almost identical, but beginning to be transformed.  There is a leaf emerging.  The next row, the guns change a little more, a branch, and more leaves.  The rows continue until, at least, it is a row of trees before us.

A couple of Sundays ago, Jeff referred to the passage that inspires this box as God’s invitation to Arts and Crafts.  We are invited to take something, and help transform it into something new.  In the box, guns change into trees.  In Isaiah, it is swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks.  It is instruments of violence, into tools for farming.  It is defending ourselves against the ‘other’, transformed into a means to help the ‘other’.

Maybe, when we live like that, helping on another, there is not really anyone who is ‘other’.  Maybe we are all in this together.  Maybe when one suffers, we all suffer.  Maybe when one is helped, we are all helped.

Maybe, just maybe, peace will truly come to all of us, together.

The advent candles of hope and peace burn on.