I Retreated

I have neglected blogging for quite a while...but I wanted to share today.🔋

This week-end I was inspired, refreshed and blessed to be at WNC Local Pastor Retreat . Being a mentor to a group of these folks gave me the opportunity to hang out with some really dedicated preachers for the week-end.

Ed and I made the trek up the Old Fort Mtn. to Ridgecrest. We checked in and quickly realized that to go anywhere was up. (I discovered how very out of shape I am.)

The retreat was good for my soul because I was surrounded for two days by a portion of God’s beauty that can only be exhibited by the lush, green mountains of North Carolina in the spring time. I was also blessed to have a chance to be in worship when I was not the leader. I miss that sometimes. Being simply a worshiper allows me to rest in the presence of God in a totally different way.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the privilege and opportunity to bring the Word on any given occasion, but it is also good to hear and soak up the words of other great preachers. We had one of those. Rev. Dr. Winston Worrell, brought a soul-stimulating message that presented the provoking statement, “I thought he (Jesus) was the one.” Dr. Worrell said that many people today are disillusioned with church just like the men on the road to Emmaus. 

The “Dones,” as he called them, are people who are burned-out on ministry, fed up with organized religion and who have become spiritual refugees. They not only present a challenge to the church, but without them the church is much the poorer. 

Rev. Greg Moore took us further into renewal by encouraging us to form a more intentional time of being with God. He showed us the The Trinity, an icon created by Russian painter Andrei Rublyov in the 15th century, “reading” it with us, and noting that we (all of God’s creation) are what is missing from the table. He posed the question that God is continually asking of us…of humanity. “Where are you?”

Then Rev. Moore offered us the good Wesleyan method for answering that question through more intentional times of prayer. What really intrigued me with the talk he gave was when someone asked the question: If this Wesleyan Way was so great at keeping the Dones from becoming the Dones...why did we ever leave it. Rev. Moore said this: It was too hard.

Bingo! The Christian life of faithful discipleship is hard. Not only is it hard, it is risky. Not only is it hard and risky, it is not popular. Because it will not make you rich, or keep you from having a health problem, or make all your dreams come true. Sorry. No. 

What a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ is promised is inclusion in the life of God, which is peaceful, powerful, and eternal. When we mistake discipleship for easy, fun and with the promise of the good life, we to move it from the divine to the secular. We become consumers. Discipleship is not what we have, it is the incarnation of Jesus in us...Jesus, who gave his life for the world.

The Holy Spirit used Rev. Moore to convict me. I don’t spend nearly enough of my time with God in prayer. That is hard to admit…I am a pastor, and I lead a community of faith. 

I retreated, and I remembered that I am convinced that the more time I spend with God, the more peace and power as a disciple I will have; more time at God's table, and the better I will be able to discern God's heart, both for my life and for the life of the church I serve.

Pray with me...Lord, I will try to be at the table more...help me keep my word. Amen.

Mission Christmas Tree

There is a tradition here at Friendship United Methodist Church that I truly love. Early in the month of December, before it really gets hectic, we have what is called Old Fashioned Christmas. This year we had this event on December 4. Basically, it is simply a night of family fun for the whole church and community. This year we had a ton of visitors for which we are so thankful.

Of course we start out with supper, which is usually 10 to 15 crocks of homemade soup, chilies and luscious grilled cheese sandwiches. After supper it's to the sanctuary for a rollicking round of Christmas carols, and usually a special guest. Now you may think that the special guest is Santa. Not so. Every year we have a different Christmas guest. The theme of the Old Fashioned Christmas this year was The Polar Express, and it turned out that a grand old conductor dropped by to tell the story of the first gift of Christmas.

After carols and story time it was back to the kitchen to bake cookies and do crafts. Also this year face painting was provided by yours truly. It was a great night of fun and fellowship, and getting to know some new friends. 

But I think my favorite part of Old Fashioned Christmas is the beautiful Christmas tree that we decorate with scarves, gloves, hats and toboggans, blankets and pajamas. The items from this tree go to our local outreach ministry. This year the tree looked beautiful with the lights, the grand star atop the tree, and best of all, the love for others that glistens from its green boughs. 

In these days when all we seems to hear is nasty rhetoric being slung around about everything under the sun, I am so thankful that there are nights of fun and joy, in a place where I can see Jesus.

#thankful

Thanksgiving on My Mind

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.                               1Thessalonians 5: 16-18

                When I was a child, I remember Thanksgiving as the day when daddy went squirrel hunting. I never saw the correlation between squirrels and Thanksgiving.  Maybe it was my dad’s way of taking the day, doing something that afforded peace and quiet, a luxury that he rarely enjoyed as a dairy farmer.  

                In the mornings, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade streamed its way across our 16” black and white television. My brother, Gerald and I laid on our bellies with our chins on our hands and watched every turn and tilt. We appraised every step, every band, every float, waiting as anxiously as the children on the crowded New York City streets for Santa to signal the end of the parade with his generous toss of candies to the good children. It was glorious to watch the giant balloon figures being hoisted, guided, and held down by the street walking anchors.

                My older brothers, Troy and Eric, were off somewhere doing whatever big brothers did on those Thanksgiving days, their passion of parade watching long past. Mamma was cooking. Occasionally she would call me into the kitchen to help peel the eggs for deviling, or smash the potatoes for creaming, or to taste the whipped topping for the pumpkin pie. What lusciousness was Thanksgiving! Except for Tom.

                The barnyard turkey (Tom) that cooked silently in the oven had the previous day strutted around the yard like plumed royalty. I had to admit that I would miss that hateful old bird and his run-at-you meanderings. But the old fellow’s skinny legs, dry “un-Butter-balled” breast, and stringy neck suckered us all that day, and the following days in soups, salads, and anything else my mother could think to make out of the husky 25 pounder. If it had not been for Mamma’s giblet gravy, we would have all succumbed to the wrath of Tom.

                I don’t remember any special prayers or other exacting reminders of gratitude. Thanksgiving seemed more of a feeling than any kind of activity or ritual. Thanksgiving’s specialness came from the wonder of food and being together, away from the barn, off from school, and out of the field. There was no thought of Black Friday sales. There was no rush to finish dinner to watch the big game. There was not even any resistance in taking a nap. Wal-Mart had not come to town; computers were not invented; and our phone was on a wait-your-turn party line.

                The world has changed a great deal in my lifetime. I imagine all old people say the same thing. I know my grandmother, who never got to high-school, said it…during her life she saw the invention of cars, the A-bomb, and rockets that shot men into outer space. Throughout all of time, things have been changing. But that is okay with me. I choose to be grateful for change.

                We move forward in time, but I don’t worry about that, because God is here and God is in the future. Before I sat down to write this meditation about Thanksgiving, I hastily counted the number of times the word “thanks” shows up in God’s word. Well, a lot, over 100 times. To give thanks is commanded throughout the Bible. Jesus did it. Paul did it. Peter and the apostles did it.

     I believe a grateful heart doesn’t have time to be otherwise. A grateful heart can’t be filled with the ugliness of hate, the corrosion of bigotry, or the decay of greed. When we are being thankful, we are being our best. When gratitude holds our center, we are free from many things that would hurt us.

                May God help me to have a grateful heart. Amen.  

Report from the Valley of Maggie

When I think about Lake Junaluska, my thoughts are always filled with nostalgia and joy. Last week I was blessed to come to the Lake for the United Methodist Women Spiritual Growth Retreat. I had a wonderful time with the ladies from the church I serve, Friendship UMC in Statesville. We laughed, sat and porch-rocked, had meals together and worshiped in Stuart Auditorium. I also saw women from my home church, Oak Hill UMC and from churches I served in the past years. 

It is such a happiness to see old friends and to reminisce about the times we have shared together. It seems funny to me that when I look back, I only see the good times. If there were times not so good…they have faded from my heart. That is the power of grace in our lives. God’s abiding grace keeps the good and removes the bad. I am glad for that.

One thing Rev. Toni Ruth Smith spoke about last week is our life’s work. She said that learning to love like God does...takes a lifetime. As she mentioned, that is the Wesleyan theology of sanctifying grace. Rev. Smith reminded us that we must not be so hard on ourselves when we realize that we have not yet reached that pinnacle of perfection, when we see ourselves breaking a commandment, when we erroneously compare ourselves to some culturally-determined ideal. We must remember she said…we have a work of a lifetime to get it right. God’s amazing grace is how we get there, because we cannot get there on our own.

This week, I am back to Lake Junaluska for annual conference. Ed and I walked around the Lake today dodging the goose poop, talking, and just enjoying the day and each other. It is such a good thing to have a bit of time to do just those kinds of simple things before the hubbub of conference begins "in earnest," as Bishop Goodpaster described it,  tomorrow morning…very early for me (7am).

This year we are tasked with selecting our members to the General Conference 2016. I would like to go to that conference, but alas…I’m not popular enough to get elected. The story of my life! I tried out to be a cheerleader once…same story.  

Best of all, God is with us.

Corn Harvest

Today I said goodbye to the lovely corn that has surrounded our house for the summer. When Ed and I moved into the parsonage on Friendship Rd., the corn was a little more than waist high. It was dark green, and full of life. I embraced our new home and took the corn as a sign of hope that God had placed Ed and me just where we need to be.

During the summer, the corn grew, and I felt safe and secure. I was surrounded by the family of God at Friendship UMC and the corn. It was like a big-acre cocoon that held us close as we settled in. The corn matured, tasseling, making ears, and turning to the bright yellow grain that when harvested is made into corn bread, corn chips, and corn oil, ethanol, cow food, people food, dog food and so many other life-giving products.  

I now look forward to the next crop the farmers will plant in the field, wheat, soybeans; something green, something growing.

In Ecclesiastes 3:2, the author (whom tradition identifies as Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba), couples the images of birth and death with seed-time and harvest. I am reminded by the cutting of the corn that we all will one day be called to our forever home with God. It will be a joyous day for the believer who goes, and a mournful day for those left behind to grieve.

Even as I watch the corn be cut and carried away in the big semi-trucks, which is a little sad, I am encouraged when I think of the divine cycle of living, dying and living again. Jesus said, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, then it only remains one seed. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24). Jesus was talking about himself. He was giving a sign that in his death, there is life. He was also incarnating the standard for how his followers should live and die as well; becoming the seed bearers, seed planters, and fruit producers for the world.

I wonder, when will I really understand the full force of Jesus' words? Moreover, when will I completely understand their meaning; that we have been given life so that we can till the soil and plant seeds so that when we die, others will grow. Dying is victory to those in Christ Jesus, and so is living. Being called to live here in N. Iredell, I'm coming to see that we all have farming to do!

Lord, give me strength to produce, plant, nurture, and grow all the seeds you give me… ‘til Kingdom come. Amen!

Thanks to Dale Bess, who planted, grew and harvested the corn by our house!!

©2014 Judy H. Eurey

But...Do As You Please

  I wonder if your mother was like mine. I remember that when I was a teenager, and she wanted me to do something that I wasn’t keen on doing, she had a way of convincing me that my actions were going to be on my own head.

  First, she would explain to me the exact course my choices would take. If I did thus and so, Outcome A would happen, and if I did the opposite (usually what she didn’t approve of) Outcome B would happen (usually something detrimental to me). Finally momma would wind up her counsel with these ominous words, “but do as you please.” 

   What teenager can combat such a psychological weapon as that? Most of the time I followed her advice, and I was sorry when I didn’t!

   I know where Momma got her knack of instruction. She got it from the Bible. Yes that is right, she was following much of what the bible tells us about self-determination. Namely, we all have a choice. I have a choice every day to follow the guidance found in God’s word, or in Momma’s words, “do as I please.”

   Being a minister, I have heard numerous people complain about the circumstances of their life and faith. They complain about their lack of peace, how everything seems to be going wrong, that they just can’t catch a break, and nobody cares about them. They complain about their church, the people there and how they act, the music, the preaching, the time they must spend there, and on and on. How am I to respond to those complaints?   

   I am just speaking for myself here, but if I am honest, when I find myself beginning to complain about such things, it is usually because I have been “doing as I please.” I have not been making the good choices that I should have. As Momma has warned me…I am living the consequences of Outcome B.

   In his book, A Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God, Reuben Job says that the bible is filled with stories of people, regular people who receive instructions from “Momma” God for their lives. Some of those people follow the instructions they receive, and others…you guessed it, do as they please. Reuben Job recommends that we cultivate what he calls, “practicing a preference for God and God’s will” (296).

   I find that his words have encouraged me this morning. Practicing a preference for God and God’s will, frankly, that guidance is fairly simple. Practicing, like when we practice a musical instrument, means that we do not always get it right. But it also means that someday a beautiful melody will appear and will be our Outcome A.

   Today, I want to set my mind on cultivating that way of seeking God, practicing a preference for God. I know that when I put God first, have a preference for God’s will for me, then I’m going to do less complaining about my circumstances, my peace, my church, my friends, and I will spend more time rejoicing at the presence of God with me and the abundant life God gives me.

   Practicing a preference for God…hum…Momma would like that!

(My mother is Lucy Collins Hallyburton, and she now resides with God in glory. I miss her!)

Ordinary Blessings

It’s odd. Usually I am worn to a frazzle by Sunday evening. But God blessed me with a long nap in the late afternoon, which refreshed me and put me in a very good spirits. In fact this whole weekend has been full of blessings. Not so much of the grand nature, but more of the ordinary kind.

For example, on Saturday, Ed and I ventured out into the surrounding area. We are so new here, almost every time we leave the house it’s an adventure. A short drive from 907 Friendship Rd. is located a general store called Shiloh. It is just over the county line in Yadkin. We had heard about it from our new friends, so we thought we would check it out.

The store at Shiloh is not a place you just pop into. It is quite a ways off the beaten path or so it seems. The folks who operate the store are Amish, and it is filled with a bounty of fresh breads, cakes, herbs, nuts, fruit, jams, jellies, and produce.

When we got there on Saturday, I noticed a stretch limo parked right out front. Hey, I told Ed, we might get to see a famous person. But alas, inside we found mainly ordinary folks like us. Some of them may have been famous, but since I’m seriously media-challenged on a regular basis, I couldn't tell if any were or not.

Ed and I purchased some homemade ginger snaps (my favorite), and a pan of blackberry cream cheese rolls (Ed’s favorite).  I got some fancy popcorn too (again, my favorite).  So if you find yourself somewhere in Yadkin County, go by there. You’ll enjoy it, and the food is the best.

The country in North Iredell is beautiful this time of year, and I can’t wait to experience the change of seasons. The lushness of the growing corn and soybeans, seeing the dairy cows spread out over the pastures, and the hopefulness of the morning glories curling over any tall thing fills and nurtures my heart.

Best of all, worshiping with the saints at Friendship UMC this morning topped off the week-end. God was present, and we were blessed! I know God has brought Ed and me among the folks here for something special. We are not exactly sure yet what that might be, but if the blessings we are experiencing so far are any indication, it is going to be fantastic!

Feeling blessed and in good spirits and thanking God here in N. Iredell County!

Transitions!

Oh the joys and frustrations of moving. Today I spent some time resting from the week’s work of packing, sorting, lifting, carrying, grunting, sweating and just plain hard work of moving. We euphemistically call this itineracy “our time of transition.” Ed calls it hell week. He is glad it is over, and he gets to return to his regular routine of opening locks and visiting with friends. I’ll admit, he has had the worst of moving as he has done all the heavy lifting, all the driving, and all of the taking apart and putting together.

I am so thankful for his wonderful spirit through the grand adventures God puts us through in ministry. He is a gentle person and has been worried that something may have happened to the toad who was living in the aluminum ladder on our carport in Lincolnton. “I should have brought him with us,“ he said. “But of course he may have a family there.” Leave it to Ed to always be thinking about the little guy.

We have this Sunday as our transition Sabbath, which means that I wasn’t allowed to attend our new church-Friendship UMC. So we scouted out a place to worship and ended up at Yadkin Baptist Church over on highway 115. It was good to worship with them. It seems like it’s been a month since last Sunday!

I am extremely excited to begin in ministry with the saints at Friendship UMC. The welcome here has been overwhelming. We’ve have had our socks blessed off already. I am thanking God for the blessings of my new brothers and sisters. We are going to do gooooood, because God is with us…and the best is yet to come!

Easter!

What is more glorious than Easter? I ask you. What?! Yesterday was a day of days, one of our Christian high holy days. I for one was totally blessed, made joyful by the living presence of Christ with us. Frankly, on occasion I was nearly overcome by it all, tears of joy among the people, especially me. After all, it the day when we celebrate the event that changed everything forever. We told the story once again, that Jesus rose from the grave, stood alive among his friends, and invited them to tell the world about it. Go…tell everybody! He said. 

In Jesus, and by his sacrifice, we have life too! Even in death, WE have life. Hallelujah!

If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, let me just say these words to you. If you are offended, I’m sorry about that. But you too are a part of God’s plan to save the world. Step into the light. Let the power of the resurrection take hold of you. Show up and be shown.  I promise, if you do, and you are willing, Jesus will rock your world like you cannot imagine. He has rocked mine!

I invite your comments. Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? If not, why not?

I am...

Creative Dare...I am...

Keeping It Real

              This month many of our area UMC ministers have been having confirmation classes for our young people. It has been such a blessing to us as because we have a lively, intelligent class of 26 kids going through this process of confirming their faith.
                If you are like me with no kids at home and over 40, you may have noticed that today’s young people are speaking a different language. Not only that, but that language changes every month or two. I stay behind the learning curve. Just this week I heard a few new terms, one of them was the encouragement to keep it real.
                The person who was using the lingo was a youth leader from one of the churches. And this guy was on the mark; OMG, too legit to handle. The man was totally fly in regards to teen lingo…I mean he could requestion better than anybody I ever heard, all the while chillaxing and fist-bumpin’ with the mix. I was totally wowed how he kept the haters lovin’ and the bouncers from bouncing.
                So I asked Mr. Fly, “What does it mean when you say keep it real”? He explained to me what term meant to the youth.  I was intrigued how even today, our life in Christ is all about keeping it real.
                I got from him that to keep it real means to live with integrity, maintaining honesty, and being able to live a life that keeps oneself from living a life of fantasy and make believe. 
                Confirmation in our church is one of the first places in a young person’s life when they come to grips with their personal (not mom’s or dad’s) life of faith, and how they will live it.

                Jesus was a keep-it-real teacher and preacher. In fact, his life embodied that idea. He was always shoving the make-believe world, which people thought they should live in, to the sidelines. He said things like:

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged” (Matt 7:1).
“If you want to be perfect, go sell all you have, give to the poor and follow me (Matt 5:44).
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44).

                You can tell when somebody is keeping it real because, it causes people to respond like, “What?!....Don’t judge?! Love and pray for my enemies?! Sell my stuff and give it all to the poor?! Are you serious?”

People said the same things in the 1^st century to Jesus, using different words of course, but the sentiments were the same. The Pharisees made it their life’s work to act as judges. The Romans thought killing enemies was how a ruling power kept the peace and increased territory. The rich spent their time building bigger storage units (barns).

                For keeping it real Jesus also heard the people shout, “Crucify Him.” And that is what happened.
                During confirmation, part of what the young people study is basically what it means to live a life of faith, following Jesus, and being part of our community of believers (the UMC). It is important that they also understand that such a life is a choice they make. We hope to teach them that the life of faith will not always be easy, is not make-believe, and is most definitely real.
                We ministers and teachers walk a fine line sometimes. We want to make the life of faith attractive by telling of the blessings, the peace, and the hope found in Christ, while at the same time identifying the suffering, the restlessness, and the confusion that is also part of our life of faith.
                The good news is: God is there with us through all of our life, helping us to keep it real, even in the face of everything that comes our way. God never ceases to love us, pour out mercy upon us, forgive us, save us and strengthen us when we are weak.
                Join me this month in praying for all confirmands. These young people are soon coming to times of decision, ones which will set the course of their lives. Pray for them to have courage, boldness, and wisdom so that they will be able to keep it real for themselves.

© 2014 Judy H. Eurey

Wonder what God will be up to this year?

           Sitting here in my office, I am faced with the left-overs of the holiday rush. There are stacks of papers, reference books, news articles I thought I might use, files, letters, Christmas cards, used bulletins, scribbled-on pads, and just a lot of stuff that needs to be cleaned out. During the season of Advent I did intend to set aside at least an hour or two to clean up my office. But it seems like my intentions just haven’t panned out. The New Year is upon me, and so now I must give up my procrastination and “get ‘er done.”  I can’t start the New Year in such a mess!

 I am glad that January is almost here. I like new beginnings. I like it when I open that new bag of chips, or pull out a new pair of socks, or open a book for the first time. I like things when they feel fresh and new. The possibilities of a new year always make me feel hopeful, for who knows what wonderful things God might do this year.

                Whatever God intends to do around Long Shoals this year, I am hoping and praying that God will use me in it. Since I have known God for a while, and I have studied some, I have come to know a little…a very little…about who I believe God is, and some of the things I might expect God to be involved in this year.

                God is in love with us humans. Because of that love God desires the very best for us. So I could see God getting involved this year in activities and events that promote us to love and care for one another; checking on friends with visits and calls, getting together for fellowship, and offering help to one another.

                God also desires justice. When justice prevails, innocent people are not oppressed, and oppressors are thwarted. So, this year, I envision God being a part of ministries that help the poor, that tend to the sick, and that visit and offer friendship to those who are alone.

                I have also learned that God wants to be with us. So I am very sure that God will be involved when we worship, when we are praying or doing Bible study, or working, or playing or anytime we are seeking a closer relationship.

God’s desire to be with us and to have us intimately connected is revealed in the birth of Jesus, God’s son, who came to give us a way back through the muddle of our sins into a loving relationship with God.

                I believe God intends to do some great things in 2014. As yet I have not a clue to what those things could be. I'm not going to procrastinate. Rather I am going to join in with God’s ministry for 2014, whatever they may be. I know that they will be good for us all! Today though...I got to clean up this office!  

 

 

 

Happy New Year Y'all!

 

 

 

Advent Post 2

Today I’m thinking about a lot of things. It is the day before the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, Saturday. With the season cranking up to a fever pitch, I begin to long for a quiet place of rest and peace…just for a minute. But if your world is like mine, it is difficult to find.

The small Advent calendar has been marking the days with tiny slips of the Word. They are meant to cheer us, meant to illumine our time of waiting, and meant to drop into our consciousness a bit of the real meaning of the season.

Today’s bit is striking me with both longing and joy. That Jesus will make me a house. I do long for the day when my house, my home will be exactly complete. A place where peace is easy to find, and joy is there for the taking; no more sorrow, no more ache, no more giving people up to death. Praise God for the sweet baby that God sent for us, for he has made all the difference!

I believe, do you?

Amen!

Advent Post

It is always a blessing when you get the word that someone was actually listening to your sermon! Sunday was the day our lectionary gospel text introduced John the Baptizer in the new Year A. We all would have rather had the run-up-to Christmas story to contemplate…but it was what it was. So I went with it.

I introduced John as a herald…explaining what exactly a herald's task was…the one sent ahead to announce an important coming event. The word did not get lost in the sermon, as one of my younger parishioners looked up at his grandmother and asked, “Who is Harold?”

I was thrilled that the little guy was listening.

God is still sending Harolds today. Who is heralding Jesus for you?

Happy 10^th day of Advent!

Incarnate

               Here at the Eurey house we have already searched out our Christmas CD’s. We have stationed our ITunes playlist and radios to play all our holiday songs. Soon Ed will drag out the movies, Christmas Story, The Nativity, Christmas Vacation, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Polar Express. Our movie marathon will soon commence. Decorating will begin in earnest at the week’s end with tinsel, ribbons and greenery abounding. That’s just the way we roll around here at Christmas.

                Over at the church, the Chrismon tree is up, the lights are on, the wreaths are on the doors, and the banners of Christmas are hanging throughout the place. The scent of cinnamon and pine has become the incense of the season.

                The first Sunday of Advent is the start of the Christian year. I think that is very appropriate because Jesus’ birth marks the beginning of life for each of us (whether we know or accept it or not). This year I have been thinking about Jesus and the miracle of God becoming one of us. The first question I have is always, why? Why would God leave glory in the first place? I mean, would you? Would you leave heaven for earth?

                But that is just what God did. God became incarnate, embodied in flesh. God moved in with us, took the name of Jesus, and was a son, a brother, an uncle in his family. Jesus was loved by his mother, his father, his brothers and sisters, and his friends. He walked on legs like ours, held hands like we do, combed his hair and whispered in a soft voice. He worked hard (in those days there was no easy work). He enjoyed people, had compassion, ate supper and laughed. Jesus was kind to children and to people whose lives were torn apart.  He got perturbed. He argued. He went off by himself. He cried, was hurt, got cold, and felt grief same as us. He was tempted by things and people. He was misunderstood, criticized, called demonic and abandoned by his best friends. In the end, God was murdered for moving in with us.

                So why? Why did God give us God’s self for Christmas? Every day I realize that it’s simply a mysterious, mind-bending, unplumbable reason. God loves us.

                Therefore this is our story, the story of God who loves us so much that he was willing to leave heaven just so we can know him, just so we can be rescued from, well…ourselves. Jesus came to give us what we could not get on our own, freedom to live without fear of death, freedom to live in peace and joy, freedom to know God’s love, and freedom to continue to tell this beautiful story over and over again in our Christmas songs, in our Christmas movies, through live nativities, from brightly adorned trees, in millions of twinkling lights, and in gifts given and received.

                And the most amazing thing is this. Jesus still comes today. Every day that we receive him he is among us; he is around us; he is within us; he is present. Because really, God never left. God’s Spirit has been and will be the eternal abiding way for life for all of humanity.

                Let us ring the Christmas Bells, celebrate, and be thankful to the one who saves us!

 

M e r r y   C h r i s t m a s!

Healing Basket

I need a place

     to sit and cross my legs,

where I can think,

a nest,

where rays of sunlight warm and coach my play

where moats drift by like smoke

where consciousness is dimmed to the present

where the Spirit slips through

     the morass of distractions

where I can touch the hem of his garment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2013 Judy H. Eurey

 

Ending Season

Almost all the leaves are
on the ground now.
Some golden clingers remain moored to
the limbs, refusing to let go; their
shivering shapes reveal real fear of
being the final one to drop.

What if I am the last one to fall?
Would anybody be there to notice?
Am I shivering now?
It is cold today. Snow's coming.


©2013 Judy H. Eurey

Hard End

Hunger-driven hands break
the so contented egg
into a kill it skillet
of chattering butter.

The soft orange orb
is protected
by its ivory-filigreed edges

until the molting grease-heat
sets it plump-firm.


©2013 Judy H. Eurey

Lest I forget...

Sometimes I must admit...I get tired of church! The endless meetings, the tasks of preparing for yet another charge conference, the next thing, and the next thing...and the next thing. Yet, through it all, as I dither about in my fatigue of faithfulness, God has it all in hand. The community I serve with in God's kingdom is truly awesome! Because even when we are weary of church, weary of the programs and even weary with each other, these faces keep us (me) from forgetting that God has given us a great hope...the hope of Christ in every one of these faces. See for yourself!

vbspics from Judy Eurey on Vimeo.

Thank you Lord for your grace and faithfulness to me!

Giving

Many people have the gift of generosity. Were it not so, many worthy causes would go unfunded. Yet for today's family, faithful giving to church in the form of tithing and special gifts is often confronted with many financial realities. I know that people have always had financial realities to address, but it seems these days...well...the issue is compounded by all that is available to us that maybe our foremothers and forefathers never even considered.

I believe it is in such times that we can apply the timeless advice of John Wesley about how to give.

Stewardship from Judy Eurey on Vimeo.  Take a look!

 

 

Tell me what you think.