Advent Faith in an Anxious World

By Rev. Lee Anderson

As we celebrate Advent, there is a shadow over these holy and festive days. Recent terror attacks have left many feeling mournful, angry, and frightened. Further, the responses out of fear and prejudice, heard around the media, deepen that shadow. Click here to read an article with a different perspective, written by Ben Lindwall, Executive Director of John Philip Newell's organization, Heartbeat.  Ben shares a loving and faith-filled response to what is going on in our world, and this response is good not only for the world, but for our own individual well-being and growth as well.

Holiday Blues

By Rev. Lee Anderson, Minister of Care

As we enter the holiday season, those who will struggle with grief and depression are on my mind. While it seems the world is celebrating, there are so many who experience the holiday season in a different way.  You are not alone in these feelings. If you need someone to talk to, please call one of these 24/7 hotlines:

Colorado/Metro Crisis Services: 1-844-493-TALK (8255) or chat online at www.metrocrisisservices.org

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

While I have no cure for holiday blues and grief to share with you, here are some articles that others have written that will provide some insight into causes and suggestions to help manage these burdens.  

Healing holiday grief:

http://www.centerforloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Heal-During-Holidays.pdf

Tips for managing grief during the holidays:

https://griefnet.org/library/articles/holidays.html

Causes of holiday blues, and how to know if it’s something more:

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/20081217_holiday_blues/

Tips for coping with holiday stress & depression:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20047544

Waiting Room

By Rev. Lee Anderson

Have you noticed fully this time of transition between seasons?  The mornings and evenings are cool but the days are still hot.  The trees, until recently, seem to have been waiting…waiting…

Henri Nouwen writes in his book Discernment, “Whenever there is a lack of clarity or ambiguous circumstances, it is time to wait” (p150).  This reminds me of something my spiritual director often says: when we pray for an answer or for what we think we want, God will, in some way or another, answer either yes, no, or not now.  In my impatience and frustration, I want the answer to come to me as clearly and quickly as shaking a Magic 8 Ball™.  Unfortunately, it usually does not happen that way.  Is that indeed unfortunate?  Sure, it doesn’t meet our felt need for an immediate answer.  But, God is ever drawing us closer in relationship to Him, and through this our deepest needs are met. 

Nouwen gives us more about times of waiting: “Active waiting is being open to the promise yet to be fulfilled.  Patient waiting is staying fully in the present moment.  Expectant waiting is trusting that this long process will bear fruit” (p. 153).  Active waiting involves looking for God in what is happening right before you.  It is not passively waiting for the time to go by until the desired outcome is reached.  Waiting with patience means to be fully present to what is happening now.  Being present to what is happening now requires attention to yourself and those around you, and much can be learned from this.  The tendency is to see now as being a waste of time, leading us to pass over it with little thought.  Expectant waiting means trusting that God will deliver on God’s promises, that God will meet your deepest needs.

Discerning God’s movement and presence, and letting the waiting bring you into a closer connection with God, is the way of waiting for followers of Christ.  Where in your life are you waiting?  How might you engage fully with the present, and open yourself to God’s presence?  Are you both talking and listening in prayer?  How can you nurture yourself during this time? 

Make room for waiting in whatever season you are experiencing now.  “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, ASV).    

The Fingerprint of a Christian

By Rev. Lee Anderson, Minister of Care

Early Methodism was a movement within the Anglican Church, much as early Christianity was a movement within Judaism. Both movements began in response to, and gained followers because of, a sensed need for reform in the larger context. Jesus was dismayed and disappointed by those who claimed to be God’s followers but who seemed to miss the point of the spiritual life and of caring for one another. John Wesley also saw a disconnect between these things among his fellow Christians. Wesley’s method of deepening one’s faith, walking with Christ, and living as a follower of Christ included small faith communities called classes, which formed larger communities called societies. The purpose of a class was to learn and be in community, but also to hold one another accountable. To study and claim Christianity was not enough; one had to exemplify the features of a Christian. If they were not able to do this, they were not allowed to stay within the community. This is because Christianity was a way of life to Wesley and others within the early Methodist church. Faith communities were important for the development of all people who sought to follow Christ, and all were accountable to nurturing one another and living out their own faith. 

The way of Christianity is a rewarding one, but not an easy one. A life that exemplifies the fingerprint of a Christian is no less relevant today than it was in Jesus’ or Wesley’s times. It was not easier in their times either. Humans struggle now…as they did then…with the lure of fitting in and consumerism, with a sense of entitlement and placing one’s own needs above those of others, with anxiety, fear, and emptiness, which lead to destructive behaviors. Like fingerprints, each life of a Christian is unique. We need not all look and act alike. Yet, there are identifying characteristics, such as leaning on a God that is bigger than you and all your worries, or giving of one’s self for others, to name but a couple.

Following Christ is a practice; it is not a one-time decision. It takes attentiveness. It is humbling when we see our own shortcomings in comparison to Christ’s life and teachings. But, we are not meant to do it alone. We are meant to ask for God’s help, and then open ourselves to receiving that help. We also need the support of a loving and healthy faith community. How are you helping to support and nurture others in your faith community…both your smaller group and the larger church? How does your faith community help you develop as a Christian? How would you describe your own Christian fingerprint?

Saying Grace

From Rev. Jasper Peters, Associate Pastor

Growing up, my family would always say grace before a meal. My father would say the same thing before each meal. Every so often, the children would be invited to say a rudimentary prayer, but often we would just be there to listen. I never understood why it was called grace.

My first week away at college, I realized I could now begin to figure out who I would be, independent of family traditions. I considered whether it was necessary to continue saying a formulaic prayer before I ate. It was honestly difficult to make this decision in the middle of a college dining hall. While sitting at a table of 18 and 19-year-olds, I stopped talking, closed my eyes, and I took a moment to think.

I thought about all the things that had happened in my life that had brought me to that moment at that table. I acknowledged all the things that might have gone differently in my life, preventing me from sitting at that table. Then I thought about the sacrifices of plants and animals that made the meal possible at all. Something had to die so that I might live. How could all this even be possible? All of a sudden, the word “grace” made a lot more sense.

I decided then and there that praying before a meal would be something I did going forward, not because I had been taught to do so, but rather because I decided to do so on my own. I don’t always say the same words, but rather I sit there quietly, calming down enough to realize that I didn’t earn what I have, but rather it is a massive and meaningful gift. After a few days, several of my new friends took notice of my 10-15 second pre-meal silent ritual. Some of them stared as if they were confused. A few others complimented me, thinking I must be some sort of monk-in-training. In reality, I simply had a lot for which I was thankful.