Month: January 2012

If you love somebody, set them free

/ Sharon / Leave a comment

It’s one thing to be captivated by things.  Cars. Gadgets. Shoes. Diamonds. But a more insidious temptation is to view a person as a means toward an end.  An object. A commodity.  A possession.  In our fallen world, this tendency can sneak up on any of us if we’re not intentional about seeing people as made in God’s image. In some cases, this tendency has gained momentum and evolved into a system of oppression.

January 11 has been declared Human Trafficking Awareness Day.  According to the Polaris Project, approximately 27 million people are modern day slaves, whether in forced labor or the sex trade, generating annual profits of about $32 billion.  With such overwhelming numbers, it’s easy to downplay our potential for contributing to positive change.  Nevertheless, in dedication to our Redeemer, we must act.  Here are some places to start: 

  • Learn more about the issue and how it is already being addressed.  The Department of State has published a comprehensive report.  World Vision, International Justice Mission, and American Baptist Women’s Ministries are three groups offering advocacy and assistance, but I’m sure that there are many more.
  • Advocate for the continuance of necessary legislation.
  • Consider the products that you purchase and whether they are produced ethically. 
  • Donate to the work of organizations who are addressing this injustice.
  • Establish a time for periodic prayer and intercession. And pray. 

 Your Call:  Take a look at one of the websites linked above and based on what you learn, say a prayer of intercession for victims of human trafficking. Take another look at the list above.  Pray about what action(s) you will take and make a commitment to follow through.

Epiphany: God-Sightings and The Work of Christmas

/ Sharon / Leave a comment

After singing about “a partridge in a pear tree” for so many years, I’ve now embraced the notion that there really are twelve days of Christmas and I’ve been more mindful of the significance of Epiphany this time around.  As it was for the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) and the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), having a revelation of God in Jesus Christ continues to be a gift.  

Today was the last day of a week-long course that I attended and one of my classmates opened the session with a time of reflection.  She invited us to mention any “God-sightings” which pointed to our recent awareness of the presence of God in our lives.  After we testified of the gift of God in our lives, our classmate then reminded us that the gifting must continue.  She presented the following poem (written by Howard Thurman) as a call to extend the grace that we have received:

The Work of Christmas
By Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
           To find the lost,
           To heal the broken,
           To feed the hungry,
           To release the prisoners,
           To rebuild the nations,
           To bring peace among the people,
           To make music in the heart.

Your Call:  Think about how Epiphany applies to your life. What “God-sightings” do you recall from this week?   Take some time to meditate upon Thurman’s poem.  How do you think God is calling you to continue the “work of Christmas”?

A Thrill of Hope, The Weary World Rejoices

/ Sharon / Leave a comment

In recent years, I haven’t been particularly drawn to Christmas music the way I used to be. I’ll go further and confess that, this year, Advent served as more of a countdown to vacation time than anything else.  But while I was in church for Christmas service, I listened to a song that I have heard a million times and something changed.  All it took was one line from O Holy Night:

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…

A gracious God met me in my weariness with Hope in hand, just as on that “Night Divine.”  In response, I was drawn to the story of the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20).  In Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels, Kenneth E. Bailey points out that “the first people to hear the message of the birth of Jesus were a group of shepherds who were close to the bottom of the social scale in their society.” As I pondered this, I found myself wondering what it would be like to enter their world.

Hello. My name is Mary.  Not that Mary.  I am…another Mary. My father is a shepherd. He works very hard, so hard that I can hear the weariness in his sighs when he comes home every night. It’s amazing what can happen in just 24 hours.  Last night, my father came home. As usual, he had worked hard, but there was something different…

All of a sudden, he picks up my sister and whirls her around and around and around until their laughter fills the house from top to bottom.  Then he says,

“Everybody come here! Come here right now! I have something to tell you!” 

As we gather around him, I see a twinkle in his eye that he hasn’t had in a long time.  He pauses. Then he says:

“You won’t believe what happened to us today while we were tending our flocks. Out of nowhere, an angel appeared and said:

 ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

 And so we practically ran to Bethlehem and we found Him, just as the angel said. We saw Him. The Messiah.  We.   saw.   Him.”

My father’s voice begins to waver and he just looks up, lifts his hands and shakes his head. And the tears come.  I run to the corner of the room. And I sit. And I look up.  And I say:

Maybe I don’t have to be a son of a rabbi for You to see me. Maybe You are listening to me after all.  Me. The daughter of a shepherd.   If that Mary was from Nazareth, maybe You have a purpose for me too.   

Hear my prayer, O Lord.

Hear my prayer, O Lord.

Hear my prayer, O Lord.  

Amen.

Your Call: Read Luke 2:8-20.  Read it again. Sit with it. Imagine how you would feel if you were a shepherd or a part of his family and had been given hope for your weariness. Perhaps you are weary. If so, receive the hope of Christ afresh.  Perhaps you know others who are weary.  Offer them this hope that you are privileged to possess.