Dec 25 - Music Filled the Air

Music Filled the Air

Sunday, December 25, 2022

by Brian Groe

I know that we said this would be an Advent Blog, but since it is Christmas Day I wanted to add one more post as a farewell to Advent for 2022.  

I have really enjoyed selecting music for the blog over the last month, and there were a few more choral pieces that I wasn't able to get included into the daily devotions.  These are all pieces that are traditionally done during the Christmas Season, and ones that Diana and I have performed in the past as part of choirs.  I hope that you enjoy these pieces as much as we do.

First from The Messiah.  There are so many rich and treasured songs that we remember and sing during this season.  For Unto Us a Child is Born is one of the most memorable.  

If you want to hear the entire Messiah, please click HERE.  This video presents all 3 sections of The Messiah (about 2.5 hours), and when I played it there were no commercial interruptions.  It is worth listening to the end to hear Worthy is the Lamb and the final Amen chorus.

I love singing choral music from Russian composers.  They really know how to write a bass line!  Salvation is Created by Pavel Chesnokov is a beautiful piece that both Diana and I have enjoyed singing in the past.



A few years ago, the Community Choir did the Pinkham Mass with David Hall.  Diana and I have sung this mass a couple of times, and it has always been a challenge, but it was a joy to sing it with David.  Here is the Gloria In Excelsis Deo

Randall Thompson's Alleluia is a wonderful expression of praise and joy.  As we celebrate this wonderful Christmas season, may we all raise our hands to say Alleluia.



Let me end this with one of my favorite Christmas hymns, In the Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst.  What can I give Him poor as I am?  What I can I give Him, give my heart.



I hope you have enjoyed these songs.  Thank you all for your support over the last month.  We would love to hear your comments about this effort.  You will find the comment box at the bottom of this post.  

May God richly bless each and every one of you in the coming year!

Dec 24 - When They Returned

When They Returned ...

Saturday, December 24, 2022

by Andy Lambel

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Key Verse: Luke 2:20 

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

The last verse of the Christmas story as written by Luke in his Gospel.  And it’s a familiar story to most of us. 

Today, I think about this text through the eyes and the lives of the shepherds.

Shepherds were not high on “totem pole” of that day.  In fact, they were the lowest of the low.  They were simple, uneducated men who risked their lives every day to care for a bunch of sheep.

And yet despite their lowly standing, the angels appeared to them that night sharing the good news with them.  In Luke 2:9-10, we read, “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.’”  And the angel went on to them about the birth of Jesus, where it would happen, and how they would know that the baby was indeed the Messiah.  Then a host of angels appeared in the night sky, praising God.

So, the shepherds go to see this child they had been told about.

This brings me to verse 20.  As I’ve read this verse over and over the past few days, one word sticks out to me.  The word RETURNED.

I don’t think these simple shepherds returned to their sheep the same men they were when they left their sheep.  I don’t think a person can have a personal encounter with the living Christ and return to wherever they came from the same person.

Think about other personal encounters with the living Christ in Scripture.  

What about the three wise men?  After they had a personal encounter with Jesus, Scripture says, “they returned to their country by another route.” – Matthew 2:12.  They didn’t go home the same way they came.  I think they went home different people.

Think about Nicodemus and his conversation with Jesus found in John chapter 3.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but he approached Jesus and had a conversation with Him.  The next time we see Nicodemus, he’s helping Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus after the crucifixion.  We’re not told that Nicodemus returned to his home a different man, but I think he did after having a personal encounter with Him.

And then there’s Thomas or doubting Thomas if you will.  We read about this in John chapter 20.  Thomas is told by the other disciples, “We have seen the Lord.”  Thomas doesn’t believe them.  He says, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” – John 20:25.

About a week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again.  This time Thomas was with them.  He appeared and said to Thomas, “Put you finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas’ next statement show what can happen when a personal encounter with the living Christ take place.  Thomas said, “My Lord and my God.” – John 20:28.

This is what can happen to us when we have a personal encounter with the living Christ.  We will not return the same person.  

A personal encounter with the living Christ is a LIFE-CHANGING, LIFE TRANSFORMING encounter.  May we all have that same encounter with Christ as the shepherds on that first Christmas morning and return home glorifying and praising God.

AMEN

Dec 23 - Tell Everyone

Tell Everyone!

Friday, December 23, 2022

by Brian Groe

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Key Verse: Luke 2:17-19
After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

Traditionally, Luke the physician and companion of Paul is the author of the Gospel of Luke.  In fact between Luke and Acts, the author of this book contributes 27% of the material in the New Testament.  Luke contains a considerable amount of information that is not contained anywhere else in the New Testament.  Tradition says that Luke got this information by interviewing eyewitnesses.

Think about that for a minute.  Say one of the shepherds was 10 years old when Jesus was born.  That would make him 43 when Jesus was crucified.  It was likely 20-25 years later that Luke began his research, that would put this particular shepherd in his mid 60's, which for that time and for his occupation would make him an old man.  I'll bet that he still remembered that night clearly, and could recite everything the angel said because he had told the story so often.  

In our verses today we have 2 reactions to the same incident, and they are both things that I need to incorporate into my own life.  First the shepherds told everyone!  They told them about the angels.  They told them what the angels said.  They told them about the child that they had seen in the manger.  I am sure that they didn't really understand what it all meant, but they told everyone what they had seen and heard!  AND all who heard were astonished.  It was quite a story, and all who heard it were amazed.

Secondly, Mary kept all these things in her heart, and thought about them often.  Mary thought often about the visit of the shepherds that night, and the message that they brought from the angels.  She cherished every word, and every sight.  

In a similar way, I need to contemplate what God is doing in my life.  Every day God is working within me as I walk with Him.  I need to open the eyes and ears of faith to see and hear the wonders of God in all that surrounds me.  I need to always keep at the front of my mind the many blessings God has given me.  Then I need to go out, and speak of God's love and grace towards me, and tell everyone I see of the grace and love of God that we celebrate all year long.

As I was searching for Advent Prayers, I found an interesting quote.  I like things that make me think, and this quote got me thinking in a new direction:

Advent Reflection

In one sense we are always traveling,
    and traveling as if we did not know where we are going.
In another sense we have already arrived.

We cannot arrive at the perfect possession of God in this life, 

    and that is why we are traveling 

    and we travel in darkness. 

But we already possess God by grace, and therefore, 

    in that sense, we have arrived and are dwelling in the light.

But oh! How far have I to go to find You in Whom I have already arrived!

- Thomas Merton, "Dialogues with Silence"

For a song today I have chosen Tchaikovsky's Hymn of the Cherubim.  Since the choir is singing in Russian, here is the text for this song.

Text by W. G. Rothery, 1909

Angel Spirits, ever Blessèd, 

    offer praise on high unceasing,

Ever crying Holy, Holy, Holy 

    Lord God of Sabaoth.

Saints and Martyrs Blessèd 

    praise Thy Name, Trinity Lifegiving,

Ever crying Holy, Holy, Holy 

    Lord God of Sabaoth.

In the angelic Song, let us join 

    before Thy Throne on high, 

    Blessèd, Blessèd Trinity

Ever crying Holy, Holy, Holy 

    Lord God of Sabaoth.

Amen.

Glory be to God in the highest.

With the angelic Throng, we join 

    in Songs of Praise for ever.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. 

Holy Lord: Who is, and was, and is to come.  Open my eyes to see afresh the wonders of grace that You perform every day.  Open my ears to hear the songs of praise sung by angel choirs.  Open my mouth to proclaim Your love to everyone that I see.  Thank You for the great gift of salvation that we celebrate today.   Amen

PS - As we wrap up this year's Advent Blog, I want to thank Bambi for organizing, reminding and shepherding this effort.  Thanks to everyone who contributed their wonderful memories, thoughts and prayers to this effort.  Thanks also to Pastor Andy for his leadership that made this possible.  Most importantly thanks to you our readers for making this a success. Let's join together in thanking and praising God for the wonderful gift of salvation that we celebrate during this season.   

Finally, allow me to remind you of the schedule of coming events:

• On Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) there are services at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.  The 5:00 p.m. service will be livestreamed on the church's YouTube and Facebook page.
• On Sunday, December 25 (Christmas Day) there will be a potluck style breakfast in fellowship hall at 9:15.  There will be one service at 10:00 in the Sanctuary.  We will be singing Christmas Carols.
• Recorded and livestreams of our services can be seen on the FUMC West Plains YouTube channel at youtube.com/@fumcwestplains244/featured.
• For more information about First United Methodist Church of West Plains, MO see our website at fumcwestplains.com.

We hope that everyone has a blessed and joyous Christmas.

Dec 22 - Good News

Good News

Thursday, December 22, 2022

By Geoff Posegate

Scripture: Luke 1:1-20

Key Verse: Luke 2:16
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”

Have you ever felt like you were just not the kind of person who could or should get lots of good news in this life?

In the 2009 film, “The Blind Side,” a poverty-stricken young man named Michael Oher (now a retired professional football player) is taken into the home of the well-to-do Touhy family of Memphis, Tennessee. He is stunned when he realizes he is being given his own room, much less his own bed. Michael assumed good news like this would never be a part of his life path.

Looking at the realities of our world, we can assume that some people get good news and some people don’t, and that’s just the way it is. Judean shepherds certainly knew this to be true. Shepherding was not the idyllic, pristine look we give it in our Nativity scenes at Christmastime. Shepherding was dirty, transient work, looked down upon by most people in first century cultures. People assumed shepherds were of low character and untrustworthy. Only the lowest of the low stooped to shepherding sheep and goats. They were not people who experienced much good news in life, if any.

Luke specifies that after the shepherds heard the news of Jesus’ birth, they “hurried” to find him. Was the hurry just due to curiosity or fear of missing out? Or was it more? I notice the number of times in the preceding verses the word translated “you” in English appears. “I bring you good news…” (verse 10.) “A Savior has been born to you…” (verse 11.) “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby…” (verse 12.) Perhaps the shepherds rushed to see if it was all true because of the staggering possibility that the good news actually was for them; that they really had been chosen to get good news, maybe for the first time in their lives.

Maybe because of illness, someone’s death, job loss, depression, a relationship ending, or any number of reasons, you feel good news just isn’t in the cards for you. If so, you’re in good company; in the company of the first ragged crew to get the news that Jesus was born. Maybe this year a Christmas angel (messenger from God) wants you to be the first to get life-saving, life-changing good news. Michael Oher could not imagine the good news that was ahead for him and how his life would change. Maybe that’s true for you, too.

Loving God, rescue me from the lie that good news is for everyone else except me. Stand me with the stunned shepherds. With them, bowl me over with the message that the good news actually is for me; for us. Focus my mind and heart of those who don’t believe good news is for them this Christmas, because of what’s happen to them, where they came from, who they are, or who they’re not. Use me as your messenger of good news to them. I pray in the name of the One who is the good news. Amen.

Dec 21 - The Sign

The Sign

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

by Sherry Zajicek

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Key Verse: Luke 2:15

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  (NIV)

Well, of course they went to see, right?  That would be the natural thing to do.  But upon contemplating this a little more, why was it important for them to actually go see? 

I have to admit that I’ve always wondered why the baby was referred to as a sign.  After all, the baby was the actual Messiah.  To me that would be like saying rain is a sign it is going to rain.  But as I’ve been seeing in the Bible, those speaking on behalf of God frequently make a statement and then follow it up by specifying a sign.  The recipient of the message can know that it is true because there is also going to be a sign to validate the message.  So, in verse 10 they are told the message is going to be good, in verse 11 they are given the actual message (their Savior, Christ, is born) and in verse 12 they are told that the baby in a manger is the sign to validate the message.  They were invited to go see the baby and know that the message was true.  Which they did, and then proceeded to tell other people about what they had been told by the Lord.

Why was it important for this message and sign to be given at that time, and not when Jesus’s ministry began?  And why were shepherds given a message directly to them?  They weren’t the only ones, but it was important enough for Luke to include it, and they may have been the first people besides Joseph and Mary to see Jesus in the flesh and recognize Him as the Messiah.  I think it was to mark the start of the implementation of God’s plan to reconnect with humankind, his creation, in a more intimate way.  The Israelites had requested that Moses be their liaison with God because they were afraid.  From that time, God’s communication to his people was through the priests and those he selected as prophets.  But through time, the leaders tended to become gatekeepers and some even misled the nation.  The Law of the Covenant, which was meant to bind the Israelites to their God, had been expanded to the point of being a burden and even a distraction or obstacle to a connection with God.  Some probably gave up or were excluded from the congregation because they had failed and could not afford the sacrifices to maintain “good standing.”  The nation that was supposed to reveal God to the rest of the world was itself struggling with that connection.

But now God was going to reveal himself to mankind again.  He was going to be accessible at an individual level to all people who choose to follow him.  And He was starting on that very day when the Son was born as a human.  He would walk the earth and show and explain so much.  His life would be filled with signs.  It would start the path through time to another sign mentioned in Matthew 27:51. When the Son had made the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for our sins, and then be raised from the grave to conquer death so that we can have eternal life with God, the temple curtain was torn, allowing access for all who believed and would follow the Lord.  All of the obstacles that we could not remove ourselves were removed for us. The only one remaining is our very own choice, and whether we accept the gift that has been given to us.

That Night, by John Thompson

That night in all of heaven, there wasn’t a sound,

As God and the angels watched the earth.

For there in a stable, the Father’s only son

Chose to give himself through human birth.

And when the cry of a baby pierced the universe,

Once for all men were shown their worth.

Then the heavens exploded with music everywhere,

And the angels spilled over heaven’s edge and filled the air.

And the Father rejoiced, for he did not lose his son,

But he gained to himself forever those who’d come. Amen.

Lord, as we celebrate this Advent time, when we see the Christ as a baby, help us to remember the sacrifice that you made and the path of salvation that you gave us.  Help us to not take for granted the love that you offer us every day.  And help us to be like the shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth, so that we share the good news with those who do not yet know you, the One that can give them peace and joy. Amen.

Dec 20 - This Little Light of Mine

This Little Light of Mine

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

By Donna Cook

Scripture: John 1:1-18

Key Verse: John 1:4-5

The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone. 

The light shines in the darkness, 

    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

These verses bring to mind a couple of different thoughts for me. First, if we really love Jesus, we want to be like him. We want to live our lives in a way to “shine” and reveal light in the world; helping to overcome the darkness that is out in the world- I could name several names of fellow church members, wonderful people here at our church who are great examples- “shining their lights” for others daily- continually giving to others. I believe this is what we are all called to do in any way we can.

The second thought I had when I read these verses can be summed up by the children’s song “This Little Light of Mine-I’m Gonna Let it Shine.” I think that song says it all quite well. 

Dec 19 - An Advent Journey

An Advent Journey 

Monday, December 19, 2022

By Gloria Macy

Scripture John 1:1-18

Key Verse: John 1:1-3

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” KJV

 

The Advent journey is almost complete. We enter the journey seeking Hope. The first verse of this passage the word, Word is capitalized. Many will seek God’s written word, the Bible. But it was Jesus, “Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” who was sent to us. To bring us HOPE! So many scriptures and passages of hope spring to mind. The Word of God is this child wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manager, one very holy night, in a little town of Bethlehem, the stars guiding the way for the wise men, God sent his Word to walk among the people on Earth. Often times my hope is for things of this world, better life situations or hope of things to come. But knowing God gave us his “Word," written in translation, in the flesh and audible at times to us by his whispers in our hearts, his Word brings us Hope. 

"Star of Bethlehem" by Sarah Richards Samuelson

As we Journey down the path into week 2 we seek to rejoice and pray for Peace. More times than not, I look at my sleeping children and think to myself this is the Peace which will bring the chaos. His Word brings us Peace because this world provides so many challenges for all of us. As I reflect on John 1:2, I have searched many translations to help me understand this verse. Genesis chapter 1 verse 2 tells us how the earth was without form and yet the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Jesus was there with God in the beginning. The Zondervan KJV Study Bible references Jesus as an “acting agent” in creation or Jesus as being the very Word of God. Such Peace in knowing that God knew from the very dawn of existence, before life was breathed into creation, A peacemaker would be needed to comfort us all. 

The next stop on this Journey, Joy. There are many things that bring us Joy. And many things that seem to try to steal our Joy. There is so much Joy in knowing all things were made by Christ, a loving God who knew the trials of the world created. All he asked Is that we love him back with a Joyful heart. Simple? Right? My world is falling apart, and I am supposed to be joyful. My child is sick, I lost someone I love, finances aren’t matching up and He expects me to praise him and thank him Joyfully! So, let’s put that into a perspective of human understanding. God gave up his son, who was in heaven with Him. Gave him to a world of selfishness and sin, a vile world. To bring HOPE, PEACE and yes, JOY. He gave this helpless infant that Mary nursed and cared for to a crowd of God’s created beings, which beat him, spat upon him and Mary had to watch as they put a crown of thorns on his head, and pierce his hands and feet. It most certainly was not joyful in that very moment. The Bible speaks little of Mary’s responses. However, when the stone was rolled away in Matthew’s account Chapter 28 verse 8, the women departed with fear and great joy. But during the crucifixion what form did Joy take? 

The final stop on the Journey, for the greatest of these is LOVE. With Hope, Peace and Joy we find the greatest gift, Love. I love watching the light in my children’s eyes during this time of year. My youngest was up late. He was gazing at the lights on the Christmas tree in its undecorated bareness. He asked me “Mom, do you know what my favorite part of the tree is?” Of course I respond with “What is your favorite part?” He responds, “The star. At the top and my second favorite is the gifts under the tree.” How simply precious? To wrap up advent from the eyes of the child, the star guides us along the journey just as the wise men did over 2000 years ago. With the Hope at the end of the journey to find a gift of Peace lying in a manager, which brings us Joy in our hearts and delivers Love to us all. His Word brings us all this and so much more than the four  - Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.