Image by hiromy via FlickrBlueAdvent is the four weeks preceding Christmas and is a time of waiting and preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child. More and more church traditions are celebrating this special time of year. The next few weeks I will be posting information and reflections about the colors and meaning of Advent.Last Tuesday I shared about the color purple and Advent. But many churches are no longer using purple as much during this season. Even my own church’s vestments are now blue instead of purple. Purple represents the concept of repentance similar to the Lenten season. Blue symbolizes the expectant nature of the season as in the early blue skies each morning. In the predawn moments while it is still dark, we anticipate the coming King’s arrival.I have also read the blue signifies the water in first chapter of Genesis - the beginning of a new creation.As a color blue is symbolic of hope, expectation, and heaven. It is also the color associated with the Virgin … [Read more...]
Themes of Advent – Waiting
Image by CmdrFire via Flickr Advent is the four weeks preceding Christmas and is a time of waiting and preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child. More and more church traditions are celebrating this special time of year. The next few weeks I will be posting information and reflections about the colors and meaning of Advent.WAITMost of us don’t like to wait. Just lingering around, watching, killing time, not sure of what lies ahead drives us crazy. I have read that the average person will spend 5 years of his or her life waiting in line, 2 years playing telephone tag, and six months sitting at red lights. We are not patient people. We want it now. We fill the waiting time with twitches, fiddling, and complaining.But during Advent we do become waiting people. We pause, breath in the blues and purple of the Advent season and savor the stillness of this sacred time.Waiting isn’t always easy but can be fruitful.Waiting creates a space to slow down and refocus our … [Read more...]
The Colors of Advent – Purple
Image via WikipediaAdvent is the four weeks preceding Christmas and is a time of waiting and preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child. More and more church traditions are celebrating this special time of year. The next few weeks I will be posting information and reflections about the colors and meaning of Advent.PurplePurple seems like an odd choice for colors to decorate the sanctuary. Isn’t this time of year all red, green and gold? Yet historically the primary color of Advent is purple.When I was a student nurse at Capital University, we wore purple uniforms. In her usual haughty manner, our dean would tell us, “Purple is the color of royalty.” We felt more like a bunch of grapes when squeezed into the hospitals’ elevator.But through the years, purple has represented a King and royalty. Purple is also the color of repentance connecting this season with the spirit of Lent. The nativity of our Lord is linked with His crucifixion. Actually at one point Advent was called “The … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Trivia and Fun Facts
Image via WikipediaMost of us are stuffed in the United States from overeating our Thanksgiving meal and are taking a break by roving the Internet between the Macy Day Parade and before kickoff of the big game.How about some fun facts about Thanksgiving? You can use these pieces of trivia to impress your friends and family:The word turkey is said to come from Hebrew “Tukki” meaning big bird or pheasant bird. Yep, we are eating Big Bird – don’t tell the youngun’s.True or False? The Pilgrims brought beer along with them on the ships – TrueHow many pilgrim women survived to celebrate that first Thanksgiving? Only five and they did all the cooking!Who was the first balloon in the 1927 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? Felix the CatIn the early 1600s what eating utensil didn’t the Pilgrim have? The fork wasn’t invented yet.A full-grown turkey has more than 3,000 feathers. The cranberry is a symbol and a modern diet staple of thanksgiving. Originally called crane … [Read more...]
Five Great Thanksgiving Prayers
Image by *clairity* via FlickrSaying thanks right now may be the farthest from your mind as you rush to get the house ready for company before the big meal on Thursday. In the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving this week.My prayers during many of the holidays become more chaotic. Sometimes my prayers on a week like this take on a desperate tone of “please let’s not have any family drama this year and all get along, like in the Norman Rockwell sketches.”As we sit down to eat our Thanksgiving meal we do pause to give our thanks to God for all He has done for us. Sometimes we share something we are thankful for and someone offers to say the prayer. I found five great examples of Thanksgiving Day Prayers to share with you. I pray that your holiday may be blessed and maybe one of these prayers will help:Psalm 100Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, … [Read more...]
Creating a Thankful Home
My two-year-old granddaughter, Kyla, is learning manners. Her mom won’t let me respond to Kyla until she says, “Please” and “Thank you.”And I must say in all humble grandmotherlyness, a toddler answering with a exceedingly cute, “You’re welcome” just warms the heart.Growing up in a home where thanks and gratitude is expected will help her as an adult express thankfulness.We can create thankful homes even as adults.A few years back I looked around my house. What would a stranger know about me walking though this place I call home? Is love spoken here? What do the residents believe? Is the atmosphere warm and inviting?I remember that experience when I decorate, remodeled, or hunt for just the right painting for the walls. I look for ways to express hospitality.November focuses on being grateful and is a great time for creating a thankful home environment.I have a basket of fresh Honey Crisp apples on the counter. Thankful for fall harvest.On my front door hangs a wreath – … [Read more...]
An Early Thanksgiving
The grateful heart sits at a continuous feast. Proverbs 15:15My prayers and thoughts lately have rested on thankfulness. I do feel as the verse from Proverbs states, like I have been to rich banquet.I hope in leaner, dryer times to focus as much attention on gratitude as in these good times.I read this week an interesting story on the blog, The Practical Disciple: “During a spiritual renewal weekend that I just attended someone at a discussion table raised a question that has really gnawed at my conscience. “What if tomorrow when you awoke, the only things you had were the things you thanked God for today?”What a powerful statement. Makes you think, squirm, and fall to your knees thanking God, doesn’t it? Pondering that question reminds me of many, many forgotten moments to hold up to Him with gratitude.Then later I read this quote:We don't need more to be thankful for, we need to be more thankful.—Source UnknownI have much to be thankful for recently.Everywhere I look I am seeing … [Read more...]
Summer Solstice Spiritual Lessons
Image via WikipediaToday is the Summer Solstice.I am a summer person. This is MY time of year. I like the weather hot, the sun shining, and the flowers blooming.I come alive in summer.Today is the first day of MY season (ok, not MY season, I will share it. LOL)Though much of summer solstice originates from pagan, pre-Christian history, I found some fun and thought provoking tidbits about this celebration to share. These facts enriched my prayers this week:· "Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. This is because, as the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky on each successive day. On the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount, compared to the day before. In this sense, it "stands still." Lord, help me to stand still. You tell us tenderly, “Be still and know I am God.” Just as the sun obeys You in this command, I pause in Your sacred stillness. As the sun rises … [Read more...]