Mixed signals or which way do I turn?
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Willard Teel
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
Mixed signals or which way do I turn?
Is your life similar to mine in the sense the world and the church give conflicting signals?
On one hand, I grew up being told to “Be All You Can Be”, you can do anything that you want to do, you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to accomplish, you need to be your own man, you need to figure things out yourself, and my Enneagram 8 number teaches me that I am self-preserving and self-reliant.
Then, during the holiday season, which begins near Halloween and continues through New Year, our time is preoccupied with festivities and the busyness of the season. There is always something to do or something that needs to be done. The season is loud and noisy and hectic.
So, what does it mean for us to turn away from “I” and the brightness and fullness of fall and winter celebrations for our soul to wait in silence? And, how will we find our salvation within that silence?
Who do we choose to trust? Do we trust ourselves, or do we trust silence to help us find ourselves?
It is easy to see that the signals are mixed between the “I” and acknowledging that God is our rock and salvation and in that, in silence, we will find God.
Too often in my life, I’ve chosen to trust myself and go it alone. God made me; therefore, He/She must want me to figure things out myself. But, the Psalmist says “hush”. We are called to know that God is, well, everything. All things on earth pale when compared to God. God is our Rock and Strength. Within God we find safety and strength and refuge.
Within God, the mixed signals disappear. The “I” disappears. The holiday frenzy disappears.
Which way do I turn?
Which way do you turn?
Where do we find our Hope this Advent season?
The answer lies within each of us in the silence from which we find our hope and strength. What will you choose? I choose to embrace the silence and God.
A Lot of Hope
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Ken Williams
Romans 8:18-25
My New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible entitles chapter 8 as “The life of the spirit”, verses 14-17 as “Children of God” and verses 18-27 as “Glory as our destiny”. So, in a nutshell, the scripture assigned to me is about what those of us with the indwelling spirit of Christ can hope for.
Verse 18 starts with our sufferings on earth. Today is the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which, according to Wikipedia, killed 2,467 Americans. That attack led the US into WW II, the deadliest military conflict in history, resulting in over 70 million deaths worldwide. That’s a lot of suffering. But that level of suffering doesn’t compare with the glory God has waiting for us. That’s a lot of hope.
The other verses expand our hopes for:
- Freedom we can get from slavery to decadence by relying on the spirit of Christ without which we can never completely overcome the temptations of the unspiritual world and…
- Salvation based on our faith in God’s promises, i.e. our hope for things not seen.
With that terse overview, based on no theological education whatsoever, let’s end in prayer:
Our dear father in heaven, there is no way we can thank you enough for sending your son to earth. For he showed us the way to become one of your children. We also thank you for your spirit which enables us to overcome our struggles on earth and look forward to a glorious eternal life in heaven. Amen
Look Everywhere
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By David Goree
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” the Lord says in Jeremiah 29.
When I’m looking for a lost item, I can imagine it everywhere. When I misplace my wallet, for example, I picture it in the likely places: on my desk, on the dresser, on the dining table, and in the car under the driver’s seat. As I continue searching, though, I can also picture it under the couch, and in the dryer, and on top of the refrigerator. I dutifully check each of these places, no matter how improbable. After all, once you’ve pictured your wallet falling into the recycling bin, how can you not take a quick look for it there?
When we seek the Lord, I think we look for Him in the likely places. We seek Him in church, in Scripture, and in the hospital waiting room. What if we sought Him everywhere? What if we sought the Lord in the voices of our aging parents, and in conversation with a stressed-out coworker, and in the voice of the neighbor’s kid, determined to explain a video game to us? What if we sought the Lord in the storm clouds—both real and figurative? Is this seeking Him with all your heart? I’m not sure, but once you’ve pictured the Lord in an unlikely place, how can you not look for Him there?
God With Us
The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Lisa Shinkins
Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
As I read this verse and thought about what to write about it; I kept thinking back to the day I found out I was pregnant with Killian. I was in a taxi on the way home from the Farah Hospital in Amman, Jordan. Kieran and I had been praying and praying for a child and, at that time, had gone through three miscarriages and were on the seventh round of IVF. I was so excited and scared at the same time. I remember the joy I felt at the news because my hormone numbers were great but I was terrified that this pregnancy would fail just like the rest of my pregnancies. To me the “sign from the Lord Himself” was the high hormone levels. Obviously, the pregnancy was successful as Killian Gerald Shinkins was born on January 31, 2013.
As you go through this Advent season, my prayer is that you focus on what Immanuel means — “God with us.” God is with us through every season in our life, even though sometimes we may not feel his presence. As Kieran and I went through all of our struggles with our pregnancies, we clung to the hope that God would grant us a child. Never did we dream that we would have two healthy children. God does fulfill all his promises to us. He did that through the birth of Immanuel.
Gifts of Light
By Daniel Zamora
Isaiah 9:2-3
Increase your Joy and Rejoice!
Have you ever tried to walk in the darkness, at least a few steps to reach the closest light switch or perhaps when the power is out during a big storm, and are trying to reach your cell phone or any other source of light? We tend to do it very slowly to avoid bumping into furniture or stumbling on a toy or rug. Suddenly, you reach the light switch or the power is back. Can you picture yourself with a big smile on your face?
Yes, after struggling with limited or no visibility, the light is back on and we can see everything around us making it easier to walk or returning to our previous activity with a joyful attitude. It has been said that people who live in areas with limited lighting tend to be sad and depressed while those living in sunny places all year round have a more cheerful mood. If one light gives us that much joy, two or more lights can bring us lots of it.
In Advent, we light a candle to symbolize each of the gifts that God sent with Christ: hope, peace, joy and love. These presents are not part of a menu from which we choose from but, they come altogether. Thus, the light coming out of these candles increases every week and finally, on Christmas Eve, the Christ candle is lit giving us the better perspective of what the prophet Isaiah referred to seeing a great light.
During this season, let every light be a reminder of increasing our joy and rejoicing before the Lord.
We are a People of Hope
By Lance Mayes
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
I really love our mission statement: “We are a people of hope seeking to proclaim the love of Christ.” Hope is one of my favorite words. I’ve known too many people who had no hope. They felt they had nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. They thought that no one cared. They felt like no one would miss them if they were gone. What a sad place to be.
We see in our verses for today that in God we find hope.
I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
I’ve been there — felt like there was no hope. No one understood. That part was likely correct; no one truly understood what I was experiencing. But there was hope. People did care. God always cares.
I tend to deal with feelings of hopelessness in two extremes. One, I busy myself and try to forget those feelings. I become a human doing instead of a human being. Two, I withdraw. I get quiet. I don’t share what is going on. These options are not really “waiting quietly before God.”
A third way is the best way. Remember that God alone provides hope. God may give hope through a still, quiet voice, through nature, through people, or through other means. We can “wait quietly before God” and let God remind us that we matter, that we are loved.
Then, we need to pass on that hope to others. For “we are a people of hope seeking to proclaim the love of Christ.” How can you share hope and the love of Christ? A smile? A listening ear? An encouraging note? A kind word? A thoughtful gift?
May God bless us and make us a blessing to many.
Hoping and Waiting
By Lee Weems
Romans 8:18-25
The typical scenario at the Malls for many families is to stand in the long line with children and/or grandchildren. There each person waits, seemingly forever, for a child to sit on the lap of a white-bearded Santa. Then, in a deep voice, Santa asks THE question, “What do you want this Christmas?” After hearing a quick response from the child, someone else takes a memorable photo and the child exits so the next child can have a seat, answer THE question, and then move on.
Paul the Apostle penned the book of Romans and in today’s scripture, he addresses the idea of being a child and living with hope. How do we recognize our relationship with God and patiently await our future? Hoping and waiting for some of us includes high wishes and low patience. To develop a longer patience defines the journey of one’s Christian faith.
In reading this passage, Paul reminds me of the inheritance of being a child of God and trusting in Jesus Christ. To be mindful, that one is a Child of God is humbling and exhilarating for me. And I don’t have to wait in line or talk to a stranger in costume. I just remember that I am always in the presence of a loving and relational God no matter the season or situation. There is no better gift.
Light in the Darkness
By Dena Dalton
Psalm 63:1-8
“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you…”
I am partial to Christmas Eve. We attend church. We have our Christmas dinner. We stay up late watching old movies, listening to music and wrapping last minute gifts. We celebrate European traditions and sneak around putting candy outside each other’s doors in empty slippers. But the best part, the very best part, is when the house is finally quiet and I am blissful in the calm that comes knowing my loved ones are safe and resting peacefully. My grateful prayers and ardent, soulful meditations are quietly offered up to God. “If day’s cares tempt us to forget God, it is well that night’s quiet should lead us to remember him. We see best in the dark if we there see God best.”
“On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” Theologian John Gill wrote: “Whether David is writing about the wings of the cherubim stretched out over the mercy-seat, between which God was said to dwell; or to the wings of a bird, under which her helpless young ones have shelter, in all life’s dangers and difficulties we place ourselves under God’s protection.”
According to the NIV Study Bible: “The psalmist’s night meditations nurture his longing for God.” He waits for the morning trusting that God will watch over His people, provide for and protect them. Understanding the metaphors in scripture we know that darkness and light have many meanings. We have all experienced the many meanings of both. I choose to see light in the darkness. I look forward to my Christmas Eve meditation. During this Advent Season may you find hope, safety and peaceful rest in the protecting power and mercy of God.
Alongside
By Karen Calhoun
Isaiah 40:1-5
My dad pastored small Texas Baptist churches. When I was eight, I had already lived in Brownwood, Fort Worth, Big Spring, Cohoma, Hico, Stephenville, Talpa and Bangs. Making and keeping friends was impossible — we were always moving!
In third grade at Bangs, Donna asked me to come and swing with her friends at recess. I knew she was the most popular girl. Happily, I felt “in” and joined them for several days. Then one day, I went out to those swings, but Donna and her friends were not there. I looked up. They were swinging at the edge of the school yard…without me. I walked home in despair. I told Mother what had happened. She had no comforting words for me. Her dad had pastored small Texas Methodist churches, and I later learned she had moved more than me.
In mining my own journey, I began to put together a new truth: I learned that school yard cliques of eight-year-olds is typical behavior. Also my thirst for hope led me to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1 — “The Messiah comes alongside us when we go through hard times and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.”
Are you going through hard times? Do you need hope? Before you know it, the Messiah will bring someone alongside you who can be there for you just as God was there for them.
We have the chance to learn that better every year in Advent. The Messiah is born again in your heart today because you made room!
VOLUNTEER: Kids Hope USA Mentors Needed
Have you been wanting to make a difference?
Mentors from Woodland work with kids each week at Larkspur Elementary. It takes just one hour a week to mentor a child that needs your attention, love, and prayer. Would you consider donating your time this semester to be the presence of Christ to a child that needs you?
Positions Available:
- Mentors
- substitute mentors
- Prayer Partners
Training is provided, background checks required.
If you are interested, please join us in our Mentor Appreciation Luncheon.
