Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

Christmas is definitely “in the air” in the Muscatine area! In the past weekend alone, Muscatine hosted the Jingle and Mingle holiday stroll downtown, the symphony played a concert full of favorite Christmas tunes, and the Christmas train pulled into Pearl City Station down at the river front. Christmas is not only coming, but it seems as though Christmas is already here. 

With all these events, there’s joy. There’s laughter. There’s good company. And there’s good memories to be made. All fantastic, fantastic, things. But in the words of one of my violin students this past Monday, by the time we get into December, it can be easy to feel and say: “I’m already Christmas-ed out.”

Right now, on December 6, perhaps you don’t resonate with that statement quite yet. But if we’re a bit honest, it probably isn’t that hard to think of a year in which when you finally sat down with the family around the tree and you were just ready for the extra commitments to be over. Or, by the time you pulled the Christmas ham out of the oven you were just looking for some space to yourself. 

Now, before I sound like I’m degrading Christmas traditions and gatherings, I’m not. The way we spend time with people around the holidays can be food for the soul. But all too often, by the time we get to Christmas, we actually miss out on seeing – and experiencing – the joy that the angels sing in the fields to the shepherds. 

So this year, as you prepare for Christmas, consider what it is that you need to prepare for Christ’s coming. If that means coming to our Shepherd Christmas party, join us! (it’ll be a great night!) If that means dedicating yourself to worship to hear God’s Word spoken to you, join us! If that means carving out 5 minutes to be still, or to pray, do it. And, if it means taking one thing off your calendar so that you feel a bit less rushed this December, do it. 

There are plenty of “things” that we might feel pressured to do, or be a part of, this season. But this Advent season is meant for preparation. So before completely skipping ahead to the glitz and the glam of Christmas, pause for just a moment. Because there might be something right here, in this season of waiting and hoping, just for you. 

Ever feel as though you’re running from one thing to the next? With barely enough time to think about what comes next, let alone be present in the moment? 

In full honesty, I find myself in such a mentality more often than I care to admit. But always looking toward the next thing, and then the next thing, and then the next thing, it becomes almost impossible to be attentive to the people around me, to the situations around me, to what’s going on within me, and to movement of God. 

I have to force myself to give myself “gap times” in my day so that this habit doesn’t become a snowball that goes out of control. Thankfully, most days I have the luxury to do so. I clearly respect that the ability to build in “gap times” is not something as easily done for each person, especially for those caring for kids or other family members. 

But even with these other demands on our lives, what would happen if we just gave a bit of space? What would we notice? What would we hear? 

This Advent season, I encourage you to create some “gap times” in your life. Have kids? Create “gap times” for them, too. It’s amazing what research shows us about kids having some space to rest before moving onto another activity. In Sunday morning worship, we’ll be creating some “gap times” as well. Often, we move from one element of worship to the next, and to the next, and to the next, without much of a chance to digest what we just said, or what was just read, or what was just sung. So this season, especially around the Scripture readings, we’re going to have some silence. For the first few weeks, if that silence feels intimidating, don’t be alarmed. We aren’t too used to silence in our culture. But the more we practice taking a moment of silence, the more rewarding it might become. 

God is still speaking. And God is still working within us and among us. We just might need to create some time…to listen. 

This coming Advent season, we will gather around the theme “From Generation to Generation.” Mary sings in her hymn of praise after receiving the news that she will bear God’s Son: “Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

From generation to generation, we tell the story of Christ’s birth; and from generation to generation, we carry forth the work of God that is unfolding within our lives. It’s out of that notion of unfolding and being brought together in unity that the above image is our logo for the season. Upon first glance, the logo may look like nothing other than a flower. But take a second glance, and each petal (and dot above it) is a person. 

This season, as we prepare to gather around the manger of Christ, we are summoned to join hands with one another…from generation to generation. No character in the story of Christ’s birth lived on their own, and neither are we created to live on our own. We are created for community, and we are created to center ourselves around Christ as our one true light as the movement of God radiates through us. 

So as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, and then re-gather with our Shepherd family on Sunday, link up with those around. Remember those who have come before you. Look with hope for the generations to come. And watch as we witness our stories weave together, displaying the beauty of God’s continued unfolding creation.

Recently, I have been supporting a friend, Amber, who was preparing to run her first marathon. Through texts and social media, I held Amber accountable to her training plan, gave her encouragement on the days that seemed more challenging, and cheered her along the way. Well, two weekend ago, she ran that marathon and crushed it. In her words, she didn’t complete it with ease. But, the training she endured allowed her to achieve her goal. 

This past weekend in worship, we heard Jesus say at the end of our Gospel lesson, “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” (Luke 21:19) Much as we’d maybe like to have endurance with the snap of the fingers, to build up endurance takes time. And, it takes energy. I’m sure Amber would’ve loved to  get up one day and run a full marathon. And yet, only a very select few have the capacity to do so. 

So if it takes time to develop endurance physically, should we expect anything less spiritually? A colleague of mine said it this way this week: “As disciples of Jesus, we train. We learn various practices that strengthen our faith. And, we do those things when we’re healthy, so that when crisis hits, we have something to fall back on.” Sometimes, it may seem easier to turn to our faith when we are seeking something or when we feel uncertain. But it’s also in the everyday, “normal” moments that we are summoned to exercise our faith and build our spiritual muscles. 

So this week, think about the “exercises” that you practice for your faith life. Just as much as we are encouraged to establish a rhythm of exercise, a healthy diet, and rest, so too are we encouraged as disciples of Jesus to establish a rhythm of connecting with our God. 

This past Sunday we commemorated All Saints Day: a day in which we remember the saints who have gone before us and the saints who have been added to our number through baptism. 

But in addition to those other saints, we also remember ourselves as saints. Through baptism, we have already been given new life. And, like the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, we claim that we too have been called by name and summoned forth to live in newness of life…now. 

But, having received this gift of life, now, what are we doing with it? 

Looking to our Gospel from last Sunday, though Lazarus came out of the tomb alive, he was still bound by strips of cloth that enwrapped his hands, feet, and face. It took time for him to unwrap all those signs of death, and it took the help of those around him to unbind him so that he could live…fully. 

Which, I wonder, if the same is sometimes true for us. Certainly, Jesus has called our name and given us newness of life. But we still may be bound by grief, pain, uncertainty, death, or even ourselves. And sometimes, we may not even be aware of what it is that holds us captive. Which is one reason we need community. We need those around us. And we need the communion of all the saints to help us peel back layers that may be inhibiting us from living…fully. 

So if you’ve been feeling a bit isolated lately, stretch yourself to reach out to another in the body of Christ. Join us for worship and fellowship on Sunday mornings. Or consider being a part of a small group, intended to surround you with fellow companions on your journey of faith. Much as we might like to travel this journey on our own, that is not how we were designed to live. So take a step to surround yourself with people who care, and people who are willing to help you see what you might not be able to see yourself. For in that space, you just might find something new springing forth. 

All Saints Day in 2019 will forever be seared in my memory. Just days before, my grandmother died. Still in grief, and having not yet traveled home to Wisconsin to join my family, I honored and celebrated my grandmother with you all in worship. In truth, as I led worship that morning, I was barely holding back tears. And yet, as I looked up and saw your faces, and then as I looked down and looked at our prayer cross aglow with candle after candle after candle, it was clear to me that in that moment not only was my grandmother gathered with all the saints…but I was as well. 

This coming Sunday, as a congregation we will be celebrating All Saints Day. In the Lutheran tradition, we honor and remember those saints who have died in the past year, and those saints who have been baptized in the past year. For some, All Saints Day is one of joy as we remember and celebrate the gift of baptism, through which all God’s children are given life. And for others, All Saints Day is one filled with mixed emotions as the realities of death and life intermingle together. 

Mindful of the various ways in which each of us approach All Saints Day, and mindful of the number of our Shepherds who have lost a family member or friend in the past year, I encourage you to approach our upcoming worship service with reverence. As you’re able, offer compassion to those remembering those who have died. And, for all of us – whether or not you are remembering a specific saint – engage in worship knowing that you are not alone…but are surrounded by so many saints who walk alongside you in faith. 

In confidence that we are gathered with Christ, and with the whole communion of saints, we gather this Sunday in hope…and we approach each of our days in the promise of Christ’s resurrection. So today, even as you prepare for our joint celebration of All Saints Day, offer your thanks to God for the saints that surround you. Bring to God your tears and grief for those who have gone before, and offer your praise for the life that has been given to you – and all God’s saints – through Jesus Christ. 

For the past four weekends, we have immersed ourselves in the theme: “Rethinking Stewardship: Stewardship as Discipleship.” We’ve explored how stewardship is an act of faith, an act of gratitude, an act of generosity, and an act of justice. All acts that pertain not only to our lives within “the church,” but acts that pertain to our every day lives as disciples of Christ. 

But before we transition into the many festival Sundays that the end of the church year puts before us (Reformation Day on Oct 30, All Saints Day on Nov 6, Christ the King Sunday on Nov 20), I wanted to share the above Bible verse with you (1 Peter 4:10, NIV). When I first learned about stewardship, stewardship was often equated with the way I use the time, talents, and treasures entrusted to me. As a child, I understood “treasures” to imply money. 

But what if we have been entrusted with even more than that? 

Each week, as we gather for worship, we dare to claim that God has entrusted us with Christ’s grace: a gift given to us so that we might live liberated, forgiven, and renewed. And, as we go forth from worship, we dare to claim that God has entrusted to us his mission on earth. That’s quite the task. And yet, God has chosen to entrust that work to us…trusting that we will live as stewards of God’s mission at SOTC and within the broader church. 

So this week, as we transition to Reformation Day in which we remember the work of the Holy Spirit ever reforming and re-shaping us, consider how you are a steward of God’s grace…and how you are a steward of God’s mission. These two gifts are huge gifts entrusted to us. And yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to not only receive these gifts but live into them – for our sake, for the sake of our neighbor, and for the sake of the world.