Living IN Canaan

Festival of the Circumcision and the Name of Jesus

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod calendar has this day listed as a minor festival on January 1.  Normally, I do not take it upon myself to toy with the liturgical calendar but I was concerned that this would be lost amongst the New Year shuffle.  At the ages of my children, the actual discussion about and focus on Jesus' name seemed more important than its actual day of observation (especially since I wasn't feeling quite up to the whole circumcision conversation today!), so I waited until there was a little quiet, down-time in our house. We focused on the 'name' (or The Name, in this case) this year.  Oddly enough, today is actually the date of this feast in the Roman church. 

Cyberbrethren has a lovely post and collection of links to information and reflection on this day.

I once again 'borrowed' an idea from Dawn.  It took on its own life as I knew right away both children would insist on doing their own.  The 'Chi-Ro' symbol is more frequently observed on the paraments at our church, so I thought it would be a nice addition to the craft.  I think we will add some rays and maybe brainstorm on some more names of Jesus tomorrow after to tie up the loose ends.

I had a terrible time getting a picture, as I waited until the sun went down.

"Bad Attention"

This was today's Lutheran Hour devotion.  I have thought about this so much since the shootings in Omaha.  I have been to that mall a hundred times if I have been there once.  It is middle class mommyville.  Bumper to bumper strollers during the day.  I used to lunch there each day in the food court when I taught community college.  I keep thinking of moms taking afternoon stroller strolls through the mall on the day that Robert Hawkins' hopelessness overwhelmed him.  I am going to think from now on before I let anyone pass through my life without telling them about the hope they have in Christ.

Years ago, when we were living in Omaha, a young man visited our church.  He had a child with him and he was struggling to keep the child still.  He was briefly welcomed, barely noticed.  That night he went home and committed suicide.  What kind of difference could I have made that day?

"Bad Attention"

December 17, 2007

You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Robert Hawkins got his wish. He is famous now.

Probably.

You do remember Robert Hawkins, don't you? Last week, 19-year-old Hawkins killed himself. Of course, he knew taking his own life wasn't enough to make him famous. That's why Hawkins went to Omaha's Westroads Mall and opened fire on holiday shoppers and killed at least eight people.

So, Robert Hawkins is famous for now. In a few days, he will fade into obscurity, and a month or two from now, the only people who will remember him will be some police psychologists and the families of those bystanders he murdered. Those few mourning families will remember Robert Hawkins for a very long time.

When I decided to use that story for a Daily Devotion, I knew there were a number of ways it could be shared. For example, I could talk about how we should be prepared for the unknown hour of our death, or I could speak about loneliness and what it does to people. Both would have made for good devotions.

Instead, I wanted to quote one of my parochial school teachers. She said, "For children, bad attention is almost as satisfying as is good attention." She was right, you know. All of us desire to be noticed, to be acknowledged, appreciated, and applauded -to feel we have made a difference. If we can get those things in a positive way, well, that's great. But if we have to do something bad, for many, that's all right, too. This is why Robert Hawkins killed so many people. He couldn't get good attention, so he settled for the bad.

It's a shame Robert Hawkins didn't know there was Someone who had noticed him and loved him. To the Savior, Robert Hawkins was a special person. He was a person so unique, so worth saving, Jesus was willing to leave heaven and be born into this sin-stained world. So that Robert Hawkins might be saved, Jesus lived, suffered, died, and rose. If Robert had believed that, it would have made a difference to him.

Of course, we can't change things for Robert or for any of the other people who died in that Omaha shooting. What we can do is reach out to those other unnoticed souls around us who want to know they're special. We need to tell them, "Jesus loves you and He wants you to know He gave His life so you might be forgiven and saved."

A Choice for Truth

I am reposting this from my WordPress blog so I can shut that menacing thing down!!

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My husband and I have recently decided to return to the denomination of his upbringing.  We are joining Christ Lutheran Church in Pasacgoula, MS.   We have been struggling spiritually for 5 years, hopping from church to church, feeling condemned and defeated, frantically searching for the touch of God’s grace.  We have found it in the last place I would have imagined. If you had asked me 5 years ago if I would be finding my church home in a Missouri Synod-Lutheran church, I would have laughed hysterically at you.  But here we are rejoicing as the burdens of standards that we could never meet have been lifted from our bent backs.  Thank you Lord for your saving grace, for which I can do NOTHING to earn.

I was going to start a different blog to chronicle this part of our lives, fearful for what some might think of us.  How silly!   There is liberty in Christ.  Because of His grace and mercy, I am able to share freely about my life…the mistakes we make, the blessings we receive.  He did not come to condemn the world but to save it.

So, in the spirit of Lindsey at Enjoy the Journey (her honesty makes me love her), I will fess up to those things which might bring your judgement on me.

My kids dressed up on Halloween day, my husband drinks beer, I love the Lutheran liturgy and the way it manifests the image of God in its order, and both of my children will be baptized in a Lutheran congregation on December 3.

The bottom line?  I love Jesus.  I want my life to please Him.  I want to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  I want them to be firmly rooted in the gospel of Grace so that the first wind that blows will not blow them over.  I want them to understand that they can NOT be good enough for God but God is so full of mercy and grace that he sent His only son to die for our salvation.  And I will not be ashamed of the Gospel, nor of the specific work the Lord is doing in the life of my family.

I believe that when we are gathered around the throne of God, singing praises to the great I Am, that there will be Methodists, Baptist, Catholics, Presbyterians, Mennonites and many others standing on all sides of us.  It will be a congregation of the children of God, of those who lives were miraculously transformed by His grace.