SERMON UPDATE!!!!

Got behind again with posting sermons.  So, here are a bunch, with a tidbit from each.  There is no 5th Sunday after Pentecost Sermon as I was on Vacay for my sis' wedding.


Sermon Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost


Some times the works of Christ wear upon us, the anxieties of all that must be done overwhelm, and we weep for those who die. But, the lives we change shine greatly. The crosses we bear into weary places lift other crosses. Our giving of ourselves leads to others new lives. The giving of Christ's life leads to new life for all.


Sermon Tenth Sunday after Pentecost


When we declare Jesus as Messiah, as the one who frees us, it puts us to work. We are free, to serve. We are free, and mission begins. In communion we are fed, and we go out to nourish. We are freed from the chaos of sin, so that we can go out into the chaos of those hurting around us showing them the messiah that frees them.


Sermon Ninth Sunday after Pentecost


In this text we are that woman afraid and concerned about the welfare of her child and the world around us, afraid when people insult us and tell us we are not worthy, tell us that we are not the ones Christ is sent to. And in this text Christ gives us a crumb, all that is needed. But, Christ does not stop, for now we are that crowd, and Christ feeds us and even though only a crumb would suffice, Christ now gives us the hunger filling bread of life and the thirst quenching wine of compassion. Where Christ's mission was only to a few, with grace sufficient for all, now Christ's mission is to all nations, still with grace overflowing.


Sermon Eighth Sunday after Pentecost


Jesus may send us into the waves of life, into the storms of chaos that surround us, but when he does so, Jesus sends us out together, in the boat of the church, united in Christ's Death and Resurrection. And when, not if, we think we know better, we get out of the boat, heading out on our own path, the storms overwhelm us, and we sink. Immediately, as we sink, Jesus reaches out to us. Jesus reaches into the storms of life, into the waves which pressure us, the winds that buffet us, and gives us calm and brings us back into the fold, back into the boat.


Sermon Seventh Sunday after Pentecost


Christ's feast is a place where all are equal and all are welcome, where we will not be sent home because there is not enough. It is a place where we do not have to whole in order to feast, a place where we do not need to pay in order to eat. It is a place where Christ takes a few loaves of ordinary bread and through them does wonders. Christ does such great wonders with ordinary people like us, like those around us, like those in the rest of the ELCA, and all Christians throughout the world. Through being fed in simple abundance we have the strength to show that the love of Christ is enough for all the world.


Sermon Sixth Sunday after Pentecost


Our expectations tell us that we have work to do, that we have to plant the correct seeds, that we have bread to make, and we fail at those things. Our expectations are dashed, destroyed, devoured. And to that God tells us, I love you, nothing can take that love away from you. God takes the little that we are capable of doing, things so small that we cannot even see them, places where we think we have failed and creates abundance from them. God takes our expectations and exceeds them beyond our very comprehension.


Sermon Fourth Sunday after Pentecost


In this parable what we learn of God is that God sows. God sows, and sows and sows and sows. God never stops sowing. And with wild abandon, God seems to not be concerned about where the seed lands, just that it is spread. God throws the seed of the word to every corner that we can hide ourselves. Sometimes it does not connect with us at that moment, at times when we may be on rocky soil, or on the path, but at the time when we need it the most, when we sit on good soil, it stays and grows within us, bringing forth life abundantly. Every time we read the word, every time we receive the bread and wine, every time we feel a curious twitch run through us, every moment of every moment. God sows into us grace. God sows into us love.

Whole Bunch of Sermons

dang, I'm behind.

I just posted 4 sermons on Fidgeting so here's a little guide to them and a highlight.

Maundy Thursday

Jesus, gets up from the table during dinner, either about to give his body and blood, or has just given it, and takes a towel. He takes a basin of clean, clear water, and washes the disciples feet. He washes these travelers feet, these feet that are caked with dirt, beaten and broken, cuts, scars and bruises on them. These are no pretty manicured feet, but feet of pain, feet of discomfort. The water that started clear will come out dark, unable to even be seen through. Jesus does not just get into the nice parts of the disciples lives, but into the very muck they tread through.

Jesus in washing the disciples feet cleans their soles, in more ways than one.

Easter Sunday

When I was younger I would watch the PBS kids show Lamb Chop's Play Along, the closing song of it was “This is the song that never ends.” Which I'm sure my parents and many other parents were really glad they taught to small children who really would sing it never-ending, such as myself. I know I had it in my head for a solid 20 minutes while working on this.

But that song that never ends is our story. Our story never ends because Jesus' impact in his death and resurrection never ends.

We just have to see that never ending story. When Mary and Mary were looking for Jesus, they did not find him. When they ran excited to tell about Jesus, he found them. It is in the times when we are living in the story of Christ, filled with our baptismal calling, that Jesus will find us, and show us his presence in this world.

Second Sunday of Easter

Jesus has Thomas touches his wounds. That's amazing. It wraps the incarnation (Christmas), the crucifixion (Good Friday) and the resurrection (Easter) all into one. Jesus is still human, he is the fully God, fully Human who came to us at Christmas, and he is still the crucified one, he still has the wounds he received on the Cross, that was not negated, but overcome, and through those two things we know he is risen completely. In one move Jesus has declared to us all we need to know. He has taken the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection and wrapped them in, with and around each other. For their importance is always interlocked and intertwined.

Third Sunday of Easter

In our text the two on the road walk slowly, plodding, Mary at the tomb is fearful and grieving, the disciples are hiding in a room grieving and fear for their lives. All of these appearances are to people who are full of grief, they have followed this man they thought to be messiah everywhere. They cannot recognize Jesus, because they cannot see him. They are so full of grief that they cannot recognize Jesus who they love.

Merritt continues with her answer.

… is this passage telling us something about us? Is it showing us the nature of grief and how disorienting it can be? Kathryn Johnston, a pastor at Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church, explained her answer in a tweet to me this way, “When grief and the dark of the valley engulf you, you cannot even see Jesus in front of your face. He’s there. Just. keep. walking.”

When we need Jesus to reveal himself to us, he will show up, he will take our grief and enlighten our hearts.

Woman at the Well

Who is it that we ignore and walk past?

Who is it that we know?

Who is it that we love?

Advent Reflection by Archbishop of Canterbury

This is just fun!

It Gets Better: Bishop Mark Hanson, ELCA

A wonderful message expressing God's love for all of God's Children.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen

Barefoot in Jerusalem: Ana Sakni Hon...

My friend Elly's first post on her new blog about her new life in Jerusalem working for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land.

Barefoot in Jerusalem: Ana Sakni Hon...: "These past weeks I have been waiting for the time to write a proper ‘first blog post’. I kept thinking the time would present itself. I ke..."

Poems

I read these two poems at the Persistent Voice Poetry reading at Wartburg.

They speak a little to where I am at the moment.

Mother to Son

By Langston Hughes

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

The Peace of Wild Things

BY WENDELL BERRY

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Recent Sermons at Fidgeting with the Word

I just posted about a month and a half of sermons over at Fidgeting with the Word so I decided I would give a little link message here to ease reading.

Palm Sunday

Maundy Thursday

Easter Sunday

Fourth Sunday After Easter - Psalm 23

Fifth Sunday After Easter - Phillip and the Eunuch



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Congressmen Visit Gaza

A Link from Congressman Brian Baird's congress website. Baird (D-Washington) and Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) just got back from visiting Gaza. Here is Baird's report.


E

Gone Going (Gone)

I don't know about you, but when I hear this song, I tend to pick up the last line of the chorus, "Gone people All awkward with their things Gone." I hear the song talking about the unnecessary spending that goes on today. About people who go out and buy "And cars and phones and diamond rings Bling, bling." This has been a trend that has died a little in the last year as more and more people became aware of their spending trends because of the economy.

I am a supporter of the Economic Policies of President Obama, and see that Government Spending in the right areas could help those who do not currently have the resources to spend their money get back into the economic loop.

One of the most often comparisons that people (read conservatives) have been making is that this stimulus package is a new New Deal and that in fact the New Deal was a failure that actually extended the recession of the 1929-33. But the recession was actually over in 1933, what they tend to be talking about is the unemployment rate returning to normal.




In an article found in the Guardian, a British Newspaper, Michael Tomasky talks about this issue, and how those who think this are wrong. Here are the last two lines of the article.

So the New Deal worked pretty doggone well. It didn't solve every problem. Yes, there are other legitimate criticisms to be made of Roosevelt. But the New Deal kept millions from starving and gave them jobs. And it generated economic activity – rural electrification, for example – that brought society tremendous benefit. And how might only tax cuts or doing nothing have done?

I can't believe we have to reargue these points. It's not that the Republicans don't know anything about economics. It's that they don't want to know anything about economics, and don't want to reckon with evidence. They have their ideology, chiseled into Pharaoh's obelisk, impervious to fact. How does one erase it?

Read the rest here.


Enjoy another version of the song rewritten with the Black Eyed Peas.

New Idea

So, I have a new idea to maybe get me to blog more. I listen to music a lot, so I thought I would comment on what I am listening to and then go from there.

The idea started from my last post about the song, od yavo Shalom, Peace will come.

this one is short since it is late and I have not thought about it that much,

Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek

This is the album version on YouTube, I personally like it better than other versions, but it is being blocked from embedding into posts. So here is a live version.

Od yavo' Shalom

This song was on a CD that was made during my time in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education, Chaplaincy Education). I have always enjoyed the song, and never knew the name of it. Today I decided to look up the meaning and the translation of the song.

I found that it was written as a peace song, and is now a anthem for peace between Israel and Palestine.

The combination of Hebrew Shalom (peace) and Arabic Salaam (peace) made me want to know the background of the song.

For more here is a Wikipedia Article on the Song.

Here is a good version of the song on Youtube.

#	English translation	Transliteration	Hebrew
1	Peace will come upon us	Od yavo' shalom aleinu	עוד יבוא שלום עלינו
2	Peace will come upon us	Od yavo' shalom aleinu	עוד יבוא שלום עלינו
3	Peace will come upon us	Od yavo' shalom aleinu	עוד יבוא שלום עלינו
4	and on everyone.	Ve'al kulam (x2)	ועל כולם
5	Salaam ('peace' in Arabic)	Salaam (Salaam)	סלאאם
6	On us and on all the world	Aleinu ve'al kol ha olam	עלינו ועל כל העולם
7	Salaam, Salaam	Salaam, Salaam (x2)	סלאאם ,סלאאם

Prayers

Today we saw another peaceful transition of power in the United States. I feel that it is a great testament to the will of this nation, that despite our differences, and our often negative talk to each other, that we can move past that to understand that we must work together.

I heard two great prayers in the last two days. One today, from Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lawrey and one that was given, but not transmitted, yesterday by Rev. Gene Robinson, Bishop in the Anglican Church.

Lawrey gave the benediction at the Inauguration.

Help us then now Lord to work for that day,
when nations will not lift up soil against nations.
When tanks will be beaten into tractors.
Where every man and every woman
shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree
and none should be afraid.
When justice will roll down like water,
And righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord in the memory of all the saints,
Who from their labors rest,
And in the joy of a new beginning.
We ask you to help us work for that day,
When black will not be asked to get back.
When brown can stick around,
When yellow will be mellow,
When the red man can get ahead man
And when white will embrace what is right.
Let all those who will do justice
and love mercy say Amen!
Say Amen!
And Amen!”

Rev. Robinson's prayer was said during the national concert, but on by HBO, however the prayer was removed from the broadcast and rebroadcast of the concert. Here is the prayer:

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

More info can be found here.

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Christmas blurbs

Hey all,

Christmas time blurbs,

Follow Santa at Norad.

My Friend Gloria's Internship church Gloria Dei created a free Music CD that is very good, a mix of devotional/worship music that can be listened to any time as well. It is called Hope for a Tree Cut Down. It can be found here.

I have two Christmas Eve Services that I am leading today, one at Faith Lutheran, and one at St. Luke. They are both candlelight services, I put together the Faith service myself, so hopefully it will go well.

My parents and sister are here for the week and then we will head up to my Grandparents for Christmas there. That will be fun, all the family except for two cousins will be there.

Laters, and Merry Christmas!

Erik

edit:fixed link to hope for a tree cut down

If we had some global warming

Christmas Program Part 1

Love Has Come: 2008 St. Luke Christmas Program

(Intern Erik, Joseph, and Mary come on Stage)

Intern Erik: This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man.

Joseph: I do not want to disgrace her, I will quietly break off the engagement.

(Joseph lays down to go to sleep)
(Head Angel comes on stage)
Narrator 3 (Pulpit): As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.' "

(Joseph wakes up)

Joseph: A message from God, I will do as the dream said.

(Joseph walks off stage)

Narrator 2 (Lectern): The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, Greetings, favored woman, the Lord is with you! Don’t be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" And Mary gave praise to God.

Mary: Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For God made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.

Intern Erik: Welcome to the 2008 St. Luke Christmas Program, Love has Come. We have now begun the Christmas story, join us as we celebrate the rest with a bit of humor, laughter, and joy.

(all enter to center stage)
Song: Love Has Come #292 (Youth sing first verse, congregation join in last 2)
(All leave except Narrator at lectern, Caesar Augustus stage right, Joseph and Mary stage left)

Narrator 1 (Lectern): At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first census taken when Quirinius (kwai-RIHN-e-us) was governor of Syria.

Augustus: I Decree!

(Augustus leaves, Mary and Joseph slowly walk to center stage as narrator speaks)

Narrator 1 (L): All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

Mary: Joseph, I feel that the baby is coming soon, we need to find a place to stay.

Joseph: Let us check that inn in Bethlehem. I figure that we will need suite with a king size bed.

(All come to center stage for song)
Song: O Little Town of Bethlehem #279
(All leave except Innkeeper who meets Mary and Joseph at center stage)

Narrator 2 (Pulpit): She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

(Joseph and Innkeeper argue, Mary stands in the background holding stomach and does heavy breathing)

Joseph: Do you have a suite available?

Innkeeper: Nope

Mary: {heavy breathing} (Joseph and Innkeeper ignore Mary)

Joseph: Double-bed?

Innkeeper: Nope

Mary: {heavy breathing} (Joseph and Innkeeper ignore Mary)

Joseph: Single Bed?

Innkeeper: Nope,

Mary: JOSEPH!!!

Joseph: (astonished) What! (turning around quickly)

Mary: The baby is coming, it does not matter what room we get.

Joseph: Oh, yeah, sorry about that.

Innkeeper: I have a stall filled with animals that eat from a manger.

Joseph: We’ll take it!

Christmas Program Part 2

(All come to center stage for song)
Song: What Child is This #296
(All exit, Innkeeper guides Mary and Joseph to stage left and then exits)
(Shepherds enter to center stage)

(Mary and Joseph will remain stage left for the rest of the performance)

Narrator 3 (L): That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.

Head Angel: Hello

Shepherds: (scared) AHHHHH!!!

Head Angel: Don’t be Afraid!

Shepherds: (calm) oh, ok

Head Angel: "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior-- yes, the Messiah, the Lord-- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."

Narrator 3 (L): Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-- the armies of heaven-- praising God and saying,

(all angels come on stage saying “glory” as they walk)

All Angels: (Once all are center stage they say) "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

(All come to center stage for song)
Song: Angels We Have Heard on High #289 (youth first verse, cong. join in rest)
(all exit except Shepherds)

Narrator 2 (P): When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other,

Shepherds: "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

(Shepherds go to stage left with Mary and Joseph, except shepherd 1 and 2)

Shepherd one: I can’t wait to see this baby!

Shepherd two: I can’t wait to tell Frank what he missed by calling, I mean papyrusing (puh – pie – russing) in sick.

(Shepherd 1 and 2 join rest of Shepherds)

Narrator 2 (P): They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.

(All come to center stage for song)
Song: The First Noel #300 (first verse only, youth only)
(all exit)

Narrator 4 (L): All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

Mary: (to Joseph) I’m going to remember this.

Joseph: Yeah, a multitude of angels, shepherds coming to see the child, giving birth to the Son of God. I am pretty sure we will be talking about this for quite some time.

Narrator 4 (L): The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

(all gather at center stage for song)
Song: It Came upon the Midnight Clear #282 (Vs. 1,4)
(all exit)
(Little Lutherans enter to Center Stage)
Song: Away in a Manger
Song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
(Little Lutherans exit)
(Herod center stage)

Christmas Program Part 3

Narrator 4 (P): About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem looking for a star.

(the Wise men and Wise woman enter stage right)

Wise people: (as entering in a little song and dance number joining Herod at center stage) We’re the wise men, (and woman), we’re the wise men, (and woman), and we have gifts! (wise people do Jazz hands)

Wise man 1: “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

Herod: "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!"

Wise man 2: Are you really going to worship him and not try to kill him.

Herod: (looks around nervously) yes, I really want to worship him.

Wise woman: I don’t believe you.

Herod: I want to worship, I have no ambitions to power and do not feel threatened at all.

Wise Woman: ummmm, ok

Narrator 4 (P): After this, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

Wise People: Joy!

(all enter to sing song)
Song: Joy to the World #267 (youth first verse, cong. join in rest)
(Wise people join Mary and Joseph stage left, Herod stage right)

Narrator 1 (L): They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Wise Man 1: I have Frankincense, which is a sweet smelling incense used in temples showing that he will be a priest.

Wise Man 2: I have Myrrh, which is a perfume used to anoint loved ones upon their death showing that he will be loved but will suffer death.

Wise Woman: I have Gold, (short pause) which is Gold, showing that he will be a king. I wanted to give a bike though; he is going to have to walk a lot.

Mary: Thank you ever so much.

(Wise People go to center stage)

Wise Man 1: So how should we go home, that Herod guy (points at Herod stage right, Herod waves back) really wanted to know where the child was, should we tell him?

Wise Man 2: Well I had a dream about this and an angel told me to go another way home.

Wise Woman: I had a dream where there were dinosaurs and I could fly and had all the chocolate that I could eat and there was this dog named Kitty Kat who could talk and he told me about this flower that would grant you wishes and I wished for a bicycle and it was pink with bows and streamers and a basket and it had a bell that sounded like a siren, whoo whooo, and then…

(Wise Woman tales off as Wise men stare at her)
Wise Woman: I’ll tell you about it on the road.

Wise Men together: Please don’t.

(Wise People exit stage left, Herod waves at them trying to get them to come back to him, see they will not, stomps off stage)

Narrator 1 (L): When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. This is the story of Christmas and like the Angels, Shepherds, and Wise people we worship and praise this day.

(all enter for song)
Song: Love Has Come #292 (ALL)

Intern Erik: Thank you for joining us in this celebration of Christmas, I hope that you all had a good time. I want to thank all the youth who helped with this performance and hope that they found that it is not only toys that are fun about Christmas, but also the Christmas story. I want to thank all the parents and grandparents, who helped the youth learn lines, songs, and supported them.

Let us pray, Lord God we thank you for sending your son Jesus to us. We thank you for your love and mercy. Remember us in the joy that is now and the joy of this coming season, be with those who have hard times during this part of the year. Give them your strength. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, Amen.


Song: Silent Night, Holy Night! #281 (ALL)

One of those moments

Have you ever had one of those moments? The time where some big event happens and you know that you will always remember where and when you were when you heard the news.

They are usually huge events in history, though some can be deeply personal events as well. People talk about the place they were when Kennedy was shot, when they pulled out of Vietnam, Nixon's impeachment, the Challenger explosion, the list goes on. Kent State, D-Day, Oklahoma City Bombing, Columbine ...

I have two that quickly come to mind for me. While I know of events and knew when they happened there are very few picture moments of where I was. I am too young to remember where I was when the Challenger blew up, I remember hearing and talking about it. The first picture for me is in 1991 at the beginning of the first Gulf War. My family and I were out to eat at Snuffy's Malt Shop in Roseville, MN. I remember it most because they announced over the radio in the Restaurant that the use of force to remove Iraq from Kuwait had been authorized. I see that the date is Jan. 12 and now am wondering if we were out to eat for my Birthday, Jan. 11.

The second is 9/11, I remember this better. I was standing in the middle of my dorm room at Iowa State, in Knapp Tower, my small 14 inch tv was on my dresser and I had turned it on as I got ready for class. I believe that it was right after or before the second plane hit, both towers were still standing. I saw what was happening and called my parents to tell them to turn on the TV. They already had it on. I don't know why I went to classes that day. I think only one actaully tried to do anything, the others were cancelled or we just watched the TV in the room. I remember trying to get every paper that I could and reading them while in the cafeteria, I think the papers are still stored somewhere at home. It is sort of an Ironic twist that the tower that I was in, Knapp, while I watched the twin towers fall was itself part of a series of 4 towers in sets of two. And about 3 years ago they imploded Knapp and its sister tower Vance.

The point of this post is not to bring up old feelings of memories of bad times, it seems like the majority of these picture moments are of times of great sadness or shock. The point is that I added one last night.

Sitting in my chair, watching the Daily Show/Colbert Report election speacial, while flipping to CNN or MSNBC, occasionally Fox or C-span, at 10:00 as California, Oregon and Washington closed, Jon Stewert, barely containing his own excitement announced that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States. This is one of those moments, and a great one at that. The first Black President of the United States. This is one of those times where I am proud to be an American, we have not solved the race issue, but this is one step along the way.

Daily Show/Colbert Report "The Moment"



McCain's Concession Speech



Obama's Acceptance Speech