It's funny.  I appreciated, resonated and enjoyed each day's devotions this past week, but I didn't respond to much to the the Week 3 Bible Study.  So, I'm going to follow my gut here, and focus on one of the devotions.  The only problem is, which one?  Every day this week, I have felt something special come out of the devotion for me personally.  It's hard to pinpoint one to focus on ... I especially like the "Questions to Ponder," at the end of each day, because they have really made me ponder!  They have stopped me in my tracks, forced me to take a deep breath (or 2), and prayerfully reflect.  And that's no small task during the week before Christmas!

During last Monday's devotional (p. 44-45), I found myself connecting with the description of Mary as "perplexed, " and "completely bewildered by the possibility that God regards or notices her."  It's not only teenage girls in ancient Nazareth that experience such reactions, or hold feelings of inadequacy in the face of God.  It's not only Mary, the mother of Jesus, who finds herself wondering, "Me?  Whom am I?  Why am I favored?"  And it's not only Mary, a poor, socially, culturally and religiously marginalized unwed teenage Jewish mother who wonders when God chooses her to do great things, "How can this be?"

We all have moments of wondering (and sometimes even screaming in frustration!), like Mary: "what is God doing with me?"   We all have moments spent wondering about our worthiness in the sight of our family and friends ... and needing to remember that this sense of who we are and our worthiness in the world is about "constructing our identities on the basis of what is expected of us ... defining ourselves through the lens of another, believing that our worth can be decided by those who think they know us."  We all do this, sometimes, instead of recalling and knowing in our heart of hearts that, like Mary: "we are blessed. God sees us and knows us and loves us -- where we are and for who we are."

I just love that.

Now, a questions to ponder:

* John O'Donohue writes:  "One of the deepest longings of the human soul is to be seen."  When have you been seen for who you truly are?  What was that like?

A few times that I can speak to recently (since my appointment to Los Altos UMC) have been in moments of service.  I was helping at one of the St. Luke's feedings on a Saturday morning, both connecting the youth with this servant ministry and just "being one of the helpers" myself.  I remember two different people remarking that I (in my pastoral capacity) was there ... I felt noticed in my servant ministry.  To me, it's a no-brainer.  I serve as a deep, integral part of my call to ministry (not ordained minister per se, but my call as a child of God).  At my heart, I am a servant as a member of the body of Christ.  When I am able to serve God, I feel like I am doing what I was born to do.

This happened again over the summer when a few youth and adults from LAUMC traveled to south central L.A. to help prepare the Rakestraw Community Center as an SSP summer site.  Allow me to just say that the center was in very, very bad condition.  So, we jumped in to help, and we cleaned, scrubbed, hauled, relocated, cleaned and scrubbed ... WORKED.  Pretty soon, I was covered in filth, and someone came up to me, remarking: "Are you sure you want to be a pastor?"  My immediate response was, "Absolutely."  I feel like in that filthy, sweaty, exhausted moment, I was seen for who I am!  Covered in filth, serving with the community in a pastoral leadership role.  To me pastoral leadership is servant leadership.  It is serving alongside the community and leading the community in that servanthood.  And I feel like when I am doing that, being that, this is a glimpse of my human soul really being seen.

what about you?

Merry Christmas one and all.  Hope to see you in worship this evening at Los Altos UMC  (2pm, 5pm, 7.30pm & 10pm)

Bible Study: Week 2 "Song of Light"

Isaiah 42: 1-9

For this week's Bible study, I am choosing just one of the four questions on which to reflect.  Please feel free to choose one of the others that are listed in the guide (p. 74-75, and share your thoughts on that one, if you like.  I just found myself so drawn to the first one; it made sense for me to focus on that.

1) The words of Isaiah 42 promise a servant will bring justice.  Where do you long to see justice in your life?  What would justice look like?  Where do we need to see justice in the world?  How would a just world be different from the world as it is today?

Justice seems like such a lofty ideal or goal for me that I find it difficult to apply to my own personal life.  But, when I ponder the places of injustice and justice in my life there are two things that come to mind.  The first is my mother's battle with plasma cell cancer (multiple myeloma).  Her battle was ferocious and long.  She fought for 5 years, doing every treatment she could, taking every chemotherapy she could, even undergoing two stem cell transplants.  Honestly, she had moments of remission, but they were few and far between during her battle.  Most of the time, it was brutal, and she suffered.  I wish that I could share a different story of a battle with cancer that offered respite and encouragement along the way.  But that wasn't our experience; it just wasn't.  It was an ugly battle, albeit fought bravely, but a battle that can certainly be described as unjust.  I long to see justice for cancer patients, their caregivers, their families, friends and communities.  (It's one of the reasons why I participate strongly each year in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.)

There was no reason or logic or explanation to my mom's cancer.  Multiple myeloma affects mostly folks who are exposed to toxins in the workplace or certain pollutants in our environment.  It truly pains me to think about that our (humanity's) lack of care and concern for our environment is a contributing factor to the injustice of diseases like my mom's cancer, and to the injustice to God's great creation.

I guess some form of justice would look like a world where we all were working hard together to protecting and caring for our ecological systems, reducing the pain and damage to our environment and reducing contributing factors of disease.  Some form of justice would be finding a cure for cancer, (all forms), and would be knowing that less folks had to suffer the ravages of that disease.

The second place that I see injustice is sexism in my own lift, and in our culture.  I see it around the world where women are not considered as fully contributing, beloved and loving children of God.  I long to see justice fulfilled where women are encouraged to become who God intends them to become (not who society and societal norms dictate), where women are encouraged to learn, grow, develop and are nurtured to do and become as God intends -- contributing parts of the whole of God's world.

I truly believe that a more just or just (!) world would be a place of significantly less violence, less sorrow, less grieving, less death.  I see so often how our world perpetuates injustice through retaliation. I see and learn and experience injustice causing injustice.  Injustice being the driving force that causes someone to act out violently, injuring others, causing extreme pain.

These are just some thoughts to the first question in the Week 2 study.  All of the questions in the study are so good!  What do you think?  Feel free to respond to what I wrote, to answer the question yourself, or to answer a different question for the week's study (p. 74-75)

~ Pastor Melinda

Our Light in the Darkness

By the tender mercy of our God,

the dawn from on high will break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

~ Luke 1: 78-79.

Of all this week's devotions, I am called to reflect on Day 10, Tuesday's (p. 32-33). Maybe it's because I resonate so deeply with the imagery of the light of Christ, as I've mentioned in a previous post; maybe it's because God's light of love seems to have dimmed significantly in recent days. 

At first, I found myself a little surprised at this line in the devotion: "Our Christian hope is grounded in the reality of the cross." Whoa! Here we are in the middle of Advent, already thinking about Easter! But, after my initial surprise, I began to think, "Well, we wouldn't be celebrating Advent if we hadn't gone through Easter." That is, we await the magnificent and humbling birth of Christ, fully knowing that Good Friday and Easter are on their way. There is no doubt that as disciples of Christ, we celebrate the coming of the light of Christ, in part at least, because we live in such enveloping darkness -- some moments far darker than others.

So, this evening, as this second week of Advent draws to a close, I am prayerfully considering Tuesday's questions to ponder with you:


* Where do you see the light of God's kingdom shining in the world?

I see the light of God's kingdom anytime someone steps out of their individual comfort zone and shares, contributes, engages, and joins in communal action. Anytime someone chooses relationship; reaches out whether in need or in response. When someone steps up to serve another part of God's creation (whether offering time, money, prayer, compassion or?) When someone chooses to spend an extra 15 minutes of their day - just listening to someone. When a young person forgoes their concern about not "fitting in," and sits next to someone they don't know. When a preschooler shares their lunch - especially the cookie. When someone embraces another. When someone invites another to worship our loving God. When someone opens their mind and heart to a differing opinion, or perspective. When forgiveness or grace is offered. I see it all the time, all around me, in countless ways, acts, moments. Sometimes the light is fleeting, sometimes it is dimmed, but it is always there. To me this light of the kingdom is the hope that carries me forth.


* When have you noticed God guiding your feet into the way of peace?

I recall this devotion's line, "Peace is a journey, not a destination. The way of peace is the path we travel in this life." (p.33) While I really like this line, I do feel like this is a bit of a desired state, and not always true of our world - even "our" world as disciples of Christ. Personally, I feel God guiding my feet into the way of peace whenever I work to listen and learn from people with whom I disagree. I recall a time during my seminary internship when I met a parishioner who held very different theological understandings than I; understood scripture very differently than I; had a much different religious upbringing and background than I. In fact, there was very little we shared about most things. This parishioner decided to attend the Bible study that I was leading, arrived the first night and proceeded to challenge almost everything we discussed. I remember feeling somewhat overwhelmed as the leader of the study, but more than that, I remember feeling a certain peace about the night. I remember feeling a peace about my process and procedure as the study's leader. I remember relaxing and knowing in my heart that God would guide my thoughts and words that evening; that it wasn't up to me to have all the answers, but up to me to be myself, to listen openly and encourage that practice among all of us gathered. Quite surprisingly, the study went well and everyone returned the following week, and continued to engage throughout our two months together. I learned a lot from the entire process, especially from this particular parishioner, and I feel blessed that this parishioner (and others) felt safe enough to share differing opinions and experiences with our group. I feel that God's peace guided me to listen and to be open to learn in this setting, and that experience continues to inform me as I work to humble myself when listening to others; there is always something to learn.


How about you? Please post a comment or response!

Bible Study: Week 1 "God's New Song"

Let's review the Bible Study together online (p. 72-73).  I offer my reflections below, and invite you to comment on any of my reflections, or share your own via the commenting function at the end.

1) Job 38: 4 - 7

What words would you describe the power and beauty of God?

Immense; wonder; awe-some; glorious; calming; connecting, unifying.

I really like that verse "the morning stars sang together."  It just resonates with me as an accurate description of what happens when God is present.  Things that don't even seem on our radar appear in miraculous and edifying ways (I mean, who ever think of stars in the morning, anyway?) .  What keeps coming to me when I think about how I describe the power and beauty of God is how God brings the disparate together, how God calms the fierce storm, relieves the opposing forces, makes peace where there is strife, unifies the good efforts and disempowers evil ones.  God brings the morning stars together in song ... brings together (not just together, but together in song!) things that we don't even know are apart ... as well as things (and people) that we believe impossibly, irrevocably separated.  And then ... they sing!

2) Luke 2: 13 - 14

How would you react to this heavenly chorus?  Would you tell others what you've heard this night?  How would you do this?

Awestruck.
I would cry, laugh, smile, scream.
I would work to share what I experience through everything I did.  I feel like I work to do this every day of my life ... and certainly I do this more successfully some days, some hours, some years, than others.  I work to preach and live the Gospel; I can't do anything else with my life, I guess.

3) John 1: 1-14

Where or how is Jesus coming to you this Advent?

v. 4-5, "Life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."  This is what resonated most with me as I was looking over the passage.  You might be able to tell this in my prayers this season; I am really connecting to Jesus as the light in our all-too-dark world.  I have always connected to this imagery.  In part, I guess, because there is so much darkness and often things seem very dim to many people, but also because I know that when I am praying and walking as closely as I can with Jesus, that I do see and feel the world as a light-er place.  A place that has light, a place with hope, a place with possibility ...

4) Luke 10: 38-42

What tasks and worries distract you from Jesus?  When do you sit at his feet?  This Advent, how will you focus on what God has done, is doing and will do?

 I jotted three things down when I was thinking about these questions:

- taking and making more time just to be with my children.
- letting Jesus in and through all of me, and letting the anxiety of the season out
- allowing the Holy Spirit to work through me and not vice verse

5) Revelation 5: 8-14.  (What?  Revelation???  LOL.)

How does this vision give you hope?  How will you sing or share God's song in your life?

This reading and vision gives me hope because of the unified voice of praise that I read and hear in these verses.  The agreement among the disparate and somewhat shocking images and beings present in these verses offer me hope.  God's kin-dom (whenever and wherever) is here depicted (in part) as a place without discord, and that gives me so much hope in an age in which there is significant, constant and increasing inter-cultural, geographic, socio-economic, and yes, inter-religious strife, discord and pain.  To know that God's kingdom is a place of harmony gives me hope, yes, hope!


So, now to you!  I've offered my reflections above, and I invite you to comment, challenge, question, on any of my reflections, or share your own via the commenting function at the end.

~ Pastor Melinda

"We do not create Christmas; we share it."

As a person in vocational ministry, a good portion of my life is in a fishbowl, and I grow increasingly accustomed to that.  But, during the two focal seasons in the Christian year, Advent and Christmas, it seems like both my life and the life of the entire church is in a very large, very clear fish TANK.  Aquarium, even.  It is this time of year that we pull out all the stops because everyone says that everyone is either watching or visiting!  So, we shine and spruce up the place.  We host concerts and parties.  We get out and serve, serve, serve.  We put up signage, print more worship guides, and try to remember to wear our name badges.  We work hard to preach and live the Gospel all year long, but especially in the time when we celebrate Christ's birth and resurrection, we work to share the Gospel invitation!  And, so it feels like the pressure's for me is at home and in this tank or aquarium of ours, to some extent!

All to say, that this made me really resonate when I read in Day 6's reflection ... "We do not create Christmas; we share it."  (p. 24).  I need to always remember that, and live that out.  I think that I might even write that on a sticky note and place it in my purse!

What about you?  How did you feel about Day 6?

Please read and respond to one or more of the questions by commenting below.

Questions to Ponder:

• You do not create Christmas but share it.  How does hearing this help you?

• How might you focus on God's rule and God's gift of Jesus this Christmas?  Think about ways you might simplify your gift giving and celebrating in order to help keep Jesus as the reason for the season.

Sensing a theme, here ...

I really like that we are reflecting on just one Psalm (Psalm 96) this whole week.  Having this one Psalm to reflect on daily, well, it helps me to focus, I guess.  It helps me to have something to return to each evening, and think about, pray over ... that is similar and familiar.  I also have liked the questions at the end of each devotion that further and focus my scattered thoughts, developing and shaping their trajectory.  Hmm, I sense a theme here.  Call me a little unfocused this Advent, but it seems for me anyway, that my Advent started even before our calendared Advent season was set to begin.  And I suppose that might be a common theme among many of us ... in our work to prepare for the holidays, we not only extend the holidays themselves, in some ways, we actually extend the frenzy that we are working to avoid ... oh my.  So, I am very appreciative to have these daily devotionals this Advent, and to be able to share them with you, the Los Altos UMC family in this online form.

In Sunday's reading, I was thrown entirely by this one line, "They are the same, and yet not the same.  This year we may not have some of our loved ones with us." (p. 14)  I was thrown because I had been thinking until that simple line, "Well, nothing's really changed for me.  Things are pretty much like they've always been."   But, I literally stopped reading because I was shocked to recall that last year, my mom was still alive with us, and that this will be my first Christmas without my mom.  Yes, things will not be the same for me.  I miss my mom terribly, and this time of year was a favorite time for her, especially in all of her preparations for her grandkids.  She was a thoughtful gift-giver extraordinaire.  Packages would be arriving throughout the season at our home, filled with so many well-thought-out gifts for every family member, and friends too.  My mom would listen all year long for little things that would make her family and friends happy, work to find them, and then wrap and send them during Advent.  Every gift had a meaning and purpose.  Every gift had a thought behind it.  Every gift was envisioned and given with love.

Yes, this Christmas season will be different in a significant way for my family and I with the loss of our Mom/Grace.  But, this realization has helped me to ponder over so many other ways that this Advent season will be different, and therefore, utterly unique.  I will never be in this exact space again, preparing for the birth of Christ.  My daughter, Lucie, will never be this "4 years" again with her love of all things dolls, princesses, and dance.  Mattias will never be his 18-months fascinated-with-the-world self, utterly in wonder of all things light, sparkly, and laughing with such glee.  My experience of their wonder, my sorrow, and our collective striving for the heart of Jesus will simply never be the same, and I believe that because of this unique space that we find ourselves in, we are in a prime (and primed) space to listen and walk together the path to Christ's birth.  We will never be in this exact space again and I wonder what insight that affords us this season.  So, now your turn.   Let's ponder now, together, those Day 1 questions:

* What has changed for you or your family in the last year?  How or when have God's love and power been made new for you as you've experienced these changes?

* Who in your family, neighborhood, or worshipping community needs to hear God's song of saving grace this Advent?  When and where will you sing it?

~ Please share by reflecting on these questions through commenting below.  I check the blog regularly and I am interested in your thoughts and reflections.

Greetings! You made it!

Welcome to our Los Altos UMC online study gathering for Advent Reflections.  
I will be leading this group, and I'm so glad that you are joining us.  Obviously, this will work a little differently than the other groups that will be gathering in person to reflect, listen and study together this Advent, so I will explain briefly how this will work below.

First, we will all be reading the same material from Advent Reflections: You Shall Have a Song, which you can purchase through the church office, or order online yourself through amazon.com.  You should make sure to do this very soon, if you haven't obtained a copy just yet.  I would begin by looking over the book, noting the different sections and sub-headings.

Second, we all will read the daily devotions through Advent.  So, dutifully on Sunday, Dec. 2, the first day of the Advent season, begin reading.  It may help to pick a certain time of the day which you normally have a little quiet time to yourself, and try to read around that time each day.  Often, when I engage in a period of devotions such as this, I pick a time, a place and I light a candle before I begin the devotion.  I find that even such a simple ritual helps me settle into a quieter, more listening mode ...

Look throughout the week, as I will post periodically reflections on the daily devotions to which you can respond or comment as you feel led to do so.

Third, I will post weekly on the Bible Studies component, sometime between Thursday and Saturday of each week.  This will be the place where our group will need to engage in order for this to be as successful as it can be.  I would ask each participant in our online study to commit to posting a minimum of twice per week -- one of which would need to be in the Bible Study component.

So -- all to say:

1. Get the book.
2. Read the book daily.
3. Check the blog during the week and post as you feel compelled.
4. Check the blog between Thursday and Saturday for the Bible Studies component, and post a response!

That's it.  You can do this anytime during the night or day, from your home, from a coffee spot, from your mobile phone.

I am looking forward to a-waiting the birth of Christ with you this season,

Pastor Melinda