Christmas More Than Chaos

So many of the people I know are breathing a sigh of relief now that Christmas is over. Decorate the house, trim the tree, send the cards, shop, wrap, bake, party, assemble toys, and be pressured to be jolly all the while; it just seems overwhelming at times! My good friend Monica used a phrase that struck a chord in my heart when she was describing how we should celebrate the birth of our Savior: “Christmas more than chaos.”

Is it just me, or does it seem the season of Christmas really has become increasingly more chaotic? I remember when people complained that Christmas decorations went up at the stores the day after Thanksgiving. This year, the decorations went up the day after Halloween. How scary is that?!?

Did you see the Christian groups that mounted protests and boycotts over merchants that did not mention Christmas in their advertising? I wonder… how, exactly, do ads for tight jeans help us celebrate the birth of the Christ Child? Why protest that some store’s ads say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas?” Apparently, some Christians feel that we should bully everybody to acknowledge Christmas. Does that seem like Christmas, or chaos to you?

Amazingly, churches add their own chaos to Christmas, as well. We have extra services on Christmas (eve or day… take your pick, depending on your religious tradition). All those extra services need pastors, musicians, choirs, greeters, ushers, and all the normal support of a Sunday service… but crammed together and overlapping, so everybody can have a convenient choice of a service. You don’t know chaos until you’ve tried to sort out a church parking lot at night… when one service is running very late, and people are arriving for the next service. There’s not a lot of peace on earth, or good will toward men in the chaos of such a situation.

Oh, I saw plenty of chaos this season, but I saw Christmas, too:

On Christmas Eve, I worked out in the street and parking lots for 4 of our 6 Christmas Eve services. It was a bitter cold night for Southern California, with temperatures dipping down into the high thirties (LOL), and between stints directing traffic, I took refuge in the Joy Center to warm up a bit. Actually, I wasn’t all that cold. I had dressed in layers, and was wearing a festive Santa hat that kept my head quite toasty. Truth be told, I was in the Joy Center because it was filled with cookies, fudge, hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and the most marvelous berry water you can imagine. Between services, it was full of families; sampling the cookies, having a warm drink of cider or cocoa, or just visiting for a few minutes before heading back out into the night. But… it was also empty during the Christmas Eve services, so those of us who were serving in one capacity or another could sit down, rest, and (perhaps) enjoy a cookie or two.

The 9:30 pm service had been going on for about 15 minutes, and I just come in from the parking lot and was anxious to sit down and rest my ankles and knees for a bit before the final transition of the night. I was looking over the cookies to see if any more of the scrumptious fudge had miraculously reappeared, when I heard crying. It was coming from outside, between the Joy Center and the Worship Center. Since I hadn’t plopped myself down yet, I stepped outside to investigate. What I saw, was a little girl and her mother. The girl was crying, and her mother had brought her out of the service so her crying would not disturb the people, or the service.

As I walked up to them I boomed out, in my most jolly voice: “Ho, ho, ho… who’s crying on Christmas Eve?” Now, except for the general physique, I don’t look much like Santa Claus (ho, ho, ho), so perhaps it was the hat, or maybe just the big figure looming out of the darkness; whatever it was, she stopped crying instantly. I bent down, and asked the little girl if she’d like to come into the Joy Center and have a cookie. She nodded, and I led mother and daughter inside where it was warm and inviting. We examined all the cookies, and I shared my thoughts about which cookies were the yummiest. Being 3 years old, the little girl wanted to try all of the cookies, but mom negotiated a more reasonable number. They ended up spending the whole of their time being warm and comfortable, sharing cookies with each other, trying a few of the available drinks, and laughing and giggling together.

As I prepared to return to the parking lot, the mother came over to me to thank me for giving them such a wonderful Christmas Eve. I felt like a shepherd. The gift wasn’t from me, I hadn’t prepared any of the goodies in the Joy Center, and everybody was invited to come, anyway. I felt like a shepherd, because all I had done was go out and tell someone: “Come, see this wonderful thing.” For a few minutes, there was less chaos, and more Christmas.

Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? God has already prepared the gift. All are invited to enter in. The angels told the shepherds to spread the good news. Jesus has commanded us to share the good news with everybody. It doesn’t take any special training, since shepherds were obviously up to the task. How hard is it to say to someone: “Come, see this wonderful thing.”? I invite you to keep Christmas in your heart, and all year long to be a shepherd and choose… Christmas more than chaos!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

The Spirit of a Christmas Newsletter

I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of newsletters stuffed in with all the Christmas cards I receive. Here is a newsletter I might have written. Hey… just cut and paste it, edit in your own names, and you’ll be all ready with a newsletter for next Christmas. Nobody will know you used a ghostwriter. LOL! Enjoy.

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Here it is, 3 days before Christmas, and I still haven’t mailed a single Christmas card. Patti, of course, has mailed dozens… to family, associates, and neighbors… but I’m in charge of getting Christmas cards sent out to all the special people in MY life. Because you ARE special, and because you have touched my life in a unique or profound way, you continue to get a card from me at Christmas. OK, OK… it usually arrives AFTER Christmas, but I do (usually) send them out. Besides, who couldn’t benefit from extending a time of peace and goodwill a little longer? Did you know that Christmas actually begins the 12 Days of Christmas? So, since the celebration of our Savior and King extend out to Epiphany, when the Wise Men brought their gifts, it seems appropriate that my meager gift of a card arrive near that time, too.

So many folks like to take this time to help keep us all up-to-date on what’s going on in their lives. That’s usually nice, since most of them are actually counting their blessings, rather than giving us a litany of their woes. I always feel some perverse responsibility to read all the Christmas newsletters I receive… in their entirety. With newsletters, I think that people take this concept of ‘giving’ entirely too far; they give us WAY too much information! Seriously, most newsletter recipients don’t care about Uncle Floyd’s hip replacement… let alone even know Uncle Floyd. And though the family pet is surely beloved, who really needs to hear about the gerbil’s irregularity? We all know the dark side of holiday newsletters, yet so many of us send them. The obvious question is: WHY?

I think that most of us that participate in the Christmas card tradition do so because we enjoy the concept of staying connected to people we care about. There are people on my list that get cards from me because I formed a close bond with them more than 20 years ago. We never see each other anymore, but we still exchange Christmas cards. I love to hear that they are enjoying grandkids, travel, or involvement in something that keeps them fired up. Some people I see every day, but they get a card, as well. For me, at least, the very action of sending Christmas cards allows me to take a moment (at least once a year), and inventory all the wonderful friends I have been blessed with over the years.

So… this year, while sticking your address label on the envelope, and while signing your card, know that I have lifted YOU up in prayer. My prayer for you is a reflection of the Christmas season: that you KNOW the joy and the peace of Christ! This is the joy and the peace that I know in MY life. Don’t just count the blessings in your life, enjoy them, and… share them.

Merry Christmas, and blessings in the New Year!!!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Partner in Ministry – Part 2

In my last blog entry (Partner in Ministry – Part 1) I posed the following question:

How would you answer the question: “Is your church the best place for me to give my money?”

To adequately answer that question here at Messiah, we need to really examine the mission, vision, and values of Messiah Lutheran Church here in Yorba Linda, California.

Our God-given mission:
Messiah’s God-given mission is “to know Christ and to make Christ known” (Matthew 28:19-20). As a Lutheran congregation, we center on worship and praise of God and our Lord, Jesus Christ; care for those within and outside our congregation; growing in our discipleship – learning and equipping ourselves with God’s word; and reaching out in witness and mission to our community and the world.

Our Spirit-led vision:
Messiah's God-given vision is to "joyfully grow to know, love and serve" by equipping every partner in ministry to understand their lives as journeys of vocation, to connect them to God and one another in worship and prayer, and send them into the community and the world as agents of renewal. How we live our lives is just as important as carrying out our mission.

Our Values:
Messiah's God-given core value is that we are a community of believers who know that salvation is ours as a gift of God’s grace. We are motivated to relate to one another and the world by our biblical understanding of prayer, dignity, integrity, compassion, hospitality, and joy.

As a congregation we invite each other, as Partners in Ministry, to build on Four Pillars of Faith:

1. Everyone Invites and Welcomes
2. Everyone Serves Inside and Outside Messiah
3. Everyone Gives of Time, Talent, and Treasure
4. Everyone Grows and Studies

Well, our mission seems to include reaching out; to our community and to our world. Our vision, in a similar fashion, would have us connect with our community and our world as agents of renewal. And our values include relating to one another in compassion and hospitality.

In a sense, after understanding our mission, vision, and values, I suppose that if you are only looking to give money to a worthy cause, you might find that Messiah Lutheran Church might not be a good fit for you. Oh, we have plenty of worthy causes and ministries, alright. To be honest, we probably won’t turn down many gifts, but we are really all about helping people realize their God-given potential as partners in ministry with us.

At Messiah, we have over 75 ministries! Many of them (but not all) are on the Messiah site at:

http://messiahyl.com/

Just check out the ministries tab or the calendar, but prepare to be overwhelmed by the number of ministries that will present themselves to you.

For those who don’t read blogs, surf the web, or explore our Messiah site, we have booklets in every pew of our sanctuary. PLEASE… stop by on Sunday, or drop by the church office in the Life Center and pick up a copy. If you are not already a committed partner in ministry, I’m certain that there are probably several ministries we are involved in that will touch your heart, motivate you to become a partner, and maybe (if the Spirit moves you) open your pocketbook.

Two ministries that are not in the booklet are Cypress Street and Food Pantry.

Cypress Street is a depressed area of very high-density low-income apartments. Every week, high school students from Messiah lead Bible study there. This year, 150 Messiah partners fed over 1100 people at a Thanksgiving dinner at Cypress Street.

Food Pantry is a ministry of about 20 Messiah partners that help to feed over 200 families every week.

Mark Phillipi, our congregational president, startled me when he stated that our goal in this year’s pledge drive was to get 75% of our members to pledge to become active partners in ministry with us. I asked him, “Why not shoot for 100%? Don’t we want everybody to pledge?”

Mark smiled patiently at me, and really opened my eyes with his answer: “We’re not trying to browbeat, or ‘guilt’ anyone to pledge. Not everyone is in a position to be an active partner in ministry. Many people come because they are hurting and need to our understanding, our compassion, our help, and our love. If we get 75% of our members to pledge to be partners in ministry with us, we’ll be doing great. I trust the Holy Spirit to provide more through the giving commitments of active partners, than through 100% participation in a normal giving drive.”

Our stewardship people really hit the nail on the head when they answered the question of: “Is your church the best place for me to give my money?”

What can I do with the life God has given me?

“How much is enough?” That question was once posed to Nelson Rockefeller. His response, with a smile, was “Just a little bit more.” The response seems a bit humorous, but for the most of us it rings true. It is easy to let our desire for “a little bit more” to become our motivation for life.

It can and often does eat away at compassionate hearts, and the concerns of others slip out of our mind and become at best afterthoughts. In Jesus’ own words, we hear that we are “to seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness.” This is not a mere challenge to simplify or downsize our life. God is calling us into a new and deeper
understanding of our life’s purpose. In Christ, we discover an entirely new way to see life.

At Messiah, the question we wrestle with is, “What can I do with this life that God has given to me?” We are challenged, encouraged and strengthened as we realize all that we have and all that we are is a gift from God. Our minds, our skills, our time, our money, our beauty, our relationships, our creativity; all of these are gifts.

Stewardship ministry at Messiah is simply discovering the ways we can put all these gifts into service. It is to help each other choose life… not just a lifestyle.

2 Corinthians 8:7 “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

So… the bottom line is: any gift or pledge to Messiah is funding a tremendous number of ministries that provide individuals and families of all ages a variety of opportunities to praise God, to learn and mature as Christian disciples, and to go out into the community and the world as witnesses to God’s everlasting love and grace.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Partner in Ministry – Part 1

We are in the midst of a Partner in Ministry campaign. We are looking to do more this year than just exhort (sounds like extort, doesn’t it?) people to make a giving pledge. We have an awesome campus, all kind of worship and fellowship opportunities, and incredible pastors and staff. Rather than press people for the money it takes to operate our ministries, we are looking to involve people as partners. Of course, being a partner means supporting the ministry with time, talent, and a financial (money) commitment.

As our Partner in Ministry campaign was moving forward, I got an email from a buddy of mine, Pat Glazener-Cooney. Pat and I were best friends in high school, he was best man at my wedding, and if you had known us 40 years ago, you would be amazed that either of us would ever be involved in ministry. Pat is now a Methodist pastor in Texas, and yours truly authors this blog (and I’m also a Partner in Ministry at Messiah Lutheran Church). The Lord certainly moves in mysterious ways!

Returning to my point… Pat had copied me on an article by a stewardship consultant; he was actually sending it to his church’s leaders. He posed the following question: “So how would we answer?”

Is Your Church the Best Place to Give?

J. Clif Christopher
November 18, 2009

The other day I was visiting with a key donor of a church along with the pastor. The pastor was asking the donor if she would be willing to serve in a very significant capacity in an upcoming campaign for their church. I fully expected the woman to say yes. She was an elected leader in the church and was the number three donor, giving a high five-figure contribution to the operating budget each year. She was, it seemed to me on paper, an ideal candidate for the position.

He began the conversation by bragging on her to me, and then he asked her if she would be willing to consider service in this capacity. I then followed up by explaining to her what the position entailed, and after about ten minutes I stopped, waiting to hear her enthusiastic “of course.” Instead, I got an answer I totally did not expect.

She looked at her pastor and said, “I am concerned about our church. For the last several years we have not grown, and I see fewer and fewer young people. I think you are a fine man, but I am beginning to wonder if supporting the church is good stewardship. Lately, I have been looking into giving more support to World Vision and Oxfam. Pastor, do you really believe that our church is a better place for my money than they are? I must see that my money is going to be used wisely, as God calls me to do. Is our church the best place for me to give? That is what I need answered because, if it isn’t, then I could not serve with integrity in this campaign.”

The pastor was stunned. I could see on his face that he was shocked by the request to justify to the woman why she should choose the church for her offerings. He stumbled around a bit and then turned to me to help him out. There really was nothing a person in my position could say, however. It was not my church, and I was not a leader in it. I was just a consultant. She already knew that I would play little or no role in whether this church eventually moved forward or not. I vainly tried to put a good face on what we were going to try and do, but, in the end, she turned us down. What she ultimately decides to do with her gifts will all be determined by how well the church can compete for them as a place that changes lives over other very good causes.

I have long advocated the need for churches to learn how to compete with other nonprofits. Persons need to hear our life-changing stories and be helped to understand how their dollars are creating positive change in the lives of people—and in ways that are powerful and distinctive. Why the church instead of World Vision, Oxfam, Scouts, or the local hospital? We must be prepared on a daily basis boldly to answer that question. If we find we cannot easily do it, then we must get busy changing our church. As the Builder Generation dies off and is replaced by the much more questioning Boomers and Gen Xers, we are going to find ourselves facing those very questions. Are we ready to answer them gladly and compellingly?

I told the pastor afterwards that this lady did him a great favor. She voiced the question with which I had felt many in his congregation were wrestling. His answer to her question will eventually determine whether the campaign succeeds or not.

How would you answer the question: “Is your church the best place for me to give my money?”

J. Clif Christopher (cchristopher@horizonsstewardship.com) is founder of Horizons Stewardship Company and author of Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship, Abingdon, 2008.

Hmmm… how would we answer that at Messiah? I knew how I would answer that question, but I wondered… how would our leadership answer? Would they all answer the same? Could they answer at all?

I will post the astonishing answers in my next blog entry: Partner in Ministry – Part 2

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

My Annual Christmas Card

“May You Connect This Christmas…
With Lots of Free Minutes and NO Static!”

Every year I create and produce a new Christmas card. I make 500 copies, fold them, and then personally give them out to everybody at church during the Christmas season. I hand them out to store clerks, my postal carrier, my neighbors, and people I might be working with at the moment. I’ve been doing it for so long, that it doesn’t seem quite so weird to everybody anymore. As a matter of fact, I’m often surprised when people ask me: “When am I getting this year’s Christmas card from you?”

In addition to the paper Christmas cards, I can now post the whole thing here in the blog. True, there isn’t the same tactile feel you get from holding an actual card in your hand, but everything else is here. I hope you enjoy this year’s offering.

The famous Christmas song Winter Wonderland was first published in 1934. The composer was Felix Bernard (1897-1944) and the lyricist was Richard B. Smith (1901-1935). Probably the most popular versions of this classic Christmas song were recorded by the Andrews Sisters and Perry Como. Since you already know the tune, why not sing along, as you consider our current Virtual Wonderland:

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Virtual Wonderland

By David Alan Hoag, November 22nd, 2009
(Sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland, with apologies to Felix Bernard and Richard Smith)

Text chimes “ding”, are you heeding?
Posted Blogs, are you reading?
In IM or chat,
It holds you like that;
Captive in a virtual wonderland.

Nevermore is there quiet,
It’s a huge data riot.
See… Facebook has powers
To hold you for hours;
Captive in a virtual wonderland.

Everybody needs to have a Smart Phone
To ensure their link-up is complete.
If you haven’t got the best connection
You just might miss a caller, or a tweet.

Where you work, there’s a female
Whom you text and you email.
Though just down the hall,
You’ve not met at all;
Captive in a virtual wonderland.

In your bio you can claim you’re gorgeous,
Whether you’re a gal or you’re a guy.
In your bio you can stretch the facts some,
But any way you view it, it’s a lie.

I invite you this Christmas
Feel the joy and the sweet bliss
Make Christmas with me
Unplug and be free...
Not captive in a virtual wonderland.

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Blessings to you and your family, as you celebrate God’s love at Christmas time. My prayer is that the love, peace, and joy that come from the salvation through Jesus Christ… be yours at Christmas, and all through the year.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave