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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!!
Almost 4 pm on this brisk Sunday afternoon. I bought a new winter hat after church this morning and tested it out on my walk after lunch. I found myself wishing that the additional fleece lining went farther down. My ears were still cold under the edge in spite of being cuffed to a double layer. I'll have to continue using my knit headband underneath for sufficient coverage. Oh well, at least it's pretty.
So, as you know from last time, Mike went home Christmas afternoon. I was hoping to get more blogging done this past week, but as it turned out, Carissa needed me to watch Brandi over New Year's Eve. I'm not sure if this was her first year staying up*; but it was the first we'd spent together, so that was nice. Thanks to her having some money and Carissa giving me a bit, I was able to take her to the theatre up the street to see WICKED. O... M... G...!!!! If you haven't seen it yet, you NEED to!! It. Is. AMAZING!!!! (and it's only Part 1!!!) It was also encouraging to hear afterwards that Brandi understood the life lessons contained in the story, and was able to see beyond the stars who played in it. Love my girl!! <3
At the same time, my parents needed home heating fuel again.* Shout out here to Irving Services. Due to the difficulty of securing the last $40 or so for what Carissa was doing, the woman she was dealing with checked with her supervisor and produced a miracle!! Rather than "pocketing" the $150 Emergency Fee, they decided to put that amount in my parents fuel tank!! Praise God for generous, understanding people!!
Meanwhile, the people who have been staying with my parents for most of this past year are officially out. (or soon will be) These people were scamming them for money while "couch surfing" for about 8 months at their apartment. My parents didn't realize that, by having these people stay with them, they were technically in breach of their lease agreement. Thanks to a conversation Carissa had with their landlord a while back, and again a few days ago, they have to go. This will make things a lot better for my parents going forward.*
Nothing new from Andrea and Matt other than the fact that, as per a recent FB post by Andrea, Matt is being released from the hospital soon. The current challenge is to get him sent back to Rehab before coming home again. Prayers for that, as well as for Matt's total Stroke Recovery.
As to Mike's daughter and grandson, I haven't heard that they have anywhere safe to go yet. Pray they get the help they need soon.
Also pray for Mike and I to find the right housing so we can be together rather than the 1 1/2 hrs. the current trip generally takes. Speaking of which, I need to talk to Mike about the list of landlords around Concord that I picked up. He's supposed to get in touch with someone at Keene Housing, but he's had other priorities lately. He FINALLY called his Dr.'s office the other day and got his meds switched from Rite Aid to Walgreen's, but hasn't contacted his Pulmonary Dr. as yet. And speaking of doctor's appointments, I go Wednesday morning for a follow up with the ENT office. No change in my swallowing issues. Small particulates like rice are a "no go" unless it's nearly soggy like a risotto, or eaten with something soft to carry it down. The same with loose hamburger, I have to be careful. The green bean casserole at Christmas was all for Mike this year because I can't swallow green beans without feeling a choking sensation. Pray that a solution can be found other than pureeing everything green.
Finally, I found out the other day in the Centre Church of Brattleboro newsletter that next Sunday is Pastor Scott's birthday. I made a card and bookmark for him that can be viewed on my blog page under the Stamps, Cards and Jewelry title. I hope to be there next week for the party, as well as to visit friends with Mike.
And now we move on --
All of us go through the highs and lows of life's journey. We celebrate the highs and may even remember to praise God for them. But what is our response in the lows?? Do we get angry with God and think that maybe He's abandoned us?? Or do we trust Him in all things and, when we finish with our human response of tears or ranting, settle down to pray?? While our initial thoughts of mourning generally focus on the death of a loved one; mourning can actually apply to different areas of our lives. Just now, as I'm typing this, 2 scenarios from my past have come to mind. Neither one is the original story I was going to tell.* The first was when I completed Job Corps and came home for good. Mike was there to see me off, and I spent about half of the 3 hr. ride home in tears. I was mourning not only the end of that chapter in my life, but the idea of not knowing when, or if I'd ever see Mike again. (who knew!!?? <3)* The second was my divorce from Rich, nearly 19 yrs. later. It was a mutual decision that was years in the making. During that time, I spent hours upon hours mourning the loss of not only the relationship as it had been; but the loss of the future we would no longer have together. I had to trust at both times that God had something better in store. I know now, that God was with me through everything; and that gives me confidence in the life Mike and I are planning together.
Turn with me to Matthew 5 as we prepare to see what comfort God has in store for us --
Matthew 5:1-12
New International Version
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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As Pastor Joe opened the message that week, he spoke of how joyous life is in the "mountain top" experiences. Then he shared about 3 situations from his past that were devastating to him. The first was when he received a phone call that his favorite uncle had committed suicide. The second was something about a family meeting concerning one of his parent's relatives, and the third was when there was a report of abuse in the life of a Leader in his faith community.*
During moments of grief, many people may ask the question, "Where is God??" One answer, as Pastor Joe pointed out, can be found just a few verses back from our passage above, continuing to verse 4 of our Scripture. Matt. 4: 23 tells us that, after passing the tests brought on Him in the Wilderness, Jesus then went out and started preaching the Good News of the Gospel, reaching out, healing the sick, ministering to the poor and diseased, and spending time with those who were otherwise marginalized. We also read here that God was with them all, even having Jesus speak to the mix of people throughout Decapolis. This was the start of the Jews bringing God to the nations. It was done by Jesus first, as Israel had a long history to that point of "dropping the ball".
So, in examining our passage above, we need to look at 3 major points in order to understand the source of mourning for the Israelites to whom Jesus was speaking.
Explore the Background -- Israel was being ruled by the Roman Empire during that time, and had long periods throughout their history of having been exiled from the Promised Land. (both valid reasons to mourn)
Embrace the situation for what it was/is -- In awaiting God's rescue, Israel was meant to spread His love and make an effort to Save the World. This was a source of grief, suffering, and despair.*
Explore the various responses by different groups of Israelites -- Pastor Joe had a chart for this, but it must be one he did himself; as I can't find anything like it online.
1. Pharisees - Religious Leaders who focused on interpreting the Torah - their response was to call out those they found lacking in righteousness.
2. Sadducees - The 2nd group of the Sanhedrin Council, along with the Pharisees. Their response was to sympathize with Jesus' followers in order to protect their power and position. They basically downplayed any suggested "wrongdoing" by Jesus. While they compared themselves to others and took pride in their actions and attitudes, they essentially "pushed down" the Gospel message to a place that numbed them to Jesus' activities. They put no energy into looking for reasons to find fault with Jesus.
3. Zealots -- These were Jewish rebels who were calling for Revolution against Rome. Pharisees by origin, these men sought to expel the Romans from their land.
4. Essenes -- This group basically took off on their own and left town. They had very different beliefs about Jesus than the others. They lived ascetic, monastic lives, generally exclusive of women. As Pastor Joe phrased it, their response was to "check out".
5. Herodians -- This group simply sought harmony with their Roman occupiers. They generally ignored Jesus and His teachings in light of this. Their response was essentially to "hang out".
God calls us to share His light for our own good, as well as for the good of the World. The fact is, fear and hurt are 2 emotions that can be the catalysts to anger. That being said, anger is more acceptable to our Western Culture than showing grief. We seek to protect ourselves in our fear and grief. But God's mercy meets us. He calls us in, as opposed to the responses of the Israelites as shown above. He doesn't deny our humanity, but invites us to sit in it with Him there to console and comfort.
John 11, verses 17-44, tells the story of Lazarus' death and Jesus' mourning of His friend before restoring him to life. This shows Jesus' humanity as we read of Him sitting in Shiva with the other family members and friends. Verse 35, the shortest verse in the Bible tells us simply, "Jesus wept."
In Luke 19:37-44 we see Jesus grieving for Jerusalem, and later weeping at the thought of His impending crucifixion in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matt. 27:46 and Luke 23 describe Jesus' emotional response at the Cross of His Betrayal, feeling forsaken by the Father, and finally, His forgiveness towards His detractors and those who were actively responsible for His crucifixion.
Finally, in the record of Jesus' Resurrection by John, we see Jesus meeting Mary Magdalene meeting her in her mourning over His loss. In her grief, she leaned in rather than trying to deny or escape it. She was so fixated on her weeping that the sight of the "angel" at the tomb didn't phase her.
We see in verses 14-15 of John 20 that Mary Magdalene was looking for God, but didn't yet recognize Jesus for Who He was. Then in verses 16-18 we find that she was the only one who stayed at the tomb. This resulted in her being the first among His followers to see Jesus after His Resurrection.
Lean in and hold on to Jesus in your times of grief. Receive His love.
In closing out his message, Pastor Joe shared his recently gained insight that God has been with him through everything. He ended the service with a time of Community Prayer.*
-- God Bless!!
Footnotes:
Brandi is 12 yrs. old.
The heating oil at my parent's place was just filled on Dec. 22nd. We know there must be some kind of leak or other issue. Carissa was going to try to catch the delivery guy in process, but I haven't heard if she did or not.
The landlord doesn't want to evict my parents, as they are, over-all, the best tenants he's ever had. That, in combination with their age and low income, have been the deciding factors in this for him. (My parents are in their early 80s. The other people are in their mid 60's. Their poor life choices have brought them poor life results.)
My original thought here was about my maternal grandfather. We lived with him for almost exactly 14 yrs. before his passing in April of 1987.
I actually did see Mike 2x more before he completed Job Corps because Rich had not yet completed. I went up to get Rich for Easter and Memorial Day weekends before Mike completed in either June or early July. Rich completed the 3rd week of July, shortly after my birthday. Who knew, just over 30 yrs later, we'd reconnect?? <3
I can relate to Pastor Joe's story of betrayal by a Church Leader. In the Spring of 1991, I was visiting at Mike's dorm at Job Corps for a movie night that started out with a different guy, but ended up with Mike. During that evening, I received a phone call from my parents. It turned out that the pastor of my church back home had taken off with the Lay Leader. It's always intrigued me that it was Mike who was there for me in that moment. I had no idea back then that Mike was actually Saved. When we had talked about it during our 6 weeks or so of "hanging out" with just each other the previous Fall, he had said that he was Agnostic. I've never had better news in my life than to find out he had known the Lord the entire time, as he told me after we got back together in 2022. (the news of my 3 kids come in at very close 2nd)
The mandate on Israel to share God's love to the World resulted in grief for them due to their pride and exclusivity of those outside the Covenant.
As I've explained before, Community Prayer, or Family Prayer, as we sometimes call it, is about people who need prayer raising their hands and having others come around to pray for them with a hand laid on the back or shoulder. The Pastor then proceeds to pray for the general needs of the people who had their hands up.
Music -- No rights!!
