Written in heaven

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

Luke 10:20 [Jesus speaking:] “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

In this passage seventy of Jesus’ followers are sent out ahead of Him into the region to preach the good news, to bring healing to the ill and relief to the suffering. And they did just that, returning to Jesus with an exuberant report. They celebrated what God had done through them. Yet, Jesus right-sized their earthly successes by saying (in my words), “But really guys, the most awesome thing is that your names are written in my book.”  

Think of that — your name written in a heavenly tome with the indelible ink of hope and a future. It’s transcendent — far surpassing the miracle-working that Jesus' seventy followers experienced. Jesus reminds us to keep this life in heavenly perspective, and relatedly, to keep our pride and power in check.  

You may be a doctor who brings healing to the sick, a pastor who baptizes hundreds, or a volunteer who serves countless hours. Those achievements merit jubilation. I think I hear Jesus saying (in my words), “Yes, but even more so, rejoice because I know you, love you, and have a wondrous eternity-plan in store for you.”  

Rejoice

By Karen Biggs

No matter what comes 

Along the way, thrill or throe 

Rejoice

No matter what storm 

Brews o’erhead, rumbles below

Rejoice

No matter the row 

Raging ‘round the whirling world 

Rejoice

For all will be well

Your name is written 

In heaven above 

Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4  “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

Prayer: Most Holy One, use each of us with our unique gifts to serve and to bring love and healing to the world. Remind us often to revel with exceeding joy for You’ve written our cherished names in Your love journal. What grace and honor you bless us with — all an unmerited gift to us. Praise be! Amen.

Advent Devotion: Hope

Hope

By Betty Hertz, St. John Lay Leader

O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the Lord!

Isaiah 2:5

We spoke Isaiah’s words on Sunday in the Call to Worship. They are part of his message of hope at the beginning of Chapter 2—words of peace throughout the world.

Then, as Pastor Autumn lit the Advent Candle of Hope, she shared these words:

“We remember that Your light pierces the darkness and brings hope to all who trust in You.”

As I pondered these words, I reflected on times in my life when I have groaned at hearing the word “hope." When I didn’t feel hope. When life felt dark, even with my eyes open. When I didn’t remember, or didn’t want to believe, that God’s light would pierce my darkness. I realized during these times of hopelessness, I didn’t trust “this too shall pass, and life will be better.”

I didn’t trust the words Julian of Norwich heard Jesus say,

“I am able to make everything well,

I shall make everything well."

My view of hope was one of doubt and lack of trust in God. But Advent hope reminds me to believe that God always keeps His promises. As I face the unknown, God will provide for my needs. He will bring me inner peace despite my present circumstances.

When I hear God say, “I will be with you as you journey through darkness and with you as darkness turns to light,“ I have hope.

God of hope,

Thank you for the assurance today that because you are God and Jesus is Lord, all will be well. Help us experience this Advent journey with hope and confident expectations.

In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Amen.

When we are weak...

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

I recently walked on the Camino de Santiago (“French Way” or "Way of St. James"), a pilgrimage route stretching almost 500 miles from St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, the purported burial place of James, a disciple of Jesus. Before embarking on this 30-day journey, I planned and trained for months, lugging a heavy backpack around town, up mountains and across valleys.

Regardless of my preparations, I was plagued with one problem after another — blisters, heat rash, tendonitis, insomnia, fever, the common cold, more blisters, and even a seizure — all of this on top of typical travel stresses of not speaking the local languages, sleeping in unfamiliar settings, and not knowing when my next meal would come. It pummeled me, and “WEAKNESS” became the word of the month for me.  

As I bemoaned my personal fragility day in and day out, I recalled a Scripture, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I really needed to tap into the “then I am strong” part. So, en route with cell phone in hand, I dug into my Bible app to learn more. 

The quote is from 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 with the apostle Paul speaking: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it [a difficulty in Paul’s life] away from me. But God said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The first part of the passage reminded me that yes, there are trials and tribulations in life, and God sometimes answers “no” or “not yet” to our pleadings. Next, Paul states that God’s power is “made perfect in weakness.” The NLV Bible translates this verse, “My power works best in weak people;” weak people, who presumably take on a humble posture, admit their need and seek God. God’s Spirit hears and intercedes on their behalf (Rom 8:26). Of course, maybe God’s particular response is not what they wanted, but rest assured, God is Love, God is trustworthy, and God’s response is based on an infinitely bigger Love-plan than anyone can comprehend (I John 4:8, Isa. 55:8). 

As I hobbled down the Camino, I prayed, “Lord, please help me endure this pain. Help my feet to heal. Help my mind to calm and be able to sleep. Rejuvenate my stressed body along this long road, for with You all things are possible. You are my strength, and I need you. I can’t make it without You.”

When we feel fragile and weak, that is when God’s strength and power can be most evident to us and to others. Divine intervention can come via friends, healthcare workers, strangers, circumstances, a good night’s sleep, helpful medication, or an angel in disguise. Paul celebrated his weaknesses because he knew that Christ’s power would sustain him. Paul could see past his infirmity and see God’s hand working in and through his troubles. 

I was amazed every morning when I awoke, having my strength renewed to face another day. I was not Superman, and sometimes I hailed a cab, took a bus, or visited the ER. My Camino “Way” was messy and not what I envisioned, but I did endure to the end by God’s grace. My weakness led me to prayer, to the Bible, to praise and worship music, and to bow my head inside many cathedrals on the Way. I certainly focused on God, which was the whole point of the pilgrimage to begin with, ironically enough. 

I finished the Way more on bended knee than in a blaze of glory, with my eyes widened to see that when we are weak, then we are strong. 

Child of God

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

Luke 18:16  “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”

Galatians 3:26  “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,”

I John 3:1  “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

As a little girl, I’d be peacefully playing with my dolls one minute, and the next I’d be in a knock-down drag-out with my older sisters. Children often have wide swings in behavior, for better or worse. Jesus is well acquainted with our propensity to sin and to hurt others and ourselves. Yet, He opens His arms to children, to all of us, and welcomes us wholeheartedly.  

During His earthly ministry, Jesus invited everyone to come to Him, regardless of race, gender, power, ability, condition, family, wealth, or sin. He often preferred the sinners, lower class, marginalized, and poor — feeding them, healing them, and speaking gospel-life into their souls. Jesus does not condone sin, obviously, but loves each person right where they are at. What a beautiful example for us to ponder — leaning INTO the lives of those around us, especially the ones who are struggling, oppressed and hurting. Jesus modeled compassion with open arms.

Our Creator knew sin would throw our world off-kilter. They knew our lives would be riddled with difficulty, but our triune God loves us and calls us Their children, yearning to scoop us up into Their arms. May this lavish love that God pours on us spring forth in us and rain down upon those around us.

Child of God

By Karen Biggs

‘Child of God’

May I be so bold

To even speak the words

‘Child’ and ‘God’ 

in such proximity

I’m utterly unfit for

The magnanimity

I feel like a lump

Of trouble and frailty

A familial bond I have 

Betrayed and evaded

Shook my fist at

Lost faith in

Why would a God

Want me as kin

When I have 

Nothing to offer

No scepter to give

Made of grit   

Prone to glitch

Honestly it sounds

Too good to be true.

Such love and honor

Bend logic askew

Far too grand

This gift for me,

Loving largesse

Why would it be

To bless in excess

For the adopted,

The lost, gone astray 

But LOVE is the Way

Their highest delight

A golden ray to shine 

To share, to Light

They love us so!

A grace manifesto

A miracle of Love

Glory to God above

Forever I am awed,

A wide-eyed ‘Child of God’

Prayer:  Great God, all praise be to You who loves us beyond what our minds can fathom. In our weakness, You give us strength. When we cry out to You, You forgive us and lift us up. All thanks be to You, loving Maker, for blessing us as Your children! Amen.

Anointed

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

After my husband died, I read, re-read, memorized, and recited this beautiful psalm over and over.  It is a core passage that has given me great comfort.  It is the most famous of psalms.  Today verse 5 pings in my head: “You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”  David, king of ancient Israel & Judah, who wrote this psalm, really did have his head anointed with oil by Samuel the prophet.  So, perhaps this line was an autobiographical record of sort.  Anointing with oil had multiple purposes over time:  it was to consecrate or make something holy (like the items in the tabernacle), used to dedicate priests into the priesthood, as a symbol of purification or appointment, to bestow honor on someone, or to use symbolically in the healing of the sick (Mark 6:13).  

All these are intriguing to me since we rarely anoint anything today.  So, why even bother exploring it?  Well, David throughout this psalm is expressing God’s loving involvement in his life.  David is astonished and follows with, “my cup runs over.”  David was the youngest of 8 brothers and a humble shepherd boy.  He wasn’t all that special by appearances, but that didn’t matter to God.  God worked mightily in David’s life.  God’s anointing of David changed everything for him, and David marveled at the lavish goodness of God.  May we also see God’s anointing in our own lives — His healing touch and the special appointment we each have in this world — and wonder at God’s extravagant blessings which overflow our cups even in the darkest of days. 

My Cup Runs Over

By Karen Biggs

You anoint my head with oil

Tho I am a noble nobody

A debtor to the n-th degree

An utterly unlikely honoree

You anoint my head with oil

So tenderly you bless me

Your hands loosen and set free

Liberty from my Judas tree

You anoint my head with oil

You send me on mission

On a love-share expedition

A Maker-human coalition.

You anoint my head with oil

Healing fire fills my veins

Your love washes and rains

Cleansing soul-soaked stains

My cup runs over

Flooded with Your favor

A Niagara grace-saver

Bubble up, brew and billow

No more the weeping willow

My cup runs over