December 18th

With Christmas just a week away, I realize that most of my work is done and I'm as ready as I can be for my part in the worship service. I pray, God, that this work is pleasing to you and meaningful for the people that come. I pray that as St. James celebrates and glorifies you on Christmas day and on the Sunday following, that we might be blessed with new faces amongst us. I pray that you will speak to the hearts of folks who have fallen away from church, or perhaps who have never been, and invite them to celebrate at our church. I pray that you will make me and all of us as St. James worthy representatives of Christ, to that others might be attracted to His work in our congregation. Finally, Lord, I pray that I might be worthy of the task you have called me to do, and that you keep me humble in success and hopeful in failure.

December 17th

It's been a curious day, Lord. Vaguely productive, a little confusing, enough joy to move things in a positive direction and enough break in routine to make the day special.

Thanks for the variety, God. Thanks for making my life interesting and satisfying. Thanks, above all, for the people that enrich my life in so many ways, and in so many ways reveal Christ's loving presence in and around me.

December 16th

God
On a brilliant, sunlit day, let your Son shine into my life.
Let His love brighten my work
Let His wisdom light my path
Let His forgiveness lift me from the darkness
Let His example shine through me

December 15th

Loving God, you called me to serve your people, and I answered the call. There have been challenges and struggles in my response; at times I have been overwhelmed by my own inadequacy; at times it has been the shortcomings of others that have caused me to struggle; always, you have been faithful and supportive. As I continue to answer the call and serve your people, I give you thanks for those who have answered the call beside me, who help me in my ministry with their own unique ministry. Bless them and watch over them. Help them grow and stretch as together we move forward in our service. Give us a mutual love of the people we are called to serve and oversee, and grant us the humility to serve and not seek a reward. Give us the joy to inspire others to enjoy you. Give us the strength to do all that you ask, and the wisdom to understand what you need from us.

December 12th Differential, not preferential

As I eat some pasta while working late, I am drawn back to a strange bit of idiosyncratic behaviour from my childhood. Try as she might, my mother could not get me to eat her pasta sauce. Made fresh, using fresh tomatoes and simple herbs and spices, I just couldn’t and wouldn’t eat it. I loved her Chicken Cacciatore, which was strong on tomatoes and not too far off her pasta sauce. I loved her Ossi Bucchi, (stewed beef shanks) which had a beautiful, robust tomato sauce. I especially loved the veal based tomato sauce when we had Gnocchi, the Italian version of potato dumplings. Her pasta sauce, however, was something else entirely. I just could not eat it. Not from a simple, whiny kid’s “I don’t want to” stubbornness, but from a legitimate gag reflex that I could not fight, no matter how hard I tried, or my mother cajoled me.
The result was pretty simple. Mom would take out some plain pasta before she added sauce to it, and I would add olive oil or butter, parmesan cheese and a few dabs of tomato paste. Problem fixed without too much stress on my late, sainted mother. At least not that she ever let on.
As with my inexplicable dislike for one particular version of tomato sauce, we have our own likes and dislikes when it comes to people. I try to like everybody, and for most part, I’m pretty successful. I have found very few people that I don’t like; I might not want to be best buddies with everyone I encounter, but there are only a couple of people I don’t like very much.
God has no such qualms. From sinner to saint, we are all equally loved by our creator. Some people might make God upset, a few probably make God mad, but there are none so bad or annoying that God cannot love them. At the same time, there is no one that God loves more than another. We are not treated preferentially. Instead, God meets us on our own territory, on roughly our own terms, and deals with us as we are.
Of course, God prefers that we meet Him more on His terms than ours but that, unfortunately, doesn’t happen all the time. One day, we are promised all that will change. One day we will all know and love God exactly on His terms. One day we will know each other fully and celebrate God together as friends with no one excluded from our circle. One day I might even be able to eat the heavenly version of my mother’s pasta sauce. Until then, rest assured that God loves you for who you are. Of that, I have no doubt.

December 13th

God, somedays a snow day is more than a day off for the kids. Thank-you for the time I was able to spend with Anna and David. Thank-you for their willingness to help and for the work we accomplished today. Above all, thank-you for honouring me by letting them be their father.

December 12th

Lord, may all days of worship be like today; may your name be glorified with joy, and may my work continue to honour you and inspire others.

December 11th

God, what a blessing it is when entertainment is not just about sex or violence. Thank you for people who are willing to put on a show that is not afraid to be about things of the world, yet in a context that is about you. May others be encouraged to talk about Christmas and not the holiday season, and may we all live in a way that honours the Christmas Child and all that He did for us.

December 10th

God, I thank you for my many blessings, especially for my family and joy we have together.

December 9th

God, I'm not quite sick, but I'm not perfectly well, either. As I take a day to heal, help me to be productive and work well. Let my focus on the work I do for you be as a prayer offered with joy; relieve my mind of my worries so that my body may heal and grow strong

December 8th

God, I pray for your blessing on folks who have so much pain in their lives, they must lash out and hurt others. I especially pray for their victims. Help me to be a blessing to them, so that they can find a place of safety and wholeness in their visits.

December 7th

God, it's been stressful waiting for things to happen, and a great relief when the things that happened weren't as expected.

I thank you for the changes that have been going on, for the people involved, for those who have helped bring change about and for those who have adapted.

Be with those folks for whom change is hard and with those who are changing, however reluctantly.

And give me the patience I need to deal with those who are having a hard time, recognizing when I need to let go and let you work in their hearts. And where change is not possible, help us to find mutual respect, peace and joy with one another.