New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year everyone! A huge thanks to the Kays for setting up their Wii with the large projector and for all the great games and snacks. We had a great time hanging out at the building and making memories together. Sophie and Jack will be talking about playing bowling for quite a while. Here's hoping that 2009 is better than 2008 (at least for me and my family - you might have had an awesome year - in which I still hope it's better!). We have great things to look forward to in 2009, the first is the retreat up in Big Bear on February 6th - February 8th. Plan on being there and God bless!

'Tis the Season #2

After our fundraiser luncheon we went ice skating today over in Riverside. The kids did a great job staying up! Thanks for Brittany who helped drive and also looked like a pro out on the ice.

'Tis the Season

Thanks to everyone who came out for the annual Christmas party and mall scavenger hunt. We had a great time and appreciate the Kays for opening their home to us and for making an incredible dinner in a festive environment. Thanks to all of our drivers who helped get the kids from Redlands to Riverside and back - the parking alone was an adventure. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Party This Saturday!

Hopefully, you've recieved your invitation in the mail (thanks to Debbie, Jen and Sam for mailing those out). This Saturday is our annual Christmas party - school will be officially out so it's a great opportunity to get together, hang out, have some fun, and praise God. We'll be meeting at the Kay's house at 2:00. From there we'll caravan over to the Tyler Mall in Riverside for our scavenger hunt. If you were there last year you know how fun this can be - and prizes will be awarded. After the scavenger hunt, it's back tot he Kay's house for dinner, a $5 gift card exchange, and a devotional. Pick up time is at 8:00 p.m. I'm excited and encouraged to spend some time before Christmas together! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me or the Kays. Please RSVP to the Kays so we can make sure to have enough food and rides to the mall.

Also, don't forget to pick up a 5$ gift card for our gift exchange!

Grace & peace.....

The Christmas Spirit & Don't Be a Scrooge!

Today's entry in preparation for our Sunday night film, What Would Jesus Buy?, comes from the always challenging and uplifting Greg Boyd. On Thursday, he posted this wonderfully written reflection about getting into the Christmas spirit in 2008. Greg's sermons are some of the best I've heard and he's one of my few regular podcasts that I download weekly - he's affected my own spiritual life positively. You can reach his blog and website here.

My ritual for “getting into the Christmas spirit” each year is to watch Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (my favorite since childhood), Charlie Brown’s Christmas and the original Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Usually these hokey childhood shows work like a charm. This year, no so much.

Anyone else out there struggling to “get into the spirit”?

Part of the problem is undoubtedly the economy. It has tanked to mind-boggling proportions and, according to most economists, the end is not yet in sight. If we have not lost our job or house, most of us know folks who have. Things are tight even for those of us who are most fortunate and the future uncertain. This easily dampens the “Christmas spirit” a bit.

But this leads to a more fundamental issue with Christmas, one I’ve increasingly struggled with the last ten years or so. Ask yourself: Why would a catastrophic economy dampen the “Christmas spirit”? The obvious answer is that the “Christmas spirit” is largely driven by the economy! Typical American consumerism goes on steroids during the Holiday season! Even in this very lean year a Wal-Mart clerk was tragically stampeded to death by a crowd of frenzied shoppers racing for the best deal. (All in the name of celebrating the birth of the Christ child!)

Meanwhile, as we horde more and more, a great percentage of the world suffers for lack of basic necessities. I saw a chart recently that showed that, for a fraction of what Americans spend on Christmas each year, we could supply clean water to the many millions of people around the globe who need it (thus saving the millions who die each year — most of them children — from drinking unclean water).

Given the Bible’s warnings against hording resources while others are in need (the definition of 'greed'), this annual social pattern has to disturb us deeply.

When you add to this the facts that December 25th was adopted as Christ’s birthday from a pagan Roman mystery religion (and before that, ancient Greek fertility cults) and that most of the symbolism of the season is pagan in origin (the Christmas tree comes from Nordick religion, for example), you have a pretty good case against getting into “the Christmas spirit” — one that’s so strong, even Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol might not be able to overcome it.

Nevertheless — call me incurably pagan if you want – I am going to keep on trying. Hopefully, sometime between now and December 25th the “magic” of the season will hit.

Why don’t I just give up on this consumeristic-pagan holiday altogether, you ask?

Because its not Christ-like to be a Scrooge!

Have you ever wondered why Jesus took a couple days out of his short ministry to attend a wedding feast and then waste a miracle changing water into wine for a bunch of people who had already had a lot, when there were undoubtedly crippled children all around Palestine who could have used that miracle? Have you ever wondered why Jesus often took time out to go to parties (with prostitutes and tax collectors no less!)? Have you ever wondered why Jesus rebuked the disciple who complained that a woman was wasting expensive ointment by pouring it onto Jesus’ feet, when, as a matter of fact, the complaining disciple was right in claiming it could have been sold and the procedes given to the poor (its estimated it was worth up to a years salary)?

I used to struggle with these sorts of things, but I don’t any longer.

Everything Jesus did — including his celebrating — manifest the Kingdom. What Jesus’ superfluous miracle, frequent partying and acceptance of expensive worship reveals is that life under the reign of God isn’t just about ministry and work: it includes celebrating. Yes we’re to live self-sacrificial, radically generous lives. But life as God intended it includes celebrating weddings, drinking wine, going to parties and engaging in extravagant worship. These aren’t “breaks” from Kingdom living: they’re important aspects of Kingdom living!

So, I plan on celebrating this pagan, consumeristic, holdiay, and I’m going to keep trying to “get into the spirit.” I refuse to be a scrooge! This doesn’t mean I’m going to indulge in the consumerism-on-steroids frenzy. And it doesn’t mean I’m going to reflect more deeply on “the meaning of Christ’s birth” (folks, if you aren’t living this out every day, you’re not likely to discover the meaning in the middle of this pagan frenzy!) But it does mean I’m going to spend some extra money to give a few gifts to loved ones and spend a little more time with them. And I’m not going to feel guilty about it. For this is an important dimension of how God intended life to be lived.

In a world as messed up as ours, we need to find occasions to celebrate. Our culture has decided December 25th is such an occasion, and I encourage you to take advantage of it.

Don’t be a scrooge.

An Advent Litany for those in Consumer Captivity

Behold! a shopping mall on a hill, peddling baubles of bondage and trinkets that entangle.

Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the Great!

May we, like camel-clothed prophets, lead people out of captivity.

Come out of her my people!

The American Dream is a poor substitute for the Kingdom of God.

Come out of her my people!

Consumption and Credit are cruel masters.

Enter the wilderness in prayer and fasting!

Emerge into a world that no longer sees us as its own.

For you are a peculiar people. A nation of priests.

Behold, a mighty citadel built upon a hill of bones!

Bring every mountain low, raise up every valley.

A citadel that imprisons the poor yet fetters the affluent.

Her sins are piled up to heaven. God remembers her crimes.

Her war machine offers salvation to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the Lord.

The Kingdom of God is in our midst.

Your salvation is near those who fear you!

We long for a world where righteousness dwells.

Where your justice and peace kiss.

A nation of Jubilee, a where your Spirit is poured out on all flesh!

Not a land of Debt where our desires smothers your Spirit.

Our consumption crushes those cast upon the altar of capitalism.

Consume us, O God.

Forgive us for our waywardness, O God!

We confess our complicity. Restore us, O God!

Make your dwelling among us, Emmanuel.

And guide our steps along the path of peace. AMEN.

Taken from Mark Van Steenwyk, the general editor of Jesus Manifesto. He is a Mennonite pastor (Missio Dei in Minneapolis), writer, speaker, and grassroots educator. He lives in South Minneapolis with his wife (Amy), son (Jonas) and some of their friends.

This litany relates to the theme of our upcoming film for this Sunday, What Would Jesus Buy?

Sunday's Movie Night - What Would Jesus Buy?

This coming Sunday evening we have another family movie night. You all know how much I enjoy movies and how important I believe it is to engage our Christian discipleship with culture. The film for this Sunday evening is "What Would Jesus Buy?" I have a description of the film on the left hand side of this blog under our activities section. And while many moments of this film are outright satire, it seems more timely and approriate than ever.

Take the recent death of 34-year-old temporary Wal-Mart employee, Jdimytai Damouron on 'Black Friday' (the biggest shopping day of the year in America, the day after Thanksgiving). How ironic that we set aside a day to be thankful, only to have the day after it be a day of consumption and spending. Greed (or avarice) does not just belong to the wealthy bankers on Wall Street, but is a sin all of us at some point fight against and it can come anywhere at anytime. Here's an excerpt from the New York Daily News of this terrible event:

Roughly 2,000 people gathered outside the Wal-Mart's doors in the predawn darkness.

Chanting "push the doors in," the crowd pressed against the glass as the clock ticked down to the 5 a.m. opening.

Sensing catastrophe, nervous employees formed a human chain inside the entrance to slow down the mass of shoppers.

"They took the doors off the hinges," said Wal-Mart worker Jimmy Overby, 43. "He was trampled and killed in front of me. "

Even officers who arrived to perform CPR on the trampled worker were stepped on by wild-eyed shoppers streaming inside, a cop at the scene said.

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, 'I've been in line since Friday morning!'" Cribbs said. "They kept shopping."

"I look at these people's faces and I keep thinking one of them could have stepped on him," said one employee. "How could you take a man's life to save $20 on a TV?"

Were the bargains worth it to the people who finally got into the store? Is this what Christmas has become? Have consumerism and greed have become prevalent forms of idolatry in America? As Christians what can or should we do? Are we merely consumers in this society? Or can we call others to a better way, a simpler way, a life of more than materialism, more than consumption? Let's kick start that discussion this Sunday - keep checking this blog for more material to prep your hearts and minds for the movie.

Film starts at 6:00 – and this event is open to the entire church.

Advent.....? Advent!

It's December - can you believe it? The older I get the quicker time seems to move. With December comes Advent. What is Advent you ask? Good question. Growing up in the Church of Christ I heard quite a bit about Christmas, but I don't think I actually heard about Advent until I was in college. Advent is a Christian season that lasts for about four weeks. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.

The Christian season of Christmas actually begins on Christmas Eve and lasts for twelve days, ending on January 6. The time before Christmas is Advent, a season of preparation for Christmas. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent we’re reminded of how much we also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior’s second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. Indeed, the word Advent comes from the Latin word that means “coming” or “visit.” In the season with this name, we keep in mind both “advents” of Christ, the first in Bethlehem and the second yet to come. The idea of slowing down and reflecting is so difficult to do in December, when the quickness of life (and preparing for the secular aspects of Christmas) can overwhelm.

But the season of Advent can be a beautiful time to reflect and prepare our hearts (which is something we should be doing every day). For more on Advent check out the website of Mark Roberts: http://markdroberts.com/?p=636 and to help remind ourselves of Advent, Charlie Lowell, keyboardist for Jars of Clay, is keeping an Advent blog and each day is posting a poem. Check out his blog here: http://adventpoetry.blogspot.com/

Pepperdine Thanksgiving YouthFest 2008

Thanks to all the kids who came to the Pepperdine YouthFest this past weekend. The message of being ambassadors for Christ was a powerful one. Good memories! To check out one important lesson that we all learned, please view the video below - it makes quite an impression.

Operation Christmas Child

This is the second year the Redlands Church of Christ has participated in Operation Christmas Child through the Samaritan's Purse organization and it was a huge success! We collected over 50 shoe boxes filled with goodies and necessities to send to children in need around the world. Here are some photos of the Wednesday night life group loading up the boxes. Check out Samaritanspurse.org to donate much needed money or to drop off more boxes!

MyStuffBags.org

We had a youth group activity at the church building this evening. We made blankets to send to the MyStuff Foundation. Check them out at MyStuffBags.org. This organization puts together care bags for children taken from their homes. The kids did a great job and brought a great variety of fleece blankets. At some point the kids tied together pieces of material to make jump ropes...then it got fun! Thanks to everyone who came out!