1. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the First Sunday in Advent, the brand-spanking-new beginning of the Church's Calendar (liturgical) year.
Happy New Year, then!
Let's make an Advent Wreath! Or Wreaths.
I'll bring vines and stuff to make a wreath. You can bring such too, in case yours are any better (but no pressure!).
I'll be bringing some of the usual raw materials: flat Styrofoam disk, green silk pine picks to cover the top of the Styrofoam, gold metallic ribbon-enough to cover outer edge of Styrofoam, glue, 3 purple candles, 1 pink candle, 1 white candle.
What else? Comb from your yard (parents' permission, of course), holly, berries, small pine cones and things like that.
1a. Special Request: Since this week might have people still traveling, please let me know if you are coming, either with a phone call or an email here.
* * *
2. Next Week:
a. St. Nicholas Day excursion, Saturday, December 5. Stay tuned for details.
b. Sunday, December 6: It's the Annual Cookie-Palooza! We make enough cookies for the folks at the prison where Mark Siler and Nancy Sehested serve as chaplains.
* * *
More on Advent's First Sunday:
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." We focus, of course, on the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and many Christians anticipate the return of Christ the King (Last Sunday's title in the liturgical year) in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating the reconciling work of God with us. ("God with us" means Emmanuel, one of Jesus' titles or names). In this focus on past, present and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He is ever-coming again. So let us celebrate again, as if for the first time, this ever-reconciling work of "God with us."
This is not just for the Circle of Mercy Youth; EVERYONE is INVITED.
Here's the set-up: Sunday @ 2:00 (arrive at the Mintons when you can) We work a couple of hours, and then depart for Circle of Mercy, if that's your next destination. This is all WEATHER-DEPENDENT! Watch this space Sunday morning for any changes or postponements!
Needs (if you can bring these, post a comment to this blog so everyone can see, and we have little overlap) 1. Heavy-duty weed eater 2. Leaf blower (we'll blow leaves off into the woods) 3. Big heavy duty trash bags 4. Leaf rakes
There will also be some mowing if anyone is comfortable with this, as well as trimming rose bushes, if anyone's got experience with such a task.
Most of us will be raking, doing small jobs, etc.
BRING ALSO: work gloves, and snacks/drinks you want to consume/share. Remember this is for anyone who wants to help out.
Just so you know, there is another post just below this one. This one is "part two."
This coming Sunday, the theme is "Visible Spunk". Now if "Spunk" is too old-school for you, think "hero."
Superheroes are all around us. X-men, Watchmen, Wonder Woman, Jean Grey, to start a list you could probably finish in about 30 minutes!
Got superhero? Who are yours? Why? What are their attributes that attract or are meaningful to you? (Make a list, please, like this):
BatmanWonderWoman
-fights crime -risk taker
-can fly -strong
-quiet power -creative
Etc. etc. etc.
After we get these out in the open (feel free to bring a model of your superhero!), we'll turn to a biblical super-heroine, a woman named Rahab. Here's her story (you may have to think about her profession; I did not censor the Bible below):
Joshua 2 - Rahab
1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out from Shittim two men as spies: "Go. Look over the land. Check out Jericho." They left and arrived at the house of a harlot named Rahab and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, "We've just learned that men arrived tonight to spy out the land. They're from the People of Israel." 3 The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you to stay the night in your house. They're spies; they've come to spy out the whole country." 4-7 The woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, two men did come to me, but I didn't know where they'd come from. At dark, when the gate was about to be shut, the men left. But I have no idea where they went. Hurry up! Chase them—you can still catch them!" (She had actually taken them up on the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that were spread out for her on the roof.) So the men set chase down the Jordan road toward the fords. As soon as they were gone, the gate was shut. 8-11 Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof and said, "I know that God has given you the land. We're all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you put under a holy curse and destroyed. We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below. 12-13 "Now promise me by God. I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!" 14 "Our lives for yours!" said the men. "But don't tell anyone our business. When God turns this land over to us, we'll do right by you in loyal mercy." 15-16 She lowered them down out a window with a rope because her house was on the city wall to the outside. She told them, "Run for the hills so your pursuers won't find you. Hide out for three days and give your pursuers time to return. Then get on your way." 17-20 The men told her, "In order to keep this oath you made us swear, here is what you must do: Hang this red rope out the window through which you let us down and gather your entire family with you in your house—father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Anyone who goes out the doors of your house into the street and is killed, it's his own fault—we aren't responsible. But for everyone within the house we take full responsibility. If anyone lays a hand on one of them, it's our fault. But if you tell anyone of our business here, the oath you made us swear is canceled—we're no longer responsible." 21 She said, "If that's what you say, that's the way it is," and sent them off. They left and she hung the red rope out the window. =====
OK, simple heroine. What made her one? (Let me make it hard; she was a liar, & a person of ill repute.)
Do we like her because of her risk-taking? her independence? her creativity? Something else?
Search your Bibles (you can use the internet) and find out where else Rahab is mentioned. What did you learn?
Still feeling the energy from Sunday's "needs vs. wants" question. While a difficult question, it is probably a good one to pick up every once in awhile.
Just before we met, we got a long email from the Walker Wilsons, and I cut/paste it below. It is a fascinating read, and hope you take the time to read it. ======
Thanks for the Mark 10 passage and assignment to list needs in wants from ones' bedroom--all four of us did it and found it really helpful. I am going to type verbatim Caleb's list but also then write a bit of reflection on the exercise from what the four of us discussed--not verbatim but the sentiments of Caleb, Ascher, Greg and I.
Caleb's needs:
school uniforms
7 short sleeved shirts
5 shorts
7 drawers (that's my fun word for underwear)
1 bathing suit
deorderant
a fan
a light bulb
electricity (which goes out here pretty often)
a mattress and sheet
a pillow and my one stuffed alligator I got when I was four
a broom and mop (not stored by his bed but ESSENTIAL for daily use here)
some books in English (to keep learning with)
some games (like cards and chess)
one soccer ball
Caleb's wants:
our kindle
a laptop computer
an internet connection (which is often missing here)
the wii (to play baseball and soccer on)
a bed frame (so the mattress isn't on the floor, I didn't have one for over a month here)
some other sports equipment (my baseball glove and ball, a basketball, a pump, tennis ball)
photos of family and friends from home
a few posters on my walls that I brought from home
a familiar sheet from home for my bed here (of course no bedspreads or blankets here--too hot)
Reflections:
1. Kenzie's question about whether a bed is a need or want is a great one. Here on the North Coast of Colombia it's so hot, humid, and damp, that mattresses get mildewy--even ours are and we don't live in poverty here nor do we have a thatched roof like lots of folks here do. So, the more practical way to sleep is in hammocks. It's much cooler (in terms of temperature), cheaper (mattresses are expensive), and they don't get mildewy. Most folks in the country side (called campesinos) have only hammocks and many families in town with beds also have hammocks and sleep in them on the hottest nights. In this climate, books and beds are just not very practical and can't hold up well.
2. One thing we noticed after only being here a month or two and that was confirmed in this exercise is that we have way more clothes here than we need. We brought our summer clothes (no jeans, no jackets, no long sleeves at all) but each boy had about 10 pairs of shorts and even more short sleeved shirts. They just don't need that many of either.
We have to wash clothes here very often--they are so wet with sweat that they'll stink if we don't get them washed. And without a dryer, we are dependent on the sun to dry everything. So sometimes it takes a few days post washing to be able to wear ones clothes again. Doing two loads of clothes a day doesn't work because there's not enough space to dry them (we live on the fourth floor and our balcony is small). Also we HAVE to wash sheets every week because they get so dirty and sweaty and we have lots of company but no extra sheets. Sometimes in the US we went 2 or 3 weeks between washing sheets, not here. Keeping up with the laundry is essential here and basically happens every day. In a weird sort of way, this means we just need less clothes than we used in the US.
An exception to that is underwear and socks. Our kids often have to take two showers a day--they come home from school and peel off hot uniforms drenched in sweat. So, lots of "drawers" and socks are a need here we didn't have as much in our life before.
3. We brought 3 bathing suits for each kid thinking we'd be here three years and they'd wear out. Now we're assessing that and thinking about giving one of each boys' swim suits away. They are super expensive here and it'd be good to share in that way.
4. It was cool that the boys quickly agreed their access to computer and kindle are wants and not needs. That said, they use them every day and it sure makes life more pleasant here.
5. Toys here in Colombia are an interesting topic: there hardly are any in homes or stores! And the ones that are for sale are very expensive and very poor quality that break quickly and would be the kind of thing we'd see in Asheville at the Dollar Store. A pack of 4 matchbox cars here (just 2 dollars a piece where you all live) costs about $15 US here.
Most wealthy families have cable TV and internet and a computer and those kids here spend TONS of time on the computer and watching TV rather than "playing" with anything--indoors or out. When our kids go over to a friend's house to play here, they are blown away by the absences of toys in their new friends' homes. Likewise, when kids here first see our legos and playmobile and various card games and games like scabble and boggle, their minds are blown too. Interestingly though, the Colombian kids have little interest in our cool toys (having never played with pretend toys in the past, I guess); they just want to play on the computer--a real bummer for our kids who just want to go outside somewhere (but where?) and play in a more active way when friends come over.
Each person in our family brought down here 2 suitcases--mostly filled with clothes, books, medicine and toiletries and our computer equipment, so you can imagine we don't have tons of toys here. Yet, even still, we own here more family games and sports equipment and "toys" than any person we've met here--even though most of the kids from the boys' school are far richer than we ever were in the US and have live-in maids, gardeners, belong to a country club etc. Despite that, they just don't have toys. It's not part of the culture and not available here.
6. Learning to live with lots less stuff (no couch, no carpets or rugs, no bikes, no car, very few things in our house beyond kitchen stuff and beds) feels good. But even still, it doesn't feel like we are following Jesus' command to give away our wealth to the poor and follow him. I guess that's because we still have all we need, the things you read above on our wants list, and all kinds of safety nets for the future when we return to the US again like our house and the chance to get jobs and buy a car and bikes again. This passage really got us thinking about what we have here that we don't actually need and could be sharing and about ways to stop holding on so tightly to stuff even here.
The part about leaving your extended family and your home and your land to follow Jesus feels pretty close to home by living here with MCC. Sometimes the gifts of this feel very close at hand and sometimes they feel elusive.
Joy had asked if there are things that Caleb likes about Sincelejo. Great question.
Here is an honest list:
delicious fresh fruit juices
watching soccer on TV
going to the beach for the day every 3 weeks or so (but there are no waves at all; the Caribbean is just like a big, warm lake, so it’s not as playful as the beaches we are used to)
having lots of holidays off from school
being in our hammock at night if there's a breeze and less loud traffic
Keep in mind though, Joy, that many things about living in Cuba would be easier than where we are. The hard divide between super rich and super poor doesn't exist there. Even poor people there have food and health care. There's no armed conflict there right now and both rural and urban areas are safe. The church and seminary in Matanzas have theology that fits with what your family believes (unlike churches here). There is grass there and places to play. And being homeschooled would be much easier to flex with than going to school here, I think. And it's far less hot temperature wise. So don't be worried that some of what's hard here for us would be the same in Cuba. Some of it might be, but lots of it wouldn't.
That's all for now folks. Love, Susanne (and Caleb)
First of all, bowling. http://www.amf.com/starlanesnc/centerHomepage.htm is the place (AMF Star Lanes on Kenilworth, near the intersection of Kenilworth and Tunnel Roads), and Saturday 6:30 is the time. Expect an hour to 1 1/2 hours.
Food. Come full, come empty and buy their food, come semi-empty and fill up there. (It isn't the healthiest, usually, nor the cheapest; see their food menu by clicking here.
Sunday: Here's the passage I'd like everyone to study.
To Enter God's Kingdom, Mark 10
17As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?" 18-19Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honor your father and mother." 20He said, "Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!" 21Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, "There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me." 22The man's face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go. 23-25Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who 'have it all' to enter God's kingdom?" The disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: "You can't imagine how difficult. I'd say it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for the rich to get into God's kingdom." 26That set the disciples back on their heels. "Then who has any chance at all?" they asked. 27Jesus was blunt: "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it." 28Peter tried another angle: "We left everything and followed you." 29-31Jesus said, "Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They'll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first."
Read it three more times, please. First time, imagine you have a video camera, and you are wanting to get the best angle, best sound, best expressions on people's faces. So as you read the first time, think of yourself scooting around the crowd, filming it. You are not taking anyone's side, just trying to film it objectively.
Second time, imagine you are the young man. How are you feeling at the beginning, and at the end of the story, as the young man? What would you be thinking about as you listened to this Jesus tell you in verse 21: "There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me"?
Third time, you are Jesus. Practice speaking your part out loud so that the first part of verse 21 feels and sounds true as you speak your part: Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him!
After three times of reading, here is the fun and the hard part. Get a sheet of paper that you will bring on Sunday. Draw a line up and down the middle of it.On the left side, at the top, put "Needs"; on the other, right side, put at the top, "Wants."
Do an inventory of your room, like while sitting on your bed, and within 10 feet of your bed, list the things in your you see in your room, in one of the two categories. Which are needs and which are wants?
Hard, isn't it? Come Sunday ready to talk about what you learned, and maybe didn't want to learn.
Thanks! Marc
Sunday, November 1, 2009
This picture is just too good not to post! Enjoy
Be sure to check back for details on this Saturday night's bowling.
