Thank you, God, for Christmas caroling and the sharing of gingerbread houses!

And for a warm cup of tea and the silence!

What a blessing we had last week as we ventured out into the neighborhoods and our community to sing a few Christmas carols and give away some home-made gingerbread houses! What's cool is that I believe the ones we sang to were also blessed!  It's the giving and receiving of a gift that leaves both sides feeling that  much better!

We even went Christmas caroling to a person whose hearing is impaired.  Who knows how much of the words or the tune that she understood? But we know, of course, that it really doesn't matter how much she can hear.  It's not even important what we sing or say-- but that we came to visit-- in person.

And of course, that's what this season of Christmas is all about, really.  God decided to come in person!  So we will never again be sitting alone in the darkness.  God chooses to bring light to our darkness, hope to our sorrow, and love to our loneliness.

At the same time, I am thankful for some time when I choose to be alone in complete silence.  Even then, God, you fill the silence with your presence.  And in the midst of a complex world in which the lists can overwhelm, I'm grateful for a warm cup of tea.  Lord, let me never forget to find you in a simple moment, drinking a cup of tea, alone or with a friend.

With gifts like these to be thankful for, I really don't need any Christmas presents-- only Your Christmas (and everyday) presence.

-- Rev. Joy Schlesselman

We have begun singing Christmas carols, hearing them in shopping malls, and reflecting on the meaning that Christ is born!  But  Monday morning when I woke up, the song that was running through my mind was one that the Weir family (De Brown’s daughter, son-in-law, grandson and 3 granddaughters) sang for us this past Sunday—“Trust and never doubt, Jesus will surely bring you out! He’s never failed me yet!”  My heart is heavy today as I hear about yet another family that has suffered the sudden death of a loved one who was too young!  I think of the grieving parents who are struggling today just to put one foot in front of another and get by.  And I am grateful to hear of friends and church families who take seriously the call to help one another carry our burdens, sharing the tears, and extending a caring presence.  The God of compassion and grace never forgets us, never leaves us.  Sometimes we need the presence of other human beings, not because of any “right” words, but just to show they care.  Jesus will carry us through and “bring you out”—He’s never failed me yet, and He will not fail you either, no matter what trouble you are walking through right now.

And if you are not walking through it right now, you are called to be there for someone who is!  Thank you, God!

- Rev. Joy Schlesselman

“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”  Isaiah 35:10

I’m thankful this morning for gloves.  Raking leaves, picking up sticks, dragging around sacks full of leaves—it’s all a little less painful because of my gloves.  They protect me from blisters and scratches, not because I am a wimp, but because I want to get through the rest of the day using my hands for other purposes… like typing this article, shaking hands and holding hands in prayer.  But life would be boring if I didn’t do these more active things with my hands.  And I have really enjoyed the beauty of the fall as I’ve spent time outside, walking around this lovely town, and working in the yard.  Thanks, God, for surrounding me with your beauty, and giving me hands, arms and legs so I can enjoy it.  And thanks for my gloves—a small gift that makes it possible to enjoy the big gifts a little more!

Oh, and P.S., God, thanks for the time I spend in the morning, drinking a cup of coffee and reflecting on the week past and the week to come.  I pray for those whose lives feel constantly hectic, who can’t find the time to stop and say “thank you, God.”  Amen.

- Rev. Joy Schlesselman

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” Romans 8:26

I’m thankful today for language—for the gift of being able to speak and listen to others.  While taking our morning walk, we can talk, laugh, listen and reflect, while getting our exercise!  Sharing a breakfast with a friend, we can tell what’s happening in our lives, and imagine what it’s like to be in the other’s shoes.  I can open up a book someone wrote years ago, and find meaning that sheds light into something I need to understand right now.

But, of course, sometimes language causes misunderstanding.  Sometimes someone hears something I didn’t mean to say, or I think someone purposely did NOT say something I wanted to hear.  It’s wonderful to speak and understand, but silence might also be a great gift, even in a relationship!  Silence can communicate love, by a willingness to listen, and a willingness to just BE with a person.

Prayer has always been understood as communicating with God.  So, in both the spoken word, and in great silences, we can be in prayer.  And we can trust that God is understanding us, and God intercedes for us “with signs too deep for words.”  God’s love is far greater than any words.

So I’m thankful, also, for the language of Prayer, in which we sometimes speak to God, God sometimes speak to us, and sometimes we are just together in the silence.  Amen.

- Rev. Joy Schlesselman