I love the idea of Playing for Change.

I just discovered the second Playing for Change cd.

My night is now booked....youtube videos, laughs, tears, jealousy, joy, dancing, jingle pants, more dancing, more dancing, and more dancing.

=)

Advent week 2 (by Mark)

Isaiah 9:6-7

"The Prince of Paradox"

In our writing unit about Figurative Language, I teach my 7th graders about paradox - "a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true." When I explain this concept, some of my favorite teachings of Jesus always seem to come to mind: "The last will be first, and the first last" (Matt 15:16). "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt 16:25). Yet, this sort of contradictory language is not merely included in the teaching of Jesus; one could say that everything about him and his entire life is paradoxical.

Jesus Christ certainly descended from many royal ancestors. The Hebrew Patriarchs Abraham and Jacob as well as King David all find themselves in the genealologies of Matthew and Luke. Historically, the primary santuary color during Advent has been purple, selected to remind us of the royalty of our King. However, the kingship of Jesus was and still is radically different than any traditional definition of royalty. In the days of the nation of Israel, kings were the commanders of armies, the leaders of men, and honored for their strength and power. As time progressed, after multiple bouts of oppression and captivity, the Jews of Jesus' day and age were yearning for a king like this. Yet, in their frustrated cries for one who would lead the overthow of Roman rule, they had forgotten what the prophet Isaiah has said about the Messiah. He was one who would be despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He would not conquer oppression by force, but he himself would bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, and be wounded for our transgressions. Our Prince of Peace would bring peace and healing through his own chastisement and stripes. (Isaiah 53:3-5)

During Advent, we look back and remember our Prince - a Prince not born in a lavish palace, but in a dirty manger. These humble beginnings set the course of a life of paradox. He simultaneously amazed and confused those he came in contact with, culminating with his entry to the royal city of Jerusalem on a lowly donkey followed his criminal trial and execution. Yet, it was these radical ideas and this unconventional life that changed the course of history forever and introduced the most beautifully paradoxical and revolutionary set of ideals that the world has ever known. Leo Tolstoy states that the message and person of Christ "changed and reversed everything" and "gave another, new direction to all human feelings." The image of the Christ child in the manger may be a familiar one, but we should never forget its revolutionary implications. And, we should never forget that Christ's unconventional life is the ultimate example of how we should seek to live. May we live lives of purposeful paradox in reverant obedience to our meek and mild Prince of Peace. For, "the greatest among you shall be your servant...whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matt 23:11-12)

Give me the lowest place: not that I dare
Ask for that lowest place, but Thou hast died
That I might live and share
Thy glory by Thy side.

Christina Rossetti

a poem

...that Mark wrote and included in the advent book. =)



O night which teemed with heaven's hymns
That spoke of prophecies fulfilled-
A newfound song was ushered in
Of peace on earth and of goodwill.

For years the earth had ached and yearned,
Awaiting God to speak and send
An answer to our prayers and turn
Our eyes and anxious cries to him.

So on that silent, holy night,
The world, unknowing, did receive
That promised source of true delight
That simply asks us to believe.

Unlike the keeper of the inn,
May we make room for Mary's son.
He knocks and longs to dwell within
Our hearts and make them with his, one.

O Christ, who in the manger lay,
We humbly make a lone request:
Be born within our hearts today
And to our weary souls bring rest.

Advent Sunday #1

So... a little late, but Mark made up an Advent devotional guide for our church, and I'm super proud of him and it, and wanted to share. =)

Week 1 - "God has Spoken, Not Through Words"

Scripture: John 1/1

What a blessing it is that we worship a God who communicates and desires connection with us. There are so many ways in which God chooses to reveal himself. We clearly see him revealed through the beauty of his creation. We are extradordinarily blessed to have the Bible, God's inspired written word that communicates so much of his heart and desires for us. Yet, in some ways, the revelation of God in his Word is still incomplete. The Old Testament speaks of the coming Christ often, and the Messiah was the center of the worship, rituals, and celebrations of the Israelites. Ultimately, the person of Jesus Christ - his teachings, life, death, and resurrection - is the fullest and most complete revelation of the heart of God that has been made known to us. He is literally God's Word living in the flesh of a man.

No matter how familiar we are with the Christmas Story, the arrival of the divine Christ to our mortal world is still an undeniably complex idea. Scholars have debated and have been divided throughout the centuries, attempting to explain this idea of God's Word becoming flesh - a being who was "fully God and fully man." In reponse to this unique and powerful distinction, the historical celebration of Christmas has always had two parts: the Nativity and the Epiphany. The Nativity, a celebration and feast that has occured for centuries within the church, ephasizes the human nature of Christ. This is why the Nativity is most associated with the infant Jesus in the lowly manger. The Epiphany, another Christmastime traditional celebration, usually occurs after December 25th. Historically, this feast day emphasizes the divine nature of Christ, typically involving elements such as the Magi from the East bringing gifts to the newborn King of Heaven.

Advent is a beautiful time of year - the annual rememberance of the marvelous and mysterious union of mortal and divine, of God and man. It is an incredbile thing to know that God, the Almighty Creator of the universe, cares so much for his creation that he "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Phil 2:7) And, how amazing it is that Christ - the one that displays the fullness of the heart of God - desires a vibrant and engaging relationship with us here on earth. As we begin our journey through this mysterious and joyful season of Advent, let this knowledge of God's desire for communication and connection be our foundation. Despite all of our familiarity and all the distractions that accompany Christmastime, may we never cease to be utterly humbled by these truths and Christ's desire to know us deeply.

What ideas that accompany Christmas have become familiar or stagnant to you over the years? How should this idea of God's son coming to earth continually change and shape you? How will you battle complacency and familiarity amid the distractions of Christmas this year?


See the eternal Son of God
A mortal Son of man;
Dwelling in an earthly clod,
Whom heaven cannot contain!
Stand amazed, ye heavens, at this!
See the Lord of earth and skies;
Humbled to the dust he is,
And in a manger lies.
- Charles Wesley

dream

Last night I dreamt in Harry Potter..wizards, Ron, Harry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named..the whole shebang.

I like to compare this to dreaming in another language...it means your finally getting it, your immersed, connected.

Yep-that's me. Connected, immersed, addicted.

That's all.