Rev. Kris Light She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. Luke 2:7 CEB "Hold me tight," she says to Joseph. Like a kitten held at arms length, limbs splayed, fearfully searching for the ground, her eyes repeat, "Just hold me tight for a while." Sometimes a body needs to be held together, to reclaim those pieces centrifugal force is pulling apart. We need swaddling. Did the Author of the Universe emerge from Mary's womb limbs splayed, body quaking, searching for human comfort in the tight circle of her arms? Did she, grown herself within the wisdom of women, reach for bands of cloth to contain Love's shimmering, shivering form, to hold his exquisite need for her within torn strips of linen? Love's fullness grown within womb's embrace meets a yeasty explosion of scents and sounds in the dark shelter Mary accepts as home for the night. "Hold me tight," God bellows. And she does. - - - Author of space and time, hold us tight as we attempt to hold you tight in our hearts this holiday season. Amen. Kris is pastor of UniPlace Christian Church on the corner of the University of Illinois campus in Urbana - Champaign. Married to Ed Taylor she enjoys their combined total of 6 young adult children and 4 precious grandchildren. Previously serving Disciples congregations in Nebraska, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas and Georgia, she is now putting down deep roots in Champaign and Ford counties in Illinois. Gardening, home restoration projects, sewing, writing and crafting are her idea of a really good time. We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Rev. Kimberly Russell (MDiv, BCC) “Sometimes we must yield control to others and accept our vulnerability so we can be healed.” Kathy Magliato, Healing Hearts: A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon I stand by a crib in the ICU, watching a tiny baby sleep. This baby has never been home, never known life outside of a hospital. Born premature, she needed time to develop and gain strength. When it was time be discharged, she didn’t go home, she was transferred to another hospital. This baby girl, only a few weeks old, has a diagnosis of leukemia. We often recall Jesus as a Savior, a miracle worker or a parable teller but Jesus started off just like each one of us. Jesus was an infant. He was born in a strange place and depended on others to care for him. It is in that state of vulnerability that we connect with the Messiah. Jesus experienced leaving the protective warmth of Mary’s womb and a medical procedure of circumcision, a rite in his culture. From birth, dangers surrounded him that he could not face alone, and Jesus placed inherent trust in those that care for him to be the stronghold where he was vulnerable. - - - Creator God, Thank you for reminding me we all experience vulnerable moments. Be a strength in my time of weakness and guide me to the people willing to be a stronghold for me in times of vulnerability. Amen Kimberly works as a pediatric chaplain at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She provides primary coverage for leukemia/lymphoma patients as well as adolescents and young adults living with HIV. Kimberly earned a Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas and is ordained and endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She received specialized training at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in Georgia. Kimberly is a board certified chaplain with active memberships with the Association of Professional Chaplains and Pediatric Chaplain Network.
Rev. Melissa Fain In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1 CEB Everything on Earth has a beginning, and the beginning never looks like the journey. Beginnings are new and innocent. Beginnings are fragile. While something established might be difficult to break, something new needs to be loved and cared for. It cannot exist on its own. It needs more attention than that which is already established. If the new idea person or group gets the tender loving care it needs, it could deeply impact us in the future. Nothing is possible without a solid start with help from others. Today appreciate the fragility of the Christmas moment. This was the beginning of the greatest story ever. Jesus came as a displaced baby, born in a stable. Looking at the moment, I’m sure no one would predict the impact this beginning would have on the future. - - - God of new beginnings, In this moment of newness, help me find the care that new life needs to grow up strong. Amen Melissa is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciple of Christ). She has worked in churches for over a decade, and is currently the senior minister of Fig Tree Christian, and online ministry. Melissa also designed the art for this devotion. It is a paper medium, finished in Photoshop. Melissa is a wife to a wonderful husband, and mother to two wonderful children.
Rev. Betty Brewer-Calvert She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. Luke 2:7 CEB
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger – a manger, the feed trough for the animals! Certainly not where you would expect to find the Messiah! Undoubtedly not where Mary expected to lay her baby to rest his head. Perhaps she smiled in wonder at the unexpectedness of it all – the surprise of carrying the Holy Child, the blessings that came from visiting her much older cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant, the faithfulness of Joseph despite the unorthodox events, and now the delivery in a stable far from home. There was nothing usual in any of it! The humble birth of the Christ Child reminds us that God comes to us in unusual places, in unlikely people, and at unexpected times. Jesus was born into a world where the powerful sought to kill anyone who might challenge the status quo, where the chasm between rich and poor was deep, and where many longed for a Savior. Centuries later, Christmas still comes in the midst of chaos; and some might ask, why celebrate? We celebrate because God enters into our brokenness with a sign of hope. God responds to the world’s ills with the gift of love, made real to us in the birth of a child. The news of great joy given to the shepherds – a babe, God’s son, born and to be found lying in a manger – is still news. It is life-transforming news. Will we hear? Will we believe? Will we share? - - - Surprising God, thank you for the many ways you break into our lives – shining light in our darkness and hope in our despair. Help us to celebrate and share the gift of your love. Amen. Betty is Director of Women’s Ministries for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia (www.gadisciples.org). She is active at Decatur First Christian Church, where her husband, James, is pastor. They are the parents of two young adults, a black lab, and two cats. Betty attended Union Theological Seminary in NYC and will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her ordination next summer. She enjoys leading retreats and workshops. Other activities include: Atlanta’s Alliance Children’s Theatre Guild, book club, church choir, Spanish language learning, silly computer games, and occasional guitar playing. Life is full! We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Rev. Ashley Sherard The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 CEB God is love. Wow, what a wonderful reminder for this time of anticipating the Christ Child’s birth! Sometimes I look at my children and feel an overwhelming love between us, it’s an amazing feeling. I wonder what Mary felt when she looked at Jesus the first time. I wonder if her feelings of being overwhelmed by the love of this tiny baby in her arms was the same as mine or intensified by the fact that this child WAS love, in the flesh. Christmas has become a time in which love is equated with the number of gifts under the tree and dollars spent on said gifts. Let’s take some time today to remember that love has walked among us on this earth. That God loved us so much He sent His Son in the form of a tiny baby. That Jesus is love and will provide an example of how to love one another as God intends us to. What a wonderful Christmas gift! - - - Loving God, open my eyes to see love in this world, to act in love as you taught us and accept the love you freely give to us. Help me to shed the scales from eyes and see the true miracle of love this Christmas and know, without a doubt, that the gift of love is the only thing I truly need. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Ashley is the Minister and Church Planter of Jerusalem Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lafayette, LA. She is a mommy to three beautiful girls, the wife of Rev. Frank Sherard, also a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a musician, and a lover of yoga. Ashley is also a proud Navy wife, Frank has been a Religious Programs Specialist for over 25 years. You can find Rev. Ashley on facebook and at www.jccdoc.com. We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Chaplain Kimberly Russell “Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.” Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: 24 Stories I returned to work after a wonderful vacation visiting family. As I look through my email, I quickly piece together that while I was away, one of my patients died. This patient chose to go home and respect the life she had left. She was old enough to make decisions and she was educated enough to know what each option meant. For her, death was not the worst thing in the world. She returned home and thrived in the short term, and then her body began to shut down. Doctors wanted her to return so they could attempt a radical treatment, the same treatment she refused a few months earlier due to the agony and suffering attached. My patient was able to identify what she needed; family to be present and medicines to help with pain. She died peacefully, surrounded by love. Our culture fears death and, as a society, we do everything in our power to avoid death. It would be frowned upon to give burial preparations as a baby shower gift yet that might have been exactly what one of the Wise Men did. In the time of Jesus, myrrh was mixed with aloes and anointed as part of the burial ritual. Life is limited and the next day on this earth is not guaranteed, even Jesus experienced death. Can we turn away from the fear of death and embrace our life as a complete beginning, middle and end? Can we respect one another enough to embrace each moment of life, even the last moment? - - - Loving God, thank you for each moment, from the first breath of life to the last. Help me respect the entirety of lifetime and provide strength when life becomes difficult. When fear starts to take hold, I pray for peace and comfort. When I am gone and my loved ones are grieving, God, breathe life into my memories. Do not let my end become their end. Amen. Kimberly works as a pediatric chaplain at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She provides primary coverage for leukemia/lymphoma patients as well as adolescents and young adults living with HIV. Kimberly earned a Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas and is ordained and endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She received specialized training at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in Georgia. Kimberly is a board certified chaplain with active memberships with the Association of Professional Chaplains and Pediatric Chaplain Network. We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Jessica Nettles When Herod knew the magi had fooled him, he grew very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding territory who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. Matthew 2:16 If there is any character in the birth story of Jesus that is totally unredeemable, it’s Herod. King Herod (also known as Herod the Great or Herod the Wicked) makes a decision that seems over the top by today’s view of politics. He hears a rumor about a child who will become “King of the Jews,” gets scared about a coup, and then decides it’s in his best interest to commit mass infantacide to deal with the perceived problem. Historically, Herod is well-known for his paranoia and vengeful, bloody reign over what was left of the people of Israel at the time of Jesus’s birth. Crowned by the Roman Senate as the “King of the Jews” in 40 BC, Herod’s position was tenuous at best. He was a king without a kingdom, mostly because even though he ruled the Jewish people, they were all still subjects of the Roman Empire. Traditionally, Herod is a huge part of the story of Jesus’s birth and subsequent move from Bethlehem. He never comes to see Jesus, like the shepherds or the magi. Although he takes a deceptive and, ultimately, violent stand against this baby who was supposed to become the King of the Jews, it is clear that this approach is not from a position of strength, but rather, a position of fear. Why would he fear a tiny child who only might possibly take the title he enjoys? His fear is rooted in insecurity, not just political insecurity but personal insecurity. He needs his position in the Roman government to validate himself. He needs to be validated in order to find self-worth. His fear is ill-founded but he has no idea because he’s afraid of anything or anyone who poses a threat. As much as none of us wants to be aligned with a man who is more than willing to kill small children to protect his political power, we need to be willing to admit that often our own choices and own protective measures come from a similar point of fear. We miss the chance to be a part of something amazing or world changing because we would rather sit in our palace and plan a way to make sure we are safe. We damage the very things that could help us in an attempt to stay safe. Herod is a sad character. For all his effort to protect his power, he ends up dying a few years later with a legacy of fear and loathing in his wake. During this season, it’s easy to get caught up in fears about our families or circle of friends. We may pull away or complain that the season is over-commercialized or demanding. If we do those things, if we decide that being unhappy about the season is the best solution, we will miss the message of the season. The message that tells us to engage, reach out, and embrace the miraculous and the wondrous. - - - Dear Lord, Help us seek you this Christmas season. Help out reach out and embrace your love instead of fearfully staying inside. Amen. Jessica is a writer, an English instructor at Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia, and a burgeoning karaoke singer. She earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Professional Writing at Kennesaw State University. Her journey as a follower of Christ is ongoing. Her children are both adults, and she is having all sorts of new adventures that she couldn't have when her kids were young. She currently resides in a small 60s ranch style house in Cobb County, Georgia, and hopes to one day have a sponsor so that she can spend her days as a writer and possible karaoke singing beach bum. She's sure God laughs about this hope daily. She can be followed on Tumblr. We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Rev. Kris Light After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. Matthew 2:1 CEB "Man down! Man down," my son exclaims entering the living room. "Wiseman again," I ask? "Of course, Mom. Those guys are too close to the edge." He refers to the nativity scene on the fireplace mantle. Our family favorite among the collection of crèches we bring out each Advent is a modern Scandinavian rendition of the Nativity. Like Flat Stanleys jigsawed from smoothly planed pine, each character is lightly engraved, then stained in shades of tan, blue and creamy tangerine. The beauty of their simple lines compels me to give them center stage each year, fully aware that the half inch edge on which they stand guarantees they will topple. Mary and Joseph, the manger with Jesus' arms outstretched, even the shepherds holding lambs are cut more squat; bent and bowed they gather in close to the miracle. The wisemen, though, stand tall and erect, arms outstretched with gold and gifties. They are still searching, still traveling toward the mystery, seemingly following the packages which protrude from their center of gravity. It is a precarious place to be, carrying all that stuff in this territory on the edges of the story. They fall. A lot. I could keep them in the box, of course, or crowd them into the scene of Christmas morning. But that is not who they are. That is not who we are. I am glad to be reminded that the wisest travelers seeking the Christ sometimes fall. No. They fall a lot. - - - Oh Lord of all, When we fall: Help us learn, help us up, help us grow, and help us keep moving. Amen. Kris is pastor of UniPlace Christian Church on the corner of the University of Illinois campus in Urbana - Champaign. Married to Ed Taylor she enjoys their combined total of 6 young adult children and 4 precious grandchildren. Previously serving Disciples congregations in Nebraska, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas and Georgia, she is now putting down deep roots in Champaign and Ford counties in Illinois. Gardening, home restoration projects, sewing, writing and crafting are her idea of a really good time. We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Rev. Ashley Sherard [Then Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. Matt. 11:28-29 CEB I am going to ask you to journey with me into, what could be, a painful time of life. I would like for us all to take a moment and remember Middle School and High School, particularly dances. Those have to be the most awkward situations many of us have ever been in, Amen? I remember spending hours getting ready to try to look my very best only to find out that another girl had the exact same dress or the humidity had ruined my hair and makeup before I ever even got to the event. No matter what, I always felt like I didn't quite belong in the situation the way I looked. I think lots of people feel that way about church, they just don't belong. It’s been too long since they've been, or they've never been or it’s too judgy and hypocritical for them. On the night our Savior was born a host of Angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields. That’s interesting, wouldn't you say? The first to know were the last one’s you would ever see in a “worship” setting. They were dirty and stinky because of their occupations. They spent their time with animals and manure and in the outdoors, they were considered unclean and therefore were not welcome at the temple, the only place you could worship in those times. Of course, they had the option to do the necessary rituals to become “clean enough” to worship in the temple, but it meant leaving the sheep…big no, no. Yet, in the reading of the Christmas story we learn the shepherds are the first to know! The Angels appeared to them and even told them where to find the Messiah! Even better yet, they went, no questions asked, no hesitation, no committee meetings, they just went. Stinky, dirty, unclean, they went just as they were to meet the Messiah. That invitation is for you as well, what better time to accept a relationship with Jesus Christ than now, with those lowly shepherds that weren't welcome before but are now. We are welcome, we are invited, and He accepts us just the way we are. - - - Creator God, thank you for the gift of the Christ child who came for each and every one of us. Thank you for the One who will open HIS Table to us, the unclean, the sinners, the saints, the body of Christ. Gift to me, Creator, the ability to accept myself in the way you accept me, the way Christ accepts me. Allow me to see the Child of God made in His image through fresh eyes and KNOW, without a doubt, that this child is born to make me whole. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Ashley is the Minister and Church Planter of Jerusalem Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lafayette, LA. She is a mommy to three beautiful girls, the wife of Rev. Frank Sherard, also a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a musician, and a lover of yoga. Ashley is also a proud Navy wife, Frank has been a Religious Programs Specialist for over 25 years. You can find Rev. Ashley on facebook, at jerusalemlafayette.wordpress.com and www.discipleslafayette.com. We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
Join Fig Tree's Communication Board Join Fig Tree's Subreddit Follow our Pinterest page Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Kristy Burmeister My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. John 10:27 CEB When I was younger, I had a pet sheep named Beth. When we brought her home, she immediately bonded with my old dog. Beth would follow my dog around all day. If the dog got a drink of water, Beth got a drink of water. If the dog went to sleep under a tree, Beth would go to sleep under the tree. After my dog died, Beth started following my pony in the same way. After the pony was gone, Beth escaped through the neighbor’s fence and became friendly with his cows. We found her following after the herd of cattle. We used to joke about our confused sheep with an identity crisis. She thought she was a dog, a pony, and a cow. But, Beth was doing what sheep do. They follow. They imitate. This is what it means to be a sheep. That’s why Jesus frequently referred to his followers as sheep. Not only do we follow the Good Shepherd, but we are also to imitate him. This Christmas, let’s commit to imitating Jesus’ mercy and generosity. - - - Dear God, Please show me how to imitate Jesus’ example in my life. Help me listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow him. Amen Kristy is an ex-Mennonite adult PK who blogs about life, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, active pacifism, and wandering through the spiritual wilderness at kristyburmeister.com. She is a wife and mother of two daughters We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
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