"The Power of an Invitation"

He sat in her salon. As she was cutting his hair, the conversation turned to the topic of family. His story was not a pretty one. It was a story of brokenness and estrangement from his grown children. This normally strong and gruff man now seemed sad and small as he expressed his regrets. Tonya, then shared her story. It too was a story of estrangement from her dad, but one to which God has brought healing. She then said to the man, my husband and I would love you to spend Christmas Eve with us. She handed him an invitation. If you would like to come to worship with us, we'll even pick you up.

Bud came to me with a big smile on his face and full of praise to God. "Everybody I have put on the wreath has told me they will come to the Christmas Eve service with me." He was so excited to see God working first-hand in the lives of those he loves.

Rose said, "My friend does not go to church. I told her I would come and pick her up." Her friend said, "Yes."

Brenda used Facebook as her invitation. She invited one who said that he was not good enough to come to church. She assured him that at LH you did not need to clean up before you can come. He sent her a message back saying he would be there.

Sometimes I think we underestimate the power of a simple, but personal invitation. Even if the person we invite turns us down, the invitation still shows that we thought enough of them to invite them. Furthermore, personal invitations removes barriers that would otherwise not be overcome. Think about it...all of the people who have been invited to the Christmas Eve services would not have a reason to come with out an invitation. An invitation is not as much about a Christmas Eve service as it is about relationship. When people respond to a personal invitation out of a personal relationship with us, it opens the door to a personal relationship with Christ.

On the first Christmas, God sent an Angel to invite shepherds to come and see the Savior born in the city of David lying in a manger. The shepherds would have never have felt comfortable to go into the presence of the Savior without an invitation. But once they received the invitation and saw the Christ-child, they then went to the streets inviting others to come and see the one they had seen.

Never underestimate the power of an invitation. When we invite people to share with us in our faith journey, we do not go it alone. God is right there in the midst of that invitation because he is the one who seeks and saves that which is lost.

This week we continue praying for the names you have placed on the wreath and we invite you to keep inviting your friends and family to be with you for the Christmas Eve services.

"Holy Interruptions"

I'm not a big fan of interruptions. I have a personality that appreciates schedules, order and tasks. I do not like surprises unless I have helped plan them. My idea of spontaneous is planning to do something that is different than my normal routine. (Yes, I know that you with opposite personality traits are thinking of less positive words to define what I have described, but before you voice them, please know that people in my camp have our negative words to describe you. Let's both just leave it alone :-). Needless to say, I do not typically value interruptions. However, if I am to experience anything of value during Christmas, then I must be willing to embrace interruptions as holy.

The 1st Christmas story is a litany of Holy interruptions:

Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had settled into the twilight years, having long-since accepted they would never have children. It may not be what they planned, but by this time in life they are planning on nothing more. Suddenly, an Angel appears and interrupts their plans with God's plan--you will have a son and call him John. He will be the one who the Prophet Isaiah said would prepare the way for the Lord.

Mary is preparing for her wedding day. She has been arranged for marriage with a really good guy. She and Joseph will have a simple, uneventful, but nice life together. Suddenly, an Angel appears and announces that God has a different plan. Mary will conceive by the Holy Spirit and carry the Son of God in her womb.

Then there is Joseph and the Shepherds and the Magi all of whom experience the 1st Christ-coming as an interruption to their lives. The 1st Christmas story is all about God breaking into our world with a different plan. His plan was such an interruption that there was no room, for indifference. Either you allowed the interruption and went with God's new plan for your life or you resisted and did whatever you could to put this new plan of God to death. That is what the religious leaders of Jesus day did. They put the Interruption of God to death. But then, praise God, life interrupted death with Resurrection.

Holy Interruptions...that is the story of Christ's birth, death and resurrection. Why should I think that God would do anything different this Christmas? Will I let God interrupt my plans this Christmas with his plan? Will you?

"Untapped Power"

Something weird is happening. Get this...my toaster refuses to toast without being plugged into the outlet. Yeah, I know, strange, right? The same thing with our microwave. It will not micro anything until it is plugged into the outlet. Isn't that odd? It is like all of our appliances are rebelling against us. Not one of them will go to work without electricity. You may call it a mutiny or a union strike, but from where we sit it is just down right spooky. Wait! Shhh! Why is the blender starring at me like that?

Before you organize an intervention, let me make my point. We would never expect our appliances to work without being plugged into the outlet. We understand that an appliance has now power in and of itself. It must receive power from another source if it is to carry out its designed function.

Why do we accept that reality for appliances, but not for ourselves? Why do we try to live as though we can power ourselves? Why do we live as though we do not believe that we only live out our design when we are tapped into the power of the One who designed us?

This is what we do when we make time for everything in our lives but prayer. A prayer less life is like an unplugged appliance. It has much potential, but with out power it is merely taking up space. You were made to do more than take up space. God wants you to live your life plugged into his power.

James 5:13-18 invite us to tap into the power: "13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

I am looking for 20 people to tap into the power with me tonight at our 1st Wednesday Prayer Gathering, 7-8 PM, at LH, child care provided.