Saturday, December 31, 2016

December 31: Thankfulness for the Past Year



            In midst of the excitement of preparation for the New Year, we pause to give thanks for this past year. We remember the many gifts and experiences that populated the year. We give thanks for God’s hand in all our accomplishments and gifts. We honor the people God brought into our lives and the relationships we have strengthened during this time. We pray God will continue to bless us in the New Year.

Photo by author, taken at the Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, Malaysia during Chinese New Year 2016

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

December 28: Meditation on the Birth of Christ

Christmas Recess: December 21-January 2 

            May God grant us time on this day to meditate on the Nativity of Jesus. Let us reflect on the hope of the scene of seemingly ordinary people gathered around a newborn baby. With this image, we see humanity reborn in the most unlikely of places. We are reminded that renewal, even on the grandest of scales, is not impossible. We give thanks to God for unending hope in the form of Christ’s Birth and maintain the belief in God’s transformative power in our own lives. We celebrate this holiday by holding this image in our minds and proceeding in the days following with the same sense of love and promise.

Photo by author, taken during Christmas in Christ Chapel 2016

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Renewal: December 25 through February 14

Introduction

            No matter how old we are, we are all plagued with a certain sense of brokenness. We are preoccupied with the regrets of our pasts and with guilt over our shortcomings. But as we celebrate the Birth of Christ, we remember that Jesus came to a broken world and an imperfect people. The world Jesus was born into faced division by oppression, violence, and greed, many of the same issues we still deal with today. The deliverance of a Savior to Jesus’ time gives us hope for the healing and transformation in our own lives.
            This hope directs us towards the New Year. Looking forward to the future does not mean condemnation of the past. We give thanks for the past year while asking for a release from old grudges and regrets. We take this opportunity to seek renewal, to avoid monotony in our lives, in our relationships, and in our faith.
            At a time of new beginnings on our campus and in our world, we meditate on the transformative power of God’s love and the possibilities opened up by Jesus’ life.

Bonus Idea for Contemplation:
On the subject of Renewal, I am reminded of one of my favorite hymns, The Hills are Bare at Bethlehem, which was featured in Christmas in Christ Chapel 2015. Please read and contemplate both the lyrics here and how Jesus came to a divided world to provide hope and renewal to humanity.

The Hills Are Bare at Bethlehem

1       The hills are bare at Bethlehem,
        no future for the world they show;
        yet here new life begins to grow,
        from earth’s old dust a greenwood stem.

2       The stars are cold at Bethlehem,
        no warmth for those beneath the sky;
        yet here the radiant angels fly,
        and joy burns new, a fiery gem.

3       The heart is tired at Bethlehem,
        no human dream unbroken stands;
        yet here God comes to mortal hands,
        and hope renewed cries out: “Amen!”

Text: Royce J. Scherf, b. 1929, alt.
© 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress

Photo by author

Saturday, December 24, 2016

December 24: Appreciation of the Stillness of the Night


            We take this time to give thanks for the quietest part of the day God has given. We acknowledge the powerful peace created by the night’s stillness after the chaos of the day. May the quiet and the darkness grant us rest. We remember the peacefulness of the night Jesus was born and give thanks for all the nights like it. May God grant us many more nights such as this one to relax and spend time with our families. May God bless our rest tonight and prepare us for the coming morning.

Photo via Christ Chapel Facebook Page

Sunday, December 18, 2016

December 18: Searching for Moments of Quiet

Fall Finals: December 16-20
            We live in a world noisy with deadlines, conversations, and notifications. We ask God to guide us in our search for moments of quiet in this loud world. We pray for the discovery of pockets of quiet that allow us to meditate and reflect. We give thanks that quiet places still exist - on nature walks, on long drives, in little corners in the library, and in our homes. No matter how deafening the outside noise may become, we place our trust in God that we will still find moments of peace in our lives.

Photo by author