Trusting God's promises in your life
And Hear the Angel's Voices!
It's the final countdown! Just a few more days before Christmas! You may feel busier than ever as you try to pack in last minute shopping and trying to make very moment a family memory. In the midst of the hustle and bustle don't forget one crucial component to your Christmas experience: worship.
In the words of that favorite Christmas song, "Fall on your knees! And hear the angel's voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born!" Or as the bible says:
Luke 2:13-14 NLT "Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others- the armies of heaven- praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
More than anything else, Christmas time is a time to worship God, as we remember the profound gift of His son Jesus Christ. There is no greater gift than the gift of this baby. So as Christmas day closes in, don't miss your chance to worship.
Action Step: Go to a Worship Service
More important than making time for a tree lighting ceremony, shopping, or a work holiday party, is making time to worship our God for the gift of Jesus. Bring your friends and family to a worship service and make a holy memory. You won't regret this moment to center yourself, remembering what we are celebrating in the first place. You will leave blessed and prepared to be a blessing to others. Washington Cathedral has Christmas Eve services at 4pm, 6pm, and 11:30 pm. It's that simple.
Photo credit: Abby Lanes
Joy to the World! Smiling is my favorite!
Christmas time is a time of joy, right? Christmas is meant to be a time of joy, yet this time of year is often the hardest for so many people. You or someone you know may find yourself reminded of loved ones lost, difficult childhood moments as a family, or maybe just some of life's disappointments. How can we be merry and bright with these challenges weighing over our hearts?
Joy in the midst of weighty situations can be seen even in our Christmas story:
Luke 1:26-29 NLT "In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, 'Greetings favored woman! The Lord is with you!' Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.'"
Mary was about to be given a weighty situation. A poor, politically marginalized, unmarried, teenager was about to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. In her Jewish community, she could be stoned to death for getting pregnant outside of marriage. When she received this news, do you think she immediately felt joy? Do you think she was smiling? No! She was disturbed and confused, BUT she tried to think what the angle could mean. She opened herself up to God's possibilities for her life.
Even on days you may be discouraged, remember God has a plan for your life. He wants to use you to bless other people. Open your heart up to the possibility of joy that defies reason this Christmas season. Even in this midst of discouragement there can be beautiful moments of faith, love, and community.
Action Step: Smile
You may have a day or moment this week where you feel discouraged or down. In this moment, open yourself up to be used by God to bless someone. Smile at those around you. Pray for them. They may need it more than you realize. And who knows; embracing joy may even bless you too.
Photo credit: Megan DavisChristmas Experience
Do you remember what it was like to wake up on Christmas morning as a child? Your eyes pop open: it's Christmas! You glance outside: it snowed!! The soft padding of your slippered feet as you dash into the living room: Santa came! Christmas is meant to be experienced, with sights and sounds and smells that burn the moment into your memory for years to come...A visceral experience that ignites the hope God intends for each of us.
On Sunday, December 21, bring the whole family to walk through the manger scene at Washington Cathedral. Little ones can hold a baby lamb to their chest as the Biblical story comes alive with a live petting zoo. Meet Mary and Joseph characters, and take a picture with Santa as a keepsake.
Help your family to remember, “Christmas doesn't come from a store...maybe Christmas means a little bit more.”
Christmas Experience - Sunday Dec 21st and Dec 24th
What - An unforgettable Christmas experience. On Sunday, take a walk through the first Christmas with a kids drama, petting zoo, and even pictures with Santa.
On Christmas Eve, celebrate Christmas with our beautiful Candlelight Services. Afterwards come enjoy snacks and sing carols around a bonfire while you wait for a ride in a horse drawn carriage.
Why you should bring someone - Both of these are perfect opportunities to bring family and friends. Pray about whom you can bring to these Christmas Experiences.
Help your family to remember, "Christmas doesn't come from a store...maybe Christmas means a little bit more."
Photo Credit
The Little Lord Jesus Lay Down his Sweet Head
Has this week felt overwhelming, too full, too busy, or just too much?! Most people feel this way around Christmas as you try to pack in work events, family events, church events, christmas shopping, the to do lists go on and on. Rather than racking yourself with guilt for getting swept up in the business of it all, just take a moment to pray.
The art of simplicity is not in becoming a recluse or completely disengaging from the world. The art of simplicity is found in this truth:
Mark 1:25-38 NLT "Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him they said, 'Everyone is looking for you.' But Jesus replied, 'We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came."
When Jesus had a lot of ministry to accomplish and lots of people needing him, that is when he took a moment to pray. You may think you are too busy to pray, but really the opposite is true. You are too busy NOT to pray. Yes, your schedule is full. Yes, lots of people need you. But you will not make it through this Christmas season with joy and peace, unless you stay connected to your Heavenly Father. So rather than getting overwhelmed, take little moments to lay down your sweet head. Take little moments to pray. Remember God has a plan for this day, this moment. He is with you.
Action Step: Listen to Christmas Music
As you go through your busy day, turn on some Christmas music. It will remind you what this season, this day, this moment is all about: Jesus. As you sing along, allow your heart to pray. These little moments with just you and God will sustain you as you go through this busy season.
Photo credit: Nancy Bandzuch
Joy Conspiracy
Joy to the world, the Lord has come! To save and rescue, redeem and heal, restore and repair, and give life. This year we want the world to know the good news. That's what the Joy Conspiracy is all about.
Another year is nearly over and we wanted to thank you for being apart of Washington Cathedral. We hope you and your family have an Merry Christmas and wish you a very Happy New Year!
FAQ:
What - We are throwing Christmas parties throughout the community and spreading the joy. Most parties will include caroling, Christmas stories, Christmas games, and yummy treats. Each party will be different depending on the location. Some might include a visit from Santa Clause and cookie decorating or spreading Christmas joy through Christmas carols.
Where - We have selected a few places to go and serve from hospitals to shelters and even to the mall.
When - We are having these parties throughout the month of December.
Why - To share the good news of Christmas. We want the families of our church to be ambassadors of the love of Christ all the world.
So check out the flyer and contact us for more information about a specific party. Stop by the connection center in our foyer for all the details of Contact Rey at rey.diaz@wacathedral.org
Making a list and checking it twice!
It's here! It's advent! It's Christmas time! 
And before you know it your family will be making Christmas lists. As you rack your brain for every fun item you want, don't forget this truth:
1 John 3:1 NLT "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!"
You are God's child. He made you, just as you are. He loves you more than you could ever imagine.
That's right, it's not the perfect items for your Christmas list that will make you better, more loved, or more complete. You are already fully and completely loved just as you are. You are God's child. So in the hustle and bustle of the season don't lose sight of who you are and whose you are. It's not a list that makes you; God made you, and he loves you.
Action Step: Make your lists!
Read 1 John 3:1-3 out loud as a family. To remind each other of who you are, take turns telling someone in your family something you love about them. Then, with that in mind, make your Christmas lists! Giving gifts is a great way to give and receive love, as long as you remember who you are and whose you are.
Orphan Sunday Prayer
Dear Father, On this Orphan Sunday, we join with Your people across our country and beyond to pray for orphans. We know that love for these precious children begins not with us, but with You. You pursued us when we were wayward and alone. You adopted us as your children. You invite us to address you as Daddy and to live as Your sons and daughters. Truly, we love because You first loved us.
You tell us also that You are near to the downtrodden and destitute. Your heart aches for children that face the world alone. You champion the cause of those who have no one else to take their side. And You call us to do the same.
So we pray that You would rouse us to share your heart. We ask that You would stir Your people to passion and vision and action on behalf of children that have no family.
We lift up to You the millions of children in the world who have lost their parents to disease, to war, to addiction, to poverty, to abandonment. As You promise to do, place the lonely in families. Be their defender, their provider, their hope and peace. Help us to do the same.
We pray also for the children in our foster system in America. So often, they are bounced from home to home, knowing little love, consistency or true nurture. Please be their love, their consistency, their nurture. Help us to do the same.
We confess that we have often lived with little regard for these precious lives. Please forgive us. Lead us to take up their cause, not in guilt or obligation, but as a joyful response to Your great love for us.
As we do, we pray that You would use our humble response to transform. To transform the lives of countless orphans both physically and spiritually. To transform us as we encounter You in them. To transform Your Church as we lift our eyes beyond our own comfort and self-focused religion to live out the painful beauty of the Gospel. And finally, to transform a watching world as it catches glimpses of Your love made visible through the actions of Your people.
We commit all this to You, the One who is both our Father and a Father to the fatherless, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I was an orphan, so I will care for orphans
As we celebrated Orphan Sunday this past weekend, we came to two powerful conclusions:
- I was an orphan, but I was adopted
- I was an orphan so I will care for orphans
Our first conclusion is based the idea that we are all prodigal children separated from our Heavenly Father. But as Galatians 4:4-5 tell us, Jesus redeems us making adoption possible. This is the gospel message.
The second conclusion is where we are praying our church can lead the way. In our broken world there are vulnerable children who don’t know that Jesus promised to adopt them. So as a great caring network, we all have a role in loving the least of these. So the question is, how will you care for orphans? Locally and globally?
Here are some ideas:
- Come on a mission trip to serve on the frontlines.
- Plugging in to our student ministries or kids ministries as volunteer.
- Getting your TLC involved in global orphan care.
- Sponsoring/supporting some of the projects are church has partnered with.
- Taking time as a family to pray for the global orphan crises.
Serving in Haiti by Jennifer Kipp
Luke 6:38 - Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (NIV)
The October 2014 team of five left the US geared up to serve in Haiti with our eyes open to see how we would be storytellers. I was a first time team leader and felt so very fortunate to have a "seasoned" team of adults who had all traveled internationally on missions previously. All of our team members had servant hearts and part of my blessing as a team leader was rejoicing when I saw, over and over and over again, countless examples of each team member's precious servant heart.
We were fortunate to have a photographer with us as part of our team. Kari had been trained in the specifics of AWAA's storyteller campaign. She was truly dedicated to her role as photographer for this important purpose. She also had it in her heart that she wanted to give a gift to each orphan - a picture of themselves to keep. She purchased a printer, photo paper, ink, and laminating sheets that she brought with her to Haiti trusting that God would find a way to make this happen since we didn't even know if we would be allowed to take pictures at the orphanages. We spent time at two orphanages in Haiti and, miraculously, Kari was granted permission by each orphanage to photograph the children.
Another team member, Rey, wanted to relay Psalm 139:14 to the orphans - "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made (NIV)." He had this verse printed on cardstock in both English and Creole. Rey had intended to hand the cards out to the children. Instead, in beautiful moment, the team decided that we should put the cards on the back of the pictures and laminate them together. So, two wonderful ideas LITERALLY came together. The team spent time almost every day before and after our evening devotion printing pictures, cutting out the pictures, and laminating them with the bible verse. This act of service also provided us with time together as a team - listening to praise music, sharing our joys and trials of the day, and enjoying fellowship.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
Our third day in Haiti, Kari handed out the pictures/bible verse to the children at the orphanage-her and Rey's gift and the team's labor of love. I rejoiced when I saw that this gift was immediately returned to Kari, Rey, and the rest of the team. The reactions of the children when receiving their pictures/verse were priceless gifts. And, the gifts were everywhere- they were in the sparkle of the children's eyes, they were in the squeals of excitement, they were in the grasping of the picture and not letting go, they were in the smiles.
One girl immediately put her picture carefully into her backpack. I could tell that she wanted to protect her keepsake, probably one of few that she has. An older boy reacted with exuberance. This particular boy loved having his picture taken and gave Kari quite the photo shoot during which he gave masterful expressions. When he received his picture, he ran with his unique gait to each caregiver - boldly interrupting prayer/worship time - to share his new possession: a picture of his precious face - God's masterpiece, an image of himself - fearfully and wonderfully made.
Another unexpected gift that was given and also received was when the caregivers/nannies wanted to have their pictures taken. This was truly unexpected! But, Kari, our dedicated photographer, embraced the opportunity. She said later that it was a way to bless the nannies that she hadn't even considered. Kari took pictures with care to capture each nanny's beauty. At the end of our time in Haiti, Kari used the extra paper that she had after printing all of the children's pictures to print pictures of the nannies. The in-country staff person agreed to deliver them to the orphanage when she delivered the other donations we had purchased with our "blessing fund."
After we left Haiti, we received word the first orphanage that we visited became gripped in a medical crisis. Multiple children fell sick and several were hospitalized with cholera. The nannies worked around the clock caring for the ill. There were pleas from the orphanage for help, prayer, and financial support. One child that our team had just met and spent precious time with passed away. All of us were shocked and saddened. During one of our final team devotions in-country, Rey, who serves a pastor, shared how missions rip the calluses off your heart so that you have an open wound, a vulnerability that allows you to feel the pain of unmet needs, suffering and injustice.
But, how having that open wound motivates you to do the hard work that needs to be done - to love orphans, to care for those in distress, to challenge injustice, to be the voice for the oppressed. My heart had an open wound from my experiences in Haiti. And then, getting word of the medical crisis at the orphanage totally re-exposed that wound. It ripped off the small layer that had already began to form back on my heart. I think it was God's way of immediately reminding me that work and change needs to be done NOW. That I shouldn't get comfortable. That he was going to use me to do more.
Being back in the US, I felt idle. I wanted to go back and be there. The distance seemed immense. But, then another gift arrived via email. It was from the in-country staff who had just spent two days at the orphanage helping to provide needed hands-on care. "Thank you, and the team, for all of your prayers! The donations you all were able to provide have been incredibly helpful this week. We had all the kids get their own pedialyte bottle to keep them hydrated, and even the photos of the nannies seemed to lift spirits. Thank you all for that!" What a tremendous gift! To realize that the photos were able to lift the nannies' spirits during what is sure to be a sad, stressful, draining and difficult time is a priceless gift back to our team. And, to know that the way the team chose to use the "blessing fund" and our donor's financial gifts to purchase items that met an immediate need is uplifting and miraculous. God knew that those children were going to need Pedialyte to counteract the dehydration caused by cholera!
While it is still hard to be here and not there, I am now comforted to know that gifts we gave, our service while in Haiti, was and is multiplying. I trust that God will show each of us- the members of our team, those who supported our team through donations and prayers, and those who are hearing our stories- what is next and what He wants us to do. When the Luke verse came to me, I knew that this was my next step. I'll be honest, I really wanted to board a plane back to Haiti but, I had come to realize that wasn't possible or realistic. So, I'm embracing the verse. And, I feel that God wants me to share THIS story which will hopefully stir the servant heart present in each one of us. God is saying that NOW is the time to be an advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. NOW is the time to share God's love. And, NOW is the time to ACT.