Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

Moments in Whoville

My fantasy destination is Whoville. You know, the city locked in a speck of dust found by Horton. With great tenacity of spirit this town’s population saved themselves when everyone did their part. This same community, led by the spirit of one small child, nullified the destructive hatred of the Grinch with kindness and joy. Yes indeed, I’d like to visit there, possibly buy some property and eventually join their numbers permanently.

Each weekday I arise early to deliver children safely to school. Near the end of my morning route I stop at a drive. Three beautiful little faces climb the bus stairs and take their seats. (Please note that all my riders are amazing and above average children. If only school personnel in other towns could be as fortunate as I……) They smile, always. They speak greetings and inquire as to the success of my day thus far, then they move on to join their friends. I look forward to seeing them. Secretly, I believe they transport themselves in each day from Whoville. They have whimsy packed in their pockets and radiate an enviable light hearted approach to life. I pray it never ends.

One afternoon not long ago, I encountered the father of my Cindy Lou Who’s. I told him how much his children encouraged me and buoyed my spirit each day. He thanked me for the compliment and then replied he was grateful to know they were living out what he strove to teach them, which is this, “If you only ever achieve one thing in life, let it be kindness.” Okay readers! Read that quote again! It’s good! “If you only ever achieve one thing in life, let it be kindness.” Mr. Whoville went on to say, “If you are kind to others life will give you everything you ever want.” I couldn’t agree more but this is not the philosophy predominantly being taught to American children in the 21st century.

My heart melted. I was so humbled by this parent’s endeavor to instill authentic goodness and generosity of heart in his children. Kindness as a life’s choice, is an unconditional commitment to a positive attitude toward all mankind. It gives without expectation, condemnation or restraint and makes the world a much, much nicer place.

John chapter 15 speaks the words of Jesus as He teaches His disciples they must stay connected to the True Vine if their lives are to produce everlasting fruit. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul teaches a young church that the evidence of our connection to this True Vine is the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, KINDNESS, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Jesus modeled kindness in all things. He made it His priority, and so, it must be ours.

Our town is small so I know this little home I speak of is not without its trials and sorrows, but they still choose kindness, peace and joy. I see it daily, I hear it in the air at recess and it echoes in my heart as I return to my own home each evening. They give what I desperately need, a mini vacation to Whoville, also known as, my own little piece of Heaven on earth.

Merry Christmas,

Gretchen

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:16

The shepherds left their flocks, went into Bethlehem and found the Christ Child.

On this night, God became very personal. His power and glory is displayed throughout all the universe, His voice is heard through prophets that gave assurances and hope of His presence among us. AND THEN…..God chose to unite Himself personally with mankind. The Creator entered His own creation and became like His created, just to reveal a personal love for each of us.

Through this gift, God provided a way to bear our sins, break death’s grip and pay a debt to reconcile humanity to his original perfection. What man could not do for himself, Jesus came to do for them.

Nativity scenes are some the most magnificent artwork human eyes have ever seen, but don’t let the artist’s craft or nostalgia dull the foundational doctrine of salvation: Jesus was the fully human Son of God. Born to die, so you could live.

There is a hymn associated with the first Christmas night, Silent Night, Holy Night. A quick google search will reveal the manner in which this world famous tune and lyric came to be. A broken organ and a desire to worship in spite of obstacles brought about this beloved carol. Those that gathered in the manger went out of their way, put aside their daily lives, to worship. This Season of Celebration, don’t let man’s obstacles inhibit your worship and praise.

Blessings,

Gretchen

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11

These are the words of the Angel Gabriel, spoken to shepherds on the plaines of Judea. The foretold time of a Savior’s arrival had come. There was great expectation. THE event of the ages was about to happen and without a doubt, Heavenly evidence was confirmation. Supernatural guidance led chosen people from very different walks of life to witness, worship and testify of the Christ’s arrival.

Each of the first three Gospels speak to certain groups: Matthew the Jews, Mark the Romans, Luke the Greeks. John spoke to all of mankind with the message that Jesus is the Son of God, God Himself. Greeks prioritized culture, wisdom, reason, education. Luke tells his story of the nativity in a classical, orderly manner that has been called The Most Beautiful Story Ever Told….and it is. He shows the wonder of the night, the glory in a manger and the universality of God becoming man.

It’s just my imagination, but I think and hope that someday when I reach Heaven, God will sit me down and say, “Hey Gretchen, look at this!” He will take me back in time for a moment and let me hear the angel choir and peek inside an animal shelter to see my Savior’s radiance on that night of Greatest Gift Giving, the night of Peace everlasting.

Blessings,

Gretchen

Just a little trivia on this 22nd of day of December. Bethlehem, the City of David, is the burial place of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, the birthplace of King David, the home of Ruth and Boaz, and home to The Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in Christendom that sits atop a cave said to be the birthplace of Jesus, and IS the place where Jerome spent 30 years translating the Bible into Latin.

 

He will be their peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders. Micah 5:5

Micah was a small town prophet who was well known to kings. He lived in a time of great political and religious corruption. A contemporary of Isaiah, Micah’s three themes to the nations of both Israel and Judah were their sin, their destruction and their restoration. In addition he is the prophet that named Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Christ Child.

Samaria and Jerusalem will both be destroyed, but Micah sees a time when Jerusalem will be the religious center of the world. A Messiah would come. The numbers in this verse are not specific, but symbolize that God will provide whatever is needed to protect and triumph.

The most beautiful aspect of this prophecy is the peace that will occur in the midst of an attack. Man cannot fathom peace in a raging storm, but knows the peace that passes all understanding when God’s presence fills a space and security and assurance is no longer hope, but reality. Jesus came to give peace!

May your Thursday be Blessed,

Gretchen

“The virgin will conceive an give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel-which means ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23

From very early in the history of man, God chose Abraham’s family line to deliver His Son into the world. Two of the Gospels give us this genealogy. Matthew’s accounting is condensed, going from Abraham to Joseph. Luke goes from Mary all the way back to Adam. The bloodline of Mary shows Jesus’ connection to The House of David, the prophecy fulfilled. As Joseph’s son, Jesus is a legal heir to the promises given Abraham, He is royalty. Isaiah’s words have come to life! (7:14)

A lot is said about the virgin birth of Jesus, but there was a virgin conception first. The power and activity of the Holy Spirit brought the birth of Jesus, the incarnate God came into His own creation… This believe is a fundamental. Jesus is The Son of God, and The Son of Man. As the Son of God, He has all the power and glory of Heaven, as the Son of Man, He feels what we feel, is tempted as we are. He suffers pain, sorrow, insult and isolation and yet, brings Heaven to earth so that we may share in His inheritance and live eternally in the home He has prepared for us.

The Christmas Season is full of carols referencing Immanuel, God with us. I hope you embrace the miracle and gift that the virgin conception has given mankind.

Have a Wonderful Monday,

Gretchen

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD  has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. Isaiah 61:1

Isaiah was a Messianic prophet. He knew that from the people of Israel, specifically Judah, a great blessing would come. God would fulfill His covenant with Abraham, to bless all nations.

This chosen nation is in shambles. They expected much, but gave nothing. God requires obedience but that was too tall a request. Continually defying God’s commands, turned their back on His love and crumbled their own hope. BUT there is a bridge between shame and dying and freedom and healing. It’s God Son, the Christ Child. A Redeemer and Healer is coming.

When Jesus enters His ministry, after His baptism and temptation, He goes to the synagogue as every Jewish man did. He read this passage quoting Isaiah and announced that it had been fulfilled. (Luke 4:16-21)

The greatest gift of Christmas is the power of victory that Baby brought to earth. When you see the nativity, you see Heaven and every promise God has given will be kept.

There is a Christmas tune, O Come O Come Immanuel, based on this passage from Isaiah. Enjoy it sometime today and soak in its assurance.

Love,

Gretchen

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name. Philippians 2:9

Verses 5-11 are probably a quotation from an ancient hymn.

He that drew the adoration of Heaven, came to earth a helpless baby, lived humbly, served paupers, and was given the name Jesus. His model is our call. The Prince of Heaven, relinquished all His entitlements, including His life, to personally show us the way Home.

The Philippian church was Paul’s first mission in Europe. Home to Luke, it was a medical center, Roman colony and prosperous region. This church suffered its share of persecution, but divisions in theology began to arise. Rather than remind this congregation of the fundamentals in Christian living, Paul wrote to encourage greater spiritual maturity. Live as Christ lived. Put away pride and prejudice, love and serve others without question or malice and live in accord with one another.

Jesus: A name that sets the captive free, calms the storms, heals the broken in body and soul and gives strength to the weary. It is above all others.

Happy Monday,

Gretchen

They Became Men

My dad shared his childhood with four siblings. James Bryan was sandwiched in the middle with an older sister, June, brother, Wendell, and a younger sister Betty. His father and mother were both minsters who lived simply in the service of God’s kingdom. Financial status did not denote class or dignity. They had that in vast supply, so life was rich with good. Recently the beloved big brother suffered the greatest grief known to man. Cancer took his son at much too young an age. Heaven grew a little more precious to each of us and this truth became very personal: God watched His son die too. Through this unspeakable grief we are reminded that in love, everything was gained and NOTHING was lost.

In the quiet of a morning following my cousin’s memorial, I begged my father to once again tell of the simpler days of his childhood.

In Paragould, Arkansas there is a canal, Eight Mile Slough. Deep winter froze it solid making a wonderland for the imagination of local boys that trekked the alley ways of town to its banks. The cold, mixed with every youngster’s fascination with fire, resulted in leaves, sticks and small logs being lit………in the clearing, on the ice! A quick lesson on melting speed was learned, everyone escaped a little wiser and as far as is known, no parents ever discovered the mischief of their sons.

Dad and Wendell had a common shotgun, a gift from their father. Birth order gives preference in things like shooting turns. To hear dad tell, Wendell shot, dad watched. (I’ve yet to know uncles’s perspective.) Knotholes and small tree branches were favorite targets. One afternoon Wendell shot high into the trees and from a distance the brothers heard an agonizing groan. In terror they ran home, hid the gun and awaited word on the mysterious death of a community member. Days passed, no constable came checking and no funerals were announced. Age gave way to knowing a falling shotgun shell would not hurt anyone, but a greater respect for living things had grown strong.

Like the shotgun, the brothers shared an old dilapidated bicycle someone had given the parsonage children. The bent and jagged end of the pedal shaft ripped into flesh if the rider wasn’t proficient and careful, but the greatest impediment to its use for transportation was the nearly flat, rear tire. This only slowed the boys, it didn’t stop them, and one afternoon as Wendell hopped on the seat, dad reached to squeeze the rear tire and check the air pressure. Wendell pushed forward and dad’s hand spun up under a rusty, filthy fender making a large gash across a little hand. All dad could think of was the rubbing alcohol his mindful mother would use to clean the wound and assure the health of her child. So the cut was hidden in pant pockets for days. Today dad still has a scar to remind him that all dirt isn’t dirty but he’s still lucky to be alive.

One summer night in the community of Pickens Chapel, Wendell and his friends took off with guns and lanterns to possum hunt. Bryan followed. There was a serious lack of small game, so the big boys decided it would be a lark to run ahead, put out the light, hide and wait for Bryan to cry. Instead, knowing it was his last night on earth, as he would die alone in the dark woods, dad sat down, leaned on a tree, thought of how mad his mom would be that Wendell let him die, and bravely waited for death’s peace of come. Soon the orneriness of the older boys turned to fear as they could not find the object of their joke. Under a warm blanket of stars dad learned the strength of decision, resolve and determination and in keeping with the honorable and loving character of my uncle, and I know he must have walked away bigger on the inside too.

From lighting firecrackers in the house, to sneaking off to the train station and following the circus to the fair grounds, my dad shadowed his brother every step of the way. In the stillness of our morning’s reminiscence dad looked me straight in the eye and said, “Wendell often picked me up and carried me on his back through fields of burrs, snow or mud bogs. I knew he loved me.”

Years later both of these great men became fathers and family lore tells they reverted back to the fun of their childhood clowning around with the toys meant for their sons and daughters. They took us on many adventures with lots of laughter and love. When their precious sister died at the age of fifty leaving four, young adult children, these two wonderful men stood together keeping our family closely connected and strengthened. In time their own father passed. They and their baby sister cared jointly, compassionately and civilly for their mother’s needs until, at the age of 94, she joined her husband at the Throne of God. They are amazing in their ability to be incredibly different and yet, share deeply in a common love and drive for mankind’s spiritual welfare.

Together they became men. Their escapades were many and bound them in faith, hope and love.

Gretchen

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD, You are great, and Your name is great in might. Jeremiah 10:6 (Read the entire chapter, it’s a good one!)

Babylon’s invasion of Judah resulted in many gods becoming a common, acceptable part of everyday life for the Jewish people dispersed and separated from their communities and families. Jewish craftsmen participated in the manufacture of false gods, making easy monetary gain from something insulting to God.

Things created by the hands of man are inanimate, soulless and powerless, yet we exchange our hearts and minds for these rather than worship, trust and love the One who designed us to fit perfectly in the universe He set in motion.

God is the One True God, there is none like Him. Man invests the dreams of his lifetime in wooden and paper idols that have no power except to compromise integrity and rob him of hope, peace and joy. It simply makes no logical sense.

He is not just the All Mighty God of the Ages, He is the All Mighty God of your today!

Love,

Gretchen

“And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” Matthew 16:19

Jesus must become real to His disciples. He can no longer be the man of the prophecies, certainly not the opinions of the pharisees and sadducees, or just a man of miraculous deeds, He must become the Son of God, the Messiah, their Savior.

Peter had spent two and a half years working beside Jesus serving others, healing and teaching and finally he understood and confessed that Jesus was the Heir of Heaven. This single truth is the foundation of all Christendom. Peter was not given the power to forgive sins, but through the Holy Spirit he and the other disciples delivered the means. He was the orator on the the day of Pentecost, the birth of the church for both Jew and Gentile.

Just like Peter, we must discover Jesus as our own Messiah. We rely so heavily on tradition and what other people say, but just like the twelve disciples, we must diligently seek Biblical truth and the intimate, personal Savior Jesus died to be.

Love,

Gretchen