January 5th, 2023

GREETINGS GENERATIVE PEOPLE OF CHRIST THE KING,

Attention and Articulation.

This is the invitation of the season of Epiphany where we celebrate the manifestation, the revealing of God through Jesus Christ.  God has come to us in the flesh, as one of us to show us God whom we can see and understand.

We began this season with the Magi seeking the newborn king of the Jews.  When the Magi found what they were looking for, they paid homage, they worshipped by getting down on their knees and lowering their heads to the ground in front of this king on his mother’s lap.  The Magi were seekers who loved to look up and study the sky and what they saw there set them a journey that brought them to their knees and opened their treasurer chests to give this newborn king gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Attention and Articulation.

They saw a king before anyone else.  These outsiders, foreigners, wise ones paid attention and articulating through their words and actions told us what they saw which led them to worship generosity.  Being filled with joy brought them to their knees in front of the child, Jesus.  They paid homage.

Strong’s Greek Concordance, homage (4352) proskynéō (from prós, "towards" and kyneo, "to kiss") – properly, to kiss the ground when prostrating before a superior; to worship, ready "to fall down/prostrate oneself to adore on one's knees" (DNTT); to "do obeisance" (BAGD)

At the children’s sermon on Sunday, I encouraged our kids to explore the idea of paying homage.  We practiced with our bodies, close to the floor while we looked up at the cross.  We gave attention and tried to articulate what it means for us to lower ourselves before God.  As a kid, it’s easy to get on the floor.  As an adult, it can be more of a challenge.  As Magi, travelers from a foreign country, strangers to the Jewish people, it spoke volumes revealing who Jesus is.  Paying homage demonstrates attention and saying why tells those closest to Jesus more.  The Magi affirm what they are wondering about themselves and the meaning that will continue to unfold as Jesus lives among them.

Attention and Articulation.

You are invited to give attention to a particular word, an Epiphany word wondering what God might be revealing to you and then to articulate what God might be up to.  Have the conversation with yourself and God and then expand to others, your family and friends and our faith community.

Attention and Articulation.

Our community word is LIGHT.  During Carols and Cocoa on Sunday, we sang, “Christ Be Our Light, ELW 715 in recognition of our Epiphany word.  During staff meeting on Tuesday, I laughed as I came to recognize how we desperately need new lights in our fellowship area and continued lighting solutions for our sanctuary.  If you are not aware, the two large fixtures in the fellowship hall each provide limited lighting because each has a unit that does not work.  One shines up and the other shines down.  But neither shine at their full capacity which may help us to live with our stained and worn carpet.   God’s light shines and what it reveals can bring us to our knees as we recognize who we are in light of who God is.

Attention and Articulation.

God in flesh made manifest.  Jesus is God in the flesh, and we pay attention and articulate what God is up to so that we can all see better what God is doing.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

DECEMBER 28, 2022

PICK AN EPIPHANY WORD

Today we celebrate early the Festival of Epiphany and enter the season of Epiphany. The season of Epiphany gives us an opportunity to follow a word, like the wise ones followed a star to see God in the flesh, in Jesus, to worship and offer gifts. 

You are invited on a similar journey for a season or the whole year.  From the basket, close your eyes and draw out an epiphany word and let it guide you.  Put it in a place where you will see it daily and see what happens. 

The magi followed the star for a long time before they found what they were looking for.  We too will have the opportunity to follow a word for a long time – an epiphany word.  And as we follow our word, we will see what unfolds in that word.  And then share what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you as you follow your Epiphany word.  The basket will be on the usher’s table beginning January 1 and remain throughout the month. 

· The Magi followed a star, which ultimately led them to Jesus. Therefore, we too use all the resources we have available to us—including creative prayer practices and intention words for the new year— to move closer to Jesus.

· We trust that God uses multiple ways to guide us and speak to us. Epiphany words are one such lens that might provide us a way to look for God in our midst, both actively and in hindsight.

· We trust that it is often easy to miss God in our daily midst. Having an intention word to consider both in present days, as well as to reflect on at the end of the year, allows for us to see God in ways we may not have seen God before.

· We know that the most common prayer practice for many involves speaking to God as opposed to silence or contemplation. The Epiphany words invite us into a new prayer rhythm of reflection and review that can be a powerful new way to connect with God.

· By random selection and not looking or sorting through the Epiphany words when selecting, we practice the spiritual tasks of receiving and mystery. It is not we who are in control in this moment. Instead, we trust that God is present, and we let go of our desire to cultivate or control.

December 21, 2022

GREETINGS GENERATIVE PEOPLE OF CHRIST THE KING,

From generation to generation, we tell the story that God dwells with us.  What captivates us about this story?  Why is it so important?  What does it tell us about God? 

Over the years generations have been telling this story, bringing their own flare and imaginations.  We enjoyed our kid’s proclamation through bedtime stories and lullabies which if you missed you can still view on Christ the King YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jk23xlxDlc

The program was beautiful and our kids did a wonderful job of telling the story and incorporating our little church family traditions of "repeat after me" style of praying together. We made the story our story.  Claimed it for us, weaving it into our community.

Think about some of our favorite Christmas movies or stories and how themes of God’s story get woven into the fabric of the story.  In Charles Schultz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, it is when Linus drops his security blanket while reciting Luke 2 at the point of “fear not”.  We drop our symbolic security blankets when we trust the good news of Jesus Christ in our own stories. 

Or "A Christmas Carol" where scary and frightening messengers of past, present and future transform Scrooge pulling away his grip on things so that he can celebrate the relationships in front of him.  We too when we look back at past generations and forward to future generations can live more fully with the generations we find ourselves in seeing God’s presence.

Or the Grinch and little Cindy Lu find the stolen Christmas not in things but again in relationships and song.  We come together in worship of the God who comes to us and dwells with us and we see that in each other and we sing and hear God’s word and see the light of Christ reflected in each other and our stories.

If we didn’t tell this story, what would become of our faith?  Discover your place in God’s story.  Tell your family and friends.  We are woven together in God’s beautiful creation.  Merry Christmas!

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

December 16th, 2022

GREETINGS GENERATIVE PEOPLE OF GOD,

From generation to generation we see God in each other.  In this season of Advent, of being awake and preparing for God’s coming to us, we have met many characters like the prophet Isaiah, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah as well as Matthew's genealogy. 

Which of these characters is God meeting you in or you bear some family resemblance?  What do these characters pass on or contribute to you and your journey of faith?  Which of these characters meet you in your times of wilderness exploration?

Who is that Joseph character now, who is in right relationship with God, has a good ear to listen, and can even change their mind once they have made a decision because they are influenced by God and just ambivalent? 

Or who is that character who flings open the door in your times of great joy, wondering confusion and offers expansive welcome to explore and compare notes?  Elizabeth, whose life is thrown into joyous chaos in her very unexpected pregnancy, opens the door to Mary as she is trying to make sense of her own unexpected pregnancy.  She opens the door with welcome and great joy.  Who are those people in your life?  And when are you that person for someone else?

How will they influence you today and shape and form you?  And what will you pass on to the people you have the most influence with in your life now?  There are many characters to choose from.  Sit with God, trust the Holy Spirit’s whisperings of life and grace to move in your life.  God wants this for you.  There is room for your story that makes up the whole story of our community of faith.  Embrace the fear, embrace the excuses and entrust it into God’s hands finding the courage that comes from knowing that God is with us, and we can choose a better way.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

December 9th, 2022

GREETINGS GENERATIVE PEOPLE OF CHRIST THE KING,

I have so enjoyed the stories you have shared with me, and I trust that you are sharing with others here, at Christ the King, and beyond our community of faith.  I have had a wonderful conversation with one of my own family members about what it means to be generative, to bring forth as we have expanded the meaning of generation to generation beyond our family trees to think more expansively as we tell our stories and how they intertwine with the characters of the Bible and those who have gone before us and for those who come after us. We all have a story to tell.

I have also enjoyed reading the stories of those who have created this theme for us and how they moved from theme to artwork.  Graphic designer, Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman shares the story of how this image was generated.   

"When we decided on the theme, From Generation to Generation, the imagery that kept surfacing was the connective tissue of people through the visual metaphor of a family tree. At first, I was focused on this metaphor's more literal imagery, like branches, leaves, and roots, but instead, I kept being drawn in to the people. When I started incorporating more representational imagery of people, I found that the result was translating more as a nuclear family or a more narrow idea of family, which we definitely wanted to avoid. I knew I wanted to emphasize the particularity of each person while imaging how their story fits into a larger narrative—one in line with the generative work of God. I drew simplified silhouettes of people in a radial fashion positioned around a center point. At once this imagery took on a depth of meaning: the lineage of Christ centered around His light, the nativity scene centered around the manger, and the larger movement of God through each and every created being—radiating and growing like a flower, etc. Ultimately, the image represents how we are all connected, our stories are woven together, and each of us has a purpose in the beauty of God's continued unfolding Creation."

Tell your story.  Figure out how your story intertwines with the characters over the generations who have shared their stories.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack