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Sabbath Devotional :: Music of Christmas
Music inspired this weekend’s Sabbath devotional. How I love the music of the Christmas season! O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheerOur spirits by Thine advent here.Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel! December 6th marks the second Sunday of Advent for those of you familiar with a broadly Christian liturgical calendar. Advent is a time of longing and expectation that Christ may soon come to redeem His people. Our family has its own Advent tradition involving scripture reading, singing, and lighting candles in an Advent wreath — a cherished holdover from the Scandinavian and German traditions…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Anxiety: The Power of “Palms Up, Palms Open”
The clock is ticking. As we approach the single digit days before the election, I find my stomach clenching, my hands curling into tight little balls, my brows furrowed. I’ve started having flash backs to November 8th, 2016. Something in me broke that day. As a mildly left-of-center Midwesterner who had a son working for the 44th President, I felt like a stranger in a strange land in my very own USA. I was flummoxed by the choice of so many of my fellow citizens, and even among a majority of my sister and brother Saints. I still hold to the Church’s proclaimed stance as non-partisan and international, but an…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Learn, Love, Act
During this time of COVID, our empty nest has expanded with four other people in the house since March — a baby and a three-year-old and their parents who both have full time jobs in DC. Our son and daughter-in-law manage their careers remotely from our place in the West, and we all spend segments of the day with the littles. We are all healthy. All things considered, for the worst of times, this is the best of times. Despite the lovely landmarks like first teeth, learning to count to 100, and Sunday home church when we share the sacrament, I admit that I still feel unsettled, unfocused, subpar, and…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Of Peacemaking and Piglets
The Third Principle of Peacemaking reads: Peacemaking demands great tolerance for people and none for injustice. This is so hard. I’m tempted to think it’s impossible. With the news this week of the commutation of Roger Stone’s sentence, a scripture has reverberated in my head: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Is that true? In whose court? Under what authority? Day after day the onslaught continues. Which government appointee is just a toady for another one higher up? Which elected official takes our trust and swaps it for prestige, influence, protection or money? (It has been said,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Perspectives on the Pale Blue Dot
This week’s diet of news includes: a platter of pardon for a confessed criminal a fresh gumbo of cooked-up conspiracy theories a pallet cleanser of a whistleblower’s account about specious miracle drugs and a bulk order of Funeral Potatoes for the nearly 90 thousand souls in the US who have died so far this year from COVID-19. This maelstrom of chaos has been unrelenting for years now. We muster our courage and contact our civic leaders on important matters — often feeling like we’re howling in the wind. We protect the vote and encourage our communities. We send aid, lift banners, and inform ourselves from reliable sources. We reach way…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Conflict, Contention, and Courage
Today’s Sabbath Devotional muses on “Conflict, Contention and Courage” — peppered with quotes from Birthday Boy Abe Lincoln and others. On February 12, Abraham Lincoln would have been 211 years old. Happy birthday, Abe! This remarkable man knew a lot about conflict, division, and the difficulties and rigors of unity. These are topics we MWEG women confront and wrestle with regularly. Here are samples of his wisdom: “You must remember that some things legally right are not morally right.” “It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest.” “A statesman is he who thinks in the future generations, and a politician is he who thinks…
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Sabbath Devotional :: In This Uncertain World
We find ourselves right now in the middle of a mystery. The assassination of General Qassem Suleimani is still fresh news. We can only speculate about the repercussions of that stunning action. There is no doubt that there will be repercussions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that the action was in response to an “imminent attack.” “This was an intelligence-based assessment that drove this,” Pompeo told CNN. “[Soleimani] was actively planning in the region,” he said, adding the U.S. action “saved American lives.” We aren’t privy to those intelligence sources. Congress wasn’t privy to those sources (although Senator Graham was). Has this action lit the tiger’s tail? Was…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Where Can I Turn for Peace?
The unrelenting turmoil I see and hear about day after day on the news takes a toll. Where is peace? Where is civility? What sources provide authentic — not “fake” — news and truth?
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Sabbath Devotional :: Life Lessons for Trying Times
“Pleasant words areas an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and healthy to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24. It has been quite a week. I have felt mute but stirring internally with bitter retorts. I have felt sucked into chaos and frustration. During the breaking news of hurled insults, repudiations, excuses and gas lighting, I have had flashbacks to hard won lessons of parenting. (My three children are grown, flourishing and beloved. Parenting them was not always a walk in the park, however — as they are each discovering now that they have their own children.) Here are three examples of lessons that resurfaced this week. Whether or not you have children,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Easter Musings on the Sixth Principle of Peacemaking
MWEG’s Sixth Principle of Peacemaking: We believe that, through Christ who overcame all, we can have the hope of peace in this life, regardless of our circumstances, and the promise of everlasting peace when Christ comes again to reign forever as the Prince of Peace. In John 16:33, the Gospel writer starkly juxtaposes the realities of mortal life: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. The scripture sets up a drastic contrast. “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” This is a given. We see it…
