We’ve celebrated a Blue Christmas service here each year since I’ve been at Lord of Life, and it is one of my favorite worship moments of the liturgical year. Even though it has become a mainstay on our calendar, it is worth diving into why we celebrate this holy night.

Outwardly, Christmas is a joyous time full of carols and lights and bright decorations. Often loud families get together to eat, share stories, play games, and celebrate their time together. Friends have “Friendmas” parties. Colleagues have work holiday parties. There is a rush at the mall and online as everyone stresses to get their gifts purchased by the time they are celebrating Christmas with whatever group they are going to see next. 

For some people, it is all too much. 

The longer nights take their toll on some people’s mental health, and others struggle with depression year round. Some people find holidays difficult because it reminds them of family members or friends who aren’t there to celebrate with them anymore. Some people just need a moment in this chaotic season to breathe.

Blue Christmas is a quiet moment during a season that can otherwise be noisy. It is a chance to celebrate Christmas on your own terms, without the drummer boy banging in your ear or having to smile through worship with 200 of your closest friends. It is a moment to sit with all the heavy feelings that come up around Christmas when everyone expects you to feel light.

Sometimes that moment of quiet is the breath we need to get through the rest of the season.

If you could use a break, join us this Sunday, December 18, at 6:30 pm for Blue Christmas.

Yours in the quiet,

John

How many women can you name that are mentioned in the Bible? I am sure that many of us can list the most obvious ones such as Eve, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Ruth. When I Googled the question of how many distinct women are named in the Bible, one reference noted that there are 133 named women in the Old Testament and 33 named women in the New Testament. Of course, there are the unnamed women that appear throughout the Bible. For example, in the Old Testament (2 Kings 4:1-36) there are two women with no names that were helped by the prophet Elisha – the widow and the Shunammite woman. In the New Testament, we hear of the Canaanite woman asking for help (Matthew 15), the women in Jesus’s parables (the woman and the lost coin, Luke 15), and at the crucifixion one of the witnesses was the mother of Zebedee’s sons (unnamed). In the genealogy of Jesus, Matthew identified four specific women as mothers within the lineage – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.

In the Bible, we see women in many roles from the dutiful daughter, the neglected wife, the dedicated mother, as well as a queen, a prophetess, an apostle, and a leader in the early church. Each brings a unique story to the relationship they had with God. Their stories are important to us - they can help us to understand ourselves and how we travel through life with God’s help.

Here at Lord of Life, we have women that allow our church community to grow and prosper by taking on the many roles needed. We are not just daughters, mothers, wives, and grandmothers, the roles which some of us embrace, but we are also the teachers, the musicians, the leaders. We organize to serve those in need (e.g. Family Promise and Stepping Forward), shepherd youth from birth through senior high, serve on council and committees, bake bread, and serve in various ways during worship to name just a few.

This year, the Women at the Well Bible study group is looking at twelve women of the Bible (named and unnamed), their story and their relationship with God and Jesus, and how we can relate to their stories as women in today’s world. The author indicates that by learning about the triumphs and failures of these women, we can learn things such as how to apply biblical lessons to our struggles, how to find contentment in every situation, and how to overcome rejection and insecurity (Twelve Women of the Bible Study Guide by Sherry Harney, 2010). So far, we have studied Eve, Rebekah (wife of Isaac and mother of Esau and Jacob), and Leah (the first wife of Jacob). With Eve, we discussed how we can find lasting contentment in the truth. With Rebekah, we learned how to break free of feminine stereotypes. This month, with Leah we talked about overcoming rejection and insecurity. There are nine more women to study; not all are familiar or named.

I would like to encourage the women in our community of believers to join us in studying these biblical women, learning how their relationship with God and Jesus can relate to our lives, sharing stories, laughter, and tears with a beautiful fellowship of women.

Yours in Christ,

Denise Krallman

When I first came to Lord of Life, I remember Pastor Lowell talking about how a church needs to be lived in and used. We can’t be afraid to do big things because it might cause us to look imperfect. Lasagna stains on the carpet mean that there is life happening. Our story together and with the community can be messy and imperfect. We have stains on top of stains in the fellowship hall so if that is the indicator, we have been living to the fullest!

I’m sure most of us can think of a treasured time or story from our fellowship hall. While we know that our faith is not confined to a building, so much of our faith formation has happened through Sunday school, catechism, and VBS on those stained floors. We have celebrated every occasion from baptisms to weddings to the life of a precious loved one who has passed away. We gathered back together after COVID to package and plan the delivery of donuts to every family with Sunday school-age children to say, “Donut you know, we love you?”. We have also welcomed the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, AA, and many other community organizations. Families who are experiencing homelessness have been loved and cared for in this space. Then there are all the food events from Summerfest, new member lunches, and preschool picnics. Lutherans love their food and fellowship!

What memory do you have? What story can you tell? If you don’t have a memory, we invite you to the next event that we share together. What inclusive love can be shared in this space in the future?

As we prepare for the life-changing hope that we find in the birth of Jesus, how fitting it is that we bring new life to our fellowship hall even as we treasure the stories of our history. The place that hosts so much of our life together is getting new flooring thanks to a generous $8,500 designated gift that covers a large portion of the $15,000 cost.

In our Advent devotion book, Generation to Generation, we reflect on the stories, scripture, and traditions of the Christmas season that have been passed down. Just like the stains on the carpet, we could get mired in the sadness of some of the story as there is no room at the inn or the fear of the future for Mary and Joseph. Instead, the radical love that comes to us from this story transcends the fear of what might happen.

Lord of Life’s story continues, the story of Jesus’s birth continues. I hope that the precious children who were at the Advent dinner last night who drew on the concrete floor in transition from old flooring to new feel the radical love of Jesus and the love of the community that surrounds them. They can tell the story of how they wrote their names, colored, and left messages of thanks and hope. And we can savor these “stains” as examples of living fully together, dwelling in hope instead of fear, and abiding in the grace and love of Jesus.

The stains may not be as easily seen with our new flooring, but we look forward to the new life it will bring to the fellowship hall. We are immensely thankful for the generous donation that set this project in motion. We welcome any additional donations to complete the vision (https://www.lol-lutheran.com/give - under long-term maintenance).

Feeling incredibly grateful for living in this story with you.

God’s peace always,

Angie Seiller

Director of Faith Formation

I don’t remember having many family traditions leading up to Christmas. My parents divorced when I was 9, so most of my holiday memories are built around the frustration of traveling between families, and extended families, and step families and trying to fit all the visiting and eating and gift-giving into one or two days, even though it felt more and more like we were bound to the obligation of saying “hi” to everyone in person and missing the point of having any quality time with them.

By the time I was a teenager I created a new path for myself and started singing at church on Christmas Eve and Christmas. It sufficiently broke the schedule so that I couldn’t be expected to attend 6 to 8 Christmas gatherings over two days, and instead, I could have a relaxed Christmas with people later on. Was everyone happy about it? No. Was anyone going to tell me I should skip church? Also no.

This became my new reality for Christmas and has been ever since. I can’t say I call it a tradition, but it is a building block of my expectations around holiday planning.

This Advent we’re focusing on two themes. On Sundays, our theme is Generation to Generation. We’ll explore how generations of tradition lead to the birth of Christ and how generations have continued to mold our faith to this day.

On Wednesdays, our theme is Holy Disruption. Sometimes a break in our pattern or tradition can lead to something new.

I love the “generations” aspect of our Advent worship because in addition to traditions, we acknowledge that other parts of our faith and identity are passed on, not just directly down our lineage, but from various people in our families.

From my family, even though I can’t claim any particular “traditions,” I have very fond memories of making Christmas crafts with my grandma in her craft room in the basement, and hearing stories of my granny playing the organ decades ago at church. Or my great uncle teaching me about our genealogy and how our great great grandfather was a guard to Kaiser Wilhelm before he abdicated the throne in Germany.

These are also memories I wouldn’t have if my holiday time hadn’t been disrupted. If I had been constrained to our rushed Christmas schedule, our time would have been spent with quick hugs and gifts and goodbyes and dashing onto the next place.

What traditions, habits, ideas, memories, or loves has your family passed down to you?

How have your expectations been disrupted to create new paths?

Yours in Christ,

John Johns, Music Director

Stop for a minute and think about what Thanksgiving means to you and how you celebrate it.  Are your images of the ‘traditional – Norman Rockwell’ thanksgiving?  Are they of your first thanksgiving away from your family?  First time with your significant other?  Going to a school event/pageant/play to see your child(ren) act out scenes from the first Thanksgiving?  Spending the day watching football games? Serving meals at a homeless shelter?  Vacationing with family and trying to find a place to have Thanksgiving dinner?  

I have images of some of these going through my brain.  Being at my grandparent’s farmhouse and sitting down to a traditional Thanksgiving feast with Food - turkey, ham, vegetables that had been canned from our garden, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, homemade stuffing and gravy, my grandmother’s homemade buttermilk biscuits; Family – a multi-generational gathering around their table with the children delegated to the kitchen table with all the delicious smells of baked pies – pumpkin, apple, brown sugar (for the non-southerners, it is like a chess pie) and Friends – always two or three friends of my grandparents or my parents.  The image of my first Thanksgiving cooking for myself and Ken while in graduate school and didn’t have the time to travel home.  My first attempt at making a turkey in our small apartment stove.  I didn’t burn it or undercook it but I forgot to take out the bag of giblets.  Another recollection is the image of Ken, myself, and our kids vacationing in Orlando and having left to go to the east coast of Florida we ended up having our Thanksgiving dinner at Denny’s.  A fun memory.    

I am sure all of you have a story about one of your Thanksgivings.   Spending time with family and friends can be special.  We can cheer on our favorite football teams (and this year our national soccer teams) or watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade with our youngest family members waiting for the next huge balloon to come down the street.  Not to mention the food.

But there is more to what this day should mean to us than family, food, and friends.  How do we reach out to those who are not as fortunate as we are? Yes, we gathered the ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner and brought them to church so they could be distributed to forty-four families that wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving dinner to build memories on.  Can we share our time with others on Thanksgiving day to serve a hot meal or sit and visit with someone who is alone or shut in?  Can we offer up a prayer of thanksgiving as we sit down at our table and ask God not only to bless our food but also to help us remember that what we are and what we have are through his grace and his love for us?

Remember on Thanksgiving, to ask yourself “What I am truly thankful for” and then ask God to help you to share your gifts (time, talent, and treasure) with those who are less fortunate.   But we shouldn’t only have these prayers of thanksgiving on our “Turkey Day” but throughout the year.  

I know that I am thankful for all of you!  Have a blessed Thanksgiving day this year.

Yours in Christ,

Denise Krallman  

This weekend, Lakota East, Lakota West, Mason, Hamilton, and one hundred other high school marching bands from around the country will descend on Lucas Oil Stadium for Bands of America Grand National Championships. Think of it as if the playoffs and the Superbowl were all crammed into one weekend!

In my excitement for my son to march there, I can’t help but remember my own experiences with marching band. While I was in high school, the Manchester Marching One-Hundred would pack up instruments and sheet music in early August and head off to a week of band camp in the woods of Northeast Ohio.

Our days were simple: Mornings were loaded with marching up and down the field. Afternoons were a mix of music rehearsals, both in small groups of like instruments and as a full ensemble. After dinner, we put the whole thing together until the darkness and mosquitoes descended on the marching field. Hour after hour, we worked together listening, watching, and learning.  

Mr. Weyrick, the band director, whether perched atop the three-story scaffold tower on the sideline of the football field, standing on his podium in the dining lodge or floating around to sectionals, constantly reminded individual players that we were part of something much larger than ourselves. Yes, we were playing a part – an important part – as an instrumentalist moving about the field making music and morphing formations, but we were also an essential component of a complex and interwoven body – the marching band. 

The percussion section, where I marched, was part of the larger band. This group of twelve drumming musicians worked in concert with woodwind, brass, and color guard. Weyrick not only knew the many different parts and players, but he also was aware of how they all fit together. He could see the big picture.

Late in the summer, we would disappear into the thick woods as a bunch of distracted high schoolers. A week later, we would emerge as a cohesive team of focused sight and sound, ready to hit the football game half-time, the band show circuit, and area parades. It was an amazing transformation.

What an image for the Church! Our families, friendships, neighborhoods, places of work, sports teams, worship, and acts of service are each a vital part of God’s ministry. The apostle Paul reminds us when he writes, “The tuba cannot say to the cymbals, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the color guard to the trumpet, ‘I have no need of you.’” (A marching band translation of 1 Corinthians 12.)

Every one of us is intimately known by our Creator God and has specific gifts to share. We have a crucial role to play in the life of the world and we have opportunities to use those gifts. 

This Sunday, we will vote on new council leadership and the mission spending plan for 2023, as well as make financial commitments to Lord of Life for the coming year. As we do, we remember that we are each a vital part of God’s work. Every one of us is essential to God and has a role in what the Spirit of God is putting in motion as we live, share, and celebrate in our corner of the world.

Yes, there is much to do. We are often not in step. We aren’t in tune. Much of the time we can’t even find our place in the song. How do we get it together?   

Somehow, through our careful planning and praying, coupled with an act of grace, God makes beautiful music with the work of our daily lives. Our beloved conductor nabs our attention, asks us to march and play together, creating music for ears and hearts that will draw us and the world into the presence of God.

Marching in the Light of God,

Pastor Lowell