"Tight lines" is a blessing fishermen offer each other, a wish for lines taut with the weight of good fish. May God grant that the lines written here be taut with His blessings.
Wednesday, 24 December 2008 | |||
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Christmas Eve | |||
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It's Christmas Eve and there's a little lull this afternoon
before we hold three services. The first will be at 4:30 at a nursing
home near the church. The other two are at 5:30 and 11 p.m. It's raining,
so no luminaries on the church walks this year. I'm thinking about the text for Sunday, though I'm not preaching that day. As we get ready to go sing and share Christmas with the residents of the nursing home, I think of how God shared it first with two elderly people. Luke 2:22-40 is the beautiful account of the fulfillment of God's promises to Simeon and Anna. Simeon holding the baby Jesus gave us the lovely benediction Nunc dimmitis, "Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For my eyes have seen thy salvation. . ." We just got a Christmas card from a friend whose father, a pastor, died this past year. Stu tells how his father always called the retirement community where he lived for twelve years, "the gateway to heaven." I would like to approach my senior years with that kind of spirit, knowing that in Jesus I've seen the Lord's salvation and that, wherever I am, I may depart in peace, on my way to His presence. A little melancholy for Christmas Eve, I guess, but it's quiet and peaceful for a few moments and I am grateful that God's gift extends fully into all the years I have ahead. Tonight and tomorrow, wherever and however you worship, may you also be prepared to depart in peace, having seen God's salvation coming to you in the birth of Jesus. Peace to you and many blessings in the new year. Merry Christmas! | |||
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Profile |
I am the pastor of Valley Covenant Church in Eugene, Oregon. I love to flyfish and hike along the beautiful rivers in our area. I welcome your comments as I share sermon work in progress and occasional other thoughts.
Thank you for visiting this blog. I invite you also to visit my web page.
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