Rose Madrid-Swetman

My stepson, Ben is battling cancer. He was diagnosed in Korea in late October. Had surgery in November. Complications after surgery. Ben, his wife, Hyemin, their son, Daniel and Hyemin’s mother, Leigh returned to America just over one week ago. Ben is battling for his life. Would you join him/us in prayer for a divine intervention? The prognosis is very grim, Ben needs a miracle. I believe in miracles, I do.

I have felt the grace of God in so many ways through so many people. Our family, friends and our faith community, Vineyard Community Church have surrounded us with love and care. I read this in a book recently, “Suffering enlarges the soul’s capacity for great joy.” This is a season of joy and sorrow taking up equal residence in my soul and in the soul of those I love.

I will pray for Ben’s healing, for God to have mercy. I will trust in the goodness of God no matter what the coming days bring. Ben is strong, he is a fighter. I’m joining with all the prayers around the world for healing for grace for mercy.

For Christians that follow the liturgical calendar it is the season of Epiphany. However, today I find myself back in a season of waiting…
Waiting to hear decisions
Waiting to make decisions
Waiting, feeling powerless
Waiting, holding onto faith by a thread
Waiting, clinging to hope for dear life
Waiting, wondering what will be…

Tomorrow is the second Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of Peace. Prayers are for peace in our very unsettling world globally, locally and personally. We pray for the Prince of Peace to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all people. In my personal life having heard the news my dad’s death I have been wrestling with processing the death of a parent I was estranged from most of my life. I find peace in a beautiful song by Kevin Prosch:
Kiss the Son

When you’ve been broken, broken to pieces.
And Your heart begins to faint
’cause you don’t understand.
And when there is nothing to rake from the ashes.
And you can’t even walk
onto the fields of praise.

But I bow down and kiss the Son.
Oh, and I bow down and kiss the Son.

Let the praise of the Lord be in my mouth.
Let the praise of the Lord be in my mouth.

Well, though You slay me, I will trust You, Lord.
Well, though You slay me, I will trust You, Lord.
Though You slay me, I will trust You, Lord.
Though You slay me, I will trust You, Lord.

When the rock falls, falls upon you.
And you get ground to dust
no music for your pain.
You open the windows, the windows of heaven.
And then You opened me
and You crushed me like a rose.

I pray for Immanuel to come into the darkness of my own heart and bring rays of healing light…

Advent is my favorite time of the year. Stepping just a bit out of the madness that accompnies the holiday season to reflect weekly on the Story of faith and the implications of what living in the continuing Story means brings a deep peace in my soul. Today marks the first week of Advent, the season of waiting and expectation married to each other to see how God will come. How will the light of God enter the darkness of not only our world but the places of darkness in my own soul. Expectant waiting, O Come O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel…come to all the places that are held captive in our world, in the violence, in the greed, in the hate.
Today we light the candle of hope. Help us to offer the “gift of hope” as we go about our week in all our interactions.
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

Black and white, all people of color, young and old celebrating in the streets, young people activated, John McCain giving a gracious, generative concession speech–what an historical moment we are living in. I pray we will take the hope ignited and in God’s hands make the most of this moment for our world. I bet those great cloud of witnesses are cheering:

“If this work can contribute in any way toward proving this, and at the same time arouse the conscience of the American people to a demand for justice to every citizen, and punishment by law for the lawless, I shall feel I have done my race a service.” Ida B. Wells

“I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.” Harriet Tubman

“I have a dream” “Let Justice Roll” Martin Luther King Jr.

Hey everyone,
Could you hold 4-year old Max in prayer the next few days? He has contracted ecoli, has been in the hospital for days and is not doing well. They discovered it has gone into one of his kidneys and his liver. He is being transferred to Children’s Hospital today. Please pray for healing, strength and that he will not have kidney failure.

Max is the grandson of our good, good friends, JR and Nancy. Please keep them all in your prayers as this has been an exhausting week. Thank you.

HT: Doug Pagitt

Last week at VCC we did a reflection – looking back at 2007 and asked these questions:

• Who were the significant people in your life?
• What books or Bible study instructed your mind and heart?
• How were you a gift to a person or a community?
• What was your greatest joy this year? Your greatest sorrow?
• In what areas did you grow? Were these areas related to your joy or your pain?
• Did you root your life more firmly in Scripture and in prayer? Did God seem near or far off?
• Is there anything you feel God is saying to you as you look back on the year?

This morning we will reflect on looking ahead at 2008 with these questions:

• Who are the people with whom you would like to deepen your relationships in the year to come? Do you have relationships that need to be healed? Are there places in your own heart that need healing?
• Is there an aspect of your character you would like to develop, or one of the fruit of the Spirit you would like God to grow in you? (“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Gal.5:22)
• Are there any other goals, in the area of mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional growth that you’d like to name before God, asking his help?

Most of the time we encourage living in the present, this real day to day, ordinary life and see all aspects as holy. Spiritual formation is happening whether I am watching Fox News, CNN or eat dinner with my family. All of life is forming me. There are a few times during the year that it is good to reflect on the past and ask what do I hope for in the future. As followers of Christ we live in three time zones, the past, the present and the future. The Kingdom has come, is here and our prayer, “Kingdom Come”

For all the implications that come with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto we pray to the LORD
Lord hear our prayer

From this morning’s prayers (The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle)

This Is My Prayer To You

But as for me, this is my prayer to you, at the time you have set, O LORD:
“In your great mercy, O God, answer me with your unfailing help.
Save me from the mire; do not let me sink, let me be rescued from those who
hate men and out of the deep waters.
Let not the torrent of waters wash over me, neither let the deep swallow me up,
do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me.
Answer me, O LORD, for your love is kind; in your great compassion turn to me.”

Yesterday Rich taught from the gospel of Luke – The Pharisee and the Tax Collector. I had been meditating on it as well through the week. I am mostly Pharisee but I am also a Tax Collector that knows I need to lay my burdens down and continually pray, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

We don’t like to talk about sin in our culture much anymore. Maybe the concept has been distorted and used to damage people rather than bring the life of acknowledging the truth and naming it. Naming it to a God that embraces and loves me no matter what. Extravagant love of the Tax Collector is just too much for me to accept. It’s not right, it’s not fair, it’s unreal. Not only embracing and loving the Tax Collector once, but over and over again, all the Tax Collector does is name it, then comes life, then comes the unconditional love of God that washes my burdens away…the love that is always there, always extended…I don’t have a conscious sense of it until I stop, I name it, and I pray…

“Answer me, O LORD, for your love is kind, in your great compassion turn to me.”

Then my heart is postured to receive, (as much as I am able) the depth of love and forgiveness the LORD has for me…
Lord have mercy on me a sinner…