Week Two - Christmas at the Movies Advent Devotion - Community United Methodist Church of Columbia, Missouri

Community United Methodist Church of Columbia, Missouri

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Week Two - Christmas at the Movies Advent Devotion

Movie: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

December 7, 2022 • Pastor Angie Olsen • Matthew 1:19–21

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Scripture: Matthew 1:19-21 (NRSV)

Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Theme: Peace

Movie: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

Movie Quote: Clark Griswold said, "It's the Christmas star. And that's all that matters tonight. Not bonuses or gifts or turkeys or trees. See kids, it means something different to everybody. Now I know what it means to me."

Reflection: Peace is fragile but resilient.

Clark Griswold is the king of high expectations when it comes to his family and the holidays. He is distracted by his need for perfection and is continually disappointed in family, coworkers and things.

Occasionally he finds peace, yet it is easily whisked away. When he thinks he can control a rude driver, he terrifyingly drives his family-filled car under a semi-truck. His perfect tree is so big it breaks their living room window. He avoids his messy family by putting up 25,000 twinkly lights that don’t even work during the big reveal. He proudly starts to carve a turkey and it blows up. Unexpected guests, more explosions and no end-of-year bonus make him think peace is impossible.

Joseph is betrothed to Mary and likely feels such hope and even pride. Yet, his peace is shattered when it is discovered she is pregnant. As a good and faithful man, he plans to divorce Mary quietly and just get on with his life. He wants peace, but our human understanding of peace needs God to be truly resilient. When the angel comes to show him the way of peace, his fear disappears. He is given the strength to face the gossip and judgment, and he gets to be the earthly father of the Savior.

As humans, we want things to go as planned. We want our holidays and really our lives to be a Norman Rockwell sketch and to never need editing or filters to be Instagram/Facebook worthy. Yet, life is messy. We are all imperfect.

In our fragility, we can find resilient peace. God offers us peace that is not dependent on our perfection or our expectations but is made possible by the perfect gift of Jesus.

Questions:

-What expectations are getting in your way of celebrating the real reason for this amazing season, Jesus, Immanuel?

-What are you doing to open yourself to the perfect and lasting peace God offers you through the gift of Jesus, Immanuel?

Prayer:

God, cover us with your grace when our expectations of self and others are disappointed. Help us change our expectations to ones we and others can meet this holiday. Fill us with your peace that is beyond our understanding and is available to us in every circumstance. Let us be instruments of your peace. In your peace, amen.

Weekly Devotion - Christ's Presence

February 8, 2023 • Pastor Curtis Olsen • Matthew 18:18–20

Scripture: Matthew 18:18-20 18 Remember this: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 And this: if two or three of you come together as a community and discern clearly about anything, My Father in heaven will bless that discernment. 20 For when two or three gather together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Quote from Leonard Sweet: "If Christ's presence is at work between members of the church, then the outcome will advance the health of the Body of Christ." Reflection: Over the past four weeks, we focused on forgiveness and the need for it in our lives as Christians. For forgiveness to be real, Christ needs to be a part of it. That's why I appreciate this scripture so much! It strikes me that in the middle of Jesus' teaching about forgiveness, he reminds us that "when two or three gather together in my name, I am there in the midst of them." It reminds us how we need to invite God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit into all our interactions. The conversations are more powerful, meaningful, and effective with God's presence. Awareness of God's presence is vital when dealing with conflict. Too often, we let our anger or anxiety overwhelm the confrontation and forget our need for the Holy Spirit's wisdom and grace. Without the Spirit's guidance, we often cannot find patience, compassion, and the ability to compromise. In difficult conversations, I realized there's no way forward without asking for God's help. Pausing for prayer has transformed the interaction during a church meeting, with my family, or with friends. These moments of transformation illustrate how working together with God; we can advance the health of the Body of Christ. No matter the situation, remember God's peace and hope is available when we intentionally wrap our conversations in prayer. Questions: - What are areas of conflict in your life you need to wrap in prayer? - When have you experienced a conversation transformed by God's wisdom? Prayer: Everpresent God, thank you for being present, even if we forget to invite you into a conversation. Remind us to invite you into every encounter. May your Spirit help us start each day with "Dear God" and end the day with "Amen" as a reminder to live each day in prayer. In the Holy Spirit's power, amen.

Weekly Devotion - Forgiveness is a Choice

February 1, 2023 • Pastor Angie Olsen • Matthew 18:21–22

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-22, the Voice Peter: Lord, when someone has sinned against me, how many times ought I forgive him? Once? Twice? As many as seven times? Jesus: You must forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven. Quotes: "Actually, no one has to forgive—forgiveness is a choice. Forgiveness means that we release our suffering over difficult situations; it does not mean we have to put ourselves back into hurtful situations. Forgiveness means that even though what happened is not okay, you can move on and make peace for yourself." “When we choose forgiveness, we release our past to heal our present.” ― Fred Luskin, Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness Reflection: Choice … What a powerful word. We make thousands of decisions consciously and unconsciously daily. They can be as simple as oatmeal or bacon for breakfast; and as infinitely complicated as choosing a partner for life. As Christians, we celebrate this gift of free will. Our all-knowing and all-powerful God could have designed us to be robots following a pre-designed script, but instead, our loving Creator offers us the opportunity to respond to this gift with our lives. God could force us to play specific roles, yet instead invites us to respond to love and grace with each moment we choose what to do and think next. Jesus, God with us, says one of the choices we are continually asked to make is forgiveness. He asks us to forgive someone who sins against us 7 x 70 times, which is an absurdly large number, to make a point. Forgiveness matters! We are redeemed and forgiven through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This forgiveness empowers us to make more Christ-like choices. Our Creator is teaching us how unforgiveness in our past stops the fullness of life today. God is saying that when we forgive, we can live healthier lives in our present. It doesn’t mean condoning hurtful and evil action, but it does mean freedom from its hold on your soul. Jesus is offering us something incredible; we get to be partners with God in our healing by choosing forgiveness. Questions: - If forgiveness is a choice, why is it sometimes so hard to make? - What do you need to let go of in order to allow for the powerful healing of forgiveness in your life? Prayer: Dear God, thank you for free will. Guide us as we navigate this powerful and challenging gift of choice. So often the need to ask for forgiveness and offer forgiveness is a tough choice for us. Help us choose your will and your way. Please do your powerful, healing work of forgiveness in us and our daily choices. In the Holy Spirit’s power, amen.

Weekly Devotion - I Am the Vine

January 25, 2023 • Pastor Angie Olsen • John 15:5–8

Scripture: John 15:5-8 (The Message) “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. Bishop Robert Farr: “Growing a garden takes work, just like discipleship takes work.” Reflection: During the Covid-19 shutdown, this scripture became a prayer for me. This version says stay joined with me in intimate relations, and the version I repeated says, “abide in me, and I will abide in you.” Bishop Farr reminded us Sunday that a vine cut from the roots quickly starts to wither and die. This was what my soul was crying out, saying, “stay connected, stay connected.” Even though the pandemic has eased up some (I write that with tongue in cheek after just recently struggling with Covid-19), many life experiences can disconnect us from Christ and others. Overly busy schedules, illnesses, relationship struggles, financial hardships, anxiety over the future or the past, and/or our own self-centeredness. These are just naming a few; you likely have a few to add. It takes intention and work to stay connected to Christ and others. For United Methodists abiding in the vine is essential to who we are and how we live. This life begins with being Christ-centered. This happens through a deeply rooted faith learned through scripture, bible study, worship, serving others, and spiritual disciplines. It means we are connected to the body of Christ, we are grace-filled, and we prioritize inclusively sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus with others. This is a beautiful life. I visualize such an abundant life that we look like a vine full to bursting with grapes. Questions: How are you staying connected with Jesus? How are you staying connected with others in an intentional and Christ-like way? Prayer: Dear God, let us abide in you, and you abide in us. We long to be deeply connected to you and others. Give us the intention to do the work to be your disciples and to help your love abound in our lives. You are our source, and for this, we give you endless praise. Unite us, Lord, in your grace. In Christ’s love, amen.