Devotional

Knowing the Lord

Posted on December 4, 2014 by RRowan

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AWAKE_ADVENT_4
Hosea 6:1-6
v.6: For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.

Question for reflection:
1 John 3:18 “This is how we know that we belong to the truth….”
3:24 “And this is how we know that he lives in us..”
4:7 “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
4:16 “… we know and rely on the love God has for us”

If we follow the dots and pick out just the “know” passages from the book of 1 John, we can piece together a foundation rooted in knowledge and very much, the love of God.
Where have you seen people who know and rely on God’s love?

Prayer for the day
Heavenly Father, thank you for the season, the reminder that you extended your love among us by sending your Son – that we might live through him. Help us develop the faith to know and rely on that love. And as we deepen in that knowledge allow us to turn this into our own visible love, that would be evident in a dark world. With gratitude for your amazing gift, I pray. Amen

~ Randi Rowan, Program Assistant, Congregational Life Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Sandy Bosserman, a former district executive and ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Sandy’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Devotional

Sleepless on the Mount

Posted on December 3, 2014 by RRowan

AWAKE_ADVENT_4 Luke 21:34-38

Question for reflection:
I like the title of this devotional – “Sleepless on the Mount.” How many sleepless nights do we experience in our lifetimes that are a result of worrying? I would be interested to know how much worrying increases around the holiday season; there’s always so much to do: plan travel, shop for presents, prepare food, decorate the house, and of course have the money to do it all. As I type this, I am thinking of all of the things that need to happen in the next couple of weeks and feel a pit of panic and stress. However, one of my favorite things to do during the holiday is to sit by the lit up Christmas tree and just listen to some of my favorite softer Christmas songs; this simple action helps me to center myself from all the holiday stress and remember the true meaning of the Advent season. It doesn’t surprise me that Jesus took some time on the Mount of Olives to just sit and be – I wonder if he had music to keep him company, too?

What worries and anxieties do you need to work through this holiday season?
What are some simple acts that you can do to help you appreciate and enjoy the meaningful parts of the season?

Prayer for the day:
Dear God, during this season that we celebrate as a reminder of Your precious gift, allow us to take the time to watch, listen, and love. Amen.

~ Laura Whitman, Special Projects Coordinator

Devotional

Humming along with Asaph

Posted on December 2, 2014 by RRowan

AWAKE_ADVENT_4

Psalm 79

Question for reflection:
What happens to our soul when we harbor anger or bitterness? The psalmist many times encourages us express our troubles to the Lord — “…pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8). What would be different if we would describe to God what seems wrong and unfair …. and listen for his response?

Prayer for the day:
Gracious Father, grant us a quick avenue into your presence when circumstances cause us anger. Transform us as we pour out our hearts and distress …. and wait for Your insight. Amen.

~ Randi Rowan, Program Assistant, Congregational Life Ministries

Devotional

Live stream

Posted on December 1, 2014 by RRowan

AWAKE_ADVENT_4 Micah 4:1-5

Question for reflection:
As we begin the Advent season I am reminded of The Practice of the Presence of God – the book by Brother Lawrence which tells of his journey to so completely permeate his life with prayer–that he is in constant communion with God.
What is one simple step you could take to slow down and deepen your experience of God’s presence?

Prayer for the day:
Glorious God! As One who knows us well, help us repair to your mountain — that space where we can breathe in who you are and listen at your feet. May we hearken to your soft whispers of guidance. Help us to be awake to possibilities that weren’t obvious before.

~ Randi Rowan, Program Assistant, Congregational Life Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Sandy Bosserman, a former district executive and an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Sandy’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Devotional

Are you sleeping?

Posted on November 30, 2014 by RRowan

AWAKE_ADVENT_4

Isaiah 64:1-12

Question for reflection:
When have you been awakened to the refining work of God?

Prayer for the day:
Lord, in our profession of faith we proclaim that you reign over all creation. Yet, we look about us and can only wonder how this can be the case. For we are a people who cry out “Peace, Peace” and there is no peace. As we wait, remember, and hope in this season, awaken us to the movements of your Spirit among us. Refine us with your love and transform our world by your grace. In the name of the one for whom we wait, Jesus the Christ, Amen.

~ Josh Brockway, Director for Spiritual Life & Discipleship

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Sandy Bosserman, a former district executive and an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Sandy’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

eBrethren

God’s grace

Posted on November 20, 2014 by eBrethren

Blessed by God’s grace at National Youth Conference 2014 .
Photo by Nevin Dulabaum

A reflection by Donna Kline

Minnie Mouse flew head first from the back seat to the front, accompanied by giggles and “Mommy, can I have Minnie back, please?” “No, I’m sorry, you can’t. Last time you threw her you promised to never do it again, so you made a bad choice. You can have her back when we get home.”

Both of our grandchildren have parents who try to give them choices whenever possible: a couple of outfits to choose from when getting dressed; two or three different fruits or vegetables; whether or not to throw stuffed animals. Some choices simply give them a feeling of independence, that they have some control over their young lives; others have more “significant” consequences.

We spend our days making choices, and I daresay my grandchildren’s track records in making good ones are likely no better than yours or mine. But our God, like any good parent, also gives us second chances. And third. And so on. And that’s what I’m thankful for today, what I try to be thankful for—or at least mindful of—every day. In spite of the incredible number of bad choices I’ve made and continue to make, I almost always get another chance to make things right. That’s called grace.

Choices—and second chances—come in all sorts of flavors. We all regret certain fashion or hairstyle choices as we laugh over old family photos. More significant, certainly, are poor choices in the way we treat others, or how we choose to spend our time and energy and other resources. We all fall short; we all get another chance.

But what if we don’t take advantage of the opportunity to make a needed course correction? What if we refuse to see that our actions are hurtful? What if we continue to use our resources to better our own lives rather than seeing that we have more than enough and sharing the excess with those who have so little? What if we decide to throw the gift of grace back in God’s face and say, “Thanks, but I’ll continue down this comfortable path?” What happens then?

Then, God gives us yet another chance. God’s grace is endless. That grace is what I’m most thankful for, and my prayer is that each day I will need less.

Donna Kline is the former director of Deacon Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. Support the ministries of the Church today at brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

Brethren Volunteer Service

Living the simple life?

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Brethren Volunteer Service

By Ben Bear

BVS volunteer Ben Bear decapitates an innocent pumpkin. Photo by Laura Whitman.

Being a volunteer through BVS can be a radically different experience from person to person. Some of us live in single apartments, plopped down in a city or town hundreds or thousands of miles from “home” and hit the ground running with their project. Others end up living in intentional communities where they are immediately connected to other volunteers and a hosting congregation with a well-established role for them.

In the weeks since I arrived in Elgin, I have struggled some with the concept of living a simple life. As volunteers, we have agreed to live simply, within our means, and without (too much) excess. Having heard stories from other volunteers and seen some of their sites, some of them take this challenge quite seriously. For example, the New Community Project in Harrisonburg, VA has a homemade table at which they eat their communal, second-hand gathered meals. The kicker: the table is made of warehouse pallets. The table’s creator ballparked the cost of the entire process of making the table at around $20. Check it out:

New Community Project table made of warehouse pallets

On the flip side, my new role as the BVS assistant recruiter has me traveling all over the country in the coming year. Recently I was in the great commonwealth of Virginia, mostly hanging out down in the Shenandoah Valley. Fast forward seven days after returning and I was already back on the road, this time in Pennsylvania. I’ll be pretty impressed if I manage to put together an entire month back at Elgin between trips the rest of my time here. Granted, I knew this would likely be the case when I agreed to come back into BVS. Still, I sometimes struggle with how simply I’m actually living when I jet-set around the country so much and end up with rental cars that look like this:

Shiny!

And this:

Also shiny!

Driving around in these well-maintained, relatively new, kinda sporty-looking vehicles is, admittedly, a bit fun. It’s nice to not feel constantly concerned that the [random car part] might break. They do get pretty decent gas mileage, too. Still, there remains an internal struggle of what it really looks like to live simply and to what degree I’m being successful in that endeavor.

In the end, I don’t have an answer to the justification for the life I lead here or how to alter it for the better. For a guy who really likes having answers, this might be one that is left for pondering. To that end, here are a few quotes that seem to grasp at the concept of a simple existence:

“Live simply, so that others may simply live.” ~ St. Elizabeth Seton
“It is impossible to detach from the love of material things unless it is replaced by love for things unseen.” ~ St. Teresa of Avila
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~ Confucius

May the road rise with you…

Ben

eBrethren

Hope: See the unexpected

Posted on November 6, 2014 by eBrethren

Participate in the Advent Offering today at brethren.org/adventoffering .
Photo by Mandy Garcia

A reflection by Tim Harvey

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord”(Luke 1:39-45).

As a pastor, it is tempting to stay on the well-worn path of Jesus’ birth through the season of Advent. But in Luke 1, the author shows us a new perspective. He pulls back the curtain to reveal what people were doing “when no one was looking.” How did the ordinary people who encountered God respond to the invitation to serve? This is an important question because if people like Mary and Elizabeth can say “yes” to God, so can you and I.

Because we’re accustomed to the story, it is easy to miss the magnificent risks Mary took by becoming pregnant out of wedlock, or how uncommon it was for people to take trips in that time. Yet Mary, an unwed, pregnant teenager, took a several-days-long trip by herself.

Consider Mary’s risks and motivations for visiting Elizabeth. Why did she leave so quickly? Did she need a trusted friend? Had her father kicked her out? Were the judgmental stares of her neighbors too much to bear? There were so many possible answers to Elizabeth’s question, “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?”

One lesson from this story is to notice that saying yes to whatever God calls us to do may take us places we never imagined. Relationships may need to be reexamined, and the place where we live might even change as we respond to God in ways that deemed socially unacceptable.

A challenge of this tradition-rich time of year is to stop long enough to notice what God is doing around us. Fortunately, Luke gives us a snapshot to help us see what God can do in the midst of ordinary people. How might God break in to our lives this Advent season? What do we need to do differently that would make room for a fresh infusion of God’s grace? Where do we need to go, to whom do we need to speak, that our eyes might be opened to how God is bringing hope in unexpected places?

Tim Harvey is the pastor at Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va. He wrote this and several other worship resources for this year’s Advent Offering. Read them all, order bulletin inserts, or give now at www.brethren.org/adventoffering .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

Church Tech Tips

Three easy ways to get your church online

Posted on October 29, 2014 by janfb

Before pursuing any of these options, you need a church e-mail address. You can get one for free at Google, Yahoo, Outlook or other sites. At least three people should have the user name and password for the e-mail, and it should be checked regularly. Be sure to send the e-mail address to the main Church of the Brethren office.

Set up a website

Oakton Church of the Brethren website

There are a number of free options, such as https://wordpress.com/ or http://www.weebly.com/ or http://www.wix.com/ It simply takes someone with a few computer skills (not a trained technical person) to create a site with these services.

If you use these sites, your URL (web address) would have the site name in it, such as churchname.wordpress.com. If you want to have your own URL without the site name (something like churchname.org), you need to get a “domain name.” The cost varies, but averages around $15/year, with discounts for purchasing multiple years. The registration must be renewed at the end of the time or you lose it. You do not have to buy a domain name to have a website—but your own web address might be simpler for people to remember. The web site would be the same in either case; only the address would be different.

Create a Facebook page

Facebook automatically generates a page for any business or organization it finds. Find yours by searching within Facebook. Someone can go in and edit this profile, adding photos, service information and so forth. You can use this as your web page if you like. However, you do not have complete control since the page is “owned” by Facebook.

A better bet is to create your own church Facebook page. Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create and follow instructions from there. Before doing this, decide on a page name since you can only change it once.

Once you have a church Facebook page, you can click the “duplicate page” on Facebook’s automated listing so that the new one will replace their auto-generated one.

You may want to have both a public page for people to find you and a private group (for group members only) to share prayer requests within the congregation. That is up to you!

Here are some tips for using Facebook: http://network.crcna.org/church-web/6-simple-ways-your-church-can-use-facebook-better

Claim your Google listing
Another free way to have a better web presence is to claim your Google listing. Google makes a listing for all businesses it finds. Search for your church, then click “Manage this page.” You can upload photos, service times and so forth. This shows right away for anyone searching via Google. You will have to sign in to Google to manage it. (Use a church or generic e-mail address, not someone’s personal e-mail address for this).

It’s a great idea for all churches to do this so that your service times and other crucial facts show. However, it’s better not to do it if your schedule varies and no one will remember to update the Google listing!

Three essential points

Consider what are the best things about your church, then put them on the home page or feature them in photos on Google or Facebook. We often say our people are the best thing, then we display pictures of an empty building. Why not offer photos of community service activities, popular church events, or some of that great food we’re known for? It may still be a good idea to include photos of the church building alongside the directions or address so that people know what to look for when they visit.
Photo note: Be sure to ask permission before using photos of people – and don’t list names or identifying details when displaying photos of children.
Make sure at least 3 people have access to the site and can make updates. Create the site using a church or generic e-mail address rather than someone’s personal e-mail (what if they move?)
Don’t offer features you will not be able to keep up. For instance, it’s better not to have a “News” page than to have “news” that is several years old. Remember that it’s easy to start things, but hard to maintain them.

Be sure to send your updated contact information to the main Church of the Brethren office. The Find a Church page sees heavy use!

How has your church used technology? Do you have tips to share with others?

Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

“For we are co-workers in God’s service:” Farm Workers and Gardens

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Katie Furrow

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

7pm EST

Where do our fruits and vegetables come from? Who is responsible for seeing that these foods are harvested for us to buy and eat? What are the lives of these farm workers like? And how does our faith connect us to our brothers and sisters who do this work?

Through the Going to the Garden grant initiative of the Office of Public Witness and Global Food Crisis Fund, this webinar will focus on issues surrounding the national farm workers movement to create better work and living standards, and we will hear from individuals deeply involved with the National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM) and the NFWM’s Youth and Young Adult network in order to understand what these two groups are doing to support farm workers. We will also discuss how individuals can show support and solidarity in their own communities through initiatives like Going to the Garden.

Join us as we discuss how farm workers are organizing, how individuals and groups are becoming involved, and what we can all do about it in our own communities and churches! If you have any questions, please email kfurrow@brethren.org, and to register for this webinar, please go to http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EB51D685814931.

Presenters:

Rev. Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock, an ordained Baptist minister and former human-trafficking specialist, serves as Executive Director of the National Farm Worker Ministry. Andreolli-Comstock has served congregations in Virginia and Massachusetts as well as four years as a human-trafficking specialist in Southeast Asia. She is a former Board of Directors member for the Alliance of Baptists and a doctoral candidate at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Andreolli-Comstock holds a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Philosophy from Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C., and a Master of Divinity degree from Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond.

Nico Gumbs is the Florida state coordinator of the National Farm Worker Ministry’s youth-led program, YAYA. Gumbs has been in the agriculture sector most of their live, from growing up on a farm, in avocado groves to over 8 years with Future Farmers of America (FFA) and now active in the farmworker movement for over 3 years. Their undying compassion for farm worker justice is pertinent to their idea of a socially just world.

Daniel McClain is the Director of Program Operations for Graduate Theological Programs at Loyola University Maryland. His areas of research and publishing include the doctrine of creation, theologies of education and formation, political theology, and theologies of art and image. In addition to these areas, he has also led classes and workshops on the theology and ethics of work and creativity.