God from God
Light from Light
true God from true God
Image credit: zatletic / 123RF Stock Photo
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Coming and Going
Christmas Eve
Be still, then, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:11
The photo arrives as a gift in my inbox with a subject line of Outrageous. I am immediately captivated. In response to something I have written, my friend has sent me his own encounter with the outrageousness of God. I know him to be a traveler, and I surmise that he has taken the photo from an airplane.
I return to the photo again and again, drawn to follow the spears of light that pierce the skyscape.
Only later do I discover the context, the where and when. In the miracle of modern technology, he actually sent the email immediately after taking the photo: from 35,000 feet while in flight. Traveling west he writes, “The dawn is catching up to us from the east.”
We stand at the brink now, where the dawning is about to greet us anew even though that morning is a thousand years behind us. The light of Christ will pierce our hearts. Again. We will meet ourselves coming and going. God will be outrageously there. We only need a moment to be still. And know.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013 Photo credit: Jeffrey Kemmerer
Monday, December 23, 2013
Burst of Speed
Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
So will I always sing praise of your Name,
and day by day I will fulfill my vows. Psalm 61:8
“Med-i-tate! Med-i-tate! We’re rooting for you!” My oldest daughter cheers me on exuberantly. I cannot help but laugh out loud.
While I treasure the solitude in which I sink into intimate conversation with Jesus, I know better than to relegate the holy to such specificity. On a good day, I am mindful of God’s playfulness woven into the impossible swarm of daily activity. If I can only pray in the quiet moments, I’m in big trouble. After all, I am surrounded. By the detritus of wrapping paper and unsent greeting cards, the enthusiasm of adolescent expectation, the unceasing traffic of commerce in the city in which I live.
God must be in all these places. The manger might be around any corner along any street.
Perhaps we all need to cheer each other on as we head toward Bethlehem, as we put on a last burst of speed, round the final turn, and run full out toward home.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
So will I always sing praise of your Name,
and day by day I will fulfill my vows. Psalm 61:8
“Med-i-tate! Med-i-tate! We’re rooting for you!” My oldest daughter cheers me on exuberantly. I cannot help but laugh out loud.
While I treasure the solitude in which I sink into intimate conversation with Jesus, I know better than to relegate the holy to such specificity. On a good day, I am mindful of God’s playfulness woven into the impossible swarm of daily activity. If I can only pray in the quiet moments, I’m in big trouble. After all, I am surrounded. By the detritus of wrapping paper and unsent greeting cards, the enthusiasm of adolescent expectation, the unceasing traffic of commerce in the city in which I live.
God must be in all these places. The manger might be around any corner along any street.
Perhaps we all need to cheer each other on as we head toward Bethlehem, as we put on a last burst of speed, round the final turn, and run full out toward home.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Small Pleasures
The Feast of St. Thomas
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
The Lord shall watch over your going and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore. Psalm 121:8
It is the first day of the winter break and I drop my daughter off at school at 7:00am. The band leadership has been asked to report early; today they pack their instruments and have a final rehearsal before their trip to the Rose Parade in a few days.
No one else in our house is awake; we were out late last night at a show and I am sure my morning quiet time will be extended. As I drive back through town, on a whim I make a detour toward the deli. Fresh bagels sound just like what my household needs. Though I am a tea drinker, I know we are out of coffee at home and I talk the deli owner into selling me some of his own ground coffee. I smile as I anticipate some very grateful people at my house.
These small things give me pleasure; driving my daughters to places they need to be, providing unsought-for indulgences for my family, imagining another’s happiness.
There is so much going and coming in our house; anything I can do to ease the way seems important work. Because my own way has already been eased by the one who loves me like no other. The one whose love is once again about to burst onto the scene with celestial lights and fanfare trumpets. The one whose love makes all love possible.
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
The Lord shall watch over your going and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore. Psalm 121:8
No one else in our house is awake; we were out late last night at a show and I am sure my morning quiet time will be extended. As I drive back through town, on a whim I make a detour toward the deli. Fresh bagels sound just like what my household needs. Though I am a tea drinker, I know we are out of coffee at home and I talk the deli owner into selling me some of his own ground coffee. I smile as I anticipate some very grateful people at my house.
These small things give me pleasure; driving my daughters to places they need to be, providing unsought-for indulgences for my family, imagining another’s happiness.
There is so much going and coming in our house; anything I can do to ease the way seems important work. Because my own way has already been eased by the one who loves me like no other. The one whose love is once again about to burst onto the scene with celestial lights and fanfare trumpets. The one whose love makes all love possible.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Giving in
Friday of the Third Week of Advent
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3
I look at the scattered papers on my desk and realize I am not going to finish the tasks they represent before I leave work. It is time to go home.
Suddenly, I am impatient to be on my way. The sky is already beginning to darken, as we are fast approaching the longest night of the year. I yearn for home because family is visiting and for the first time in I can’t remember how long, none of us has to be anywhere this evening. Dinner will not be rushed. No one will have to head out into the cold and dark. We can finish watching the movie we started a few nights ago.
As I begin to clean off my desk, I choose a Christmas playlist and turn up the volume on my computer. Let the carols roll. Although the final days of Advent are yet to be traversed, I acknowledge the gift of joy that God has already begun to unwrap in my heart.
I choose to let the unfinished business be. I give into the delight of looking forward to the evening ahead and to a certain manger even now beginning to fill with promise.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3
I look at the scattered papers on my desk and realize I am not going to finish the tasks they represent before I leave work. It is time to go home.
Suddenly, I am impatient to be on my way. The sky is already beginning to darken, as we are fast approaching the longest night of the year. I yearn for home because family is visiting and for the first time in I can’t remember how long, none of us has to be anywhere this evening. Dinner will not be rushed. No one will have to head out into the cold and dark. We can finish watching the movie we started a few nights ago.
As I begin to clean off my desk, I choose a Christmas playlist and turn up the volume on my computer. Let the carols roll. Although the final days of Advent are yet to be traversed, I acknowledge the gift of joy that God has already begun to unwrap in my heart.
I choose to let the unfinished business be. I give into the delight of looking forward to the evening ahead and to a certain manger even now beginning to fill with promise.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Minding the Good
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and make good your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:14
“Shoot,” I say to my daughter, “look at that traffic.”
“Don’t worry, it’s all good,” she replies.
Strategizing over which route will move us along most efficiently, I choose one lane over another. “I chose the wrong lane,” I grumble, as the traffic next to me begins to move quickly.
“Yeah, it’ll probably add three minutes to our trip,” she observes. “More like ten,” I counter impatiently.
“But it’s all good,” my daughter says.
We pull into the parking lot, “This is so frustrating, I thought this was going to be a quick there and back trip.” I feel flustered and annoyed.
“It’s all good, Mom.”
And finally I hear her. I have been complaining. She sees that we are getting to where we need to be, and that all is well.
In the beginning, God looked at all of creation and saw that it was good. It is all good.
Gratitude is a choice. I vow to choose again.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and make good your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:14
“Shoot,” I say to my daughter, “look at that traffic.”
“Don’t worry, it’s all good,” she replies.
Strategizing over which route will move us along most efficiently, I choose one lane over another. “I chose the wrong lane,” I grumble, as the traffic next to me begins to move quickly.
“Yeah, it’ll probably add three minutes to our trip,” she observes. “More like ten,” I counter impatiently.
“But it’s all good,” my daughter says.
We pull into the parking lot, “This is so frustrating, I thought this was going to be a quick there and back trip.” I feel flustered and annoyed.
“It’s all good, Mom.”
And finally I hear her. I have been complaining. She sees that we are getting to where we need to be, and that all is well.
In the beginning, God looked at all of creation and saw that it was good. It is all good.
Gratitude is a choice. I vow to choose again.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Legacy of Hope
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Remember your word to your servant,
because you have given me hope.
This is my comfort in my trouble,
that your promise gives me life. Psalm 119:49-50
Fourteen degrees feels colder this morning than it did yesterday, and I make a second cup of tea just to have something warm in my hands. I snuggle into my favorite sweater as I pick up my journal to begin today’s conversation with Jesus.
As I wrap myself in prayer and contemplation, I also wrap myself in a warm afghan, a wedding gift a young girl crocheted for us twenty-five years ago. She was a student of mine, and I remember how honored and humbled I felt to receive such a gift.
She would be a woman now, nearing forty, and I wonder what she is doing this morning. Would it surprise her to know her gift continues to bring me comfort and pleasure? That I think of her from time to time? Would she recognize her work as a legacy of her generosity and skill?
So many spread their blankets of hope upon the ground before me, enabling me to step out into the day looking for life and promise.
I finish my prayer, fold the afghan, and place it on the chair. Where it will be waiting for me tomorrow.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
Remember your word to your servant,
because you have given me hope.
This is my comfort in my trouble,
that your promise gives me life. Psalm 119:49-50
As I wrap myself in prayer and contemplation, I also wrap myself in a warm afghan, a wedding gift a young girl crocheted for us twenty-five years ago. She was a student of mine, and I remember how honored and humbled I felt to receive such a gift.
She would be a woman now, nearing forty, and I wonder what she is doing this morning. Would it surprise her to know her gift continues to bring me comfort and pleasure? That I think of her from time to time? Would she recognize her work as a legacy of her generosity and skill?
So many spread their blankets of hope upon the ground before me, enabling me to step out into the day looking for life and promise.
I finish my prayer, fold the afghan, and place it on the chair. Where it will be waiting for me tomorrow.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
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