There are some small things we can do to help fight off the winter blues.  We can exercise, eat more healthy foods, get out in the sun as often as possible, and possibly take some vitamin D.  Often when we get depressed we ignore God’s word; but I suggest that you try very hard to continue reading the Bible and look for encouragement.

Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 3 these encouraging words:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;  it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD

After the Holiday busyness, take advantage of this quieter time of the year, to slow down and wait. Wait to hear from God. Seek Him with all your heart.. Wait and look forward to the coming of spring. Experience the continual newness of His embrace.

On Saturday, January 28 we will discuss the issue of winter depression at our weekly meeting of The Table Church. We meet at 7 PM, but come early and enjoy a coffee drink prepared by our barista team, as well as a variety of snacks. We meet at the Lancaster County Christian School, 651 Lampeter Road.

Little did we know that the game was just about ready to become a reality?  As we played the board game, an emergency arose on the farm…”the real farm”! A “real” cow was in labor and having some difficulty. Now, having been raised in a small city, I can assure you that I never had the “pleasure” of seeing a calf be born. We watched nervously as the men worked with the cow. I do not remember how long it took, but I remember seeing some amazing things. I never knew how intimately involved a farmer had to become with his cow in order to coax the calf to enter our world.  We watched and we waited, then all of a sudden there was a loud moo and finally the little calf came tumbling out onto the soft bed of straw.  The mother licked and cleaned her precious baby bovine.  Now, to the Hess family this was business as usual.  But, as the Houck family peered over  the fence, we were filled with a deep sense of awe and wonder.  We had just seen a new life enter the world. We were spectators to one of God’s glorious wonders…the mystery of life.

We stopped to reflect on the events of that night and we concluded that It seemed such an appropriate way to celebrate the New Year.  Each New Year is chocked full of potential and mystery. We do not know what the year will hold: joys, sorrows, departures and arrivals. The stroke of midnight on January 1 is more than a moment in time; it signifies new beginnings, new life and new possibilities.

We stand at the door of a new year. 2012 is pregnant with all kinds of new experiences and potential and soon they will tumble into our laps. Are you ready to embrace the new life that the New Year will usher in? I say, “Embrace it!”

The Ghost of Christmas Present invites Scrooge into the room and says, “Come and know me better, man.”  It got my mind a racing and I thought this is actually God’s invitation to us.  From the very beginning of man, God has been trying to reveal himself to us. The Bible is nothing less than God’s self-revelation.  He is giving us a peek into his nature and character.  He invites all of us to accept his invitation to get to know him better.  He promises us this if we “…serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you…”

At this Christmas season we are reminded that Jesus was sent to introduce us to God the Father and to make a way for us to enter into a personal relationship withHim. He was God in the flesh. He pitched His tent among us and revealed himself to us. His invitation is “Come and know me better.

Merry Christmas

Dan

When the actor Nicolas Cage, was a young boy his father gave him a little Pinocchio for Christmas.  Being a boy, he was a little rough with it, and broke its head off.  His father suggested they bury Pinocchio.  The next morning on the very place where they had buried Pinocchio was a large wooden sculpture of Pinocchio.  Nicholas started burying his match box cars, toy planes, a castle, even his GI Jo doll hoping they too would transform into something bigger and better.  All though these things didn’t work out like he had hoped, Nicolas Cage says that his little Pinocchio gift was one of the best gifts he had received because it gave him the gifts of imagination, hope and inspiration. These gifts continue to help him through life and in his career as an actor.

  His father did a kind act, not knowing this simple gift was going set a direction for his son’s life!
Isaiah from the Old Testament prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, in chapter nine of his book.  Isaiah called this messiah,  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  I think the name Everlasting Father is very significant for us today. Fatherhood is a lost art in our culture.  Fathers spend significantly less time with their children than ever before.

Almost 40% of homes do not have a father in the picture.

It intrigues me that the phrase Everlasting Father can be translated “a Father forever”.  God is eternal but here Isaiah also says that God cares for his people constantly.  What a beautiful and encouraging thought this is for us.  Nothing can interrupt God’s love and care for us because He is our Everlasting Father.

The New Testament says that we can call our God, “Abba”, which is an Aramaic word for “Daddy”.  It is informal and intimate.  The Everlasting Father is also our spiritual daddy.  My dad was far from perfect, but I remember how I loved him.  He played catch with me, took me to all kinds of sporting events, even though we did not own a car.  On one occasion we were coming home from a Phillies game and it was very late.  I was very tired and I was complaining about the 12 blocks we needed to walk to get home from the train station.  I was a husky boy, but my father scooped me up and carried me all the way home.  This act by my father reminds me of our Heavenly Father.  He loves us and cares for us.  He scoops us up in his strong arms and carries us home.

This Wednesday is our church Christmas Party. It is such a nice time. We eat a meal together; listen to music, play games and do crafts. It is a relaxed and low-key event. I enjoy it very much. It is highly relational.

When I was a boy, my church in Pottstown would have an annual Christmas party. It was always held in a special location. Of course, there was good food and lots of candy for the boys and girls. We did some Christmas Carol singing, the children performed for the adults and the Christmas story was read from the Bible. At the end of the program, children received gifts and everyone got an orange and a Hershey Bar.

Another strong memory I have is standing in front of the Santa Clause House on the main street of town, singing Christmas carols to the shoppers who passed by. I still have the photo in my office. We were all dressed in our heavy Christmas clothes and I was standing near Charlie. He sang really, really loud.  But, it was worth it, because after our shift of singing, we were invited to the “Cup”, for a free cup of coffee or hot chocolate and fresh warm donuts. Yum.

Do you have any warm Christmas memories? Do tell.

On Sunday nights, Sharon and I have a routine schedule. First, we watch: America’s Funniest Videos; followed by the Extreme Makeover Home edition. I sniffle and tear-up each week as I hear the sad stories and Sharon just shakes her head. The plot is exactly the same and we know what is going to happen next, yet somehow I cannot fight back the tears.

One week I thought, Christmas in America needs an Extreme Makeover. We need to recreate Christmas and focus on the real message. I cringe when I hear someone interviewed on TV and they say, “Family is what Christmas is all about.” Now, I love my family and I enjoy the great times we have at Christmas-time; but I am certain that Christmas is not all about family.

Christmas is about the amazing fact that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, became one of us. He pitched his tent with us, he moved into our development, and he entered our world both physically and metaphorically.  He came along side us and healed the sick and gave hope to the hopeless. He lived and taught a radical new way of living. He entered into our human experience. He knew joy and sorrow. He experienced pain and anger. He was human in every way, with the exception that he always did the will of his father and did not sin. Because of his birth, death and resurrection, we experience forgiveness of our sins, eternal life and a new purpose for living. Christmas is so much more than family gatherings, parties, gift-giving, endless Christmas music on the radio, and beautifully decorated homes. Not that any of these are wrong. They are only wrong when we make them the focus of Christmas. Hey, I just watched Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer last night.

I challenge you to find ways to remake Christmas this year. Meditate on the life of Christ; refocus on his message by reading the Sermon on the Mount. Do the things you think he might do if he walked among us today. Visit a shut-in and share God’s love. Anonymously give a person with financial challenges a monetary gift. Babysit for a single mom. Volunteer at an agency that meets human needs. As Jesus came to serve, make that your focus this Christmas. Imitate Christ by giving your presence; and not so much about your presents.

Have a blessed Christmas and do respond to this blog by leaving a comment with more ideas and about the ways you intend to do a Christmas makeover this year.

Come Ye Thankful People come is one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day songs.  Written by Henry Alford, this hymn reminds to give thanks for our many blessings.  The focus is on the harvest.  It emphasizes the literal Harvest and the metaphorical harvest of living a fruitful Christian life.

The first verse says:

Come ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.

There are many things, this Thanksgiving Day, for which I am especially thankful.

• I am thankful for the love of my life, Sharon, my wife of 36 years.
• I am thankful for my children, and the faith I see in them.
• I am thankful for grandchildren, and the smile they bring to my face.
• I am thankful every day for my church family, who love and serve God and one another.
• I am thankful for all the people who invested time, energy and prayer to guide my in the path of discipleship.
•  I am thankful for our freedoms and those who serve our nation.
•  I am thankful for people who work for peace and justice in our world.
• For food and shelter and the basics of life, I give thanks.

Oh, there are many more things I could say, but I would like you to just ponder this thought today.

For whom are you thankful?

Who has prayed for you, taught you God’s Word, prayed with you, encouraged you in your Christian walk, ministered to you in times of grief or illness, and helped you to be a better Christian today than you were yesterday.  It is humbling to think that there may be one or two or three people who others are thankful to God because of your life?  You will never how many people you have touched with the love of god, because you walked with Jesus.

We give thanks to the Almighty God, and for His grace in our lives and for the opportunity to partner with him to do the work of His kingdom.

Come Ye Thankful People Come, raise your song of grateful praise

God Bless You,
Pastor Dan Houck

Image Credit: Jason MCcoy Music

For the last two years The Table has been partnering with Water Street Ministries.  We started this partnership with a commitment to see how this idea would evolve.  We both shared the goal to fight against poverty and homelessness in our city.  Members and groups from our church have volunteered to serve meals, provide clerical support, lead chapel services and help with fundraising projects.  A group of men from the church replaced two roofs for the ministry.  During the summer, clients from Water Street and The Table Church enjoy playing softball together.  It is a time of great fellowship, laughter and good medicine.

One ongoing project for the church is collecting bags of groceries of food for Water Street. During the holiday season this effort is ramped up.  Stop by the welcome table a pick up your bag this week.

Did you know that The Table is collecting items from Water Street’s Christmas Wish List to be given to men, women and children there?  The complete list will be made available  soon. Don’t forget that admission to our family Christmas party is a pair of socks, gloves or a winter hat.  This is along with prayer and financial support has been our part in the partnership.

I think I speak for the whole church, when I say that our relationship with Water Street has been a huge blessing to our people. We have learned about poverty and homelessness. We have discovered that we have much in common with the clients of Water Street.

The Bible reminds us to be compassionate and caring. Micah 6:8 sums up our work:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. 

And what does the LORD require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy 

and to walk humbly with your God.

Want a great opportunity to grow in your Christian faith?  Do you wish you had a better grip on God’s word?  Are you ready to take your prayer life to a whole new level?