A "Roots" Moment

It has been some time since I have written. My life has been consumed basking in the afterglow of the Advent season, the birth of our first grandchild and how God pulled all the symbolism of those two events together in my life. Following Advent, the pastor of our current church began a new preaching series entitled, "Big Life." The heart and soul of this series is focused on deepening and understanding our relationship with the Creator of the universe. At one point during his first sermon in the series, the pastor was talking about the experience of welcoming his son into the world. He said it reminded him of the recurrent scene in Alex Haley's miniseries "Roots." For those too young to remember, "Roots" was a powerful and groundbreaking series. It chronicled the historic family background of author Alex Haley adapted from his book, "Roots." The movie looked at Haley's family tree from the horrors of slavery to freedom. The main character of the series was Kunta Kinte, the African slave forcibly brought to America. The series then followed the generations that came after him. The recurrent scene that our pastor found so powerful had to do with birth. Each time a child was born, the tradition that began with Kunta Kinte was to take the child outside on a dark starry night. The parent lifted the child up and declared, "Behold, the only thing greater than yourself!" The reference of course was to God being that "Greater thing." Following the pastor's sermon I began to hear the echos of Kunta Kinte's words resonating in my spirit. I was drawn to Psalm 8. Psalm 8 is a praise from the lips of David in celebration of God's greatness and ordering of creation. It dovetails in many ways with Genesis 1:1-28. The NIV note of introduction to this Psalm captures that "Kunta Kinte" experience. The note references the Genesis passage but goes on to state, "David speaks out of his present experience of reality (perhaps on a bright, clear night when the vast host of the heavenly lights, stretching from horizon to horizon, erased from his musings small everyday affairs and engaged his mind with deeper thoughts). Two matters especially impressed him: (1) the glory of God reflected in the starry heavens, and (2) the astonishing condescension of God to be mindful of puny man, to crown him with glory almost godlike and to grant him lordly power over His creatures." This is the "Roots" experience. This is how Jesus holds up those who love Him, His children, before God the Father. Imagine Jesus holding you up under a star lit night and declaring, "Behold, the only thing greater than yourself!" What a privilege and honor God has given us! What mercy and grace we have received! Take the time to read Psalm 8 and fix the image of being lifted up before the Father in your mind. You were born for "greatness" in Jesus Christ. It is not a greatness that comes from pride or arrogance but rather humility and love. It is the love of God the Father who knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) and placed you on earth for His glory. Ephesians 2:10 puts it this way, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." If you have an experience like mine, you will be humbled and overwhelmed and declare with David, "O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1,9)
To God be the glory!
Pastor Sheree 


                                                                                                         

Expect The Unexpected

Everyone has their particular way of spending New Year's Eve. Some people like to pass the night partying away the final hours of the old year. Others treat it just like any other day and go to bed before midnight. And still others may share in a movie or Netflix marathon of their favorite show. I have always enjoyed watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and seeing the ball drop in New York City's Times Square. Years ago my husband and I would spend the evening with our good friends who live in R.I. We would alternate going to each other's home, order Chinese food, watch a movie and then watch the ball drop. Unfortunately my friends and my husband can no longer tolerate staying up until midnight. So, now we get together for dinner on New Year's evening. However, I still carry on the tradition silently at home staying up by myself to watch New Year's Rockin' Eve. One of the things that motivates me to continue to watch is this fantasy that one New Year's Eve, Jesus is going to unexpectedly show up at the stroke of midnight. I've often wondered what Times Square would look like if Jesus suddenly came breaking through the dark night sky. Realistically I don't think Jesus would be that obvious as to come on New Year's Eve. Jesus told His own disciples, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father....Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:36,42) In other words, Jesus is telling us to expect the unexpected! Throughout Scripture the theme of expecting the unexpected resonates. I have been pondering some of the stories in the Old and New Testament and wondering about the feelings of those involved in these "unexpected" events. Israel had been in bondage for over 400 years in Egypt before Moses came along to free them at God's command. Who were they expecting to release them from bondage? When Moses showed up what were they thinking? Moreover, Moses himself was shocked that God told him to be the "hero" for his people. (Exodus 3) And who knew that Rahab an alleged prostitute who helped Joshua and his band of spies would end up as part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ! (Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5) The Old Testament prophets foretold of Christ's coming, yet many remained surprised when Jesus came and fulfilled those prophecies. And what did the Magi expect when they came to the house where Jesus was staying some months after His birth? (Matthew 2:1-12)  As I look back on 2013, I never expected God to move in the way He has in my life. It has not been an easy year. I had my expectations about how my husband and I would move forward with planting a church but God has added some different possibilities to the mix. It has brought me to a place of truly standing back and watching God unfold things according to His plan as we go along. Similarly, I never expected how my life would change with the birth of our first grandchild during the time of Advent. Her birth definitely pulled together all that God had been doing in my life during the year in a unique and symbolic way. People often enter a New Year with great expectations only to see them fade away after the silence of the bells and whistles on New Year's Day. However, believers in Christ live in a constant state of expectation. It began with His first coming and will end with His second coming. In between time we get to see God work in our lives in unexpected ways. We have an "everlasting resolution" that doesn't end when the ball drops. "Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen." (Revelation 1:7) "Behold , I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:12) So what kind of resolution will you make in 2014? How long will it last? Jesus invites us to come to Him and resolve to expect the unexpected. What an exciting year it could be!
Happy New Year!
Pastor Sheree

A Child Is Born

On December 10, 2013, Barbara Kaye Harrington came into the world. She is the daughter of my husband's son and daughter-in-law. Family and friends were quick to respond with congratulations "grandma!" I must confess that I have struggled with feelings of disconnection. I have felt it to be somewhat dishonest to receive Mother's Day cards and wear the moniker "grandma" when there is no biological connection. Ironically, I often counsel clients struggling with the same issue telling them, "Biology doesn't necessarily define a relationship." I can honestly say that part of the struggle was a need to emotionally protect myself from rejection. I convinced myself that I was only loved as long as I was married to my husband. Once he passed away, I reasoned, his relatives would have no further use for me. Moreover as a black woman marrying into a white family, I couldn't pretend be a blood relative. I figured that little Barbara Kaye would just love me for who I am until that fateful day when she was old enough to recognize that my skin tone was a little bit different. Or perhaps she might show a family picture to a peer as they ask the question,"Why is your grandmother black?" or worse, "She's not your real grandmother!" The biological mother of my husband's son passed away 5 years ago from cancer. I'm sure on some emotional level my husband's son wishes his mother was alive to see the birth of her third grandchild. (She had already had two grandchildren from her daughter who was fathered from a previous relationship.) For whatever reason, God chose to leave me as the "grandmother" on the paternal side. In the meantime God had been doing a work in my heart over the 9 months prior to Barbara's birth. An excitement had been growing in my spirit as the day of the birth grew closer. Friends would tell me that my feelings would change once that little girl was born. I still had a hard time believing them so I began to pray and ask God to show me how to let go of the feelings of insecurity. The Lord led me to the familiar Christmas story from the gospel of Matthew chapters 1 and 2. My attention was directed to the plight of Joseph and his struggle upon learning that Mary was pregnant outside of wedlock. Even though the angel reassured Joseph that God through the power of the Holy Spirit was responsible for Mary's pregnancy, I wondered how Joseph felt having no biological connection to Jesus? It was already difficult enough listening to the gossip and seeing the questionable stares as Joseph decided to go ahead and take Mary as his wife. However in his quiet moments did he grieve the fact that he would never be Jesus' real father? As I read the Scriptures in Matthew and meditated on Joseph's response and actions, I came to realize that Joseph was humbled and blessed. Although he was not Jesus' biological father, God had chosen him to participate in raising the Messiah. His name is alongside Mary's as set apart to a special calling in God's redemptive plan. Rather than feeling sorry for himself I suspect Joseph was awestruck and perhaps wondered if he was up to the task. And although Joseph and Mary went on to have other children, the birth of Jesus dramatically changed Joseph's life. In a similar manner, the birth of Barbara Kaye has dramatically changed my life. God has come to me and reassured me not to be afraid to draw near as a grandmother to this little girl. I have been chosen to be like a "Joseph" in her life. I am to share with her about that little baby who came into our world at Christmas and changed everything! Moreover, although as human beings we are not biologically related to Christ, believers in Him are called His children and God has adopted us into His family making us co-heirs with Christ. (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 3:6; Galatians 3:26-4:7) My prayer is, like Joseph, I will be faithful to the special calling God has given me. My prayer for you this Christmas is that you will draw near once again to the manger and see how the birth of this child not only can change your heart but can change your world!
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Sheree