Chris Yaw

Was it the first time you held a baby?

Was it getting that dream job?

Was it getting that all clear from the doctor?

Your moment of elation, unbridled and unadulterated joy - and what did you do?

When that moment, that feeling, that fulfillment came to the pregnant mother Mary in the Bible, she let loose with a song that remains with us 2,000 years later.

It's called Mary's Magnificat, Latin for magnify.

It's because that's what we want to do on those rare moments, those lifetime milestones, when we've won, we've hit it, we've scored.

The Magnificat is a calculated response, an intentional expression that invites participation.

What's your magnificat?

How would you articulate that joy, that wondrous elation, as a way to remember God's Good gifts, form us into a more thankful people, and testify to the world of God's goodness?

I'm curious - and would love to hear your Magnificat!

John, the Baptist would have a field day today!

John was the guy who called everybody out to the river to repent, enraged at an unjust system in which everyone was culpable

We can hear him today, screaming over the fact that 80% of American wealth is controlled by 1% of the people, 43% of Americans can't afford an unexpected $400 bill. Affordable medical care is perilously out of reach for too many people, who are literally dying in the clutches of a broken system.

And did you notice that John's outrage exonerates no one?

If you have two coats, give one away, two shirts? Give one away!

Want to change the system? Change yourself!

Don't be satisfied with a status quo that just assumes poverty and suffering for no small amount of people!

But work on yourself, It works on the system, because what we've got, clearly isn't working.

John's call to action inspires us to be alert to our surroundings, especially the suffering of others, and to do something, no matter how small to alleviate it. In this season of quiet preparation and soul searching, may John's message speak to us anew and inspire us to follow his example.

The most important job in any house painting project is to prepare the surface.

There's often sanding, scrubbing, filling in, and scraping off.

Because if you don't do this right, the paint won't stick.

This Sunday we'll meet John, the Baptist, and a quote from the prophet Isaiah about valleys being filled in and mountains being made low.

John's job, of course, is to prepare the surface, the canvas, the landscape for the message of Jesus, so that it will stick.

John is concerned with setting the stage, making it most conducive for people to absorb the message of Jesus.

And this begs the question from you and me, what are the conditions, what's the canvas and landscape of our lives, and how are we making it conducive to absorbing the message of Jesus?

In other words, what do we need to do to prepare ourselves so that the message sticks?

What needs to be sanded, scraped, scrubbed , or filled in?

The temptation is to get so caught up in our holiday shopping, cooking, cleaning, in preparation, that we lose the opportunity to use the holiday like we could:

As a chance to draw closer to Jesus, listening for his voice, using free time for devotion, self-reflection, and service to others.

What do we need to do to make the paint stick?

Welcome to the end of the Church year!

This Sunday we mark the last Sunday of the Season After Pentecost before charging heading into Advent.

And each year at this time we are assigned readings that remind us of the end of the ages.

In fact, time after time the Bible talks about the end of the world - why? Because you and I do well to remember three things:

First, remember, your time on earth is limited! We only have a brief window to make mark, gladden, encourage, inspire, and repair! Be strategic on how you choose to spend your valuable and limited time!

Second, there will be a judgment, so what we do here matters! Put people before stuff. Values before valuables.

Don't spend all your days in mindless entertainments, but mindful projects. Embrace your gifts and purpose knowing the ends rarely justify the means.

Third, the end of your days will consummate in paradise. Live today like you're going to heaven tomorrow.

Shed anxiety. Manifest joy. Embrace laughter. Your end, like your beginning, good Christian, is in God!

We all have a sell-by date!

So walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave himself as an offering and sacrifice to God.

When God made you in God's image, was it because God has a beautiful smile and dreamy eyes like you?

Consider that you're made in God's image because when you do good, you feel good.

And when you do bad, you feel bad.

Guilt, shame, regret - they all have their places in our hearts when we hurt, harm, and offend.

Joy, laughter, and contentment also have places in us, and are often rewards for doing the good and right thing.

Scientifically, sure it's evolution,

Theologically, it's God, it's God, it's love, in you.

Our most profound reflection of God is when we love God, ourselves, and one another

This is Christianity 101:

You were created in love, you do your best work out of love, and you will return to love.

Why are you a lover?

Because God is a lover - in whose image you were created.

Christians don't do good things to get to heaven, we do good things to say thanks to a loving God for giving us heaven.

See you Sunday.

Hello fellow blind people!

Isn't that what life is all about, realizing there are things we are not seeing?

And opening our eyes to the realities around us, about who we are, who God is, who our neighbors are and what our responsibilities might be?

Did you ever notice that Jesus healed at least six people of blindness throughout the four gospels, making it one of the most common occasions of healing he performed?

He did it for them, and for us!

He knew that healing the world begins with opening our eyes! It's realizing that the goodness that's in your heart, your generosity, your kindness, your love!

And once we can see how truly irreplaceable and invaluable, we are, to have our eyes open to the suffering and vulnerable around us!

God is still trying to heal our blindness, what is it we need to see? And what Do we need to do about it?

One day Jesus was relaxing at the hookah lounge when his best friends, James and John, went hunting for a promotion.

Having traded their fishing nets for clerical collars, they had grown fond of their new life as preachers, after all, you only work once a week, and the lucky ones get private jets and designer sneakers.

"We want to be your new vice presidents!", declared the two, "The boys from McKinsey forecast incredible growth for this Christianity thing, and we've had plenty of experience running a fishing conglomerate, you could really use us!"

"Not so fast," said Jesus, putting down his hookah pipe, "I don't think you guys really get this!"

"To grow this baby, you have to be like a pelican, who will peck itself in the chest to feed its own blood to its babies!"

James and John exchanged awkward glances, at the gross analogy.

But they knew the Mckinsey data was dope!

So they said, "Ya, we're down with that!"

"Great!," said Jesus, "Take another hit from this pipe, you're going to need it!"

Because they had a lot of learning to do. Successful organizations are not built around selfish people. You need to put the team, the vision, the dream, at the center.

Brothers and sisters, help others, co-workers, bosses, yes, the organization. Put the goal and vision first. Work hard to see those around you excell. And then don't be surprised to see it come back to you in some impressive ways.

Why do Christians bless marriages?

Why does God care if you marry somebody or not?

It boils down to human happiness, and the scientific conclusion that the happiest moments of our lives involve relationships.

Research says, and our own experience concludes, that there's nothing that brings us more joy than the friendship, nurture, and love we find in and with other people.

And when we find our person: we find the more we invest in them, the more our happiness grows.

At one point Jesus quoted the Book of Genesis and this idea of two becoming one flesh, which suggests an Apex of Union and an apex of happiness!

This is why divorce, for most people, is so devastating!

In the beginning, for most, there were high hopes, big dreams, that just didn't work out.

It's why the brokenness that many divorced people have, or continue to feel can be so traumatic,

And this is why Jesus, and Christians, have always urged caution before breaking up.

Jesus said I came to bring you life and life more abundantly, Christians bless marriages because God wants to make us happy, as the psalmist says, God rejoices in the joy of God's children.

God is invested in our deepest relationships, let's invest in them as well!

So Jesus is walking from one town to another and for some reason the disciples are behind him and not walking with him. Maybe they're planning his surprise birthday party, in hopes someone will soon invent Christmas.

Anyway, they get to the town and Jesus knows what they were talking about, of course because he's Jesus, and he calls them out, saying, "Why are you obsessed with personal ambition and achievement, that's not what this is about!"

John mutters under his breath, "You mean I don't get to run a church church the size of a football stadium, ride in private jets, and roll around in all that tax-free cash?"

Peter elbows him in the ribs, just as Jesus asks a bunch of little kids to come over and sit there with them,

How convenient! We don't know if they're card carrying, free range children, Junior members of a street gang, or divinely placed there to be Jesus's perfect object lesson!

Which is when Jesus says, "Look at these Little people, they're totally dependent on others, for food, toilet paper, and Legos - It's this kind of dependence that you need if you're going to follow me!"

Still perplexed, John says, "What, no parsonage, clothing expense account, or parking spot with my name on it?"

Once again, he gets the elbow from Peter, which actually could be for you and me too, because how much time do we waste obsessing about our own personal gain, and forgetting that our own happiness is directly related to how much we care about others?

Yes, the disciples will get this one day, and hopefully you and me too!

It's interesting that what got Jesus killed was not violent actions, but challenging words!

When the Book of James invites us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry, it reminds us of the importance of our words!

This Sunday we will hear James talk about the incredible power of our speech, how we use it to lift up, or to bring down!

How will you use your words today? You have the power to be encouraging, uplifting, life-giving, and of course to do the opposite!

How can you keep words of gossip, criticism, and judgment to yourself, and be quick to commend, congratulate, and encourage those around you?

Your job is to do three things today, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger! This is the foundation of wisdom, dignity, and peace! Our words are more valuable, more powerful, than we suspect.

Choose those words wisely, and let them shine with the glory of God!

See you Sunday.

A man was moved by awe and wonder at the first sight of a bonsai tree.

He immediately bought one and enrolled in a class to learn to care for it.

"Watch out for how much sun, water, and fertilizer it gets! Be on the lookout for insects. Regularly monitor the PH of the soil!"

Within a few months his awe and wonder had turned to ritual duty, as he poured over checklists and almanacs - slowly losing sight of the majesty before him, as he let himself became consumed by the task of caring for it.

This Sunday we hear Jesus confront a group of religious people who had done just that!

The awe and wonder of God had been displaced by ritual and service - as their work for God overshadowed their relationship with God...

So much so, that when God showed up right in front of them, they could not recognize it!

The heart of our faith is relationship!

How are we making our time with God more important than our work for God?

See you Sunday.

I had lunch this week with a man whose daughter was killed in a mass shooting.

Such a faithful, conscientious, determined soul, one rarely meets!

I held back tears as he described the tragic incident, what he did on that day, and what he was doing now.

Amidst the questions and the mystery behind why this terrible event struck such a wonderful family, his great obsession was with the most important question we can all ask in the face of any problem, setback, or tragedy:

What good can come out of this?

Instead of getting bogged down with that looming question that has no answer: why? my friend has made the decision to be utterly consumed with the question of what?

What good can come out of this?

This Sunday we'll hear the horrid story of the Martyrdom of John the Baptist at the whimsy of the brutal King Herod, after a belly dance depicted in the artwork above.

What were John's friends and followers to do in the face of such senseless tragedy?

I think my friend understands.

He knows how needful it is to concern ourselves with productive acts of love, and not gloomy, thoughts of regret.

What good can come out of this?

That has been my friend's choice and it's a good one

How do we need to do the same thing?

Chris Yaw

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Hello Blind People!

Jesus at the Hookah Lounge

Why do Christians bless marriages?

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