Author: Allan (Page 54 of 486)
This Sunday, December 3, marks the beginning of the four week Advent season, the time of year when Christians prepare for the coming of our Lord. Starting this Sunday, the Church remembers the coming of the Messiah in a flesh-and-blood human, born in a manger in Bethlehem. And, at the same time, we wait for his second coming, his second appearing, when Christ truly reigns over all creation and the Kingdom of God has come in all its eternal glory.
Each Tuesday during Advent, I’ll post here the liturgy we’re using at the GCR Church that coming Sunday. Please feel free to use these readings and passages during your own time in Word and Prayer during this season or at your own church as you light the candles that symbolize our waiting and watching and working for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This first liturgy is for the lighting of the candle that represents “Hope.”
When God’s people were in the days of exile and uncertainty, his chosen prophet cried out from Isaiah 64:
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
~ Isaiah 64:1-4
In the middle of our own encounters with uncertainty and upheaval, and our own longing for deliverance, our Lord Jesus calls to us from Mark 13:
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come… Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'”
~Mark 13:32-37
Congregation: We wait as people surprised again and again by our God who shakes us out of our complacency and wakes us up to the gracious work of his Kingdom all around us.
We light this candle as a sign of our all-surpassing hope. May we stay awake to God’s activity in the world as we wait in expectation that even now God is with us, working to restore us to fullness of life with him and with one another.
Amen.
This past Sunday, I preached a sermon about parenting. Lots of points, some theological reflection, and some practical advice. It was a lot. I probably could / should have turned it into a three or four part series. My prayer is that the main point didn’t get lost: the word of grace. Especially for those with rebellious kids, parents whose children didn’t turn out the way they planned or prayed. I feel compelled to repeat that word of grace here, just in case it got lost in everything else I was trying to say.
You’re not just dealing with a prodigal child. God is dealing with a prodigal universe. Sin and rebellion against God is universal. It’s in the entire stream of the human race. Raising children is not the same as raising cattle or programming code into a computer. It’s not always cause and effect like that. It’s not always that black and white or a matter of direct input / output. People rebel against what they’ve been taught. Humans turn their backs on God and the people who love them. We can’t always know how or why things go foul.
Here’s what we DO know. Our God is the perfect Father and he knows how you feel. He, too, agonizes over his rebellious children who are not in a great place. He’s not distant from that. He suffers and dies on a cross for us. And with us. Our kids belong to the Lord, not to us. How much more…?
And we know THIS. God’s Holy Spirit can convict anyone of sin and bring anyone to a saving faith in Christ. Even after years and decades of running, the Spirit blows where he wills and we can’t track him or control him. We can only watch the leaves flutter as he goes by.
Parenting is like the cross: unconditional love, sacrificial service, and impossible pain. And unsurpassed glory. We bless our children by parenting by the cross. We don’t weigh them down with expectations we could never bear ourselves. We keep our promises as best we can. We forgive them and forgive ourselves. And we recognize that we all have a future and a hope, one that is wrapped up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Our plans may evaporate, our dreams may get crushed. Maybe you’re not as consistent with the discipline or as committed to the priorities. You’re too harsh sometimes and too lenient the other times. But our God’s love and grace for his people never ever stops. His mercies never cease and his promises never fail.
Peace,
Allan
One year ago this week, Carrie-Anne and I met with our doctors at M.D. Anderson in Houston for the first time after her breast cancer diagnosis. Now, after 12 months, 16 chemotherapy treatments at the Allison Center here in Midland, eight trips to H-Town, and three surgeries, we’re done. It is finished. Over. Yesterday’s last reconstructive surgery went well and we couldn’t be more thankful. Thankful to God, thankful for our friends and family, thankful for healing and peace, thankful for the good people our Lord has placed in front of us every step of the way.
When we got to Houston Sunday afternoon, we did what we always do: drove immediately to Pappasito’s for dinner. Actually, we go to Pappasito’s if we’re anywhere near one and we’ve been to the one across from NRG Stadium eight times. The Texans had just completed their crazy win over the Cardinals and the place was packed with Texans fans in their Texans gear. It was fun to be in the middle of their celebration, talking about C.J. Stroud, congratulating them on their three-game winning streak. They were so giddy, nobody noticed C-A was wearing her Texas Rangers American League Championship t-shirt.
Well, one person noticed. The lady sitting at the table right behind us was wearing an Astros West Division Championship shirt that featured Alex Bregman’s quote about never knowing what would happen if Houston didn’t win the division. Obviously, these shirts were made and sold before the Rangers beat the Astros in the ALCS and seem a little silly to be wearing now in the aftermath of the Rangers World Series title. A friendly conversation was initiated between Carrie-Anne and this nice, but misguided woman, and a picture was taken to commemorate the exchange.
The surgery was yesterday morning and, again, it went perfectly. The doctors and nurses are over-the-top wonderful in every way and our experience was about as good as it could be. Carrie-Anne is super sore today — don’t make her laugh yet — and it’s going to take at least the rest of the week for her to walk straight up without pain. But this is one determined chick. Through this whole ordeal, not one part of It has gotten her down. She’s amazing, this woman. Her motto has become, “Whaddaya gonna do?” But she does it — all of it — with grace and grit, with incredible faith and strength. She’s beautiful in a million ways and more inspiring and magnificent every day.
Coincidentally, my sister Sharon and our brother-in-law Brent were at M.D. Anderson this morning for one of his lymphoma treatments, so we spent an hour or so with them today in the Mays building, four floors up from where C-A had her surgery 24 hours earlier. Brent has responded miraculously to his treatments — the doctors are telling him that the lymphoma is gone. And we praise God for that, too. Our Father is blessing us beyond anything we deserve and we are all so thankful.
It’s good to be home. It’s good that we get to sleep in a bit tomorrow. And it’s good that, by God’s grace, we’re on the other side of this thing.
Peace,
Allan
There are many, many more Astros fans than Rangers fans in Midland, Texas. And it feels like most of them are members of our church. Some of the louder and more obnoxious among them belong to the Travis McGraw clan. All of them.
So when Travis and his two boys wanted to bet a lunch at Cancun Grill on the results of the American League Championship Series, they found three eager takers in Stephen Lowery, Alan McGraw (Travis’ nephew), and me.
Yesterday was payday and it was delicious on every level. We wore our Rangers World Series gear and crowed for two solid hours over enchiladas and tacos and those awesome jalapenos grilled in soy sauce. The losers proved to be good sports about the whole thing — Travis even wore an old Rangers pullover he had saved from a Missions Resource Network fundraiser from nearly a decade ago. At one point, though, Travis did complain, “It’s like you guys have never won a World Series before.”
Today, I figured it was time to replace my Texas Rangers license plate frame. I don’t know exactly how old this one is, but it’s so sun-faded and worn out, it’s completely un-readable.
I’ve wanted to replace it for several years now, but, you know, I never think about it at the right time and it’s never been a huge priority. Now, the Rangers license plate holders are bright and glittery and they proclaim that Texas won the World Series. So, yeah. Done.
I think it increases the Blue Book value on my truck.
Peace,
Allan
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