Music has power to communicate, to inspire, to change.

I love this true story… “The Women’s League” wanted to announce a new project for the church. The President announced the project on a Sunday morning to the congregation. After a brief description, she asked all of the ladies of the league to "march up to the front of the sanctuary" ~ a group was mostly 55 year olds plus…The pianist for the church took it upon himself to give the ladies a marching tune to encourage them as they came down the aisle. He started playing the children’s chorus, ’The Lord’s Army,’ In his mind he was singing the words, ’I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery...’ Unfortunately, everyone else was hearing the words of the original tune, ’The old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be...’" The pianist said "When the surprised Women’s League President asked why I was playing that tune, I got so flustered, I couldn’t answer, so I just left through the side door."

What’s the prayer of your heart?  The prayer you don’t even dare speak aloud because you don’t think God will really answer it.  The prayer that is too big? 

I like God’s three answers to your prayers: 1. Yes.  2. Not Yet.  3.  I have something better in mind.  We serve and worship a God in which nothing is impossible ~ Amen.  I sometimes think the only answer to prayer is number three: “I have something better in mind.”  God always hears our prayers in the context of our limited knowledge, limited vision, and he creates something better.  We may become discouraged, we may not understand, maybe we don’t recognize the answered prayer ~ there is an old family story from my grandfather that officiated at a wedding many decades ago, instead of giving him an honorarium as was the custom to say thank you, the couple gave my grandfather a pair of white gloves.  He accepted them, stuck the gloves in his seldom worn coat pocket, and forgot about them.  Sometime later when he wore the coat again he rediscovered the white gloves.  As he pulled out the gloves and examined them, he discovered a $5.00 bill in each finger, a huge sum in those days.  Sometimes we don’t recognize the blessings of answered prayer.  

It’s Christmas time.  “It’s the hap, happiest time of the year.”  For many people no it’s not.  They are reminded of that something missing in their life, loneliness is exaggerated, discouragement, disappointments.  What is supposed to be the most joyful season is a difficult season. 

Zechariah and Elizabeth are the main characters used by God in this year’s Christmas messages.  They are faithful servants of God, living in Israel, he is a priest.  Something is missing ~ they are getting older and have no children.  Zechariah prays to the Lord.  Even though Zechariah appears to pray without the full conviction of believing God will answer the prayer, he still prays for the Lord to do something.  Zechariah expects great things from God.  We can do no better than to expect great things…

I am choosing today to be optimistic… perhaps in today’s vulnerable world there is no greater gift than that of hope… the promise of peace.  I choose to be optimistic that in the end it will all work out… but this is no wishful thinking, my optimism is based on the character and power of God!  If not optimism, what’s the alternative?  I’m not sure I like where pessimism gets you… Here are two people’s opposite reactions…

A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other was their looks. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought it was too cold. If one said the TV was too loud, the other claimed the volume needed to be turned up. Opposite in every way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom and gloom pessimist. To see what would happen, on the twins' birthday, their father loaded the pessimist's room with every imaginable toy and game. The optimist's room he loaded with horse manure. That night the father passed by the pessimist's room and found him sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly.
       "Why are you crying?" the father asked. "Because my friends will be jealous, I'll have to read all these instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I'll constantly need batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken." answered the pessimist.
        Passing the optimist twin's room, the father found him dancing for joy in the pile of manure. "What are you so happy about?" he asked.  To which his optimist twin replied, "There's got to be a pony in here somewhere!"  
          The optimistic person looks for the pony! 

Expect divine interruptions… God sometimes needs to get your attention.  I have permission to tell this story:  last Monday during the day Betty Boon was here in the church helping to get ready for the Mug Exchange.  As she left the building out the kitchen, she doesn’t know how it happened, but she fell on her way down and broke her arm.  The good news is that the break is not bad and she is already moving it to keep it mobile.  This is in interruption in her life.  The Boon Christmas party, helping her daughter sort through life situations, her grandkids depend on her, she was looking forward to play the piano here on the 23rd and Christmas Eve…is there ever a good time to break your arm?  I keep asking Betty, is there a message in this from God?  God needs to get our attention sometimes.

Zechariah won the lottery.  Zechariah was chosen by lot to “enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the presence of the Lord.” Many priests may never get such an honor.  Zechariah was an ordinary priest, one of a thousand serving twice a year for a week at a time because there were so many priests.  They drew lots to see which one would enter the temple and burn incense.  We are already told Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth honored God and obeyed God, but something was missing, they had no children (Luke 1:7).  Perhaps, Zechariah might think, the honor of being chosen for this sacred once in a life time act of service for God was making up for some of the emptiness in his life.  A great crowd was there (Luke 1:10).  This is Zechariah’s moment, a time of great honor and amazement.  

Something’s missing! Recently, a distraught wife went to the local police station, along with her next-door neighbor, to report that her husband was missing. The policeman asked for a description of the missing man. The wife said, "He is 35 years old, 6-foot 4-inches, has dark eyes, dark wavy hair, an athletic build, weighs 185 pounds, is soft-spoken, and is good to the children." The next-door neighbor protested, "Your husband is 5-foot 8-inches, chubby, bald, has a big mouth, and is mean to your children."  The wife replied, "Yes, but who wants HIM back?"

Ever feel like you could list a whole lot of good things in your life… a lot of blessings… but, there is that one thing that is not quite right, that one situation.  Something is missing.  Listen to this young woman’s confusion of mind… I have absolutely no idea what to do with my life. I'm turning 20 soon and in my third year in Junior College and still don't know if I want to transfer to a 4-year, or what career path, or … even just become some gold-digging bimbo. Lol. I can't seem to make any decisions. None. I'm not extraordinary in anything, so I don't know where it is I would be needed and where I would always want to be. I can't find that thing to go for. That big goal. Some purpose to be motivated for. It's like standing in a 200-way intersection and not knowing witch way I'm supposed to go..So I just stand there.. (anonymous, internet)