Angela's Advent Devotion for the Season

Angela's Advent Devotion: 

Zephaniah 3:14-15

“Sing…..shout aloud! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart!” 

 

To be honest, when I opened my email with my assigned Advent scripture, I was like who is Zephaniah?! But then I started to read. And I found out that he wrote his book about a pretty tough time in his country of Judah. There was a sense that the nation’s future hung in the balance and Zephaniah’s words could help. 

 

Okay, I can relate. I suspect we can all relate. We’ve gone through a pretty tough time lately here in our nation as well. The last presidency, the pandemic, now the pandemic part two…it’s unrelenting. And sometimes, I have a hard time seeing a way out of this tough time. 

 

And so when I started reading Zephaniah, I realized him and all of Judah were going through some things. It seemed the Lord was angry and wasn’t holding back. But… (there’s always a but in the Bible) if they trusted God, they would be alright. In fact, He reminded them that He would be with them always. And raise them up.

 

It’s that “but” that keeps me going. And I suspect so many others as well. It’s been a terrible year (yes, I’m talking about 2021) but…there were so many happy moments. Work has been harder this month than ever before but…I love the kids I get to see at drop off every morning. I miss eating out in restaurants or brunching with friends but…I’ve perfected homemade pizza and we have more frequent intentional catch-ups now. The list goes on and on. 

 

God (and my new friend Zephaniah) remind us to shout aloud, to be glad, to have a happy heart even when things are hard or were really hard not that long ago. And while it’s difficult at times, I try to remind myself of that whenever I’m down. While this may not be a season with as many gatherings as usual, I am safe and I am keeping others
safe and God is taking care of us all. That’s surely something to shout about! 

 

Prayer – 

God, you’ve turned back our enemy, figuratively and literally, time and time again, and I rejoice over that today and always. Thank you, for getting us through the tough times, and for reminding us there are always reasons to rejoice, at Christmastime and all the time. Amen. 

My Advent Devotion for the Season

Luke 3: 1-6

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low…”

 

Christmas has always been my favorite season. My heart brightens at the sight of the first Christmas lights spotted on a dark drive. My voice belts out every and any Christmas song I hear. I get way too much joy from wrapping packages and laying them beneath the tree. And yet…this season has felt different. 

 

Last year we had to make the best of things. We sacrificed being with family and friends for the greater good. We celebrated in our homes, alone or with our housemates, watching gifts be opened on Zoom, singing the Christmas Eve carols with a virtual congregation. So this year, when I booked our tickets to fly home, across the country, for Christmas, I thought my heart might sing. I thought my cup of joy would overflow. But it hasn’t…yet. 

 

Last year was hard. We lost so many, so much. And I thought this year would be different. And it is. But it is its own kind of hard too. We wonder what is next. We wonder if we’re doing the right thing. But isn’t that every year? Should we spend the money? Should we change jobs? Should we trust that it will all be OK? 

 

John the Baptist reminds us in this passage to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming, which is what Advent is all about. He reminds us to be content, to share, to prepare. Sounds simple enough. But then why am I not as joyous as I want to be? Why do I feel a sense of fear and dread? 

 

Because even though there are scary things out there, and genuine things to worry about, I have lost sight of what this season is really about. It’s not about the travel or the gifts or the songs. It’s about preparing the way for the Lord’s arrival. It’s about preparing for that baby who has come to save us all. And isn’t that glorious? The rough ways will be made smooth by Him…and all of that work happens right here within me. An important reminder as the season takes hold. 

 

Prayer – 

Lord, thank you for this season. For this reminder. For your gifts, big and small. A tiny baby, a unique snowflake, a friend’s laugh, a soft hug, a nudge to make the right choice. Thank you for, literally, everything. 

One Year Ago, One Year From Now

One year ago today we were sitting in our rental house on Abbey Place in Los Angeles, a heat wave melting us. We were working and trying to make it through another day of life in the Safer At Home world. It was Day 90 of The Distancing. At some point in the late morning Angela called me into her office (AKA her bedroom) where she was laid out on her bed, working, listening to a Zoom PD about something or other. 

Brent & Angela one year ago tomorrow

I found this house, she said. On Redfin. I didn't even know what Redfin was at that point. She sent me the link and we looked at it. We dreamed. She had made a list a few days earlier of everything she'd wanted in a house and it seemed to have all of that. And some. And so...she called our friend Brent, who became our real estate broker Brent and the next day (one year ago tomorrow) we would visit Club Cleon for the very first time. We'd fall in love instantly. We'd know this was where we were meant to be. And we'd put in an offer that very evening. 

One year ago.

I keep thinking, as The Distancing becomes much more of a memory, of all that life entailed a year ago. I listen to podcasts recorded last year and I giggle at the reminder that we quarantined our groceries for days on end. That we wore gloves whenever we went outside. That we weren't as big on the masks back then. (Well, we were by June.) I smile at the memories but I also remember the real fear. And I remind myself it's not over yet. We just have better masks now. 

The 400 days we spent physically distanced from most of the world was hard. It was devastating. It was, at times, simply too much to comprehend. We lost friends and family members we still haven't properly mourned. We lost time together which we'll mourn forever. We lost momentum and energy and fight. 

And in some ways we gained all of that too. We gained more time with family and friends then might have happened in another timeline. We reconnected with people via Zoom and FaceTime in ways that kept us up to date daily, weekly, monthly in ways we'd never been done before. Game nights became once a month instead of once a year events. Coffee with college friends became regular dates. Yes, Christmas wasn't as magical as it usually is for me but I adjusted. I rolled with it. We all did. 

Angela and I never would have contemplated moving much less buying a house if it weren't for that time. We likely wouldn't have started our Instagram cooking show that brought us so much joy and hopefully a little joy to some others. I'm not sure Angela would have ever perfected her homemade pizza dough recipe, a staple we now love and serve to family! I never would have taken the month of November to write a novel. 

I certainly wouldn't have taken the time out to begin meditating once a week, on a schedule, had I been in production on my film instead of locked inside. The film will still happen, one day, but I also know the meditation will continue. I still remember how it felt that first Wednesday night when we sat down to worship and the meditation was so new, and so welcome. 

One year ago Club Cleon was but a dream. A dream we barely dared dreaming. We sat and looked at those photos on that website and wondered what if. And then we bought Bob the tomato a bigger house and thought, no, this can't possibly happen. 

And yet it did. 

As we move back toward one another, toward the way things used to be, I have to think that The Distancing gave as much as it took. I have to have faith that we'll come out the other side of this OK. Not great, not happy, not even better. Just OK. I have to have that faith so that I can continue on. So I can keep venturing out, in my dreams, and in my physical space. 

One year ago. 

What will one year from now become? 

Guest Blog - Angela's Lenten Devotion

Angela's lenten devotion written for Hollywood United Methodist Church: 

Psalm 51: 1-2 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 

One of my jobs as an educator is to teach students that it’s ok to make mistakes. We often discuss that once a mistake is made, the best thing that the student can do is to adjust their behavior moving forward. If I am being honest, it usually doesn’t take the first time, especially in middle school. Sometimes I have that conversation many, many times with the same student. And that’s ok, because the students know that I am going to listen and give them space to make better choices. Middle school is just the beginning of learning how to make mistakes and how to move forward from them.  

As adults, we can be hard on ourselves when we make mistakes and it can effect everything from our health to our relationships. By taking our mistakes to God, we can ask forgiveness and begin the healing that needs to happen. The prayer that David prays in Psalm 51 is the perfect prayer for us to keep on hand and incorporate into our daily prayer and talks with God. 

Lenten promises

My lenten devotion written for Hollywood United Methodist Church: 

Psalm 25:6-10 (The Message)

“Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;
Rebuild the ancient landmarks!

Forget that I sowed wild oats;
Mark me with your sign of love.
Plan only the best for me, God!

God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.

He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.

From now on every road you travel

Will take you to God.
Follow the Covenant signs;
Read the charted directions.”

 

As I sat reading this passage in my Student Bible (hey, pink neon cover from high school!) and in The Message Bible, I focused in on the part that asks God to plan only what is best for me. Jeremiah 29:10 is my go-to memorization verse, where God says He has plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future.  And this psalm fits nicely with that reminder from Jeremiah. I ask Him for help and God says, “I got you, girl.” 

 

And as I sat there reading and praying, I thought about how I haven’t felt that God’s had my back much in this past year. I have felt alone (I am not), I have felt afraid for my physical safety (I have not been in harm’s way), I have felt anxious, I have felt scared, I have felt abandoned by the people in charge (we all were), I have felt angry (join the club, right??). And I have had a hard time focusing on what I should be focusing on, what God has laid out for me. And none of those feelings have anything to do with God changing, they’ve all been because of me changing. 

 

He promises me I will never be alone. He promises me I will be alright with him. And yet…I stray. I spend time reading the news and being angry and trying to make a difference and all of that is OK. I know that. But more than that, I need to follow His signs, listen to His directions, take His hand. 

 

I wake up most mornings thinking about what I cannot control. I cannot get the vaccine into my parents’ arms or others’ arms. I cannot will my sister and her students back into their physical classrooms. I cannot wave my arms and vanquish this virus. I cannot snap my fingers and erase the hatred in people’s hearts. So, I roll over and I pick up my daily devotional. I used to read it at night and sometimes I’d be too tired or too into Twitter and I’d forget about it. But now I read it each and every morning. There’s no excuse I can use. I roll over and I pick up the book and I spend just a few moments with God. I think about how everything is SO HARD right now. And then I think about how fortunate I am – because I know that God will send me in the right direction. He will listen to my thoughts and prayers and He will lead me, step-by-step. He is right there with me. He wants everything I want. He loves everyone I love. And that helps. 

 

It doesn’t completely take away the fear or the anxiety or the anger. Sometimes we need other tools to deal with those parts of our lives. I know that too. But knowing He’s charted the directions is a good tool to have as part of my arsenal. He’s there with me. He’s here with me. He’s here with each and every one of us. And we need Him now more than ever. Him and His reminders. 

 

Dear Lord – Thank you for rebuilding the ancient landmarks, including my soul. Thank you for marking me with your love. Even when the markings are faint, I know deep down they are there. Continue to guide me, Lord, even when I stray, especially when I stray. Amen.