Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Souderton, PA 18964 (215)-723-7514
Meditation for December, 2008
Philippians
1:6 (Today's New International Version)
6 being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
So many new things going on in my life right
now. We are entering the
Christmas Season (For those who follow the normal calendar) or the
Advent Season (For those who follow the Church year calendar).
As I write this, I am sitting here with a very
full and contented feeling that can only come from the morning after
a great Thanksgiving meal prepared for Donna and I by her sister and
husband. It was a
fabulous time as it always
is.
Corey just wrote and said our new website is up
and sputtering to life as you already know.
Donna and I are plotting our way through the Christmas gift
waters (ok, let’s be honest, she is, and she is also responsible for
taking “Mr. Grumpy” along who isn’t into it quite as much as she
is). I’m taking up a bit
of a new hobby in sketching and we’ll see how that goes.
My perfectionist tendencies may submarine that early but I’ve
always wanted to dabble in artistry.
My bride bought me the rudiments for sketching as a birthday
present last week so now, off I go drawing barns with my nephew and
who knows what else.
I got to thinking about something that happened
at my little grandson’s house the other day when I was up at his
house for my birthday.
Over slices of Pizza, Elijah, our 4 year old grandson, invited me to
play his Wii game with him.
He fired up the Monster Trucks game and handed the steering
wheel controller to me.
Other than the obvious shape of the wheel, I was lost as to how to
handle the controller.
“Just push THIS button” came his reply as I looked for an obvious
“gas pedal” type button.
Didn’t look like a gas pedal to me.
Then came the flipping thing I had to do to get turbo boost
which I had trouble coordinating.
He didn’t share my dexterity challenges.
Finally, after driving into crowds and barriers
and flaming barrels, he suggested we play something else.
God bless that little boy’s patience.
I had no idea how to switch games but he showed me the
“house” button and all was well.
We went on to discover I have the athletic ability of a 72
year old at tennis and baseball.
Through all this, it dawned on me, not for the
first time, that there comes a point in most peoples lives whereby
technology leaves them behind.
For my dad, cassettes where as far as music went.
For me, it’s IPODS.
I have no real idea how they can cram so much music in one of
those things.
Last night, the final realization came as I
watched my niece Abbey handle 4 instant message sessions while
working with Facebook and My Space.
I couldn’t keep it all straight.
When things slowed up, she was texting on her cell phone.
Whoooooo It was
like looking at a stockbroker in the middle of an economic meltdown.
I’m a year older now.
I realize technology has left me behind.
I can’t keep up.
Give me a CD, a quiet corner and my God.
Let me listen to some music and think about what it means to
have something good started and carried through to completion by
God. Not by me but by
God, himself.
If it was up to me, it would look like a poorly
drawn barn. If it were
up to me it would be a frazzled stockbroker’s style of
communication. If it
were up to me, I’d never find the “house” button to push.
God gave me just what I need to get by.
Imperfect as it is, it will be completed on the Day of Jesus
Christ. He will make
sure that what is begun will be perfectly completed.
It’s December, the end of some things and the
start of some things.
Let’s keep in mind God will always take care of seeing it all
through until the Day of Christ Jesus.
All we have to do is try to keep up with the wonder of His
mercy.
Ok, Elijah…
How do I swing this thing again to hit the golf ball out of
that tree? Whooooo…
Left behind again…
God bless you all on this Advent season and on
the celebration of the birth of our Savior…
Frank