A few months back I was surfing at a local spot when a pro surfer paddled out with his posse in tow and decided that they now owned the ocean.  They would sit in the prime position to catch all the waves and prevent anyone else from surfing.  The only way to surf was to drop-in on the wave one of them was already riding, which would be breaking the cardinal rule of the water.

Sitting close to me was a beginner, it was obvious by his blue foam board and lack of etiquette.  A wave was heading our way that he decided he was going to catch it, but the problem was that the biggest, scariest guy in the posse was already riding the wave.  His thick beard dripping with salt water and his leather sun-scorched skin made him someone to be feared.  As he approached the rookie dropping in on him, he lifted one of his legs and kicked the dude right in the face!  I understand not dropping in on someone, but it doesn’t deserve knocking their teeth out!

In this complete injustice, I did nothing.  I watched the guy paddle in ashamed and embarrassed…

The second weekend of Advent is about peace.  When I asked our students to describe peace they used words like, meadow, clouds, silence, gentle and calm.  But is this the peace that Jesus brought?  The pronouncement from the angel in Luke chapter 2 paints of picture of God breaking into a broken world and challenging the Roman government.  Where they promised Pax Romana for those at the top, the angel promised peace for those on whom God’s favor rests.  It was a subversive message that promised a peace that no government could ever fulfill.

Peace is not passive; it’s an action.  Ignoring injustice in our world, refusing to stand up for what is right, allowing friends to gossip, walking past a person being bullied in our schools is not creating the peace that Jesus left heaven for.  Peace is the willingness to surrender your own position for the betterment of the world.

Where do you see injustice happening in our world?  In your workplace?  In your school?  Are you passively or actively bringing peace to that place?  This Christmas, lets honor Jesus by partnering with him in the advancement his kingdom of peace on earth.

***Bearded man pictured above is not the person portrayed in this post.  I was too afraid to take a picture…

I love ordering items online so that checking the mail becomes something I look forward to every day.  What was once a menial task in my day becomes a source of hope and anticipation.  Anyone who has ever applied to a college and awaited an acceptance letter has felt the same.

Advent is a season of waiting for the church.  We join our ancestors as they endured 400 years of silence from God, hoping that someday soon their savior would come.  In the midst of oppression and pain, hope was all that Israel had.  Stories passed down for generation of long-since prophets seemed like distant echoes.  Would God ever fulfill his promise?

This Christmas, my prayer for our students is to hope.  Not for presents, or relief from school work, but for Jesus to enter our world.  We embrace the season of Christmas as a posture of waiting and refuse to be overwhelmed with the rush of consumerism that comes with December.

How are you feeling as Christmas approaches?  In your deepest desire, what are you hoping for?  Is your source of hope something worth waiting for?

Christmas morning is all about the reaction.  You know the feeling: someone opening a present that you wrapped for them, heart racing as you wait to see their response. My guess is that you are hoping for something like this…

One of the great joys of Christmas is seeing someone go nuts.  Especially when they start by screaming, than crying, than dry heaving.

This past weekend we talked about two different reactions to the arrival of Jesus.  I would assume that when God gave us this gift to the world, he was eagerly awaiting to see how he would be received.  The second chapter of Matthew shows the contrasting reactions of the Magi and King Herod.

The Magi travel for months searching for the prophesied king of the Jews.  They leave their homes following a star, unsure of the events to come.  Paranoid King Herod searches for the political threat born into his kingdom.  The only thing that surprised him was this king of the Jews was an innocent baby. And because of Herod’s reaction, Jesus was a homeless refugee with a price on his head before he could walk or talk.

The Magi’s reaction is worship and wonder, Herod’s is fear and slaughter.

No matter your Christmas morning tradition, let’s pay attention to our reaction.  How do you think God, our true Father,  hoped we would respond to his gift to us?

As awesome as I think I am, I cannot do this alone.  Volunteer leaders are the backbone of everything we do in Junior High ministry.

Last Friday night we had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas and show our volunteers how much we value them.  We catered food, played LudaChristmas White Elephant Mayhem, and gave each volunteer a Krochet Kids beanie.  If you are unfamiliar with Krochet Kids, you really should check them out.  In fact, our party made the front page of their website!

Valuing our volunteers must go well beyond good food and gifts though.  We are working hard at creating a community of volunteers who love being together, are serving together, and are honestly seeking God together. That is the community that will make the greatest impact on junior ministry.

So if you are a current volunteer, thank you.  If you are looking for a place to serve, find a junior high ministry!

Friday night was our annual Awkward Christmas Party. It brought out some of the finest ugly Christmas sweaters I have ever seen! Here are some photos…

To see and download your photos check out our website. This Friday we are celebrating with our volunteers, can’t wait to show them how much they are appreciated!

The TV show Modern Family makes me happy. I love good comedy and quick wit, but I wouldn’t consider it a true source of joy in my life. Happiness and joy are not the same thing. Happiness is usually the result of a gift or an experience that eventually fades away. Joy is constant, it is found in the presence of God in my life.

This weekend in junior high we are talking about how the Good New of Great Joy entered our world in the midst of so much pain. 400 years of silence, God’s chosen people lost and confused, oppression by the Romans…where is God? Nazareth accusing Mary of adultery, the embarrassment of Joseph, the pain of being different…where is God? Bullying from peers, divorced parents at home, academic pressure from school…where is God?

Joy is born into turmoil and among the broken.

The gospel is known best in the midst of pain, abandonment, chaos, silence, and fear. Christmas is not the beginning of our story, but the major turning point when God provided a savior from the line of Abraham for the broken of our world.

In our loneliness there is a poor traveler from Nazareth, a rejected preacher with a heart for the meek, a man who demands our life.

I tend to expect God to interrupt my life with thundering noises and flashes of brilliant light, but what we learn in Christmas is that joy is found in the smile of a baby, the innocence of new life, the savior of the world.

Friday, December 10th, 2010
7-9pm
in the Student Center
6th-8th Grade only
$10 at the door
Wear an ugly Christmas sweater and bring some canned food for our food drive!!!

Christmas Cookies, Ugly Sweater Contest, Tons of Fun!

Questions? Contact Diane dgould@marinerschurch.org 949.769.8366