My Lord Katie

On Saturday December 20, we honor the festival for Katarina Von Bora, who became Mrs. Martin Luther. She waws born to an impoverished nobleman and was 5 when her mother died. She was sent to live in a convent and took vows as a nun, but later escaped the convent in a herring barrel at age 24 so that she could go join the reformer Martin Luther. With Luther, she had 6 children and cared for other children as foster children. For Luther, she was a trusted partner, gifted manager of the household while he pursued more theological pursuits, and a partner in prayer. Luther often called her the morning star of Wittenburg, because she rose so early to tend to the home and farm. He also jokingly called her "my Lord Katie". I love the stories about Katie Luther, because they show us a woman who was strong in her faith and grounded in her care of those she loved. There are stories that Katie once took the study door off its hinges to bring a meal to Luther because he had been locked in his study for days working on his writing and had not stopped to eat. Katie worried that he had died and so took down the door to check on him. She also was known for her staunch belief in Luther's reforms. Often, men like Luther or Calvin or others who led the Protestant Reformation are noted, but Katie gives us a reminder to look beyond the headlines for those who also influenced our faith traditions.

Silent Night

Sophia just recieved a book from her Sunday School teacher that has the words to Silent Night in it.... So far this Christmas Season, we have focused on learning Away in a Manger, Jingle Bells, and Come on Ring Those Bells. But the Silent Night book has her singing phrases of it in strange order on her own as she sings to her dolls. It struck me as I read it to her how little silence we all have in our lives. The phones ring, the TV is on, music is playing all around us. There is so much to do that we rarely take time for silence, with presents to wrap and cookies to bake and cards to get out and trees to decorate... Do we stop for silence in the midst of all this? Do we stop to appreciate, to wonder? It is so easy to get caught up in the do do do, hurry hurry hurry, mindset of the holiday season. Have we lost the silence of that Silent Night? How can we capture even a moment of silence each day?

Stir up....

Many of our prayers in Advent begin with the words: Stir up your power and come!
One retired pastor once joked that Advent is the time of the cowboy prayers, the "Stirrup" prayers. Yet, Advent is characterized by that prayer. Stir up your power, O God, and come!
Stir up the power of your peace , so that violence may come to an end. Stir up the power of your comfort, so that those who mourn and live with sorrow daily will not be overcome by it. Stir up your power and give us hope, so that those who see with despairing eyes can catch a glimpse of your promise. Stir up our hearts so that we can see you in our world and in our lives. The prayers of Advent express such longing for God to come and make our world a better place. They express a longing for God to be present among us, with us, in tangible ways. How do you long for God's power to be stirred up in your life this Advent?