Christmas Eve Devotional by Rev. Todd Boling

Merry Christmas Eve!

 

May you take time today, in the midst of the rush, to linger at the manger for a moment.  May you take time stand in awe of the miracle of God come to live among us.  May you feel God with you! 

 

Today’s devotional comes from Rev. Todd Boling.  Todd is an associate chaplain at TCU.  He has been at TCU for nearly 4 years.  He came to us from Kentucky and a background of college and hospital chaplaincy.  Here at TCU, among other things, he focuses on spiritual wellness, interfaith communities and dialogue, and guiding our campus ministries and organizations.  Todd also sits on numerous committees and boards across campus. If you know Todd, you know that he cares deeply for this community.  You will often find him sitting down for long conversations with students, faculty or staff to really hear how they are. Christmas is about the gift of God’s presence with us.  Todd embodies the gift of presence.  Today may you hear God’s whisper of loving presence into your life through his words!

 

Merry Christmas Eve,

Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

An Advent Devotional, by Rev. Todd Boling

 

Luke 2:6-7

 

“While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

 

Ask any of my friends and family and they will tell you… I’m a planner.  When it comes to any particular event or significant period of time, I like to have a blueprint in place that will help me know how to make the most efficient use of my time and energy.  Some people might find that to be too rigid or restrictive, but I find it comforting.  And nothing frustrates me more than when a well-conceived plan falls apart at the seams.  It’s those moments that open the door for errors or mistakes, which in my mind easily makes the jump to “failure”… a dirty word for me, if ever there was one.

 

When reading the story of Jesus’ birth, I’ve often wondered what Mary and Joseph were thinking and feeling as they arrived in Bethlehem and were unable to find the living space that maybe they were hoping for.  While we don’t know their exact plan after arriving in Bethlehem, I’m pretty sure it didn’t include laying Jesus in a feeding trough after he was born.  Regardless of his make-shift crib, Jesus birth was no less miraculous.  His arrival on this earth was made no less meaningful.  His first moments and cries no less special.  It was that powerful moment that ultimately changed life as we know it, and it didn’t take everything going according to plan to make it so. 

 

Tomorrow as you get busy gathering with friends and family, orchestrating feasts for the masses, and making sure that everyone has the holiday experience they were hoping for, I invite you to pause.  In that moment stop thinking about what comes next, or perhaps what didn’t quite pan out earlier that day.  PAUSE.  Set aside the plan.  Breathe in the hope of a newborn savior.  Remember the peace that he brings with him.  Celebrate the joy that his birth offers.  And share the love that inspired it all.

 

Let us pray

God, in this moment we pause to offer you our thanks for your most precious gift – the gift of your son.  Remind us to not get so busy planning the celebration of his birth, that we lose sight of the gift itself.  And help to us share your love with others today, and throughout the upcoming year.  Amen.

Fourth Monday of Advent: Devotional by Nikki Howard

Advent blessings!

 

It is almost Christmas.  This week in Advent we celebrate God’s love made real on earth.  I am reminded that while Christmas can feel so ordinary, it really is a mystery, love’s greatest surprise.  Fredrick Buechner says, “Once you have seen God in a stable you can never be sure where God will appear or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation God will descend in God’s wild pursuit of you” This week as we celebrate Christmas may we have new eyes to see all the unexpected places in our world that God is showing up and surprising us with love.  May  the love of God fill you up and overflow from you today and every day! 

 

Today’s devotional is written by Nikki Howard.  Nikki is a junior speech pathology major at TCU.  Among many other things, she is this year’s Co-President of TCU Catholic Community.  You might have seen Nikki working in the BLUU.  Whenever I see her working there, or anywhere on campus, she is smiling and asking how she can help you!  Nikki and her family bleed purple.  She represents the TCU spirit.  She is a person of deep kindness, intelligence and faith who uses her gifts to make a difference in the world around her.  Today she reminds us that we who have been deeply loved by God are called to love others abundantly.  I pray you hear God whispering love into your life through her words.

An Advent Devotional, by Nikki Howard

 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” – Matthew 22:37-39

 

One summer when I was in high school, I was told to close my eyes and picture God. When I closed my eyes, I saw my family and friends smiling, laughing, and hugging one another. It never really hit me until that moment that I see God through others and through their love for one another.

 

I found this verse to be very applicable to the advent season. Advent is a time of love and service both for God and for others. I think it is very important during the advent season to help those in most need and to be selfless. While many people make lists of many things they want for Christmas, others give their time and money to those in most need. That is what advent is really about. Serving others. God sent his one and only Son to us to serve us. That is what we are celebrating during the advent season. Jesus came to save us from our sins, so now it is our chance to help others in return. When we love others, we love God. We are told that we should love our God and that we should love our neighbors. When we love our neighbors and give to them, we are also giving to God. When I look around, I see God. I see Him through the love and service of others.

 

 

God of Love,

Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us; He is a sign of your love for us.

Help us to share that love with others and serve those in most need during the weeks of Advent.

You showed us what love is, so now help us to show others that same love.

We pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior.

Amen.

Advent Devotionals on Joy, by Rev. Angela Kaufman and Rev. Allison Lanza

Advent Blessings to you.

This week we celebrate joy.  The joy that comes from awe! Because when you really stop to think about it, this whole Christmas thing is really incredible.  God came to live among us, born as a baby in a feeding trough.  God came into our chaotic, frightening world to show us a better way, to convince us that we are loved, and mostly to remind us that we are not alone…ever….God is with us no matter what.  If that is not a cause for great joy I don’t know what is!

Today’s devotional is written by Rev. Angela Kaufman.  Rev. Kaufman is TCU’s Minister to the University.  A graduate of TCU, Angela went on to receive her Masters of Divinity at the University of Chicago Divinity School and was then ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  She has served at TCU for the last ten years. She works diligently to create sacred places and experiences for all people at TCU. Her vision and work has helped to make TCU a place where everyone, no matter their theological views, can seek, explore, practice, and grow in their faith.  She is also the mother to two precious young boys.  Today she reminds us of the wonder of Christmas as seen through the eyes of a child. I pray you hear God whispering joy into your life through her words.

God’s joy to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

An Advent Devotional, by Rev. Angela Kaufman

 Matthew 2:9-10

“When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.”

With the birth of our first son, we participated in that ritual act well known by many of putting everything breakable out of reach. Hence, when Advent seasons comes these days my treasured nativity scene with patchwork porcelain and tiny pieces did not come out of the box. Instead we found a Fisher-Price plastic one that our two boys, now five and three, have come to love as it sits on our coffee table this time each year.  So the other week while we were in our very own hustle and bustle of  “unpacking Christmas” (an odd term worthy of discussion another time), we enlisted the boys with the task of putting out the nativity set. Admittedly, I didn’t pay much attention as they chatted back and forth about what piece went where, what had fallen down and what was missing.  That was until my oldest, Connor, shared with me that it was in fact baby Jesus that was missing. Uh-oh. So hence began the search -under tables, in boxes, beneath the sofa, and every crack and corner. I thought to myself, “I can replace a wise man with the Lego mini figure, but how do I replace baby Jesus?”

All of a sudden, three-year-old Owen crawled out of a tiny crevice between the sofa and end table, jumping up with the unbridled passion that those who have been around young children will recognize screaming, “I found him, I found him….I found baby Jesus!”  (This is usually the kind of passion and volume he uses for dinosaurs, cars and trains so the whole house, maybe even the neighbors, heard him).  There he was holding the tiny little plastic Fisher-Price baby Jesus in his hands and with a joyful look no words can describe.

Admitting my own biases, I usually don’t think of wise men as filled with the same kind of wild abandonment and excitement that Owen had, and yet I’m hoping that was the case on that night long ago. They had discovered a small baby in an unassuming manager after a long journey, following a star and listening to angels. It was the birth of salvation and the promise of hope. A birth that would transform the world, and transform each of us…how could anyone contain their excitement and joy in light of that?

And so as we prepare for the sacred and even secular experiences of Christmas – as we wrap presents, run errands, welcome family, and make our travels; as we rush around in the next week or perhaps intentionally not rush around at all, how can we be filled with the joy of a young child in our discovery and re-discovering of a baby in a manger? How can we, even in times of trial and struggle, make space in our hearts for the kind of amazement the wise men may have had on that night?  How can we bring unabashed joy to the audacious, mysterious and reality affirming assertion that God took on eyes and ears, hands and feet, hunger and tears, joy and pain to make the world anew? These are my questions today and these are my prayers. Most of all, I hope each of us finds our own way to make space for that kind of joy in the weeks ahead.

Let us pray,

God, instill and encourage within us the amazement of wise men and the joy of children as we celebrate that you came into this world to live among us. Journey with us in this year ahead as we celebrate your birth, not simply on one day in December, but every day in how we live, how we love, and how we serve both stranger and friend.  Amen.

Advent Blessings to you.

Finals are over!  Graduation is tomorrow.  Christmas is almost here.  God is with us.  Joy is creeping in.

Thank you all for sharing in these devotionals with us.  Thank you to all the writers who have shared their thoughts and prayers and given each of us a moment to pause and listen for God’s still small voice.  We will continue the devotionals next week, so make sure to check your email to hear the good words from next week’s writers.

God’s joy to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

An Advent Devotional, by Rev. Allison Lanza

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

“Glory to God in the heavenly heights. Peace to all men and women.”

-Luke 2:13-14a MSG

There is something about singing.

There the shepherds were, settling in for another long night of work, when much to their surprise, a messenger of God appeared before them.  They were terrified!  But the angel said, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior will be born to you.  He is Christ the Lord.”

Here is what I like to imagine happened next.  There were a group of angels watching this scene and they just couldn’t contain themselves anymore. God was being born on Earth!  Good news was coming to the poor, healing to the sick, and love to all people!  And they finally got to tell someone! They were giggling and laughing and crying joyful tears and they couldn’t help but sing!  Together they burst onto the scene and burst out in song.

I imagine it was like that moment in the hospital when the baby finally arrives after a difficult pregnancy and long labor.  There are hugs and tears and laughter.  Someone pulls out a cell phone to call grandparents and friends and share the good news. Someone takes a picture to post on facebook.  Everyone is laughing and smiling and crying and singing!

There are times we are so full we have to sing.

When I served a church, I went to the hospital late one night to sit with a church member who was living her final hours on earth with us.  Life had not been easy for her.  She spent much of life in housing projects and wheelchairs, struggling with poverty and struggling with her health.  When I sat by her bed, she took my hand and began to sing. It started quietly.  After a while I joined in with her.  We both became overwhelmed by the palpable reality of God’s presence with us and God’s promise of life and life everlasting. It was something words can’t describe.  Together for hours we sang the old gospel hymns off-key, quietly and then loudly, with tears in our eyes and with great joy.  People kept walking by in the hallway giving us strange looks.  But we kept right on singing. We were so full we couldn’t help ourselves.

One Christmas I went with a group of women to go caroling at an assisted living center where some of our friends lived.  We arrived to find a crowd.  They were gathered on chairs and couches and walkers and wheel chairs, waiting expectantly to hear the songs of Christmas.  Now, a few women in our group had some actual musical talent.  However most of us could, at best, make a joyful noise.  We passed out bells, hoping they would drown out our off key sounds.  Then we began to sing.  We sang apprehensively at first.  I was worried that the folks gathered would be annoyed that they had gotten dressed and come down from their rooms for just this. But then I began to look out at their faces.

There was the man in the front row laughing, singing along, and clapping wildly after every song in encouragement.

There was the woman a couple rows back who mouthed the words to every verse of every song with a look in her eyes like she was remembering a life time of singing these carols.

There was the man in the back who smiled while his hands directed us in every song.

There was the woman, right in the center, who I couldn’t take my eyes off of. In the first songs, tears began to fill her eyes.  After a few songs, she was openly weeping and singing along with a smile on her face.  The music caused something deep inside of her to well up.  I think it might have been joy.

You see, joy and happiness are different.  Happiness comes in times of light and ease.  God’s joy breaks forth in the hard times.  That is the good news of Christmas, into our broken world, in the most unexpected way, God is born.  God’s joy is like streams of living water breaking forth in the desert.  God’s joy is like a baby born in a barn in Bethlehem who is God with us, then, now and forevermore.  It is so unexpected and unimaginable, that it fills us, wells up inside us and overflows into singing.

Let us pray,

Holy one,

You have burst onto the scene when we need you most.  We didn’t expect to see you here, and yet here you are. We are so full and so grateful for your presence that we can’t help but join the angels in singing, “Glory to you, God in the highest, and on earth peace among all people”  Amen

Second Friday & Third Monday of Advent: Devotionals by Varselles Cummings & Sharon Fronk

Advent blessings to you.

I pray peace to you. I pray you can find some time this weekend to rest, even if just for a moment. To sit in the quiet for a while, to know that God is coming and that God is with us now. Some time to rest in the knowledge that we are loved and that we are not alone. I pray we each feel peace this weekend. I also pray that those of us who have known peace can get up from our quiet moments and can help to be the hands and feet of God’s peace for our neighbors.

Today’s devotional comes from Varselles Cummings. Var is the Hall Director for Milton Daniel Hall at TCU. Var has a BA in Mass Media Communication from Wilberforce University and a Master’s in Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a specialization in Student Affairs from San Diego State University. Here at TCU Var also serves as the Advisor for Brothers of a Successful Standard. Faith is so important to Var. You see it in the way he talks, what he posts on social media, but mostly in the way he lives. He cares deeply for students, his family, his friends, and for God’s justice and love for all people. Today he reminds us how we might re-find God’s peace in the anxious times of life

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

PS-The office of Religious and Spiritual Life at TCU invites you to join us in Robert Carr Chapel on tonight, Monday December 15^th at 7 PM, for Carols by Candlelight . There will beautiful music from Dr. Butler, University organist, Frog Corps, TCU Women’s Choir, TCU Worship Band, a sign language presentation and a student string quartet. We will hear the scriptures, sing the carols, and prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas and Emmanuel! Bring your friends and families and come worship together.

An Advent Devotional, by Varselles L. Cummings

Philippians 4:8-13

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

My favorite passage of scripture is Philippians 4:8-13. Many times we only hear Philippians 4:13 quoted, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,” a powerful verse in and of itself because it talks about relying on the power of Christ, but to me the most impactful part of this text is the 5 verses that come before it. Paul is explaining to the Philippians how to have a peaceful mindset and the concept of contentment.

Anytime I am anxious or feel myself becoming worried about things I cannot control, I make a conscience effort to think about the blessings that surround me daily. I think on the true things like God’s unconditional love for me, the lovely things like the changing seasons and the beauty of nature, the honest things like my family’s concern and care for me. Those things bring me peace and keep me grounded.

I’ve found that contentment is a learned behavior; it is not a natural propensity of man. One of my daily prayers is for God to teach me to be content in whatever state I’m in. Not settling, but living in the moment, in the right now, enjoying present day blessings and learning from present day trials, all the while understanding that greater things are ahead.

This journey of learning how to be content and the choice I’ve made to keep my mind on the things listed in Philippians 4:8 has brought me peace.

-Varselles L. Cummings

May you hear these words from Wendell Berry’s poem, The Peace of Wild Things, as a prayer today:

God,

“When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

Amen.

 

Advent Blessings to you.

As many of you have your first finals today, I pray that they go well and that you feel confident and smart! I also pray, that no matter how the finals go, that you know that you are a beloved child of God! This week in Advent we celebrate Joy! Finals week might seem like a weird time to reflect on joy. But happiness and joy are different. Happiness comes in times of light and ease. God’s joy springs up in the hard times, like streams in the desert. God’s joy comes from the knowledge that God, Emmanuel, abides with us and will never leave us. This is good news indeed.

Today’s devotional comes from Sharon Fronk. Sharon is a senior Biology major from Pomona California. She is a member of AOPi, Disciples on Campus, and on student staff at TCU Religious and Spiritual Life. If you spend much time with Sharon you will discover that she is passionate about her education, nature, her faith, and sustainability. She loves learning and envisions a future filled with research and discovery that she can use to work to make our planet, God’s creation, more sustainable. She reminds us today that while the happiness of Christmas might be fleeting, the joy of God’s presence with us that is born again each Christmas can go with us throughout the year helping us to bear God’s good fruit in the world around us. May you hear God whispering joy into your life through her words.

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

An Advent Devotional, by Sharon Fronk

John 15:1-11

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

The word ‘Joy’ is not often found in day-to-day speech. Even the expression of joyousness has become rare in today’s world, that is, until Christmas. But is Christmas the only cause for joy during the year? I’ll concede the birth of Jesus for Christians was a significant event. What is to keep us joyful for the rest of the year though? For some, such as myself, advent is their favorite season of the church and after it’s all said and done you get this sense of: well, now what?

Now is the time to remember we are, as Jesus says, part of the vine. Together we are capable of great things, Christians with non-Christians alike. In this unity we should be joyous. The type of joy you feel as a small child running towards your stocking Christmas morning imagining what Santa brought you this year.

By being part of The Vine of God with Jesus, we become disciples of good, of justice, of joy.

This season is the time to reflect on all the joy our community of faith has brought us and the global community this year and to pray about how we might spread God’s joy in the years to come.

Our joy is full through God; let us continue to bear fruit and be joyous. Not the fleeting joy experienced Christmas morning when all the toys are opened, played with, and forgotten about after 30 minutes, but rather everlasting joy. A type of joy expressed throughout the year because we know God and our faith community is our every lasting joy.

Let us pray this prayer from TCU Alum Zoey Murzyn:

God, let your sustaining joy be interwoven in this season of Advent and stretch through all the rest of the year. Make us disciples of justice, hope, love, joy, compassion, and peace, turning our hearts towards you so that we may know your true Joy and share it with your world. Amen.

Second Wednesday of Advent: Devotional by Brad Hancock

Advent blessings to you.

I pray today is filled with peace for you. For many of us peace feels far away. For some of us, finals are looming. Some of us are filled with grief as we face the holidays without a loved one. Some of us are listening to the news filled with injustice, violence, torture, and fear and wondering what peace would even look like in our world. Some of us are feeling our stress levels rise as we try as to settle all the details of making the “perfect Christmas”. I pray today that we all hear God whispering to us, “peace, be still”.

Today’s devotional comes from Brad Hancock. Brad is the Director of the very successful Neeley Entrepreneurship Center here at TCU. He cares deeply for his students who he empowers to be leaders in our world. Brad is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Columbia University. Prior to joining TCU, Brad was a management consultant and a successful entrepreneur. Brad is an active volunteer in our community and in his church and dedicates much of his time to eldercare in our society. Today he reminds us that peace doesn’t come from a calm quiet world around us. The peace of God comes from deep inside us. Peace is the knowledge that God is with us always. May you hear God whispering peace into your life through his words.

Peace to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

An Advent Devotional, by Dr. Brad Hancock

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 (NIV)

All I really want is for my children to be happy … at least that is what I used to say.

However, life is not always “happy.” There is sickness and pain. There are broken relationships. There are problems and disappointments; many we never dreamed could occur. Bad things do happen, often to very good people, and we struggle to understand why.

I’ve come to the realization that none of us can always be “happy.”

So, what I pray for my children now is that no matter the circumstances, no matter what troubles are swirling around them, I want my children to be at peace.

To know that even when there are challenges – and there will be – that God is with them and provides a refuge that cannot be found in the world. I pray for them to have a peace that comes from a loving and kind God, peace of heart and mind.

Let us pray

During this Advent season, I wish you joy and happiness. But more importantly, my Christmas wish is that you have peace of mind and heart, no matter the situations and circumstances of your life.

Peace be with you, both now and forever. Amen.

Second Monday of Advent: Devotional by Michael Meek

Advent blessings to you.

This week we in Advent we focus on God’s peace.  We remember that Jesus was called the Prince of Peace.  While peace was born into our world in the body of Jesus, we still long for peace.  We find ourselves crying out alongside the prophets for God’s peace to come again. We long for enemies to become friends, for justice and righteousness to kiss, for the lion to lie down with the lamb and for a little child to lead us all.  We long for the day when God’s whisper of peace becomes louder than bombs and stronger than hate.  We cry out for the day when the stress and worry  inside our own selves will be overwhelmed by God’s peace that passes all understanding.  We pray for God’s peace to be born again.

Today’s devotional comes from Michael Meek.  Michael is a senior Religion Major/Business Minor from El Campo Texas.  He is the president of Beta Upsilon Chi – Brothers Under Christ Fraternity and Chi Delta Mu (a program of the TCU Religion Department). He has served as a Leaders for Life mentor, Frog Camp facilitator, and a leader in Fraternity and Sorority Life.  God shines through Michael.  He spends his time at TCU sharing God’s love through his words, his peace, and his actions.  Today he reminds us that we don’t have to hold the worry of the world alone.  I pray you hear God whispering peace into your life through his words.

Peace to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

An Advent Devotional, by Michael Meek

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,                                          and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my  yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

As Advent and the Holiday season approach, I find myself bombarded with Christmas overload. Not the Christ part that I should look for, but more of the material, processed Christmas that we see as 21^st century Americans. We can barely make it through Thanksgiving without seeing our televisions showing new cars with bows and upcoming Christmas sales. If you’re not finding yourself bombarded then you are one of Santa’s elves or have unlocked some secret power.

The passage in Matthew reminds me of my summer before coming to TCU. I spent the summer in the mountains of Pagosa Spring, Colorado at Sonlight Christian Camp, a small, non-denominational camp nestled in a meadow of the San Juan National Forrest. Seems peaceful, right?

When I signed the contract to work for Sonlight though I was a freshman at the University of Texas – Austin. Outside of orange being a miserable color, I spent the majority of my time at UT in a spiral of discontent. I was in a big city that did not feel like home while I failed to connect with my peers. As a result, my faith in Christ was dismal and was always uncomfortable. When I paid my deposit to transfer to TCU, I knew I would be starting fresh in the fall, but I had no clue how to be refreshed.

Sonlight was the answer for me and I was blessed with the opportunity to let Jesus and Mother Nature bring my famished soul back to life through serving kids. Every week before a new set of campers arrived the Camp Director, Heather, would read this passage from Matthew to the staff. It was always like washing my face with cold water – refreshing and eye-opening.

As the Christmas season approaches I find myself bogged down from finals and the material worries of the “Christmas” mentioned above. The scripture tells us Jesus is willing to take all of our baggage! Why do I feel the need to continuously hold onto all of my discontent though? Something inside me is so afraid of being vulnerable to Jesus, but when I manage to let go then I can finally breathe out.

Now as a senior at TCU who has blossomed through God-honoring community, it’s easy to see the thing I missed at UT was putting my burdens into Christ. It wasn’t a setting change that allowed me to respond to Christ, rather a mindset change where I yearned to know him more. Don’t make the same mistake I did years ago. As the Holiday season stretches you thin, find sanctuary at the Cross.

We celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of our savior, Jesus (go ahead, read it again, I promise it’s truthful). I believe there’s no better way to honor Christ than to follow through with what the Bible says. In this case, learn from Jesus and exchange your bag of worries for a world of peace. Allow Jesus to enrich your holiday season. Have happy Holidays, folks. Cheers.

Let us pray

God, I pray that as the Christmas season approaches we value your Son’s birth and the difference it has made to each of us. I pray that we feel your peace during this season and we learn from you – your yoke is light and you invite us to share it. Help us to exchange the stress of this world for a peace that is unrivaled. We know that you’re the author of peace, God, so help us give our discomfort to you. Amen

First Friday of Advent: Devotional by Dr. Kay Higgins

Advent blessings to you.

I pray that on this Friday you are being held up by hope, the confident trust, that God is with you and that God’s love and change is coming. I pray that that each of us who have been filled with God’s hope can share that hope with those around us. Today and this weekend may we speak hope into the places that seem hopeless and forgotten.

Today’s devotional is written by Dr. Kay Higgins. Kay received her B.A. from Mercer University, an M.A. from TCU, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from UNT. Having previously worked in Housing and Residential Services and as the first Director of the Women’s Resource Center, Kay currently serves as Associate Dean of Student Development and Director of Parent and Family Programs. Kay bleeds purple. She loves TCU and has poured much of her life into sharing hope and love with this university. In her almost 35 years at TCU, she has reveled in the opportunity to share in the lives of TCU students and their families. When not working, Kay is active in her church and in social justice issues within the Fort Worth community. Today she reminds us that hope is more than wishful thinking and she calls us to be active agents of hope through the way we live. May you hear God whispering hope into your life through her words.

Peace to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

P.S. I have great hope for a big win tomorrow! Go Frogs!

An Advent Devotional, by Dr. Kay Higgins

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. Psalm 62:5

I have often wished that there were different words for the word, “hope.” There are 4 Greek words for “love” and they mean different things. There is only one Greek word for “hope,” elpis. Since there is only one word in English or Greek, I think about the word “hope” as hope or Hope.

“I hope that I get an A on that paper!” “I hope you are coming to my party!” “I hope that I get that sweater for my birthday!” The little “h” is wishful thinking.

“I Hope that I will be able pay for my child’s medicine.” “I Hope that there is still room in the shelter tonight. It’s 12 degrees out here.” “I Hope that my mother’s cancer will not come back.” Biblically, the capital “H” is confident expectation. In our daily living, “Hope” is also a “yearning prayer” of expectation.

I am a member of University Christian Church in Fort Worth. Our congregation participates in a program called Room in the Inn. It was started in Nashville, TN and it continues to move across the country. There are now 23 congregations in Fort Worth who, once a week, house people who are homeless in the two warmest and three coldest months of the year. They are our guests. We share a meal, engage in conversation, play games, help our guests write resumes and encourage. The men shower, sleep comfortably and safely for the first time in weeks or months. In the morning, they rise, have a big breakfast, take a prepared lunch, and return to the Day Resource Center of Tarrant County by 7:00 AM.

I frequently drive our guests from the Day Resource Center to our church. I am always impressed with the positive conversation in the car. Yesterday, as they were getting into the car for the short trip to the church, Milton, sitting in the front seat asked, “How was your Thanksgiving?” I was somewhat embarrassed to answer. “It was good, how was yours?” I asked. The conversation among the men moved from family to places they had lived to anticipated work in the future. We arrived at the church, they thanked me for the ride, and we said our good-byes.

Room in the Inn has always reminded me of the Christmas story, the “confident expectation” of the impending birth, a warm place to sleep, and the assurance that there is a loving God who cares about each of us. This year, we will be hosting our guests of December 24^th. It will be an awesome night – much like the night that Mary waited in “confident expectation” that her son would be born. She did not know what the future would hold, but she knew that God was a God of love and God would not disappoint.

As we embrace the meaning of HOPE for our lives, may we be reminded of Mary’s confident expectation as she awaited what was to come. In so doing, may we be reminded that we are the hands and feet of God on this earth.

Dear God, as each of us snuggles warmly into our beds this night, may we be reminded that only because you have loved us are we able to love, that only because you have taught us to be your hands and feet in the world are we able to carry out your will in our world. Amen.

First Wednesday of Advent, Devotional by Dr. Harry Parker

Advent blessings to you!

Christmas lights are starting to light up the darkness and warmth is beginning to return.  I pray this morning that hope is beginning to seep into your soul.  May you know the hope of God that promises, that no matter what you are a child of God, deeply loved, and so are they.

Today’s devotional is written by Dr. Harry Parker.  Dr. Parker is the TCU Department of Theater chair and the managing director of the Trinity Shakespeare Festival at TCU.  He received his B.F.A in Theater from TCU and his Masters and PHD at the University of Kansas.  He has directed more than 80 professional, community and academic theatre productions across the country including professionally at the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.); Stages Repertory Theatre (Houston); American Heartland Theatre (Kansas City); and Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City). In Fort Worth, he has directed professionally for Amphibian Stage Productions, Jubilee Theatre and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, as well as having directed 9 shows for Circle Theatre. He has served at TCU since 2003.  Harry is incredibly creative, passionate about his students, and deeply faithful.  He reminds us that sometimes all we have is hope, and that is enough.  I pray you hear God whispering hope into your life through his words.

Peace to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

An Advent Devotional, by Dr. Harry Parker       “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God; and joy in our hope.” Romans 5: 1-2 The older I get, the more my faith relies on hope.  Maybe it’s because several years of living have created in me a backlog of accumulated frustrations and sadness, but I need hope more than ever.  Maybe it’s because my faith in man-made solutions grows dimmer with each gridlocked Congress and Legislature, with each Trayvon Martin and Ferguson, Missouri, with each Middle East conflagration.  Sometimes I feel like hope is all I have left, and then I realize that it may be all I need. I’m a theatre director here at TCU, and I recently directed a Christmas musical theatre revue that included an insightful song called “The Truth About Christmas,” with music and lyrics by David Friedman.  It was sung beautifully in our show by TCU junior Jackie Raye.  In the song, a woman bemoans all of her frustrations about the Christmas season: the shopping, the crowded travel, the disappointing family reunions where “they’ve had too much to drink, and told you what they think…”  Yet as the song winds to its conclusion, the singer realizes that she still embraces the rituals of Christmas because, despite her annual frustrations, she’s not yet ready to give up on it all quite yet.  She sings:                 Here’s the truth about Christmas.                 I want it to be nice, I want it to be fun.                 And as I’ve looked around what I have found, is so does everyone.                 So Christmas makes me see that everyone’s like me.                 The pain I’m going through is pain that they’re all feeling too.                 And it’s so encouraging to know we all want the same thing:                 To be loved, to be happy, to have hope.                 That’s the truth about Christmas: HOPE.                                 David Friedman And that’s what I want for Christmas, and what I want for those close to me: To be loved, to be happy, to have hope.  That’s enough.  That’s plenty.  That’s all I want and all I need for Christmas. Let us pray Creator God, as the storms of turmoil and disappointment swirl around us this Advent, help us see your ever-present hope that creates peace and joy. Amen

First Monday of Advent, Devotional by Brenda Mapel

Advent blessings to you!

Today is the first Monday of Advent.  Advent is a season of waiting.  We wait for the last day of class.  We wait for finals to be over. We wait to know the final College Football Rankings.  We wait for Christmas to come.  The nights get longer and the days get shorter and we wait.  We wait for the light to shine through the darkness.  We wait for the hope of God’s love, peace, and joy to be made real in our lives and our world. We wait to experience God’s presence again.  We wait to know, to really feel deep in our bones, that Immanuel, God With Us, is really with us.  We wait.

We are so excited that you are waiting with us this year through these TCU Advent Devotionals.   Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in December you will receive a devotional in your email written by a member of the TCU community.  We hope that they will give you time to pause from the busyness, to be still, and to listen for the still small voice God speaking hope, peace, joy and love into our world.

Today’s devotional is written by Brenda Mapel.  Brenda is a senior Religion major at TCU.  Brenda is a leader in Disciples on Campus, Chi Delta Mu, and the TCU Worship team.  She is a creative artist and a beautiful thinker.  She takes her faith seriously and spends time asking good questions, practicing contemplative spirituality, and listening to and serving others. She reminds us today that hope is more than desire.  Hope is a trust that what we cannot see yet, is still coming just beyond the horizon. I pray you hear God whispering hope into your life through her words.

Peace to you,

Rev. Allison Lanza

TCU Associate Chaplain

An Advent Devotional, By Brenda Mapel

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:29-33

Hope- a noun used to describe (1) a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen (2) a feeling of trust.

It seems to me that hope is abundant in my world. I hope that I passed the exam I took last week, my roommate hopes she can make it through nursing school, my friends hope that next semester will be easier, and I am sure that we are all hoping to make it through these next three weeks.

I have always understood hope as the first definition, something of desire, but in the scripture where Mary is approached by Gabriel a new hope can be found.  Mary was “greatly troubled” by the angels words. Looking out into a vast future, like Mary, we are uncertain of what it will bring. This young girl was called upon to do a great task because the Lord saw something beautiful in her. We are called to make impacting decisions every day. How will I treat my neighbor? Will I try to put someone else before me? These small responsibilities carry the same weight as Mary’s decision.

Big decisions can sometimes cloud our mind; they paralyze us with fear and drain our motivation.

Mary clung to hope, she trusted that God would be with her no matter how big the task. Now is a season for asking the tough questions and looking to the future.

Now is the season for Mary’s trusting hope.

A Prayer by Henri JM Nouwen

Lord Jesus,

Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”

Amen.

Advent Devotional, Peace by Sarah Greufe

Advent blessings!  Prayers that in the midst of finals, travel, ice, and Christmas preparation you are able to find a moment of God’s peace.

Today’s devotional is written by Sarah Greufe.  Sarah is a senior Communications major at TCU.  In her time at TCU Sarah has (among other things) worked on the Daily Skiff, the Multicultural Alliance, studied abroad in Ireland, taught dance at Project M.I.C.A.H and been an active part of the Religious and Spiritual life group’s Soul Steppers and Better Together.  Sarah was born in Iowa and graduated high school in Ardmore Oklahoma.  I am so glad she made her way to TCU.  Through her gifts as a writer and a dancer and her dedication to her faith she has left her mark on this campus.  Sarah’s life shines with kindness. 

As we all are desperately seeking peace in this stressful season, may we find hope in Sarah’s wise words that peace is not a place but a gift from deep within us. 

God’s peace to you, Allison

Peace is not a Place, by Sarah Greufe

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”-Psalm 14:27

Some days all I want is to close my eyes tightly, forget the buzzing of the world turning and imagine myself in a sunny place. I go to a yoga class, watch a TV show, or listen to music to try to rest my mind. Papers, schedules, responsibilities create an invisible mound of stress which takes its toll on my physical and emotional health. I think if I could just escape, leave the to-do list on the kitchen counter and go somewhere new I could find peace…

I thought this while planning a semester abroad in Ireland. Worries did not exist in the fresh, green, foreign land where “the road rises to meet you.” Sure enough, as any expatriate would know, living in a different country was not always smooth sailing. Aside from constantly feeling lost, I felt distanced from the comfort of my home community. The promise of peace was drowned out by the confusion and adjustments of growing in a new environment. What I’ve learned through my explorations and attempts at finding peace is that it wasn’t a place I could reach on my own.

As the psalm says, peace is a gift. Although it’s not always one I’m willing to receive. I prefer to flounder around in the messes of my restlessness first. It’s not until I trust Him that I discover despite every sound reason I have for worrying about my life, there is a promise of peace from God which stills my anxieties.

I’ll leave you with the prayer of St. Francis, which always bring light to my soul…

Make me a channel of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring your love. Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord. And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace.Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.Where there is darkness only light, And where there’s sadness ever joy.

Oh Master, grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; in giving of ourselves that we receive, and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.