UCOM

Bruce's Blog

Tags
Archives

Where'd We Lose You, Jesus?

December 23rd, 2016

A Christmas Prayer

Dear Jesus,
Where did we lose you?
In the tinsel and wrapping, the clearances and road rage?
Our greedy grasping for more?

Or was it long before all that?
Did you get lost in the wrappings of those swaddling clothes?
The chorus of angels we heard about hearing on high?
Did you get swallowed by the lofty creations meant to make your life mean something to us?

Where did we lose you?
In evergreens that shed their dry needles on our floors?
In the tangle of Christmas lights invoked with curses, not blessings?

Or was it long before all that?
Did you get lost in the disappointment that so many seek peace on earth by waging more war?
That those we love continue to get sick and die as it was before that first Christmas?
Did you get smothered by those who hoped and dreamed you were different than you are?

Dear Jesus,
How can we find you again?
Alive and well amidst the tinsel and wrapping for those we love.
Pressing in upon us in our rush for the clearances
Chuckling at our impatience, diffusing the road rage.

Surely you are there bandaged in little strips of human need.
There too bringing all of the universe to witness the fullness of God’s hope in every tiny baby’s cry.
All of our lofty language about you is too small, too finite to begin to tell the story of your fullness of life.

So now in the candle light, suffused with the story and the glory, myths bigger than we can imagine and yet too little to encompass your wholeness;
And later, amidst the tattered litter of our celebration,
Trampling the dead, dry needles of our evergreens,
When the beauty of the crystal snow is dirty slush beneath our slipping boots,
May we look up and down and all around, within, without—far out,
And there discover anew the God who is.
The one breath of the universe in whom all of us live and move and have our being.

Merry Christmas, Jesus. It’s good to have you here with us.

Amen.

–Bruce Roller for Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Christmas Eve, 2007

Happy Holidays

    Hide Comments

Comments

#1 Bruce Roller said:

http://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional_jesus_the_baby_b?utm_campaign=dd_dec27_16&utm_medium=email&utm_source=unitedchurchofchrist

The way Jesus lived, refusing every lock-down, becomes the pattern for life.

I like this devotional from UCC.

#2 Dorothy Wimby said:

Will YOU ever have a. Senior Citizen group program .AGAIN? THEIR ARE SO MANY ISSUES,IN THESE DAYS & TIMES THAT WE SENIORS NEED TO DISCUSS & BE INFORMED ABOUT,& LEARN FROM SHARED EXPERIENCES. HOW ABOUT USING AN" OLDER" STUDENT FROM ONE OF OUR COLLEGES WHO NEEDS THEIR SOCIAL WORK INTERNSHIP, EXPERIENCE.

#3 Bruce Roller said:

Dear Ms. Dorothy,

I SO agree with you that there are more and more questions and quandries and needs for supports for seniors just now. (I am just crossing over that mark--65 in February, 2017.) UCOM is not able to pay for the expertise for good management of such a group, however.

Here's what I am doing today. I am forwarding your email and my recommendation to UCOM board member Becky Rynbrandt who is one of the planners for the city of Wyoming programming and also to Julie Niemchick at Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association with a request for them to identify possible current programming to meet this need or funding to create such a safe space.

For now that is all that I can do. I am out of the office sick this month and Shawn and Erik are both on vacation so there is no opportunity to discuss this with you in person before the first part of February.

We will certainly plan to do that and perhaps I will have some responses from my friends and colleagues about how we might help with this very real need.

Thank you for reminding us. As always, let's stay in touch.

Bruce

#4 Julie Neimchik said:

‭+1 (616) 475-5881‬ --Call Brie at Roosevelt Park Ministries. She has been very helpful in getting me set up with seniors groups.

#5 Rebecca Rynbrandt said:

It was a sincere pleasure to receive the note below from Bruce sharing your thoughts and opportunities to provide expanded services to older adults. As Bruce alluded to, I’m not only a Board member of UCOM, but also serve as the Director of Community Services for the City of Wyoming. One of our service areas is that of the Wyoming Senior Center.



Have you had the opportunity to visit the WSC? The facility is located at 2380 DeHoop SW, Wyoming, MI 49509, across from Pinery Park. We offer over 200 programs, including speaker series, health and wellness, education, leisure and recreation activities and so much more. We are always assessing community needs and opportunities for new programs. I encourage you, not only to visit, but to make an appointment with Chad Boprie, our WSC Programmer and Director. I’ve copied him on this email so that he is aware of your interest and thoughts. He can be reached either by email above, or by calling (616) 530-3190.



In the interim, I encourage you to review the WSC’s current newsletter via the following link: http://www.wyomingmi.gov/parksrec/Brochures/WSC_2017_JanFeb/FLASH/index.html

Please also note that the WSC serves the greater Grand Rapids metropolitan area.
Again, I welcome your interest and enthusiasm and encourage your connection to Chad.

#6 Karen Messick said:

We provide community resource information to seniors who are overwhelmed with issues around their care options, financing care, etc. as this need becomes necessary for them or a loved one. We also do community presentations at senior centers, churches, rotary meetings, etc. about the importance of planning for future needs and developing options sooner than later. We do this with no strings attached or any expectation that the individual will choose Pilgrim Manor.

Karen

Karen J. Messick, MPA, LNHA
Executive Director
Pilgrim Manor

Leave a Comment

will not be published or sold, but will be stored in case a staff person needs to contact you