In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”)
From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
(Subsequent Quotes from KJV)
Some of these words are pre-Christmas settings, some post-Christmas, all for Christmas year-round.
God Spoke
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3
God spoke. He has always spoken. There was never a time when God was not speaking. His very nature is revealed in His Word and His Word is inseparable from Who He Is.
God Is. God speaks.
These are two basic corollaries of any Christian theology.
When God speaks things come into existence. All that is was once spoken by God. Nothing has been made apart from His Word. His Word is living. His Word is a person. His Word is as real as He is.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we must know that He is first of all, the Word of God, co-equal and absolutely reliable. He is the heartbeat of God’s will, the expression of God’s love, and the demonstration of God’s purity and holiness.
Christmas is about celebrating the Word of God in Jesus Christ and is most appropriately celebrated with an open Bible and an open heart.
Christmas drives us back to the scriptures to seek understanding of the ways of God. It prompts us to yearn for deeper understanding in the pages of the Bible that we might ascertain God’s eternal purposes and His plan for the people of His world. We become like the Magi, seeking the wisdom of the ages.
Decide now to make this a Bible Christmas by beginning with the eternal preexistent Word and orienting your understanding around Him.
God has spoken. Let us listen.
The Lights on the Tree of Life
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:4-5
Your community is lighted with beautiful reminders of the Christmas season. Some lights may be coming down. Some remain. The colors shining in the night can be seen from afar and even from space. They are at the same time happy and holy, gaudy and dignified. They serve as reminders of joy and correctives to the harsh edges that so often dominate the landscape of our cities and our lives.
It is clearly, visibly, and festively Christmas where we live and the light is shining in the darkness.
In fact, it is in the darkness of night that we most often venture forth from our homes to view these lights and celebrate the profound contrasts that they afford.
From simple candle lights in the windows of homes to magnificent displays in the public squares, we behold temporal illustrations of eternal reality: The evergreen trees which live long through Winter when planted in the soil of the earth are types of the tree of life which is planted in the fertile soil of God’s truth. In and from that life, which is Christ, flows the life and light of men.
And that light shines in the darkness beckoning men and women who live in darkness to come.
To those outside on the cold dark streets of our cities, shivering from the frosty darkness that envelopes them, the flickering lights from a Christmas tree in the window of a warm home serve as an invitation to come to something better. They softly hum the call of God to enter into His brightness and the warmth of His presence. They sway to the melody of each sweet carol, “O come, let us adore Him.”
The light is shining and it is, indeed, the light of men.
The Unknown Light
“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: “ John 1:9-12
The lights on the trees are synthetic. Though lovely in their appearance, they are temporal and will fade away, burn out, or be immediately extinguished as they or their power source is broken. They are not true lights.
They do not shine universally, but only within the close proximity of those who light them. There are dark places where their ambiance is not known. There are pockets of despair in the world where the lights of Christmas have never been lit.
But the true light shines on every man while in pervasive blindness, there are many who do not and will not see. Hardness of heart and bitterness of spirit obscure the view of those for whom the light is intended.
We live in a land of shadows and distortions where every ray of light is filtered through our prejudicial thinking and blind ambition. We stumble in our assumptions and trip over our own dark thoughts oblivious to the Light that has come into the world and is already shining on us.
Many there are who do not recognize him when confronted by Him, who sing the songs of Christmas, hang the decorations on their trees, gasp at the beauty of the colors of the season, and greet one another with manufactured cheer. Yet they do not see him to whom all the signs and symbols point.
Those who do become the children of God, and playfully unwrap their spiritual gifts around the tree of life.
With which company of celebrants will you number yourself this Christmas?
Seeing the World through Incarnation Eyes
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
There is a vision without which, we are blind and lifeless.
It is the vision of one who sees us as we are and envisions our world from the inside out and the outside in.
The Incarnate Lord made His dwelling among us. Literally, He pitched His tent here.
I had read about California all my life, seen it on TV and in the movies, but I only truly experienced it when I moved here many years ago.
But the vision message of this verse is not that God learned to experience our life by becoming flesh, but that He made it possible for us to experience Him and to behold His glory.
We have a new vision of God because of Jesus and can now view the world through His eyes because He dwelt among us as one of us.
So, must we dwell among the people, indwelt by Christ that they may behold His glory as we see then through His eyes.
The Miracle of Christmas
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. “ John 1:14
As God speaks, flesh is formed, holy flesh, incarnate divinity, whimpering wonder, tiny testimony to His love and presence. It is a miracle. God spoke in this little bundle of flesh and blood as helpless as He was with more profound clarity and unmistakable volume than in all of history. God performed the miracle of Christmas.
One night in Bethlehem, as the light shone in the darkness, the Word, eternal and perfect, became flesh and began to dwell among us.
He began as we begin. He grew as we grow. He struggled as we struggle. He was tempted as we are. He overcame as no man ever has before or since. In all ways, He was like us, yet without sin.
And we saw something in him we have never seen before in any man as we saw it in Him, the glory of God.
It had been reflected off the face of Moses, but it emanated from Jesus the Christ. The people could not look at Moses and live. We live by beholding Jesus.
It was the glory of the unique, only begotten of the Father, the eternal Word of God. It was real glory we saw, real light, and true life. It was glory that is full of grace and glory that is full of truth.
No where else in the drama of the cosmos have grace and truth been so compatible in one event. Truth lands on earth with the piecing weight of uncompromising reality and shouts, “Here I am.” This is it!” Grace creeps into our lives and settles our hearts. It injects truth into our souls without sting or invasion and speaks compassion to our hearts..
Truth may seem harsh, but grace and truth are as welcome as Christmas and are, in fact, what Christmas is all about. This is the miracle of Christmas is that the truthful, loving Word of God has become incarnate in human form and we can see Who God is in all of His glory and live.
I have often gained insight by experiencing these things for myself in my own flesh.
But the vision message of this verse is not that God learned to experience our life by becoming flesh, but that He made it possible for us to experience Him and to behold His glory.
We have a new vision of God because of Jesus and can now view the world through His eyes because He dwelt among us as one of us.
Everything we see and experience is something that he has seen, heard, known, and felt. And we have beheld his glory along with all he has beheld, through his eyes.
It is a fresh perspective on everything.
Jesus has come to dwell in our hearts. Through us, he still dwells in this world and can be seen by people who look at our lives. Incarnational vision is about how we see people and how people can see Jesus in us.
I can usually resolve my dreams to some extent, as I dream them, and then wake up with some sort of peace.
It was time to get up and all I felt was a sense of longing to get it resolved.
As it turned out, that sense of longing was the missing piece to bring what I thought was my well -prepared sermon together this morning.
That sense of longing was unifying them.
The first Sunday of Advent.
There will be signs,
All of our Christian holidays and calendars were created by human beings who were longing for God, for meaning, for community, and for some sort of order in their thinking. They are based upon the Bible and written revelation, but they are not mandated, and they are not essential to the faith.
You can practice them, disagree about how to practice them, experiment with them, or ignore them completely and still be a Christian, but they are useful tools for meditating on meaning , for gathering as community, , for ordering our thoughts and teaching our doctrine, and mostly, for pointing us to God through their symbols and stories.
I choose to use them as propellants.
The traditional theme of the first Sunday of Advent seems to be longing. That may not be a word most theologians use, but today, it seems to be the meaning behind the meaning and the message.
We are longing for the judgment of Christ, wrapped up in the second coming. We are yearning for a resolution. Creation itself, of which we are a part, longs for God in Jesus to wrap things up, settle the questions, and separate the sheep from the goats whether we be sheep or goats or a little of both.
We grow wearing of being stuck in revolving doors or elevators that never go anywhere.
We are tired of walking the same halls and asking the same questions.
We move toward Christmas with longing..
We know somewhere inside that we cannot make sense of things or resolve things. We cannot make things work. We cannot sort them out. We cannot solve the problems. We cannot save ourselves.
It will take an incarnation of God disclosing himself to get us to the last and final resolution.
Se we begin Advent looking for signs that there is hop of a final judgment that will set all the wrong things right.
There Will Be Signs
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” – Luke 21:27
Days of Fulfillment
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” – Jeremiah 33:14-16
The Kingdom Is Near
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:25-36 – New International Version
In Luke 21:25-36, Jesus describes the times, from the moment he addresses his disciples to the moment he comes again to redeem them from this earth.
Some of the statements he makes require some thought, meditation, and explanation. Others stand alone and any reader can interpret them.
“And there shall be signs …”
They start immediately. Signs always tell you something. They point to a greater reality or a direction farther down the road. Jesus does not leave us without signs.
“Men’s hearts failing them for fear…”
Expect it. Notice it. Don’t let it stop you. Don’t be one whose heart fails from fear. You are aligned with the Fearless One who casts out all fear.
“… the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
Good. They need to be shaken. They respond to the thunder of God’s presence. As vast as the cosmos is, God is greater,
“… look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
This is the great message of everyday Advent. Redemption gets closer with every passing moment.
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
We shall see and they shall see. All shall see. That brings joy, relief, and vindication to all who have seen only through the eyes of faith and hope.
“This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”
This is a bit of a mystery, but it also comes as a simple truth. Wars, rumors of wars, trouble, persecution, signs in heaven and on earth came immediately to Jerusalem and to the church. Even foretaste of the coming of Jesus was made visible in his death, resurrection, and ascension.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
This is what we must remember. Always cherish and speak of this hope.
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always”
This is what we must do. Never stop watching. Never stop praying.
Summer is Nigh
“… ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” -Luke 21:30-31
Springtime is a precursor of summer. Every flower and bud encourage us to wait a little longer.
Vacation is coming. Soon there will be picnics and trips to the coast, long days by the pool, lazy nights on a hammock, and all the wonderful tastes and smells of summer.
At least that is the summer of our dreams.
We don’t think about mosquitoes and perspiration, stepping on bees and humidity. Did someone forget to tell the boss that summertime is one long vacation? Maybe this is a god time for a reality check.
Maybe it isn’t. Maybe this is a time better spent experiencing the swelling excitement of spring and the anticipation of summer fantasies because they remind us of a far more fulfilling and assured blessed hope.
Jesus used the illustration of budding spring to remind us of our future hope. It is the hope of the redemption of the whole earth, and endless summer with no humidity and no parasites. It is the hope of the end of evil and the reign of righteousness. It is the hope of his coming and his coming Kingdom of peace.
The lion will lie down with the lamb.
Swords will be beaten into plowshares.
We will sing a new song.
No eye has seen what God has prepared. Nor ear has heard it. No tongue has confessed it. The Kingdom of God is nigh at hand, and we have no concept of how wonderful it is going to be.
This is our blessed hope, beloved. Let the excitement build; let the chimes ring; let every voice be lifted in praise of Him.
He comes in glory!
He comes to reign! Hallelujah!
The King is coming!
From Psalm 25
My Response to God, Prompted by the Psalm
I cannot see far into the distance, God.
Twists and turns lie before me.
I know there is a path. I can see its beginning.
I cannot see where it goes beyond tomorrow.
Yet …
I run, I leap, I fall, I plunge into the mystery.
I do not need to know it all.
Certainty with redundancy has lost its radiance.
It retains no power to attract my heart.
Mystery envelops divinity and
Divinity envelops mystery.
Into that cloud
I must go without hesitation
In trepidation.
I shall be at home there, drawn to Thee,
By Thee.
I cannot tell you what I shall find.
Nor can I describe what I see there.
I cannot tell you how or why I know except that
In Thy embrace, I am known.
And the love that has taken hold of me has held me tightly
In the grip of mercy.
And being there, and going there, and sensing that destiny,
I can somehow remain here,
And be here, living on purpose.
In community of fellow travelers, I celebrate the joy
Of another world …
A world that makes sense of this world.
I believe it, God.
I believe in Thee even when Thou art silent.
And I rest in that peace that passes understanding.
So, I take the first step in this path
That Thou hast set before me.
Step One — That is all that Thou hast asked of me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
“The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.” Thomas Merton
We do not have to be understood. We do not have to be popular. We do not have to be validated by everyone. We must be consistent and integrated, which is the heart of integrity. We must be faithful to the calling we have received from on high. And, occasionally, we must be brave.
We must also be kind and generous with those who do not see things as we do.
BUT … our kindness and generosity may not (and sometimes, must not) take the “edge” off of our words.
Most of us need to be taken to the “edge” from time to time to see the larger view.
“Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”(Psalm 25:4–5 ESV)
The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.” Thomas Merton
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.
Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Sermon Notes ————— We all have roles to play in God’s story.
These roles all have different characters, but the role of the whole is to bear the image and self-disclosure of God and God’s story in the world.
Therefore, we observe:
We all long to have something of ourselves to give back to God.
Everything that we ever have to give comes from God.
There is a desire to leave something of ourselves in the world and for the world to bless the world.
God hears the prayer that longs for this.
God’s name is made known through those who desire this.
Here is a different cast of character over a long period of time:
Sara, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary – All had unexpected pregnancies.
One of these wanted nothing more.
Hannah, mother of Samuel, the last of the judges of Israel
—————————————-
Some Background:
The name Elkanah is a Hebrew name for boys that means “God has purchased” or “God has created”. It comes from the words el, meaning “God”, and qaneh, meaning “to acquire”.
The name Peninnah is of Hebrew origin and means “pearl” or “precious stone”. It comes from the Hebrew word pəninā. The name Hannah is a feminine name of Hebrew origin that comes from the root ḥ-n-n, which means “favor” or “grace”. It can also be spelled Hanna, Hana, Hanah, or Chana.
The name Eli is of Hebrew origin and means “high” or “elevated”: Etymology: The name comes from the Hebrew word aliyah, which means “ascent” or “reaching higher ground”
The name Samuel can mean either God Hears or The Name of God
Theotokos – God Bearer
Nazarite – an Israelite consecrated to the service of God, under vows to abstain from alcohol, let the hair grow, and avoid defilement by contact with corpses (Num. 6).
What is produced from our lives, dedicated to God, and released to the world to bear the image of God in the world? —————————————–
1 Samuel 1:4-20 Hannah’s prayers answered
On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.
So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the LORD. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
She made this vow: “O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”
As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.
Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.”
But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.
Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.”
Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.”
And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went her way and ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.
In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the LORD.” —————————————–
What’s the point of longing foe a son if you are just going to give him back to God under the care of the priest.
Again:
We all long to have something of ourselves to give back to God.
Everything that we ever have to give comes from God.
There is a desire to leave something of ourselves in the world and for the world to bless the world.
—————————————–
1 Samuel 2:1-10 My heart exults
Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your victory. There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low; he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness, for not by might does one prevail.
The LORD! His adversaries will be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.” ———————————-
The book of Samuel is written years after the events from stories collected and told, most likely, during the reign of King David.
Why, because Hannah is talking about a King when there was no king.
That does not mean that someone put these words in Hannah’s mouth; it just means that they would have had no significance to anyone except God who was going to use Samuel to introduce the first two kings to Israel, one of which would have Messianic significance which would come to rest upon the one who would, in his messianic role, be called the Son of David.
———————————–
Additional Thoughts
“Theotokos” means “God-bearer.”
Rachmaninov composed it as a tribute to Mary, who bore the Son of God and in whom God was incarnate, appealing to her prayers on our behalf.
That being said, are you not a God-bearer in whom the Son of God incarnates Himself in the world and through whom He shows His love and compassion for humanity?
Therefore, are you, we, and all of us not called upon to pray for one another this morning? (James 5:16)
To be ever vigilant in prayer? (Colossians 4:2-4)
To be grave conquerors? (Romans 8:37)
There are people who are hoping in our intercessions as we hope in the intercessions of others.
Bear God, this morning, to a hurting world. Bear God as light in darkness. Share His love. Do His bidding. Lift the fallen. Bring hope where there is no hope. Feed the hungry. Heal the sick.
I was asked to write down a thought today, so I thought and then I jotted:
“I am swimming in an ocean of wonder and grace, jostled and thrilled by the waves of time and circumstance, but steady on course, neither washed ashore nor out to sea.”
If anyone asks, and I’m sure they won’t, that’s attributable to me.
You are the best you there is.
There is no competition.
You can do it better than anyone.
No one can take your place.
Along with that dynamic truth there are two,
Seemingly contradictory, but ultimately
Paradoxical and mysterious:
You are not yet the best you can be …
Or will be …
And …
You can duplicate yourself and your efforts
In others who are each, individually,
One Of A Kind
Like you.
The keys are …
Wonder,
Appreciation ,
Extension,
Investment, and
Commitment.
Stand in awe and wonder at God’s creation of you.
Appreciate your own uniqueness and that of others.
Extend yourself beyond your immediate reach.
Invest in people and in your own development.
Commit yourself to the long haul.
By God’s grace and power,
You can do it.
You are well on your way and you are …
Oh So Special!
– Tom Sims
What is that on your heart?
Is it just another attachment,
Or is it part of the whole?
Can it be severed as part?
An incidental detachment ?
Or must it remain as your very soul?
I think it is more than you know
More than you suspect
More than you can part with.
I think it is ebb and flow,
Something you must protect,
That which you must daily start with.
It is – Is it not, your dream?
It is that essence you embrace,
That core of being driving you on.
It is the radiant, pulsating beam
That neither time nor trouble can erase.
It is what keeps you striving when hope’s gone..
You are a dreamer, fashioned with purpose.
You are a schemer, designed for greatness.
You are a believer, infused with boundless hoping.
Live your dreams surrounded by the circus,
Under the big top with crowds predicting a fate less
Wonderful than what you know as groundless coping.
Reality is what you dream.
Activated by what you do.
Empowered by who you are.
You are far more than what you seem.
Your reach extends beyond your view.
Do it now and you will go far.
The perplexing poles of gratitude and regret,
Pictures in the mind we cannot forget,
Unwritten sonnets, unsung songs,
Unfulfilled wishes, un-righted wrongs.
Tempered and enveloped by words aptly spoken,
Mended hearts which once were broken,
Loves requited, love extended,
Hearts united, truth defended.
All of life is blended in a stew
Of all and everything that comes to you.
Blended and seasoned by all you believe,
Life is all your heart will receive …
By faith, willing, hopeful, and eager.
All that is impressive and all that is meager
Is life, and life is very, very good.
Have a happy, happy birthday. You should.
– Tom Sims
Stream of Consciousness 