Healing Rays of Righteousness

Opening God’s Christmas Gift

I remember as a young teen-ager walking home from the neighbor’s house after darkness had settled across the field, railroad tracks, small stream, and meadow that separated our two houses.  I remember how much less fearful I was when I could see the porch light of our house, and how relieved I was to have the darkness of the night give way to the bright lights of home.

I think of this experience whenever I read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and ponder the many difficulties that Mary experienced in giving birth to Jesus.  It most likely was difficult for Mary to walk anywhere in her hometown without hearing derogatory whispers and remarks about her pregnancy.   Her joy of carrying the promised Christ child was many times tainted with the hurt of cynical neighbors.  The pregnancy was not pleasant.

The trip to Bethlehem was a trip imposed on them by the government authorities.  And the timing of the mandated trip could not have been worst.   Mary is now heavy with child, making walking difficult and riding atop a donkey precarious to say the least.  For many hours and many miles, she alternates between walking and riding, feeling every bump in the road, every misstep of the donkey as it was pulled along by Joseph.   The journey to Bethlehem was not pleasant.  

And by the time they reach the little town of Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph’s bodies ache with soreness and exhaustion.  They must find a guest room to rest.  But, unfortunately, the only room available was with the innkeeper’s smelly animals.  At least they could rest on the straw, and there was a manger that could be used as a protected place for the baby if it should be born that night.  The night’s lodging place was neither comfortable nor pleasant.

Some weeks later the government authorities again interfered, causing Mary and Joseph the need to flee to Egypt with their baby until the nation’s ruler died.  When Mary and Joseph left home in Nazareth they never planned for this trip into Egypt.  Everything seemed to be happening contrary to the way Mary dreamed it would be.  This intrusion into their family plans was neither easy nor pleasant.

From the moment of the angel’s announcement to Mary of Jesus’ birth, until the moment of his death at Calvary, life for Mary and Joseph took many unplanned, difficult, and painful turns.  Nevertheless, they remained faithful in believing God’s promise to them and submitted to his plan for their lives as honored recipients and parents of God’s gift to the world. 

During this past year of the Covid-19 pandemic, life has not been easy for many of us.  There were unexpected bumps in the journey that have shaken us with confusion.  There were twists and turns we did not expect.  There were major detours that caused us much uncertainty, fear, and grievous losses.  With so much confusion, pain, and darkness, robbing us of the Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope of Christmas, we may find it difficult to find a reason to celebrate Christmas.

Nevertheless, I encourage you to hear the invitation of the Christmas carol, “And you, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way  with painful steps and slow: Look now! for glad and golden hours  come swiftly on the wing.  O rest beside the weary road,  and hear the angels sing.” 

I encourage you to listen carefully and hear the heartbeat of God’s love for you;  “Joy to the world,  the Lord is come!  Let earth receive her King;  let ev’ry heart prepare him room,  and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.” 

This is the essence of God’s Christmas gift to all of us.  God enters our world and pierces the darkness of doubt and fear with the joy and peace of his light and presence.

Christmas is God’s answer to our brokenness.  Christmas is the good news that God wants to do something about our failures and fears, our pain and confusion.  He wants to forgive, heal, and restore us to wholeness. 

Even as darkness and doubts may be clouding your thoughts and spirit this Christmas Day, hear the message of the heavenly angel, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Lk. 2:10-11).  This is God’s gift to you and me.  Let us open and cherish it into the coming new year.

Let us pray.    

“O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend on us, we pray,  cast  out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today!  We hear the Christmas angels  the great glad tidings tell.  O come to us,  abide with us, our Lord, Immanuel.”

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 23, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

What Will You See In Christmas

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  …The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  (Luke 2:15b-16, 20).

What did the shepherds see?  What will you and I see as we join them around the manger?

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the shepherds saw what their hearts and minds were looking for.  And that is exactly what you and I will see in this Christmas.  We are going to see only that for which we are hoping and looking for.  If God’s special message had not come to the shepherds from those singing angels, if they had not seen them, nor heard and believed their message, then what they saw in Bethlehem would have been entirely meaningless.

Let us suppose that the shepherds just happened to be passing through Bethlehem, taking their sheep to the sheepfold, and they passed by the stable where Mary and Joseph were busy with the birth of Jesus.  Without the previous knowledge given them by the angels, they would have seen only a messy birth scene, and maybe commenting, “Oh my, what a poor girl.  She didn’t make it to her home.  Too bad.  I hope everything goes alright for them.  She seems so young.”

That is all they would have seen.  But because they heard and understood the angels’ message, they saw and knew that much more was happening in this birth scene that night.  Having seen, and understanding what they saw, they got excited and “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (Luke 2:17-18).

The angels looked and participated in the first Christmas event joyously, celebrating God’s humble incarnation of himself, saying “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  Why?  Because they saw and understood that this event was in God’s great plan for mankind’s redemption and reconciliation.  From their heavenly perspective they saw and knew that God Himself had come down in human flesh to redeem mankind.  No wonder they exploded through the dark night with glorious light and praises to announce the awesome event.

Mary and Joseph experienced the event with much wondering and amazement.  They saw and believed much that they did not fully understand.  Think of their faith in God.  Both heard from an angel regarding this birth and they dared to believe the message.  Both submitted to receiving this gift of giving birth to the Savior of the world.  They saw, heard, believed, and now humbly held God’s promised savior in their arms.  Their feelings that night were wondrously indescribable coupled with puzzling amazement.  The scriptures tell us that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Why me?  Why us?  How is this possible?  What happens next?

Simeon looked and saw this Christmas event prophetically.  He had lived his life eagerly looking forward to this event.  For years he has been reading the prophecy, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”  And then one day as he enters the temple, he sees two young parents bringing their 8-day old newborn child to the temple to be circumcised and consecrated to the Lord.  And in that moment, he sees, he believes, and knows this is God’s promised Messiah, the Savior for all mankind.  He greets the young parents and then lifts that small bundle of human flesh toward heaven and praises God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations.”  (2:28-31). 

Simeon, along with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and Anna the prophet who lived in the temple, saw more than just a small baby.  They saw God’s gift of salvation for the world.  How did they see all this?  They saw because they heard, believed and were daily looking for God’s coming into the world of mankind.

Prayer:  O Lord, open our eyes and ears to see and hear the angels’ glorious message to us, and then with the shepherds “go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  O God, as we gather with the shepherds around the manger, open our minds and hearts to believe and worship the Christ of Christmas, our Savior.  May we better understand and know that this child born in Bethlehem gives birth to Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love, which is so desperately needed in our life and todays world of much darkness.  Amen!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – 12/16/20

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

What Will You See In Christmas

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  …The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  (Luke 2:15b-16, 20).

What did the shepherds see?  What will you and I see as we join them around the manger?

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the shepherds saw what their hearts and minds were looking for.  And that is exactly what you and I will see in this Christmas.  We are going to see only that for which we are hoping and looking for.  If God’s special message had not come to the shepherds from those singing angels, if they had not seen them, nor heard and believed their message, then what they saw in Bethlehem would have been entirely meaningless.

Let us suppose that the shepherds just happened to be passing through Bethlehem, taking their sheep to the sheepfold, and they passed by the stable where Mary and Joseph were busy with the birth of Jesus.  Without the previous knowledge given them by the angels, they would have seen only a messy birth scene, and maybe commenting, “Oh my, what a poor girl.  She didn’t make it to her home.  Too bad.  I hope everything goes alright for them.  She seems so young.”

That is all they would have seen.  But because they heard and understood the angels’ message, they saw and knew that much more was happening in this birth scene that night.  Having seen, and understanding what they saw, they got excited and “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (Luke 2:17-18).

The angels looked and participated in the first Christmas event joyously, celebrating God’s humble incarnation of himself, saying “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  Why?  Because they saw and understood that this event was in God’s great plan for mankind’s redemption and reconciliation.  From their heavenly perspective they saw and knew that God Himself had come down in human flesh to redeem mankind.  No wonder they exploded through the dark night with glorious light and praises to announce the awesome event.

Mary and Joseph experienced the event with much wondering and amazement.  They saw and believed much that they did not fully understand.  Think of their faith in God.  Both heard from an angel regarding this birth and they dared to believe the message.  Both submitted to receiving this gift of giving birth to the Savior of the world.  They saw, heard, believed, and now humbly held God’s promised savior in their arms.  Their feelings that night were wondrously indescribable coupled with puzzling amazement.  The scriptures tell us that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Why me?  Why us?  How is this possible?  What happens next?

Simeon looked and saw this Christmas event prophetically.  He had lived his life eagerly looking forward to this event.  For years he has been reading the prophecy, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”  And then one day as he enters the temple, he sees two young parents bringing their 8-day old newborn child to the temple to be circumcised and consecrated to the Lord.  And in that moment, he sees, he believes, and knows this is God’s promised Messiah, the Savior for all mankind.  He greets the young parents and then lifts that small bundle of human flesh toward heaven and praises God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations.”  (2:28-31). 

Simeon, along with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and Anna the prophet who lived in the temple, saw more than just a small baby.  They saw God’s gift of salvation for the world.  How did they see all this?  They saw because they heard, believed and were daily looking for God’s coming into the world of mankind.

Prayer:  O Lord, open our eyes and ears to see and hear the angels’ glorious message to us, and then with the shepherds “go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  O God, as we gather with the shepherds around the manger, open our minds and hearts to believe and worship the Christ of Christmas, our Savior.  May we better understand and know that this child born in Bethlehem gives birth to Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love, which is so desperately needed in our life and todays world of much darkness.  Amen!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – 12/16/20

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Who Is Coming?

The preparations we make, the activities that consume our energy during these four weeks of Advent, say a lot about who we expect to come. They reveal the truth about our personal relationship with the WHO of Christmas. The question, who is coming, reminds us that the focus of our Christmas celebration should be on a person, not on a place, thing or season.

The biblical answer to our question is that God is coming into our world in the person of Jesus Christ to save, shepherd and comfort us. He is the promised holy child of Bethlehem.

In the centuries preceding the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, many prophets insisted that deliverance from the troubles and oppressions of God’s children could only be accomplished by a deliverer sent by God himself. Their hope was for a messiah, an anointed deliverer. “You who bring good new to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm.” (Isaiah 40:9-10).

Following the birth of his son, John the Baptist, Zechariah claimed the prophetic promises regarding a messiah as now being fulfilled. “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David … to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. … by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1: 68-69, 74-75, 78-79).

Jesus Christ, the promised messiah and deliverer, had come. He was not just a great teacher or martyr among other teachers and martyrs, he was uniquely different. He possessed a special relationship to God which others who came before did not and could not claim to possess.

And so, the apostle Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”

And the Hebrew writer begins his letter with these words, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, … The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3a).

Christmas means incarnation. Incarnation means the complete embodiment of God in a human being. As Christians, we strongly believe that God himself came in Jesus Christ, a human person who was also divine.

The story is told of a mother who told her child, “There is nothing to fear in the dark. And besides, the angels are near you.” And the child replied, “Mother, I don’t want angels. I want a skin face.”

The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

We may not be able to fully understand how Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. But we can choose to believe that what mankind saw and experienced in that interlude of 33 years while on our earth, in our world, was God “made flesh.” The saw and experienced God with a skin face as companion, comforter, friend, liberator, and healer.

In his act of incarnation in Jesus, God is no longer remote, hidden, and inaccessible. He does not speak in some strange language to torment and frighten us. Instead, he speaks simply and lovingly in Jesus, making plain to all who are willing to listen, what are his will and purposes for us, and how we can enjoy a trusting, transforming relationship with himself as his children.

The message of Christmas is that the eternal, almighty, ever-loving God has come down into our world’s history clothed in the human flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. He has come as a visible, touchable expression of Himself. Yes, he has come and continues to come as Holy Spirit to dwell with His people and His church. Yes, he brings “Joy to the world, the Lord is come! let earth receive her king; let ev’ry heart prepare him room, and heav’n and nature sing.”

Who is coming to your house this Christmas? God incarnate in Jesus, Santa Claus, or your own crafted idol? Your preparations and activities will most likely expose the truth of your words.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 9, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

WHY ADVENT

Advent is the beginning of a new year in the worship and liturgy of the Christian Church. The Church year begins with the biblical message of “hope-filled waiting” for God’s coming. The prophet Isaiah reassures us that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31).

However, waiting is often not easy for us. It seems to be a waste of precious time. Nevertheless, even though we may not like to wait, it is a part of our living in this world. The important issue is about how we wait, for that matters in shaping our attitudes and perspectives about life and its future.

Advent is about “hope-filled waiting.” Advent is about both the anticipation and preparation for God’s coming into this world, clothed with human flesh, to redeem and restore all of us into a love relationship with Himself.

Advent focuses on the anticipation of God’s promised coming rather than on its fulfillment. Advent is the quiet, confident joy of hope-filled expectation of Christ being born anew in the cradle of my heart and life. Advent is the sincere, soul-searching work of preparing myself to welcome his coming to transform and energize me anew for Kingdom living.

Many years before the birth of Jesus, the Old Testament prophets were writing and preaching about waiting for one who would be like a light in the darkness, who would judge with perfect righteousness, and who would comfort with peace, joy, and healing.

Those to whom the prophets spoke were weary with waiting. They had become impatient and discouraged. They wanted the Messiah to come now, but God kept saying through the events of history and the prophets, “wait.”

It seems to me that we often display the same impatience in our Advent attitudes and activities. In my lifetime, Thanksgiving Day has been diminished to simply a launching pad for our rush toward Christmas Day with its beautiful music and story of Jesus’s birth.

We would much rather go directly to Bethlehem and Jesus’ birth without being reminded of the repeated messages from the prophets and John the Baptist to expectantly wait and prepare. They all insisted that our preparation and repentance is needed before we can appropriately welcome and appreciate God’s coming to our world in human flesh.

The Advent season of four weeks does not give us permission to rush toward Bethlehem and Jesus’ manger birth. Advent is God’s annual appeal for us to wait, repent, and prepare for the new transforming comings of His Kingdom on earth, even as it is in heaven.

Advent provides for us a time for solemn and thoughtful waiting, watching, and preparing for a new experience of Christ’s redeeming, transforming birthings in our life and world.

This mood of “hope-filled waiting” is expressed in the music of our Advent hymns, such as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” – “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People” – “Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus.” But we often, I think, unwittingly display our impatience when we short-circuit the message and purpose of Advent by prematurely singing the Christmas Day hymns, like “Joy To The World” – “To Us A Child Of Hope Is Born” – “Silent Night, Holy Night.” (Side note) I wish we would continue singing these hymns for at least through January. These hymns carry the “good new” message of Jesus Christ and should not be shelved so quickly after Christmas Day.

The season of Advent is our “time out” to see God at work in our world. Advent is our “time out” to focus again on the coming of God’s kingdom where mercy, justice, joy, and peace dwell. Advent is our “time out” to renew our commitment to preparing the way for His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

How desperately our world needs to hear the Christmas message of hope, peace, and good will among men. How desperately the world needs each one of us to live that message each day of our lives.

The King of Glory comes. Prepare the way for His coming. He is our only hope. He is the world’s only hope. He is our salvation, the Savior born to us. Are we ready to receive Him into our lives and world?

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Prayer Hymn

“Oh, How Shall I Receive Thee”

Oh, how shall I receive thee, how meet thee on thy way,
bless’d hope of ev’ry nation, my soul’s delight and stay?
O Jesus, Jesus, give me now by thine own pure light
to know what-e’er is pleasing and welcome in thy sight.

Love caused thine incarnation; Love brought thee down to me.
Thy thirst for my salvation procured my liberty.
Oh, love beyond all telling, that led thee to embrace,
in love, all love excelling, our lost and troubled race.

Thou com-est, Lord, with gladness, in mercy and good will,
to bring an end to sadness and bid our fears be still.
We welcome thee, our Savior; come gather us to thee,
that in thy light eternal our joyous home may be.

(Paul Gerhardt, 1653)
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 2, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

The Lord is … Rich in Love

On the tombstone of her husband’s grave, a southern mountain woman had chiseled in rough and uneven letters this epitaph, “He always appreciated.” I hope the same tribute can be said about us after our deaths. We can begin by praying Psalm 145 together as a family gathered around the table on Thanksgiving Day.

I edited the NIV version of Psalm 145 so that it can be read as a family prayer with a leader praying the words in italic print and the family responding with praying the words in bold print. May it bless your mealtime and fellowship with sincere gratitude toward the Lord God who is “rich in love.”

PRAYER FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

I exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

O Lord, you are great and most worthy of praise; your greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

You, O Lord, are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
O Lord, you are good to all; you have compassion on all you have made.

All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.

You, O Lord, are trustworthy in all your promises and faithful in all you do.
O Lord, you uphold all who fall and lift up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

You, O Lord, are righteous in all your ways and faithful in all you do.
O Lord, you are near to all who call on you, to all who call on you in truth.
You fulfill the desires of those who fear you; you hear their cry and save them.

O Lord, you watch over all who love you, but all the wicked you will destroy.
My mouth speaks in praise of you, O Lord.
Let every creature praise your holy name forever and ever.

Amen. Amen.

Hymn

“For the Beauty of the Earth”

For the beau-ty of the earth, for the glo-ry of the skies,
For the love which from our birth O-ver and a-round us lies,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grate-ful praise.

For the won-der of each hour Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flow’r, Sun and moon, stars of light,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grate-ful praise.

For the joy of hu-man love, Broth-er, sis-ter, par-ent, child;
Friends on earth, and friends a-bove; For all gen-tle tho’ts and mild;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grate-ful praise.

For Thy Church that ev-er-more Lift-eth ho-ly hands above,
Of-fering up on ev-ery shore Her pure sac-ri-fice of love,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grate-ful praise.

For Thy-self, best gift div-ine, To the world so free-ly giv-en;
For that great, great love of Thine, Peace on earth and joy in heav-en;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grate-ful praise.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 25, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

Count Your Blessings

Once again we enter into the busy time of Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and special religious services.  For many of us, it is a colorful and happy time of gratefulness and gift giving, as it should be.  A time of focused reflection on God’s goodness to us.

However, I fear that too often Thanksgiving Day is simply a brief pause in the anxious rush to prepare for the various activities and celebrations of Christmas.  And as such, Thanksgiving Day is not experienced as a joyous time of remembering our blessings and expressing our thanks to God for all His goodness to us.  I think our gracious Father God must be deeply hurt and grieved with our failure to honor Him on this special day with our expressions of thankful gratitude as we remember and count his blessings to us.

King David praised God with these words, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1-5).

And in another psalm, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. … They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”  (Psalm 145:3,4,7).

For many of us the past year did not go as we had hoped.  Most of us experienced a difficult year because of responding to a deadly coronavirus and divisive politics.  Some of us may have experienced the devastating loss of job or health or death of loved ones.  Even so, I believe, there is always much for which we can be and should be thankful.

The Thanksgiving-Christmas season offers us an annual opportunity to count our blessings, large and small, and to give thanks to God who is the source of every good and gracious gift.  We need to often remind ourselves that we do not deserve anything we enjoy, not one thing, including our caring family and friends, a good meal, or a warm bed.  In fact, we don’t even deserve the fresh air we just inhaled or the steady beat of our heart giving us moment by moment life.

The most important attitude that we will ever cultivate is the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful.  A grateful attitude causes our life to open up like a flower, full of beauty and sweet fragrance. It causes our life to be filled with joy and pleasant surprises because we see God blessing us in so many ways.

Every situation, whether of pain or loss, has the potential for gratitude or resentment.  Every problem provides opportunity for a stronger faith and new relationships with God and others.  A thankful heart discovers blessings even in the worse of situations and circumstances.

Health research shows that people who count their blessings sleep better, are more active, and care more about others.  People who gratefully count their blessings every day, show significant improvements in mental, physical, and spiritual health.  And these results are proven true regardless of your age or life situation.

How will you celebrate this Thanksgiving Day?  Will it just be another day of taking your many blessings for granted, or will it be a day of counting your blessings and joyfully thanking God with a grateful heart?

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Hymn:                              Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings – name them one by one –

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count you many blessings; every doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.

Count your many blessings; money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged; God is over all.

Count your many blessings; angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Chorus

Count your blessings; name them one by one.

Count your blessings; see what God hath done.

Count your blessings; name them one by one.

Count your many blessings; see what God hath done.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 18, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Look at Your Hands

With the soon arrival of Thanksgiving Day, I remembered a story titled “Grandpa’s Hands” that I had filed away some years ago.  I share it with you with the hope and prayer that it causes you to reflect on your own hands, and in turn give praise and thanksgiving toward God.

GRANDPA’S HANDS        (Author Unknown)

Grandpa, some ninety plus years old, sat feebly on the patio bench with his head down staring at his hands.  When I sat down beside him, he didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was OK.

Finally, I asked him if he was OK.  He raised his head and looked at me and smiled.  “Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking,” he said in a clear strong voice.

”I didn’t mean to disturb you, grandpa, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I explained to him.

”Have you ever looked at your hands?” he asked.  “I mean really looked at your hands?”  I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them.  I turned them over, palms up and then palms down.  “No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands,” I said as I tried to figure out the point he was making. 

Grandpa smiled and related this story to me:

“Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years.  These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled, and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.  They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.  As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.

They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life.  They have been dirty, scraped, and raw, swollen and bent.  They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.

Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.  They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and my wife, and walked my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day.

They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand.  They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.  They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.

And to this day when not much of anything else of me works really well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.  These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of my life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.  And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.”

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This story causes deep emotions of both thankfulness and regret to stir up within me each time I read it.  This story reminds me to look at my hands and think of them as gifts from our God; gifts that can be used either as tools or as weapons. 

Yes, with these two hands I can bless people or bruise them; I can gently heal the person next to me or I can brutally hurt them.  With these two hands I can generously share what I have with others or I can greedily steal from them; and I can open them in caring compassion for others or clench them in protecting my stuff.

I pray the story also reminds you to look at your hands and think about how you have used them.  It is the decision we make many times every day.  It is the decision that begins in the heart and informs the mind to how we will use our hands.  It is the decision I suggest we ponder each morning as we begin the new day.  How will I use my hands today?

Listen to these words from Alexander Irvine’s novel, My Lady of the Chimney Corner.

God takes a hand whenever he can find it,

and just does what he likes with it.

Sometimes he takes a bishop’s hand

and lays it on a child’s head in benediction.

And then he takes the hand of a doctor to relieve the pain,

the hand of a mother to guide a child.

And sometimes he takes the hand of a poor old creature like me

to give comfort to a neighbor.

But they’re all hands touched by his spirit,

and his spirit’s everywhere lookin’ for hands to use.

Will you join me in thanking God for our hands and in deciding each morning to use our hands in being God’s helpers and healers toward making our neighborhoods a better place of love, joy, peace, and happiness for ALL.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 11, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Remembering Relationships

It was about one year after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, that I had some blood work done at the hospital. The memories of that awful day were still vivid for most of us and made us more aware and appreciative of our relationships with family and friends.

And so, it was no surprise to find lying on the counter, copies of some thought-provoking sentiments written by an unknown author. I am sharing them with you as we enter into our annual Thanksgiving month, hoping to remind us again to think about how much we value our relationships. We dare not take them for granted.

“If Tomorrow Never Comes…”
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If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in tighter and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss, and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up in play,
I would videotape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time, I would spare an extra minute or two
to stop and say, “I love you”, instead of assuming you would KNOW that I do.

If I knew it would be the last time, I would be there to share your day,
instead of assuming you’ll have many more so I can let this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance to make everything right.

There will always be another day to say, “I love you”,
and certainly there’s another chance to ask, “Anything I can do?”.

But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,
I’d like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,
and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So, if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you’ll regret the day that you didn’t take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss, and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So always hold them dear.
Take time to say, “I’m sorry,” “Please forgive me,” “Thank you,” or “It’s okay.”
And if tomorrow never comes, you’ll have no regrets about today.

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Prayer
Almighty, ever-loving God; hear our prayers on behalf of our families, relatives, and friends. May your mighty hand shield and protect them from all evil; may your Holy Spirit guide and bless them; and grant that we all may be drawn closer to one another in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn “God Be with You till We Meet Again”

God be with you till we meet again; By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you: God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again; “Neath His wings protecting hide you,
Daily manna still provide you: God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again; When life’s perils thick confound you,
Put His arms unfailing round you: God be with you till we meet again.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – 11/4/2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

Agreeing to Walk Together

I am troubled by those who call themselves Christian, and yet hold to a view of community that is more totalitarian than biblical in its adherence to allowing little tolerance for disagreement.  I am speaking of an attitude and mentality that fixes its eyes on another with a cold look and says, “If you don’t agree with us, get out.  Go somewhere else.  You don’t belong here.” 

Regretfully, many Christians have been misled by the King James Version of Amos 3:3, which asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  They understand the prophet to be saying that any disagreement is detrimental to healthy relationship and community and thus, “no agreement, no relationship.”  But that is not the meaning behind the original Hebrew.

The New International Version (NIV) better clarifies the original meaning as follows; “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?  This more correctly suggests an agreement with another to walk together.  It is a commitment to a planned activity together because I accept and respect you regardless of any possible disagreements.

Behavioral studies show that much of human anxiety is caused by an egocentric, neurotic need to have others agree with us.  These same studies tell us that the dynamics of every healthy people grouping, whether it be church, community, or nation, includes lively disagreement. 

To presume that others need us to correct them, but that we do not need them to correct us is to assign to ourselves an omniscience that belongs only to Almighty God.  The “loyal opposition” is needed to keep us from getting too comfortable with our selfish, narrow, and off-times marred visions.  Dietrich Bonhoffer warned that “He who can no longer listen to his brother will soon no longer be listening to God, either.”

I am reminded of the young man who stopped at a farmhouse asking for work.  The farmer asked of his occupation, which was carpentry.  At first the farmer said he had no work.  Then, pointing across the road to the neighboring farm, he said, “That is where my brother lives and we have become bitter enemies.  He even took a bulldozer and cut a stream from the reservoir through the pasture between us.  I’ll hire you to take that lumber by the barn and build an eight-foot high solid fence between us, so that I don’t need to be looking at him.”

The farmer went to town for the day, and the young man went to work.  When the farmer returned, instead of a fence, he saw a beautiful bridge across the stream, with handrails and all.  At first, he was angry, but then he saw his brother walking down the hill to the bridge with his arms outstretched.  As he walked to meet him, his younger brother called out, “You are a special brother, to think that you would build a bridge so that we can get together!”

As the carpenter was walking away, the farmer called, “Hey, where are you going?”  The man answered, “I’m going to build other bridges!”

Bridges open us up to inviting and strengthening relationships with others.  Walls close down, shut out, and weaken relationships with others.  Bridges lead to new vistas, adventures, and unlimited possibilities.  Walls protect comfortable, non-disturbing sameness and limited possibilities.  

O church, community, and nation – we who call ourselves Christian – let us build bridges of loving acceptance, agreeing to walk together with all people.  Let us build bridges of respectful listening to the “loyal opposition” as we walk together toward seeking common ground and guidance in making a better world for all of us.

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For We Are Strangers No More             (Hymnal: A Worship Book, #322)

Refrain:             For we are strangers no more, but members of one family; strangers no more, but part of one humanity; strangers no more, we’re neighbors to each other now; strangers no more, we’re sisters and we’re brothers now.

Come, walk with me, we’ll praise the Lord together, as we join song to song and prayer to prayer. Come, take my hand, and we will work together by lifting all the burdens we can share.

Where diff-ring cultures meet we’ll serve together; Where hatred rages we will strive for peace. Come, take my hand, and we will pray together that justice come and strife and warfare cease.

There is a love that binds the world together; a love that seeks the last, the lost, the least. One day that love will bring us all together in Christ from South and North, from West and East.

(Kenneth I. Morse, 1979)

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – 10/28/2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley