Unlike many, the
holiday season doesn’t officially begin at Halloween, since for me, this season
holds a very sacred place. Thanksgiving opens the season by causing us to
pause, in gratitude for all of God’s blessings. We then enter the season of
waiting and preparation for the coming of the holy child, Jesus Christ. This
season of Advent, the first season on the Christian calendar, is four weeks in
which we focus on the four themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy and love. The
twelve days of Christmas then follows, after which the season of Christmastide
enters in.
By the time you read
this message, the gratitude, preparation, celebration and cleanup of
Thanksgiving will have already occurred. Let’s settle ourselves now and begin
to prepare in a deeper way, to absorb the real meaning of what Christmas should
mean to us. I hope you will join my family in reading the book of Luke for the
month of December so that by Christmas Eve, the decorations, wrappings, tinsel
and other accoutrements that accompany the pagan roots of Christmas to take a
back seat to the true meaning of this sacred season. From our home to yours,
may you and your family be blessed beyond measure, during this most sacred
season.
“God, please let every veteran of our nation’s armed forces feel
truly and appropriately honored by the attention and appreciation of their
fellow citizens. Let no one feel forgotten or neglected. Let every man and
woman, young or old, feel the deep and enduring gratitude of our nation and its
inhabitants.” Amen
Something about the cooler temperatures and the changing season just puts many of us in a reflective mood. That makes autumn a perfect time to hear what God’s saying amidst the sound of leaves crunching and the scent of pumpkinflavored coffees. To get you started, here are seven Scriptures that can help you grow deeper in your faith this fall.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” —Psalm 19:1 (KJ2) The sky on a clear fall day can be the most incredible shade of blue— especially against the background of changing leaves. One glance gives us a clue that we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves. Take some time to enjoy the wonder of His work.
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV) Whether it’s leaves changing in your backyard or you changing your clock for Daylight Saving Time, autumn reminds us that nothing stays the same forever. Change is one of the few constants in life, but that’s okay. God has perfect timing, and He has a purpose that stretches into eternity.
“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you.” — Psalm 31:19 (NIV) God doesn’t just give us a few blessings. He pours out an abundance of good things on our lives. Fall offers the perfect time to reflect on His goodness toward us. His blessings really are new each day (Lamentations 3:22-23).
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” —Galatians 6:9 (NIV) Fall is a season of harvest, so it’s good to remember that we always reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Sometimes, we get discouraged and wonder if the seeds we plant will ever sprout. Fall assures us that harvest day is coming, so we have to stick with the work.
“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.” —James 5:7 (NKJV) Patience may be a virtue, but it’s never easy. This agricultural illustration with a fall flavor reminds us that we have to develop patience. God will work out His plan in His timing. We can trust His work, even when He’s not working on our timetable.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” —Isaiah 40:8 (NAS) Dried leaves crunch beneath your feet, and the grass is a sad shade of brown. The air turns crisp—maybe even cold. It’s the annual transition from the life of spring and summer to the hibernation of fall and winter. But while seasons shift, we serve a God who never fails. He stands forever—and new pages on the calendar can’t change that.
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” —Psalm 9:1 (NIV) Article excerpt from www.crosswalk.com
The sanctuary fills with noise as people greet each other and look for their favorite seat. A family who has never visited before enters through the side doors. This family is on a mission to find a church where they feel like they can fit in, worship, and grow spiritually. Doesn’t sound like an unusual problem—does it?
The difference? This family has a child with autism.
Your church can be an environment where children with autism and other disabilities are welcome.
Autism strikes one in eighty-eight children, making it the fastest growing disability in our world today. The statistics make people scratch their heads and debate the cause. But when a child with autism enters your church, it’s not about statistics anymore.
Families with autistic children strive to make minor things work every day and make sacrifices most people are unaware of. Their goal is to build understanding with those who come in contact with their children. Some situations can be adjusted, while others just have to be given up.
One environment where children with autism and other disabilities should always be welcome, though, is church. Here are four ways you can be a blessing to these precious families:
1. GAIN UNDERSTANDING
The key to ministering to this kind of family is to seek to understand what you don’t know. Get to know them and their child personally. Each child will be remarkably different; there’s really no “one-size-fits-all” approach. Learning how the child’s autism affects their daily routine will help you apply that to their needs in the church building.
Are they highly sensitive to bright lights and noise? See if the acoustics or lighting can be turned down.
Does the fabric on your pews bother the child? Offer to add a softer, removable chair cushion in the sanctuary that the child can use each Sunday.
Small things can make a big difference.
2. A SAFE HAVEN
Some autistic children are able to sit through a church service, while others have a harder time making it to the final “amen” without needing to leave. It becomes hard for families to stay in church, and sadly, many give up entirely. A few accommodations could make all the difference.
Create a room in the church the child can be taken. Choose a room of the church that’s:
Far enough from the sanctuary so overlapping noise isn’t a big problem.
Filled with things like CDs, art supplies, musical toys, and books.
Equipped with a soft piece of furniture (a love seat or large chair) to help with sensory issues.
Been checked by the parents for any issues that may aggravate the child’s autism (fluorescent lighting, creaking cabinet doors, etc.).
This room will be an excellent “Plan B” for those times when the worship service isn’t tolerable for the child. If the child ends up using the room very often, though, the parents will get weary. This is where your church’s ministry can go a step further.
3. A TEAM APPROACH
Helping watch the child will be one of the greatest blessings you can give the parents. It gives them a break and allows them to worship as a couple.
Ministry Team: You could create an autism ministry team, complete with a list of adult workers who are trained to watch the child and someone to lead the effort. Training is as simple as gathering information from the parents and working together in pairs, which provides more physical help and confidence. Make sure all the workers know the parents’ cell phone numbers in case the child is overwhelmed and it just won’t work out. Some days are like that.
Buddy System: Some children have a milder case of autism and will fit into children’s programs, but with personal supervision. This is a case where a buddy system with older teens and college students would help. They would take turns staying with the child, going wherever they go. The buddy may even go into the worship service and sit with the child’s family, should they need help at that time.
4. REDUCING PROBLEMS
Sometimes families encounter problems within a church body simply because autism can be misunderstood, causing fear and poor reactions. Ignorance is the root much of the time. This can be prevented by making the church aware of the disability and inviting members to get acquainted with the parents and, at their discretion, their child.
You can do this through an email, letter, or announcement in the weekly bulletin. It might help to include things like:
Autism information
Particular ways autism affects the child, e.g., sensory sensitivities, obsessions, reactions to change, food allergies, etc.
A request for parents to talk to their children about autism and how to be kind and when interacting with the child
Sometimes including someone with special needs requires special attention. But isn’t that what Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 12:22–26? All churches can learn new things as we stretch to learn how to relate to autism and other disabilities. After all, each child with a disability represents a family who needs to come to God through Jesus Christ, so they can know and worship the God who makes them whole.
Do you know a family with special needs in your church? Will you reach out to them this week?
On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are not presentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.1 Cor. 12:22–26 NIV
Kelly and Lilly Mack, two members of the San Mateo community who were among the first builders and organizes of the St. James A. M. E. Zion Church 100 years ago.
Kelly Mack, who was born February 12, 1898, came to San Mateo with his wife Lilly and their two children, Kellmar and Oswald, from Eutaw in Green county Alabama. The decision to relocate came at the urging of his brother, after a white street car conductor put a gun to his head for sitting in the “ wrong section of a streetcar.” Ironically, it was at that time, Corporal Kelly Mack had just returned home from serving his country in the Signal Corp during World War I. He had been stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii where black men were typically assigned since the U.S. of America did not want non-whites in direct combat against a white enemy.
After moving to San Mateo, Kelly Mack did part time work at Noah William’s restaurant which was called Noah’s Ark, located on the corner of San Mateo Drive and 3rd avenue where this cater corned edifice reportedly still stands today. During that time, Black men, who came to San Mateo, were typically hired to work as waiters and busboys at Noah Williams’ cafeteria style restaurant that was known for unusually delicious ham. The Mack family lived, for a time, in a house on the corner of Fremont at 803 Mt. Diablo Avenue. This house was next door to the original location of St James A.M.E. Zion Church in the parking lot of what is now the Martin Luther King Center.
During the depression, the Mack family grew, with the addition of Audrey and Edwin. Although jobs were not plentiful Kelly Mack was resourceful. He began a cleaning business at new housing development sites. During those days, new plumbing fixtures came wrapped in newspaper that was glued to porcelain and was very difficult to remove. Fortunately, Kelly Mack was resourceful. He was able to invent new ways of effectively removing glued paper from porcelain fixtures, as well as paint, cement and putty splashes from windows, tile floors, walls other surfaces. The Kelly Mack’s House Cleaning Service business thrived as he branched out from just cleaning at new construction sites to include cleaning older homes as well. Because of the popularity and effectiveness of his House Cleaning business at construction sites, he was able to influence those in the construction industry to donate building materials, scaffolding, lumber, plumbing supplies, paint and mortar that were all needed during both the initial construction of the first St. James church sanctuary and years later for repairs after the arsonist fire in 1967. In fact, the entire construction community responded to Mr. Mack’s requests after the arson fire, an occurrence which was considered to be a blot on the entire city.
Whenever the church doors were opened it seems as though both Kelly and Lilly, who was a class leader and a member of the Trustee Board, were there to answer the call. Kelly Mack hammered, nailed, painted and sanded along with the best of them to keep St. James in good shape.
The Mack family began their membership during the tenure of Reverend Kinnard, the first Pastor of record to be appointed to St. James. Their active membership continued to include the subsequent administrations of 14 other ministers appointed to lead the St. James congregation. Reverend Rufus A. Cooper, who served two separate appointments as Pastor of St. James, fondly described Kelly Mack, during his funeral, as one who was either going 100 miles an hour or he was at a dead stop. There was no in between speed when it came to getting the work done. We pay tribute, as a part of this year long 100th anniversary observance, to Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Mack for their tireless devotion as two of the early builders of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church.
Drawing on the ancient practice of setting aside Lent as a period of study and preparation for living as a Christian disciple, we are pleased to present weekly teachings from Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent.
We do not live in a culture that encourages REST. All too often, we are forced to work harder and longer hours, and it shows in our health. Yet, from the beginning, God – who rested on the seventh day of creation – set rest into the pattern of all life. Truly practicing the Way of Love means spending time with God in sabbath rest. Not everyone has the luxury of long breaks and vacations, or even days off. Still, we can help each other find ways internally to pause and receive the gift of sabbath. The act of rest and restoration is a part of the cycle of rebirth that is God’s hope for us and gift to us.
In the exciting story of the Valley of the Dry Bones, we hear the way God sent God’s breath, the Holy Spirit, onto a field of bones. That very breath was enough to reanimate them and bring them back to fullness of life. Making sabbath rest has the same impact. Sabbath rest provides the opportunity for God to refresh us, to breathe new life into us. When we neglect sabbath time with God, we can begin to feel withered and tired, just like those dry bones. This is no coincidence. When we constantly run from activity to activity without breathing and returning to God, we become depleted and dry.
The gospels record numerous times when Jesus retreated to a place of sabbath to reconnect with God and to receive the strength he needed to continue his ministry. In Luke 5 when the news about Jesus spread and crowds gathered around him, Jesus withdrew and prayed. Studies have shown that people who take regular breaks from work have higher rates of creativity and productivity. It should come as no surprise that the ritual of baptism follows the pattern of death into life – that is the sabbath cycle in action.
REFLECT: It has been said that we don’t take a sabbath, but rather make sabbath. Rest is an intentional act. Do you currently have a practice of reserving a block of time each day, week, or month for sabbath rest? If so, how does it restore you? If not, what has the effect of that lack felt like? Lent is a chance to reevaluate our patterns of living. Is God calling you to explore the gift of sabbath this Lent?
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers
to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills,
repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in
the United States today.
We know that there is
not one autism but many subtypes, most influenced by a combination of genetic
and environmental factors. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person
with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. The ways in which
people with autism learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled
to severely challenged. Some people with ASD may require significant support in
their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live
entirely independently.
Several factors may
influence the development of autism, and it is often accompanied by sensory
sensitivities and medical issues such as gastrointestinal (GI) disorders,
seizures or sleep disorders, as well as mental health challenges such as
anxiety, depression and attention issues.
Indicators of autism usually appear by age 2 or 3. Some associated development delays can appear even earlier, and often, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months. Research shows that early intervention leads to positive outcomes later in life for people with autism.
