OVERWHELMING DEBT

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8

 

In today’s world of uncertain medical coverage and greedy health providers, an entire family’s resources can be threatened or wiped out by one catastrophic illness. Just ask the 472 families across Arkansas and Texas who recently found out that their medical bills of hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars were being paid off by a church in a state a thousand miles from them. A Lord of Life Church member in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, told his pastor about “RIP Medical Debt,” a non-profit led by two former debt collectors familiar with the health industry. RIP buys debt from hospitals and providers with funds donated from celebrities, churches, and other organizations. The debt is bought up for pennies on the dollar, so even modest donations can eliminate a huge debt for those who have no other way to pay their medical bills. Lord of Life Church raised $15,000 in the fall of 2019, enough to pay off $1.6 million in medical debt! So why didn’t they use the money in their (my) home state of Minnesota? Well, state protections in Minnesota limit the purchase of debt. Undaunted, Lord of Life decided it would still use the money to help people in some of the poorer parts of our nation; hence, the gifts went towards medical bills for families in two southern states. (The church has plans to raise more money to help locals with medical debt.)

 

In Romans 13:8, the Apostle Paul speaks of our compelling responsibility to love others, thereby fulfilling the second part of Christ’s Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”). How can mere mortals love with that much surety and abandon? By never doubting the power of God to direct our efforts to the right person in the right place at the right time!

 

Giver of All Good Gifts, open our hands and hearts and help us to love with surety and abandon. Amen

 

For more information about the RIP Medical Debt program, or to make a donation, go to: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan tells stories of wisdom, strength, fear, joy and risk-taking. Daughter of a raging alcoholic mother, and survivor of sexual assault at gunpoint, Corrigan has shaken a dismal past and flung herself into the arms of Christ, Who sustains her in her daily walk of grace. She shares with her listeners her incredible story of surviving and thriving through many trials during her seven decades walking this fragile earth. She has been described as a Renaissance Woman, integrating her formal training in psychology and counseling, an enlightening experience as a percussionist for a Polynesian show troupe, and most recently as an inspirational author and blogger, to the delight of all who read her work and hear her speak. Her exposure to many life experiences has enriched her passion for spreading Christ’s word and helping other trauma survivors. She has a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling and thirty-plus years of experience in the field of counseling and social work.  She lives in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, with the love of her life, Patrick, and their formerly disenfranchised rescue dog Ginger. www.MegCorrigan.com    MegCorrigan@comcast.net

THE HOPE OF ADVENT

SORRY FOR THE DELAY THIS WEEK! I POSTED THE BLOG A DAY LATE!

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

As we approach Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in this year of years, I choose to find hope in the coming of Christ. The earth has suffered a great plaque in the last several months, and while the arrival of the vaccine is hopeful, we are still in the dark winter of this pandemic. We will not see anything resembling our “former normal” for at least several months if not a couple of years.

But we stand in this darkness as a Light is dawning, the Light of the Son of God, born of a virgin on Christmas. His birth is symbolic, yes, to Christians around the globe. But He is more than a symbol. I can attest to the transforming power of Christ in my life, and I believe He can exhibit that much power in the life of anyone who calls on Him to do so. As the saying goes, if you are looking for God, you have already found Him.

Yes, I am sad this year. I will miss playing my drums and singing at our live, in person Christmas Eve services this year. My husband and I have been a part of the music for years, and it will be strange to watch a live-streamed service instead of the “real thing.” But I know that the “real thing” is still there, in my heart, and in the hearts of all who believe that Jesus Christ was born of a woman and lived among humans in order to become a sacrifice for the sins of all of us. It doesn’t matter where or how we celebrate this year. We still need to celebrate.

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer compared Advent to a prison cell “in which one waits and hopes and does various unessential things . . . but is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside.” Let Christ open the door and come in. He is here now. He will be here always. Hallelujah!

Come Lord Jesus, my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations (Luke 2:30). Amen

JUST RELEASED! Saints With Slingshots 2: MORE Daily Devotions For The Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, Meg Blaine Corrigan’s new book compiled of these blogs. Available on her website, http://www.MegCorrigan.com or at Amazon.com link below:

RESTING GRINCH FACE

A cheerful heart is a good medicine,  but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

 

We’ve all met them. They seem to be everywhere during the Christmas season. Some people just can’t get into the mood for Christ’s birth, no matter what anyone says to them. If you wish them a Merry Christmas, they scowl at you or just turn and walk away. They suck the energy right out of the office Christmas party, and they haunt family gatherings. They won’t tell us what’s bothering them, or what has set them off. They aren’t happy about it being Christmas and they are going to try hard to make the rest of us unhappy too.

 

What do we do about people who spend the entire Advent season wearing a “resting Grinch face?” We can try to console them, engage them in a positive conversation about something, anything! Maybe they have bad memories of Christmas past. I know a woman whose parents were divorced whose only childhood memories of Christmas were about being shuffled from one parent’s home to the other, with little time to enjoy or appreciate either side of the family. Others may associate Christ’s birth with their own feelings of inadequacy or shame or guilt. Grieving for the loss of a loved one, a job, one’s health, or a relationship can add to the holiday blues. Some folks are genuinely turned off by the commercialization of this sacred occasion (count me among them!). And still more people dread being alone on Christmas because there isn’t a single person with whom they can plan to spend the holiday.

 

The “resting Grinch faces” of the world need our understanding and compassion, not our judgement. Holiday blues are different from mental illness, but short-term mental health problems can lead to clinical anxiety and depression. One of the best ways to help people who are unhappy during the Holidays is to include them in our lives and our activities. We may need to remain vigilant and be patient. The season is short, but Christ came not to condemn us but to offer us peace and healing. He would want us to keep that uppermost in our minds.

 

Child of Wonder, You came to us when the world was hurting, just as it is now. Help us spread the light of Your love now and all year long. Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan finds ideas for her devotional blogs in everyday places and events, from comic strips to magazines and books, comments on the fly from people she meets, ancient memories of her childhood, and nigglings from God. To date, she has written nearly 700 different devotions, filling one book of daily readings, Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, published in 2015. Meg is working on a second book (Saints TWO) which she had hoped would be completed by now. She posts once a week, which means in seven years, she will have enough entries to fill a second book. Sometimes life gets in the way of writing, so Meg is pacing herself, enjoying spending time with her husband, their four daughters and spouses, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, as well as their rescue dog, Bassett/Beagle mix Ginger. Meg is involved in volunteer work at her church, Christ Lutheran in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, and also with sexual violence/sex trafficking prevention and education. She speaks to groups whenever she if offered the opportunity. She is a voracious reader of other people’s writing, which gives her lots of ideas for more devotional blogs. Read more about her at www.MegCorrigan.com or contact her at MegCorrigan@comcast.net .

ROCK ON, LITTLE DRUMMER BOY!

Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Psalm 150:4

 

“The Little Drummer Boy,” originally known as “Carol of the Drum,” is a song written by American classical music composer and teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. The Trapp Family Singers first recorded the song in 1951; many other recordings and performances followed. A twelfth-century French legend is said to have been the inspiration for the song. The lyrics tell of a poor boy who was invited by the Maji to come see the Baby Jesus in His manger. The boy had no gift for the Infant King, but he played his little drum. The boy says, “I played my best for Him,” and “He smiled at me.”

 

This song has long had a special meaning for me, since I play trap set drums in our church’s contemporary band. During Advent, we play seasonal traditional and contemporary songs in the worship services. Christmas Eve is filled with special music from all our music groups—choir, bells, youth, solos, instrumentalists, as well as our band. With my husband on bass guitar, and others playing keyboards, rhythm guitar, congas, horns, and several of us singing, it is an honor and a delight to lead worship on such a sacred night. I am encouraged by the words of the psalmist, telling of those ancient people of God using all kinds of musical instruments in worship. I cannot imagine a church service, baptism, wedding or funeral without instrumental and vocal offerings, and I am humbled to be a part of our worship music.

 

The story of The Little Drummer Boy is fanciful; it is highly unlikely that a real boy possessing a drum was around Bethlehem the night of our Lord’s birth. But the point of the tale is that each of us has unique “gifts” to offer in service to our King. Galatians 5:22 names but a few of these special gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness. Believers all over this diverse world can fill in the blanks with others: hospitality, discernment, lifting others up, fighting oppression. Volunteer opportunities abound in healthcare, childcare, ending hunger, teaching, ecology, protecting wildlife. Can you bring your unique gift to the Christ Child this Christmas? Opportunities are as varied as the human imagination.

 

Jesus, stir us to bring our gifts to You this Christmas. Amen