Thursday, 21 November 2024

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"And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod they returned to their country by a different route." – Matthew 2:12

Have you ever had a vacation ruined by bad news?

It can happen at any point in the process. Maybe you've planned a trip to the Holy Land. You've bought your tickets, booked your rooms, gotten your itinerary. Maybe you've even packed your bags. Then you learn of a recent terrorist attack. The State Department warns against travel to that area. Disappointed, you cancel.

But at the last minute the travel agency comes up with an alternative. It's safer in Turkey; you can go there. You can see all the places St. Paul visited. It's not Jerusalem, but it's safe. So you go.

The Wise Men had their trip to Jerusalem ruined, not before they started out, but as they were going home.

In a dream, the second of five dreams in Matthew's nativity, the Wise Men learn that Herod is a danger to the Christ Child; they are not to return to him with news of where the child lives. They are to go home a different way. What a disturbing conclusion to such a joyous journey.

But let's go back to the beginning of their story. Who are the Wise Men and where do they come from?

There's much debate over almost every detail in the account. The word Matthew uses to identify the Wise Men is a strong clue as to their homeland. They're called magoi. Magoi is a Persian word for astrologer or magician. And they tell us themselves that their journey began in the "east" where they saw the star. Persia is in the east. Magoi is a Persian word. Where else can they be from but Persia?

Some draw a contrast here between the first visitors to see baby Jesus, the shepherds, and these visitors, the Wise Men.

Shepherds were poor, humble and despised members of society. They were the outcasts. The Jews of the time would classify them with the sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes.

But now these Magi from the east come to see the new king. They're rich, learned and skilled in the sciences of the ancient world. So, in shepherds and Wise Men we have the whole spectrum of mankind, from least to greatest represented.

Not so fast. These men would be no more acceptable to a religious Jew than the shepherds. Astrology and the magic arts are condemned in the Bible, and that's what they practiced. And they're not Jews but Gentiles.

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" they ask. "We recognize him as king, as the promised Messiah, but we're not Jews," they are in effect saying.

So they've got two strikes against them, an ungodly occupation, and the wrong religion. And strike three comes when Herod asks about the child’s whereabouts. Three strikes, and yet they came, believing they would be welcomed, if not by the people, at least by the King of the Jews.

No one likes a bad dream. But thank God the Wise Men had one. They not only followed a star that led them to the Savior, they heeded the dream, not returning to Herod.

And because of that, you and I have a Savior, one who would grow up to take our place on Calvary's cross, dying for our sins, and rising again that all who believe in him might have forgiveness and eternal life.

Join us at First Lutheran Church this Sunday to hear the whole story of this “Dream of Christmas.”

Worship is at 11 a.m., with lunch immediately following the service. All are welcome so come as you are.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572. Email Pastor Chris at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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"… An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." – Matthew 1:20

Put yourself in Joseph's shoes, or better, sandals. Your fiancée is pregnant. You're a moral man; you've not had relations with her. You thought she was a moral woman. But now she's pregnant, probably several months along and starting to show. How do you feel as this news crashes into your inner world like a rock through an earthen vase?

As an engaged man, betrayal would be at the top of Joseph's list of suspicions, I would think.

Certain expectations and promises accompanied engagement in those days, all insured by one's background and social custom.

Mary came from a good family. Tradition gives us the names of her parents, Anne and Joachim. Apparently, she was from the priestly tribe of Levi. Her cousin, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, was married to Zechariah the priest. Accordingly, one would expect Mary to be a woman of purity and devotion.

Joseph was a man of similar quality but from a different tribe, Judah. His ancestry could be traced back directly to David, Israel's greatest king.

To David it was promised, "I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations." (Ps 89:4)

You might say Joseph was a prince. But the present political reality was that David's dynasty was dead. Rome ruled the world and Herod the murderer, Rome's official agent, sat on David's throne.

So royal descendants like Joseph lived "under the radar," intentionally avoiding any notice by the authorities. Life was short for royals with aspirations. It was safer just to be a carpenter with a common name.

You could think of Joseph and Mary as two ordinary young people whose goals were like anyone else's in their culture. Their fathers had arranged their marriage when both were children, but they'd have grown up knowing all about it.

They'd probably seen each other often. Maybe they even played together. All things being normal, one day they'd get married, have children, live and work in Nazareth, die, and then be forgotten.

But such was not God's plan. Mary and Joseph were to be parents of a king. Officially the only rightful ruler of Judea was Herod. Rome had said so.

Officially, the divine promise that David's throne would be established forever had been suppressed and forgotten. Officially. But God had not forgotten. When God makes a covenant and swears to it, he keeps it.

So, it was that from an obscure family, in an obscure town in Galilee, that God chose a young woman, a virgin named Mary, to bear a child. Born into the house of Joseph, he would be the son of David. Conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, he would be the Son of God.

It was all just as planned by God and predicted by the prophets. The necessary events in history had come to pass. All was in readiness for the new king to be born. He only needed a family; a mother to bear him and a man willing to marry the mother of a child not his. It was this latter condition that was problematic; that would require a truly exceptional man.

And it is that man, Joseph, we will talk about on Sunday, Dec. 2, the beginning of the 2019 church year, the beginning of the season of Advent … preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Please join us at First Lutheran to hear the whole story of Joseph’s situation and why his dream would change the world.

The service of Holy Communion will begin at 11 a.m. with lunch immediately following. Children’s Sunday School starts at 11:20 a.m.

All are welcome so please, come as you are and bring a friend of two.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572. Email Pastor Chris at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Every year millions of consumers nationwide eagerly anticipate holiday shopping events such as Cyber Monday.

Unlike other holiday shopping days however, Cyber Monday only requires you to have access to a computer and a credit card to complete your purchase.

Despite the convenience, there are still many risks with online purchases and scammers are well prepared to take advantage of consumer’s mistakes.

Although online shopping has many benefits, it’s important to watch out for scams. According to the BBB Risk Index, online purchase scams are the riskiest scam to consumers. In 2017, more than 4,500 online purchase scams were reported to BBB Scam Tracker with the average victim losing over $100.

Additionally, consumers nationwide filed over 19,500 complaints against online retailers with BBB in 2017. Common complaints include paying for items but never receiving them, deceptive “free trial” offers, and issues returning products and receiving refunds.

Check out these BBB tips as you prepare for your Cyber Monday purchases:

1. Do your research. Before buying, look up the business at www.bbb.org and look over their BBB Business Profile to see its rating, complaint history, and customer reviews. Researching a company and reading reviews before making a purchase can save you from making the same mistake others did before you. Consider buying from trustworthy BBB Accredited Businesses that are committed to BBB’s Standards for Trust.

2. Beware of “too good to be true” deals and deceptive ads. Don’t believe every Cyber Monday ad you see. You’ll probably see ads online or receive email offers advertising suspiciously low prices. Make sure the site is professional, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. Better safe than sorry; it’s better to pass up on a “great deal” than pay for a product and either never receive it or realize the advertisement or product details were misleading. Take your time and read the fine print before submitting your order.

3. Beware of phishing. Don’t open any links or attachments from unsolicited emails – even if the advertised Cyber Monday deals seem irresistible. It’s better to type the URL directly in to your search bar, or look up the company on bbb.org and follow the link in its BBB Business Profile. Also, be on the lookout for phishing emails and websites that are impersonating real businesses. Hover over links and examine logos carefully. Remember that impersonation is easy; anyone can take a company’s logo and products and set up a fake website using a legitimate domain. If you suspect you’re being phished, report it to BBB Scam Tracker to help warn others.

4. Be secure. Check the site’s security settings and privacy policy and understand them. Make sure the URL starts with “https://”, where the “s” stands for secure. Also, look for the small closed lock icon in the address bar. Don’t give away any unnecessary personal information, and be certain that you’re giving your payment information through a secure website. If the site shows a BBB Seal, click on it and make sure it links to the correct BBB Business Profile to confirm its authenticity. Protect your computer as well: make sure you have firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software. Run virus scans regularly and make sure your software is up-to-date.

5. Pay with a credit card. A credit card may offer more protection than other payment methods; you can dispute a charge if you don’t receive the item. Additionally, consider it a red flag if the site will only let you use less-traceable payment forms.

6. Document everything. Keep documentation of all confirmation pages, emails and any other records. Print these out to be extra safe.

7. Read the return, cancellation, and refund policies very carefully. Make sure to look at the site’s contact page and FAQ to see what methods of contact are available should an issue arise. Consider it a red flag if they don’t have a toll free phone number and can only be contacted via email.

8. Carefully read the product details. Many people think they’re buying one thing but receive another because they didn’t read the fine print. Make sure you’re getting the size, color and other specifications that you want.

Follow these tips to feel confident shopping online this Cyber Monday. Check out BBB’s Digital IQ to learn more about how to be a savvy consumer on the Internet and test your own Digital IQ. Report online shopping scams to www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help warn others.

Evan Arnold-Gordon is a public relations specialist with the BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.
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Consumers and businesses nationwide are gearing up as the holiday season gets under way.

With orders to fill and presents to buy, it can be extremely stressful to try and checkoff everything on your list.

When shopping for the holidays, follow this BBB advice:

Stick to your budget. Avoid overspending by creating a gift budget for each person on your list to buy for. Making a list and checking it twice can help you to avoid purchasing impulse gifts, overbuying and exceeding your budget.

Seek out sales. Check your newspapers for coupons and look for ads on legitimate retailer websites. Comparison shop and check prices on the same items at different stores. If an offer sounds too good to be true, think twice before buying.

Pay by credit card and keep documentation. Credit cards offer consumer protections you can’t get when paying with cash or even debit card. Under federal law, you can dispute the charges if you don't receive an item or unauthorized charges appear on your account. However, it’s important to be mindful of only charging what you can pay off in full and on-time. After placing an order, print out the confirmation or save it electronically until it arrives.

Shop smart online and be aware of shipping deadlines. Always use secure, encrypted, "https," Web sites when buying online and pay with a credit card. Don't use the same password for shopping or for creation of "user accounts" that is used for your bank account. Be sure to place online orders early if you want them to arrive by Dec. 24; the US Postal Service offers specific deadlines to keep in mind.

Know your rights. Federal law requires that orders made by phone, mail or online be shipped by the date promised or within 30 days if no delivery time was stated. If goods aren't shipped on time, shoppers can cancel and demand a refund.

Research Web sites and companies. Some unfamiliar shopping sites offer electronics or luxury goods at unrealistically low prices. Check out Web sites at www.bbb.org to find out a company's BBB rating, complaint history and much more. Remember that BBB Accredited Businesses have been found to meet BBB Standards and promise to respond to and resolve issues, so search for the seal.

Whether you head out to the stores or purchase with the click of a mouse, always take the time to shop smart. The holidays can be expensive and chaotic, so shop with trust with your BBB.

Evan Arnold-Gordon is public relations specialist for the BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.
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A classroom at Riviera Elementary School in Kelseyville, Calif., in October 2018. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Our local schools have a responsibility to teach students more than reading, writing and arithmetic.

In today’s complex world, students need to know how to get along with others and translate book learning into practical skills.

At Kelseyville Unified, we are dedicated to helping students become well-rounded individuals.

One of the challenges of any school district is to provide opportunities that appeal to a wide variety of interests. I’m really proud of the programs and offerings at our schools. Whether students are athletes or artists, future farmers or aspiring mechanics, we provide experiences to engage and educate them.

At our elementary schools, our youngest students begin to learn how to get along with others simply by being in a classroom environment. These lessons are reinforced for those who choose to play extracurricular basketball in the fourth and fifth grade.

Being part of a team teaches students important life lessons. Students learn that being a great athlete isn’t enough – to succeed they must work with and depend on others.

They also learn how to handle disappointment. Not everyone’s going to win. That’s life. The question is, how do they respond when they lose?

Teaching students good sportsmanship – how to be graceful winners and losers – helps them enjoy the experience and focus on what matters. Winning is fun, no doubt, but the outcome of the game it not as important as how the game is played.

At the middle school, even more opportunities for life lessons arise. One of the best ways to learn anything is to struggle to figure it out. Working through the discomfort of not knowing an answer and working with others to solve a problem are skills that will help in future schooling and in life.

At Mountain Vista Middle School, the kids who participate in the robotics program are faced with just these sorts of challenges and it’s amazing to watch them overcome them.

Middle schoolers can also challenge themselves with athletics and the arts. It’s one thing to read about the rules of the game or see a musical score. It’s a very different thing to play the game or instrument. Putting book learning into motion helps students gain an appreciation for the hard work required to master a skill.

At the high school, the learning opportunities continue to expand. Our Career Technical Education offerings help students bridge the gap between seeing and doing, between watching a video of a welder, for example, and figuring out how to get two pieces of metal to stay together without burning the place down.

This is one reason I’m so grateful for the community support that allowed us to use bond funding to create a new shop at the high school. Hands-on learning takes students from understanding a concept to being able to apply it in the real world. For anyone who has tried to follow instructions when assembly is required or follow along as an expert on the Internet makes some artistic craft, we know things aren’t always as easy as they look.

By offering classes and extracurricular activities that allow students to discover how much work goes into mastering a skill, or learning the value of collaborating with others, we help prepare them for the real world. By exposing students to experiences that require overcoming disappointment, we help them build resilience. They find out that life goes on if they don’t make the team or get the lead in the play.

For some students, a traditional classroom approach doesn’t work well. For them, we offer an independent study/homeschooling option through the Kelseyville Learning Academy, or KLA.

At KLA, competitive athletes can dedicate the time required to reach their athletic potential, while still getting a great academic education, for example. Basically, no matter what their interests or abilities, students can get what they need at Kelseyville Unified School District.

In today’s society, there’s a huge focus on academics, which is great. However, sometimes, I think we forget about the importance of our skilled tradespeople. Our society would fall apart pretty fast without plumbers, contractors, farmers, and mechanics.

So, whether students join the mountain biking club, play in the mariachi band, run for student government, learn to fix a carburetor or practice planting a vine, they gain skills that will help them become more well-rounded people, people who can work with others and appreciate the contribution of their fellow citizens.

Dave McQueen is superintendent of Kelseyville Unified School District.
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How often do we find ourselves prompting our children to say, “Thank you?”

Whenever they’re offered a treat from a friend or an adult helps them out, we find ourselves asking, “Now, what do you say?”

We want our children to be respectful and use good manners, which is why we teach them to say, “Thank you,” but I wonder if in our attempt to produce properly mannered children, we actually overlook the thankfulness within “Thank you.”

Do we bring our children to a place where thankfulness is more than polite, but a recognizable part of their personhood? Are we at a place where thankfulness is a recognizable part of our personhood?

A few years ago, a Peanuts cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl.

Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world is eating turkey with all the trimmings, and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog, all I get is dog food."

He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment, and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."

There was very little joy in Snoopy’s thankfulness, for his thankfulness was based on a comparison. His thankfulness was based on the fact that he was better off than the turkey.

Therein lies a small lesson in that when we’re down in the dumps and full of complaints because life isn’t fair, we should recognize that there are so many others far worse off than we are.

We should stop complaining, but when it comes to our thankfulness, the basis should never be, “Whew, am I thankful that I’m not her,” or “I am so thankful I don’t have to live like that.”

Thankfulness is so much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else’s. Thankfulness is so much more than having enough food to eat, a nice, warm home to live in, good health or financial security, because each of those circumstances can be taken from us in an instant.

Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted.

We’re like the world traveler who has been everywhere and seen everything and takes for granted the blessing and beauty of all that he has seen. We have become so accustomed to our blessings that they fail to excite us and generate thankfulness, for we take them for granted.

In Luke 17:11-19, he shares with us the account of one leper who was not spoiled. There have been many guesses as to why the other nine didn’t return to thank Jesus, but our focus is not on the nine, but on the one who was thankful, for he provides us with some very important lessons on thankfulness.

We have all experienced “leprosy,” a time where we felt separated and alone, whether it was in the death of a husband, or the loss of a job, or the dissolving of a marriage or the infliction of emotional pain.

We’ve all had circumstances in life where we’ve lived outside the city, where we’ve paused and asked, “God, what did I do to deserve this?”

My understanding and my relationship with God tells me that the leper didn’t deserve it, and the same can be said for each of our own bouts with “leprosy.” But do we share something else in common with the leper; do we also share his thankful attitude?

The leper also teaches us that thankfulness completes healing. I believe the leper maintained a spirit of thankfulness throughout his battle with leprosy. He likely believed that God had heard the sound of his pleadings; his heart trusted in God and that God was his saving refuge.

Thankfulness is an attitude. Thankfulness is a way of life. Thankfulness enables healing to bring wholeness.

Join us Sunday to hear more about being thankful. The service is at 11 a.m. with a hot lunch to follow. We are thankful for you and pray you will be thankful for joining us.

All are welcome so come as you are!

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572. Email Pastor Chris at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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