Christmas Musings Day 25

Everything For Him

John 1:3 (ESV) ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

               If you watch my Facebook feed, aside from finding out that I’m quite boring, you will come to know that I enjoy astronomical phenomena. I greet each new image from either the Webb or Hubble Space-Based telescopes with great joy. I find the vast panorama of stars, galaxies, and dust-clouds entrancing. I spend too much time gazing and imagining. I like to think of creation, not the argument between the old and new earth crowds. No, I like to think of incomprehensible intellect that conceived of such grandeur and beauty and then breathed it into existence from nothing. Imagine the might that brought our reality into existence deciding to enter into it as a participant.

               He planned and executed the very star that heralded His birth, making sure it started shining at just the right time. He conceived of hay, knowing that His first bed would be lined with it. I do not know if the swaddling cloths were wool, cotton, or linen, but He thought of those weavable materials, understanding that they would warm against the chill of that first night. He envisioned and then fashioned pregnancy and then spent nine months, or so, of His life in a womb. He placed a hill outside Jerusalem, knowing that He would die there. He orchestrated all of it, understanding that one day He would alter Himself to participate in it. The one who flung the stars into space and set up the orbits of the sun, earth, moon, and other planets would one day crane His neck to gaze in wonder at the beauty He created. 

Christmas Musings Day 24

Rascal Rehabilitation

Genesis 28:4-5, 14 (ESV) ⁴ May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” ⁵ Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother…¹⁴ Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

               Normally, we do not recount the story of Jacob as part of Advent. I understand why. Jacob does not play a pivotal role in the birth of the Messiah. He does hold a place in the lineage of Jesus, making an appearance in both genealogies. But we do not read about him in any of the Advent accounts; consequently, you will not find a Jacob figurine in any Nativity set. Perhaps we should reconsider. Jacob starts off as a bit of a rascal. He’s not the kind of guy you want to hang out with, or if you do, keep your hand on your wallet. In fact, when God extends His promise to Jacob, he is fleeing his brother. Despite his character flaws, God extends the promise to him and Jacob responds positively. God works with him, rehabilitating him, making him something new. So new, that God changes his name from Jacob, “supplanter,” interpreted as someone who seizes, circumvents, or usurps to Israel, meaning “contended with God.” Israel emerges from the ashes of Jacob and takes his place as part of God’s great Advent story, which gives me great hope.

               You see, those who know me most intimately know that I’m a failed person. Oh, I’m better than I used to be. Life has a way of scuffing off rough edges; but, I still have foibles, some grievous ones. But these weaknesses do not keep me out of God’s plan. As He worked with Jacob, turning him into Israel, He works with me, weaving me into the tapestry of His plan. He takes me as I am but is unwilling to let me remain a rascal. He bends with the remover to remove. So in those dark moments of self-examination when I realize the true depth of my personal failure, I can rest assured that He still has a plan to redeem my life. That is what Advent is all about, redeeming the rascals. 

Christmas Musings Day 23

Empty, Away

Luke 1:53 (ESV) ⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

               I like to think of myself as average American Middle-Class, neither too poor nor too rich. In some ways, there is a certain amount of intellectual snobbery involved in this. Whenever the conversation turns to what “the rich” ought to do, I am talking about someone else; however, that is not reality. If look worldwide, I’m among the elite wealthy. Depending upon which calculator I use, I fall somewhere in the upper ten percent of the world’s population. That puts me closer to the Donald Trumps and Bill Gates of this world than most of the rest of the teeming masses that populate our globe. I do not like thinking of myself this way and it bothers me to type these words. But if you are reading this missive, the same would be true for you. As citizens of the U.S. “middle-class,” we enjoy a historically unprecedented affluent lifestyle. No matter how you parse the data, we are rich. Through Advent, God says some challenging things to us.

               Mary, in her beautiful outpouring of adoration, speaks to the purpose of Advent. God engaged in the Advent story to radically alter how our world functions. We place great emphasis on power and the acquisition of wealth and influence. It is hard to escape this mindset. But the Lord wants to shake things up. In the Magnificat, Mary provides the details. Later Jesus would say similar things in the Sermon on the Mount. Those of us who are proud can expect to be humbled. Those of us who enjoy positions of power can expect to lose our place. Those who endure lowly place can expect to be lifted up. The poor and destitute can expect to find fulfillment. Those of us who are rich can expect to be sent, empty away. Empty away. That is the antithesis of what I expect at Christmas, but Mary, and the prophets of old, cry out with this sobering message. But if I fear the Lord, His mercy is great. Perhaps if I let Him have His way, I can be part of His reorganization of this world, helping those I meet that have great need.

Christmas Musings Day 22

In the Fullness of Time

Galatians 4:4 (AKJV) ⁴ but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, … You might note that the ESV uses the same phrasing,

               As an English teacher, I love scripture. The writers, under the unction of the Holy Spirit, penned some of the best texts ever. While I normally read from the English Standard Version, I do love the full resonate words in the King James Version. They very carefully crafted that version to read well, and it does. They labored to find the exact words, even inventing new words and phrases to try and carry the meaning. This scripture demonstrates the good effect of their care exceptionally.

               “When the fulness of time was come.” One of the great mysteries of Advent is this idea of the time being exactly right. All the lines of history, spiritual and human, and all the physical components of the universe aligned properly. Then came the pregnant pause. All creation holds its breath as the Creator readies Himself for His grand entrance, but when the fulness of time was come, He appeared. And the vast majority of His creation missed it. A few shepherds showed up because they got a special invite. Some time later, perhaps three years later, a wandering band of magi showed up, but the rest of the world simply continued to turn unaware of the magnitude of Advent, and not much has changed.

               Each year we must fight the temptation to give in to the crush of the holiday season. All the hurry distracts from the contemplative side of Christmas. Advent calls us to slow down. The fulness of time has passed. We can take a few moments to consider the impact of Advent, historically and within our hearts. What things are ripe for enacting? Are there words of contrition or encouragement that I need to speak? Are there weak and halt near me that need some help at this time? What fulness of time has come for me?

               

Christmas Musings Day 21

Dependence

Luke 2:7 (ESV) ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

               I enjoy teaching high school students…most of the time. When motivated, they engage in near-adult conversations, often developing thoughts that surprise and teach me; however, they bring their own special challenges to the classroom. Chief among these challenges is a burning desire for independence. All my students make the casual assumption that they do not need any help with anything. With all the seriousness that they can muster, they will look me in the face and tell me that I do not know what I am talking about, or that what I am teaching them has no real application in their future. They find it impossible to conceive of a problem that they cannot answer. They yearn for independence. Every year I have students that connive and plot to graduate early, thinking they have nothing left to learn. Sometimes I must bite my lip to avoid laughing in their serious faces. I was just the same, though not as vocally rude about it. There is something about our makeup that rebels against depending upon anyone; but, the creator of the universe gladly made himself dependent upon a very young, inexperienced woman.

               If you can, imagine what that jarring experience was like. One moment you’re managing the universe, ensuring that the planets move in their appointed path, that the sun continues to burn at the right temperature, and that the tides rise and fall appropriately. The next you’re a drooly baby that cannot feed itself or change a poopy diaper. All you can really do is cry when you want something and coo or gurgle happily when your teenage mother meets your needs. This is a major exercise in dependence. The voice that spoke our universe into existence, can only wail hopefully when it needs burping. The hands that crafted woman from a rib can only flail aimlessly. The feet that strode across the stars, and soon a small sea, will have to learn how to crawl, stand, toddle, and then run. The true master of the universe agreed to be so helpless and powerless that a mere teenager was more powerful and wiser. If the Son of God could submit to that kind of humiliation, what keeps me from bending my knee to help the helpless?  

Christmas Musings Day 20

The Word Became Flesh

John 1:14 (ESV) ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

               Advent awakens wonder in me, childlike wonder. As a little boy growing up in West-Texas, I loved the Christmas season, lights, decorations, carols, movies, food, and the presents combined to create a sense of wonder and enchantment which made the Holiday Season special. As I aged, my understanding of Advent deepened. Christmas took on a more nuanced meaning. Do not misunderstand me, all the Christmas traditions still thrill me. Sometime in the next few days, I will drive around Lubbock enjoying all the lights. My scale reminds me that I still love holiday foods. Each evening Christy and I still enjoy our traditional favorite Christmas movies…and some new ones. But now, Advent introspections push me in a different, hopefully, deeper, direction.

               During Advent, the miracle of the Incarnation, and all its attendant implications, consumes my thought-life. During the past two millennia, theologians have struggled mightily to understand the Incarnation with varying degrees of success. I cannot expect to add anything new to the mighty pile, but the marvelous wonder of Advent compels me to try. That God would send His son, stripping Him of His might, glory, and incandescence, to live as one of us, His creation, amazes me. As a soldier, I lived and moved in a rank-conscious world. We worked hard for every promotion and cherished the honors that came with them. Freely setting them aside never entered our minds, not for a moment. But Jesus willingly set them aside and entered His creation as one of the created to rub shoulders and truly get His hands, now that He had them, dirty. Most of us would not willingly give up our parking spaces, much less transcendent creative power. Jesus endured time’s greatest downgrade to save me. He traveled from the palaces of heaven to a straw-lined manger so that I might live. 

Christmas Musings Day 19

A Personal Cost

Luke 1:38 (ESV) ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

               We live in an age of self-gratification, ease, and comfort. I struggle to get my students to read difficult novels. If I do not administer a quiz over reading assignments, they will not do them. Even with the threat of a poor quiz grade, many students accept a lower course average rather than complete an onerous task. When I ask them why they fight me so, they settle on one of two answers, “it’s boring,” or “it takes too much time.” They struggle with complex readings that require multiple passes to apprehend. They want everything in bullets with the bottom line up front. They consider personal comfort a prime motivator, and I’m not any better.

               We recently purchased some new furniture and I spent a lot of time in the store testing out the comfort level of many recliners…not a bad gig if you ask me. I too find myself measuring goodness in either time saved or personal comfort. I chafe when a business takes too long to get back to me. When I’m working with a computer, I want lightning-fast download speeds. Latency drives me nuts! Like the rest of my culture, I want things done my way and I want my comfort. I disdain things that bother me. In Advent, God shows a shocking disregard for the comfort level of those He called.

               All of the prime players in Advent found their lives disrupted, significantly disrupted. In some ways, it seems like God sought to make their lives uncomfortable as if participating in Advent entailed a commitment to suffer. Joseph endured whispers of either indiscretion or being cuckolded, neither a good thing. Yet, he agreed to serve the Lord as requested. He endured an additional nine months of celibacy, followed by a long trek with a pregnant mother to Bethlehem. Then, as if that were not enough, just as things settled down, he uprooted his family, fleeing to Egypt. Being the father of a newborn is difficult when things go well. Then Joseph found himself serving as the earthly father of the Messiah, a truly monumental task. To walk as Joseph did, by faith, implies acceptance of disruption to our daily schedule or even life plan. Advent makes me consider how seriously I take God’s call on my life. Advent plunged Joseph’s life into turmoil and is quite likely to have the same effect on mine. What areas of my life do I withhold from God’s continuing celebration of Advent?

               

Christmas Musings Day 18

What Dreams May Come…

Matthew 1:24 (ESV) ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife…

               I enjoy and sometimes endure, a rather vivid dream life. Most of the time they vanish with the morning mist. Sometimes they linger, particularly the ones in which I’m back in the Army. A very few stick with me for a long time, even intruding upon my waking hours. Like most of us in our modern world of empirical data-driven decisions, I do not give my dreams much weight in decision-making. I assume that for the most part they are products of synapses firing randomly in the night, or my subconscious sorting through various happenings trying to make sense of this chaotic world. Whatever their source, I do not expend much time trying to divine meaning from my dreams, unlike Joseph.

               Joseph faced a potentially devastating problem, especially in his cultural milieu.  A pregnant fiancé indicated either premarital relations or some sort of extracurricular dalliance. Matthew also notes that Joseph was a “just,” or righteous man, implying a high degree of character. Then later, he dreams and receives instructions in the night, and follows them. What level of faith does it require to make such a life-altering decision based on guidance from a dream? Advent calls us to take risk, great risk. God took great risk in sending His son, and He calls us to take similar risk. 

Christmas Musings Day 17

A Total Reordering

Isaiah 9:5-6 (ESV) ⁵ For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. ⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

               Several uniforms hang in my closet, a set of Desert Camouflage Uniforms I wore on my first deployment to Iraq, a set of Class A dress uniforms, a set of Dress Blues, and a set of Mess Dress uniforms, all carefully preserved. They all have special meaning to me. In fact, during our school celebration of Veteran’s Day (Armistice Day), I squeezed myself back into the Dress Blues. Twenty-seven years of service does not easily slip away. I am proud of my service. While not a great soldier, I went from Private to Lieutenant Colonel and served honorably. I enjoy the thanks of a grateful nation. But every year, Advent forces me to rethink my sense of pride, my priorities, my trust. Advent announces God’s order, the order we should support and trust.

               The prophet speaks of a coming day in which my uniforms, complete with the medals, will be burned as fuel for the fire. In God’s economy, the things that give me great pride, that hang carefully preserved in my closet, are so much tinder for a fire. Advent ushers in the great reordering. A bright light dawns, pushing back the darkness of evil. We will find those cultural institutions with which a nation flexes its power, weak and insubstantial. Instead of the politician, king, or tycoon, a child will assume the role of leader. The old has passed away and behold something new takes its place. Advent heralds this great change and it comes in the form of a helpless infant laid in a manger. 

Christmas Musings Day 16

It’s a Matter of Choice

Ruth 1:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

               Almost forty years ago, Christy made a choice. She got on an aircraft bound for Manila. A few days later, she and I pledged our troth (faith or loyalty when pledged in a solemn agreement or undertaking) in front of God and witnesses. At that moment our lives radically changed. Christy read that passage to me as part of our service. Just like Ruth, she made a choice, becoming part of a new family. Ruth had no idea that her choice would result in the inscription of her name in the family lineage of the Messiah. In many ways, Advent is all about choice.

               Long ago, before the clock was off and running, Jesus made the choice to create, knowing He would have to become one of us. Abraham made a choice to move on. Ruth made a choice to leave her family and country. Joseph made a choice to endure the questioning looks of a pregnant fiancé. Mary made a choice to say yes to God, and these are just a few of the choices required to make Advent a possibility. In Advent God chose us, undergoing something so radical it defies easy definition or even full comprehension. The weight of glory is just too much. The next question is, what will you and I do with Advent? What is our choice?

Christmas Musings Day 15

 Advent and Rights

Isaiah 11:4a (ESV) ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth…

               When I think of Advent civil rights do not usually come to mind. I normally concentrate on the mystery of the incarnation, the dreams, the virgin birth, and the visit of the magi and their role in the message of Advent; yet, even a casual reading of the prophetic scriptures concerning the birth of the Messiah reveals an intense messianic interest in the rights of the poor. Our contemporary political discussions do not include much about the “rights” of the poor. Oh, we wrangle over how to treat them, or more specifically, whether or not to help them; but, we seem to think that most of them arrived at their low estate through poor life-decisions of their own making. Most of my students seem to make a casual assumption that the poor somehow deserve their low status. If asked what the rights of the poor are, they would struggle to find an answer, and truthfully, so would I.

               I think of the poor as needing my help but would find adequately defining their rights difficult. Prophetic scripture speaks of the Messiah as deciding for the poor. In God’s economy, Advent ushers in a new dynamic that radically realigns my understanding of justice. Often, we think of the courts being staked in favor of the rich. Sometimes it seems as if the rich enjoy a system that is weighted in their favor. After all, we regularly witness the powerful use their wealth and status to secure a favorable outcome in the courts. We casually assume that being poor indicates defective decision-making, assuming their poverty is somehow the just result of their flawed character. Advent makes me reconsider how I view the poor and what types of policies I support. Advent makes me think about justice for the poor. It is just one more aspect of the radical realignment Advent portends for my heart.

Christmas Musings Day 14

What About Power

Isaiah 11:6 (ESV) ⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.

               We adore displays of raw naked power in all aspects of our lives. Every day I drive in Lubbock, someone blasts by me with a “low-restriction” muffler designed to show off the power of a truck, especially diesel-powered ones. Many of my students follow Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts with near-religious fervor. Of course, I watch the NFL which thrives on very large men moving at very high speeds running into each other. Many of our leaders have discarded decorum to “own” their opponents in an attempt to flex their political muscles, regardless of the corrosive effect on civil discourse and problem-solving. Our nation continues to increase our defense spending despite serious questions concerning the level of threat we face. In most municipalities, police cruise around in large SUVs kitted up as if they were getting ready to patrol the streets of Baghdad. We revel in blatant displays of power and force. Advent urges me to consider other options.

               When God chose to deal with the mess we made, He employed a different strategy. He came as a helpless infant. Through Advent, God reminds me that brute force does not solve my problem, in fact, it solves relatively few problems. In Advent, Jesus divested Himself of the incomprehensible power that conceived of and spoke out the universe. He restrained Himself, becoming a child in order to call and lead His people home. The babe in the manger reminds me that gentleness, meekness, and kindness exert more authority than all the brute force I can muster. The Prince of Peace came in weakness, depending upon the tender ministrations of a teenager for succor and protection. 

Christmas Musings Day 13

Misunderstanding

Micha 5:2 (ESV) ² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,

               We like the trappings of power. During my military career, I often worked around general officers and other senior leaders. Some of them truly enjoyed the perks of their higher rank. In Second Armored Division, we had Commanding General (CG) who was quite enamored with the privileges that came along with two stars. He had a large trailer that we had to pull to the field whenever we went out on a field training exercise. It had its own power, heater, and air-conditioner, which at Fort Hood was quite nice. He had numerous communications requirements for his trailer. As the signal officer assigned to the Division Tactical Command Post (DTAC), I was responsible for ensuring that his equipment always worked properly. One of the first things I always did was spend several hours setting up his suite of commo equipment. Then we got a new CG, General Ivany.

               During his first exercise with us, I was in his trailer setting things up when he arrived. He came in, looked around, and called for his Command Sergeant Major (CSM). When the CSM arrived, MG Iveney asked him, “Sergeant-Major, do all my troops have trailers like this to sleep in while in the field?”

               The CSM snorted and said, “Oh, no sir.”

               “Then take this away. Bring me a GP-Small (small tent), a standard Army cot, a field desk, and a folding chair,” then turning on me, “SIGO (Signal Officer), all I need as a field phone and a secure field phone. Take all the rest away.”

               “Yessir,” I replied and got busy. The word soon went out that our new CG did not require special treatment and would live like we did in the field. He did live like we did, taking his meals off the fender of a deuce and a half in the middle of the night after a training exercise ran late. His troops responded with great respect and high performance. MG Ivany was not the first to do this. He followed in the footsteps of Jesus.

               Eschewing the trappings of kingship, Jesus arrived in Bethlehem of all places, and in a barn. We look at leaders in the world and see men and women that flaunt the benefits of their place. The higher the rank, the greater the privilege. Get way up there and you get your own aircraft. They love to fling their bling. It’s part of how they subdue the rest of us mere mortals; but, our savior laid all that aside to come and rub shoulders with the rest of us. Bethlehem, too small to matter, to even be counted, served as the birthplace of Immanuel. Even His name reminds us that He came to hang out with His friends…God with us. Born in a berg. 

Christmas Musings Day 12

Season of Light

Isaiah 9: 2 (ESV) ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

               When I was a young soldier, I participated in an exercise at Fort Riley, Kansas. We were conducting a movement to contact in the middle of the night. The training area was far removed from any city lights and a heavy overcast blocked out the moon and stars. A deep darkness enveloped us. All I could see of the man in front of me were the two bits of luminescent tape sewn onto the elastic band which held the camouflage cover on his helmet. I kept my eyes on those two dim bits of green light as we moved across the prairie. Suddenly, the lights disappeared. Just as I wondered what had happened, the ground disappeared and I found myself falling through blackness, landing on the four or five men who walked off the edge of the precipice before me. Fortunately, the fall was not far, and our muffled cries stopped the formation before the soldier carrying the Hog (M-60 Machine Gun) fell on us. It was not the first time in my military career that night maneuvers did not work as planned, and it would not be the last. We live in such a world.

               Look around and you will see that we live in deep darkness. Countries invade one another. Those in power ignore the plight of the poor and destitute, often lining their pockets at the expense of the poor. One group excuses the hatred of another. In some cities, the homeless throng public spaces, seeking shelter. Even the planet seems to reel under the onslaught of various types of natural disasters. It seems as if sin prevails. Right is called wrong, darkness light, and the sad list goes on. The writer of Ecclesiastes counsels us to not look back, the old days were not better. Ecclesiastes 7:10. As a history major, I must agree. All creation groans as we stumble through the darkness. But Advent has come.

               Advent shines a bright light into the darkness. Advent brings hope to the hopeless. In John’s version of the Advent story, he reminds us that the light shines into the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 Though things are bad, we live in the joy and hope of Advent. The true light of the world has broken through the veil and light has dawned. This is why light plays such a pivotal role in our celebration of Christmas. We love to festoon our houses with lights of all kinds. Drive down the streets of Lubbock and you cannot miss the festival air all the lights create. The shining lights of Christmas remind us that the true light of the world shines on us, illuminating the way home. Christmas is truly the season of light. 

Christmas Musings Day 11

Unfair Treatment

Isaiah 53:6 ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

               My understanding of Advent has changed with the passage of time. As a child, I focused on the presents found under the tree or in my stocking. Knowing that the gifts were coming, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the J. C. Penny’s and Sears catalogs. I remember sitting on our blue couch paging through the toy section earmarking toys I wanted, particularly the G.I. Joes. I also enjoyed decorating the tree, watching the Christmas specials and movies, driving around Abilene looking at the lights, and the sublime strains of Christmas carols; but in the end, I coveted the presents. In fact, on Christmas day my best friend Steve Harper and I would get together in the afternoon and compare our gifts. But somewhere along the way, something changed.

               Perhaps it was during the annual Harper, Thompson, and Robinson Christmas parties. Every year we gathered for a meal, Christmas carol singing, a reading of the story of Advent from the gospels, and a small gift exchange. Maybe it was the corporate familial worship, and yes, the HTR parties were family gatherings of the highest order. Those yearly gentle reminders, eagerly awaited, planted a seed that slowly germinated, and ever so gradually I began to understand what was going on during Advent. Most of our parents are gone now, home to be with Jesus, but they gave me a gift that still sweetens my life.

               Amid all the celebration, the music, the lights, the gifts, the food, and family, a stringent truth shines through. My iniquity caused Him to come, caused Him to sacrifice, and caused Him pain. I celebrate because of what He did. I went astray and He came to find me, accepting my guilt and shame, so, I do celebrate, joyously. Of course, there is a sober element to all of this; however, joy fills the season. So, every year during this time my mind goes back, back to the late sixties and seventies. I see the squirming little boy on the couch waiting anxiously to open a gift. I smile, knowing that those precious tender moments singing and reading the Advent story planted a seed that bears fruit today. My sin is gone. He carried it away so I can celebrate. 

Christmas Musings Day 10

 A Truly New Thing

Ezekiel 43:18-19 (ESV) ¹⁸ “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

               One of the challenges of arriving at the ripe old age of sixty-one is the catalog of failure built up over the passing decades. Sadly, I developed quite the list of personal failures during my life, some egregious and public, others private and just as appalling. By human standards, I have done well; however, compared to the stringent holiness of God I am an abject failure. Those inner hatreds nursed, grudges held, ignoble passions stoked, all the fruit of a prideful failed human heart. This is why I cherish the Advent season so.

               As I make the Advent journey from Eden to Bethlehem, God speaks to me. He counsels and comforts, “Remember not the former things…” Dwelling on my failed past does not sponge away the stain of guilt or provide strength for future battles. Advent focuses me on what God does. He is doing something new, something bold, something unimagined. Here in Lubbock, we often endure long periods of drought, just as we humans endure periodic failure. God says, “I will make a river flow in the desert.” Advent surprises me with new possibilities that I cannot imagine. Advent reminds me that God changes the dynamic of human existence. Failure need not dominate my life. Advent focuses me on the radical possibilities generated by God drawing near and making things new. I am blessed to live on this side of Bethlehem. I enjoy the daily Advent of God in my life. It is present tense, not future. What new things is God bringing forth in your life? 

Christmas Musings Day 9

 A Role for Me

Matthew 1:1 (ESV) ¹ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

               When I was younger, I often gave in to the temptation to skip the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matthew and Luke. The names are difficult to pronounce, and the long list seems rather boring and inconsequential. Why take the time? How do people, mostly ancient Jewish men, relate to me, a twenty-first-century white man some two millennia down the road? I would jump over to what I considered the meat of the story, the Annunciation, the Magnificat, the Angelic visit to the shepherds, the visit of the Magi, and most important the birth. This habit robbed me of a special lesson of hope woven into Advent.

               Reading the long list of names reveals one of the great miracles of God. He regularly uses imperfect, egregiously failed humans to forward His plans and desires. Their abject failure pales when compared to His mighty and powerful purpose. Look carefully into the genealogy of Jesus and you find adulterers, murderers, liars, and cheats. There are even non-Jews in the Messianic lineage. For His own reasons, God revels in restoring and using failed humans to flesh out and complete His strategies. For me, a grievously failed goy, this is good news. His love and plan overpower my sin and failure. There is hope for me. Through Advent, not only do I find forgiveness, but I also find purpose. Advent proclaims that there is a place for me in the broad sweep of God’s plan for restoration and wholeness. 

Christmas Musings Day 8

 Desperate Need

Genesis 16:2 (ESV) ² And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

               I like to think of myself as self-sufficient. I fully imbibe in the West-Texas myth of pulling myself up by my own bootstraps. After all, I worked hard most of my life, and aside from a period of wandering in late high-school and shortly thereafter, I have stayed true to the Lord…at least that is how I see it. Even though my logical thought-self understands the fallacy, my heart-self truly thinks I am a pretty good guy, after all, I do not commit any of the biggies…any more. In my mental and spiritual calculus, I worked off those indiscretions long ago. Like Abram and Sarai of long ago, I designed a plan to help out God. But God, through the Advent journey, reminds me of my desperate need.

               Some time after the birth of Ishmael, God appears to Abram, reminds him of the promise, and changes his name. Abram has the temerity to remind God of Ishmael, saying, “¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” Genesis 17:18 (ESV) He’d worked out a plan to fix the problem of Sari’s bareness. But as usual with mankind, his plan failed to account for the majesty and power of the Lord, as well as his own depravity. God gently reminds him, “…No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.” Genesis 17:19 (ESV) God is insistent. His plan will be the one. Our own maneuverings fall woefully short.

               Reviewing the long-unfolding story of Advent serves to remind me that no matter how hard I might try, whatever machinations I might develop, they all fail to meet my needs. My good efforts just do not stack up. They may be nice. They might even make me feel better, but the truth is, I need God’s help to solve my fundamental sin and guilt issues. As I consider the wonderful and poignant journey of Advent, I must come face to face with my own desperate need and the overwhelming love of God that pays my debt. I stand on the common ground of human need in awe of a God that would come so far just to be with me. 

Christmas Musings Day 7

 Still Useful

Hebrews 11:12 (ESV) ¹² Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

               Twelve years ago, I retired from the Army and chose to pursue a new career, wanting to step through a different door. Throughout my time in the Army, I had observed many men that retired and took jobs as DA Civilians or contractors. They loitered on the edges of military life, reminiscing about their days in uniform. They were trapped in the twilight watercooler region of marginal purpose, living on memories and “war-stories.” I deisred something different, a new challenge, and settled on teaching. Next year I will turn sixty-two and be eligible to collect Social Security. Fortunately for me, a teacher does need great physical prowess to keep on working. I still provide a function society considers useful, even important in some circles. Unlike many, in a world devoted to youth, I enjoy a life of meaning and purpose. For many people my age, life loses direction and purpose. But that is not God’s plan for us.

               As I make my way through Advent, I think of Abraham. In both Romans and Hebrews, scripture notes that Abraham was as good as dead. Men moved by the Holy Spirit penned that seemingly harsh judgment. The dude was as good as dead, but God still had a purpose for his life, something important for him to do. God’s actions in bringing about Advent remind me that He often uses the improbable to achieve the impossible. In many ways, Advent is a several millennia-long string of dubious, or even unbelievable, events hung together culminating in God breaking into our mean and meager existence with breathtaking results. Advent teaches that age is not the deciding factor in living with purpose…or into purpose, faith is.

Christmas Musings Day 6

 The Long View

II Peter 3:9 (ESV) 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

               Christmas takes the slow train. As a kid, I remember how the days crawled by with agonizing slowness. It was as if the calendar developed a slothful attitude after a roadrunner-like summer. Each year I anxiously waited as the Christmas milestones rose on the horizon and slowly passed. First came the preparation for the Christmas concert, then the J.C. Penny’s and Sears catalogs with the special Christmas toy sections arrived. After that came the trip to Gibson’s on the corner of Sales and South First to ogle the toy section. Soon we would go out and find a Christmas tree and decorate it. Then the Christmas TV Specials made their long-anticipated appearance. Rudolph, the Little Drummer Boy, and the Grinch flickered into our living room. Then came the annual HTR (Harper, Thompson, and Robinson) Christmas Party. It was always a joyous evening and one that I still dearly miss. These events filled the days while I counted down to the biggie…Christmas. I relished this vision with its associated anticipation and various signs all swirling in my head. Like Abraham, I looked forward with eager anticipation to the glorious day.

               Abraham, and his role in Advent, reminds me that God works on a different timetable. He made a promise to Abraham which took millennia to work out; yet, Abraham saw it from afar and greeted it with joy. Hebrews 11:8-13 Advent counsels patience. In my hurry-up lifestyle, Advent reminds me that some things, some exquisitely wonderful things, take time to sort out. When his name was still Abram, Abraham placed his trust in God and His ability to work things out as promised. So, as Advent unfolds, with its attendant joyful anticipation, I must exercise patience. After all, someone waited nine months for their joy to come to fruition. 

Christmas Musings Day 5

 Christmas Musings Day 5

Whispers of Hope

Genesis 3:15 (ESV) ¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

               This world does not work right. Of course, you know that. Promises are broken. The innocent perish. Hatred flourishes. Families break up. Loved ones age and die. Calamities strike randomly. All of creation groans. Anyone old enough to read this has dealt with the harsh realities of life in a world stained with sin. Sadly, we all also know the guilt of our own abject failure. We continue to contribute to this awful mess. Some days we feel hopeless in the face of continued tragedy. God knows the feeling and has tended to it.

               In the Genesis account of the fall we hear the whisper of hope, “…he shall bruise your head,…” At that of darkness and reckoning, God whispers to us, “I’m coming, and I will make things right, at a cost.” Hope helps us hang on in the dark times, in the painful times, in the lonely times. Hope enables us to face the grim reality of our earned mortality. It engenders the courage needed to face down the fear of our own failure. Yet, hope deferred makes the heart sick. Often our hope fades with repeated encounters with darkness. That is why Advent is so important.

               Advent reminds us that God has not forgotten us. He promised in the garden and delivered in Bethlehem. He delivered again on Calvary, but that is another page for a different time. In Advent, God breaks into the darkness and whispers…no shouts…”peace among those with whom He is pleased!” The annual journey to Bethlehem restores hope in the one who always keeps His word. When my heart grows sick with the failure I see in this world and in myself, I look to Advent and am reminded that from the beginning He had a plan, and He saw it through. Advent pushes back against the darkness that seeks to overwhelm. The darkness tries oh so hard, but Advent prevails and restores my hope. 

 Christmas Musings Day 4

It’s All a Matter of Choice

Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV) ¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[d] of it you shall surely die.”

               In class today, I spoke with my sophomores concerning my policy regarding rounding up grades. I asked them what they expected me to do if they had an eighty-nine in my class? They all responded, round up to a ninety. Then I asked them what my decision matrix was to determine if I would round up? This question flummoxed them. They responded with a variety of mathematical answers. Imagine their surprise when I explained that their behavior in class determined my decision to round up, or round down. They found it hard to believe that I would in fact round down if they were ill-behaved or displayed a poor attitude. When I added the fact that poor behavior or lackadaisical attitudes towards work would keep them from promotion, increases in pay, or longevity at work, the classroom got very silent. They were quite uncomfortable with the thought that their attitudes or behaviors, their choices, influenced the outcomes of their lives. We have always sought to avoid the results of our choices.

               God built choice into the relationship equation. He bestowed the gift of choice on humanity. Fundamentally, Kimmy, our cat, behaves as her built-in instincts direct. She does not enjoy choice. Though she is declawed, if given the chance, she will hurl herself at any interloper in our backyard. Instincts rule. God built us differently. We get to choose. Sadly, we often choose poorly and then bemoan our fate when we suffer the consequences of our faulty decisions. Advent reminds me that God too has choice. He could have walked away from the mess that we made; however, He chose a different route, rolled up His divine sleeves, and set about fixing our mistake…no matter the cost. Every Advent season reminds me that He chose grace and mercy.

Christmas Musings Day 3

 Christmas Musings Day 3

A Perfect Creation

Genesis 1:31 (ESV) ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

               I love going up into the mountains. Fortunately, living in Lubbock places me near the tail end of the Rockies in New Mexico. This fall, while hiking near Sunspot enjoying the resplendent golden Aspens a breeze ruffled the trees, sending a shower of leaves down around Christy and me. The sublime movement of swirling gold against the cobalt sky so moved me that tears of joy leaked out of my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. The Romantic poets of the nineteenth century sought out such moments of transcendent beauty. The mountains afford us many such vistas, landscapes that all point to a creative hand shaping our universe…and we gaze upon a broken and failed world.

               Advent reminds me that God is not content to let things remain the same. He seeks to restore what is broken, to reclaim that which rightfully belongs to Him. The world He spoke into existence was perfect. The world I see remains spoiled. Yet, for brief moments His original desires and designs shine through, moving me to tears. Advent, that glorious moment when His glory broke through into our creaky and dark world, reminds me that He still breaks through. Unwilling to let things lie, He slipped, almost unnoticed, into the mess humanity made and started changing things. Advent heralds sublime change. 

 Christmas Musings Day 2

Order from Chaos

Genesis 1:2 (ESV) ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

               There is something about disorder that displeases the Lord. In the beginning chaos and darkness reigned. But God set about bringing order out of confusion. In His first listed creative act, God shone His light into the darkness. Creative act after creative act follows each other as God arranges the universe as we see it, according to His goodness and beauty. Order was established as light quenched the darkness.

               Advent, the season of lights, reflects this burst of creativity. As John would pen much later, “⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 (ESV) Megan, Christopher’s wife, and I agree that you cannot have too many Christmas lights. Light, pushing back against the darkness is an essential component of Christmas. The thousands of twinkling lights scattered across neighborhoods, shining out in the darkness, remind us that God loves light, and His light shines out in the darkness, and no matter how much it tries, the darkness cannot overwhelm the light. And in an often chaotic and dark world, I need this reminder. Each year during Advent, I pause and reflect on how the darkness, which seems so powerful, cannot overwhelm the light. So, bring on the Christmas Lights, more is better. 

Christmas Musings Day #1

 Christmas Musings Day 1

Creation

Genesis 1:3 (ESV) ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

               When I was in High School, I devoured Science Fiction. I read all the greats and many not-so-greats. I also enjoyed, and still do, Sci-Fi movies and television shows. My brother justifiably claims that I do not discriminate between the good, mediocre, or bad, enjoying all. So this summer, when the new space-based telescope came on line and the marvelous images started to stream into my computer, I rejoiced. A new portal had opened onto vistas I’d only imagined before. Now along with excited astronomers, I could peer far out and back witnessing stunning, breathtaking beauty. It is almost as if I stand on the edge of time, witnessing the advent of the universe.

               Truly, any serious contemplation of Advent begins with creation. After all, God knew the outcome of creation. “Let there be light…,” implies a coming sacrifice. He knew the separation and suffering the initial burst of light would set in motion, and I speak of His separation from His Son and the suffering that they would endure to make things right. I find the whispers from long past transcendent with His glory. They blaze across my computer screen. But even they pale into insignificance when I consider what they herald. He’s coming and He knew he was coming when He breathed them into being. 

Still Teaching

 Still Teaching

I was watching my father slowly pass away. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia, a grim prognosis at the age of 84. Fortunately, as his condition progressed his primary symptom was tiredness and lassitude after chemotherapy. He never complained during the twice-weekly rounds of transfusions and infusions. Now, we were in that quiet place, the place of no return, the place of hushed whispers, periodic beeps, dim lights, and waiting. It is a calm and breathless place; one we knew was in our future but never spoke about except in brief elliptical phrases. We did everything we could to avoid it, but it arrived inexorably.

Here the moments drag on, but the hours race by. We make innocuous small talk all the while aching to say meaningful things. It is too late for a close hug, so we settle for a soft touch, a gentle press of the hand, a lingering brush. We gather in the hall, looking away and talking awkwardly as the nurses take care of those necessary functions we mastered so long ago and now have slipped away, lost as the shell crumbles. Task complete, we reenter the room and pick up where we left off, trying to reinforce connections forged long ago, now corroded by disease and infirmity. We engage in those anxious conversations, “Dad, do you have any instructions for your memorial service?”

Long moments pass. “Dad, if you have any wishes regarding your funeral now is the time to tell me.”

Again, long moments pass with no response. Worried that he has not heard, I lean in close, “Dad is there anything you want done for your funeral service?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t care. I won’t be there.”

“Are you sure? After this conversation, I will not pester you about it anymore.”

Another long pause, “Finally, I’ve finally taught you to stop pestering me.”

Even as the shell crumbles, the sense of humor remains. He cannot let the moment for a good laugh pass. After this, the moments slip past more easily. Soon there is no response, only slow ragged breaths, quickly in and slowly out. “Sing to him,” a nurse urges, “Hearing is the last sense to go.” So, his wife and granddaughter gently sing favorite hymns. And then even the breathing stops. A nurse comes in checks for pulse and pupil reaction. She quietly notes the time and slips out as the tears slip in.

Now a few weeks later, I tap out these thoughts. Across the room, on a shelf, a nondescript white cardboard box sits. Another task passed on to a reluctant son. What do I do with this box of his mortal remains? As he would gladly note, he is not here, just some ashes to either store in a more appropriate container or scatter over a significant place in some sort of poignant ceremony which my brother and I will plan. My father always looked forward, not back, which was rather odd for a man who spent his professional life as a historian. But if you knew him, knew his own history, it made sense. So, I will sit down with my brother and sort through some ideas, developing what we think should be done. That is what we did with the memorial service, and it turned out nicely. 

A Walk in the Woods

  As with most people, I love coming to the mountains. Somehow the rugged terrain, dark swaying pines, and trembling aspens directs my gaze upwards. Or perhaps it is the billowy white clouds against a cobalt sky that draws me. Maybe, it is the delicate palate of the wildflowers poking out of emerald grass. No matter the cause, when I stand in an Alpine meadow my spirit soars in ecstasy reaching towards my maker. As I type this, those same clouds, now gray and pregnant with rain crowd around and soon refreshing rain will fall…at least that is what I expect. These marvelous mountains witness to Kohl Yahweh, the towering presence who conceived all of this. 

Look out into the deep darks of space, filled with spinning galaxies and breathtaking nova, or look down into the microbial life of fungi working in concert with plants to cleanse our atmosphere of pollutants, threatening to choke us, and you find evidence of the towering intellect. Words fail to adequately capture this magnificence. One even hesitates to assign limiting gender with limiting pronouns such as him. The Lord, the God who designed all of this, lurks behind every trembling leaf, pointing pine, tiny mushroom, or spinning galaxy pinwheeling through the dark. That God would take note of me, deigning to reveal His presence to this minute insignificant blob, stumbling through this world amazes…and humbles. The sweeping vastness and beauty of God’s creative power amazes and drives one to worship. Yet, we so often miss the point.

We look at creation, this glorious creation, and turn it into a point of theological argument. I have friends that are convinced that creation took seven twenty-four hours periods, and other friends that are equally convinced that it took eons, both groups devout practicing Christians, and both equally convinced that the other is woefully misguided and bordering on lost. I am not a theologian, so I do not understand the need for such a strong stand on something no human witnessed. It just seems to me that the wonder and majesty of God’s handiwork ought to outweigh our mere human attempts to interpret whispers from past events we did not see. When I walk through dark forests or across sunlit meadows, my heart echoes the opening words of Psalm 19.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2 Day to day pours out speech,

    and night to night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words,

    whose voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,

    and their words to the end of the world.

   In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

    and its circuit to the end of them,

    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Through our intransigence we have turned what Yahweh intended to be a unifying force which draws us together in praise to God’s power, beauty, and might into an argumentative cudgel to beat each other with, or a wedge to separate. We miss the point. In our arrogance and pride, we assume that we can somehow plumb the depths of a misty past, arriving at a logical conclusion about issues we barely understand. Walk in the woods and breathe deeply of Adonai’s creative power and might. Revel and enjoy, be uplifted by the magnificence of God’s craft. Look deeply into the delicate balance and wonder. Look far out into the darkest reaches of space and be humbled by the titanic scale of the universe. Let this majestic creative work point you toward Elohim and drive you to your knees in worship. But please, do not use your feeble understanding as a weapon to divide God’s body. Instead, let us go out into creation and join with it in praise the Lord of all creation. 

Being Right

 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

I have enjoyed the pleasure of two exciting and stimulating careers, the Army and teaching. Both careers challenged me, requiring excellence and creativity. Not every moment in either profession brought the same level of fulfillment, in fact, both provided days of boredom, pain, and frustration; however, in both, I enjoyed getting up each morning and heading off to slay dragons. Both provided enough remuneration to keep my family in good housing, with an abundance of food, and other needful things. Both require a high degree of personal excellence.

Success in the Army and in teaching requires a devotion to being right. In the Army, lives depended upon my ability to make a right, or good, decision. Each day in the classroom, I stand and deliver instruction, often on a wide variety of topics, and this instruction will either help a young person move ahead in life or will hurt them if I am wrong. The ability to “be right” has circumscribed my entire professional life. Over the years I have grown confident in my ability to sort through a mass of data and come to a good defensible right decision. But how do I use my ability to come to a right decision?

I can be right in such a way as to make “the right” so odious that no one within the sound of my voice will choose that right. I can use being right as a cudgel, bludgeoning my way to victory over the emotional wreckage of those I am talking to. We can be right and still be woefully wrong. My daughter once told me that she did not like talking to me because I was always right, and she never was. Cut to the heart, I had to reevaluate what I had taught my “little” girl. Through my actions, I had inadvertently taught her that being right was the primary goal in any discussion and that being right was a tool to brandish until the other person submitted to your viewpoint. In my zeal to “win,” I had alienated my daughter, resulting in a closed-door of communication and an inability to influence her for good or ill. Fortunately, she said this when she was young enough for me to alter my behavior and begin the process of healing and reconciliation. Being right was different from loving communication. In my intellectual hands, I used being right as a weapon.

In our current culture, we use being right to pummel others into submission. We elevate the cutting sarcastic remark to the paragon of success in debate, and this is nothing new, one need only to read a little Shakespeare to find a well-spring of putdowns. We mistake being right with being convincing. We adore public figures that, “tell it like it is,” as if their pugilistic use of conversation itself deserved respect or envy. We pour out an unremitting stream of biting remarks and then wonder why no one is convinced despite our impressive manipulation of facts. This predilection for “being right” tears at our national and cultural fabric, rendering the cooperation needed for progress elusive and near impossible. We have forgotten how to temper our drive to be right with the traits of gentleness and kindness.

We need to remember that often there is more than one “right” answer. We can let someone think otherwise without loss. Also, when listening to someone explain their views, we discover facts that may lead us to modify our own views. Letting someone hold their own view is a mark of respect and does not necessarily mean that we agree with their views. If life and death are not involved, we may need to let someone be wrong. Gentleness in speech may tamp down the level of acrimony, allowing time for careful consideration of the issues involved. Gentleness may be the salve needed to preserve precious relationships.

When we batter each other in a never-ending quest to “be right,” we damage relationship. We may win the transitory argument; but, when we force the issue, it often shuts the door to relationship. Giving other people the room to be wrong shows respect for the person. We can respectfully disagree without loss of face. We need to make sure that we stay on topic, eschewing the tendency to equate the issue with the person and then descending into personal attack. We should always frame our discussions around the idea under consideration and actively listen to what the other person is saying. Being gentle with each other preserves the relationship, leaving the door open for further communication, and perhaps, compromise. Graciousness in communication helps ease the way to better understanding. And we should never forget that we might be mistaken. The point of discussion, or even debate, is to make a better-informed decision. When we replace informed decision-making with being right, we harden our position, trying to make it as defensible as possible. Maintaining relationship whenever possible should be one of our signal considerations. When I discard, or damage, relationship just to be right, I have not done or said things in love. I cannot help but wonder how things might be different in our homes, schools, and nation if we took a deep breath and allowed others to be different, to hold different opinions, and to be wrong without censure?

The 4th

 And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. U.S. Declaration of Independence.

 It’s the Fourth of July. My flag is out, my version of carnitas are on the smoker, and soon I’ll be reading a good book in the cool shade. Later, family members will join us for a late lunch. That is how I choose to celebrate. I often think about patriotism. After twenty-plus years of service in the Army, this idea remains at the forefront of my daily thinking, but I do not appreciate the jingoism that pervades most expressions of patriotism these days. I especially do not like the snarky memes that traffic in false patriotism…well I do like the “Happy Fourth, You Ungrateful Colonists.” Those are funny. But what does patriotism mean today and who are the true patriots?

 I like the quote from the Declaration of Independence. Those men understood sacrifice and peril, the sacrifice required to make our nation possible, and the peril of taking that step. They also understood the concept of personal honor and what that kind of life required. True patriotism always involves some sort of self-sacrifice. We tend to limit that to falling in battle; however, many among us demonstrate true patriotism through the tenor of their lives. Their actions that make our nation better cost them something. For some, such as teachers, they choose a life that entails hard work and low remuneration, nurses and public servants do the same. Some display their patriotism through volunteering in often quite unnoticed acts of selflessness. These men and women truly display their patriotism with no real thought of reward.

 True patriotism includes honor and to maintain one’s personal honor one must embrace fidelity to the truth. Sadly, many of our leaders ignore the truth, perhaps hoping it will go away. They embrace a lie to maintain some sort of hold on power, place, and privilege. They fly the flag, wrapping themselves in red, white, and blue bunting while hoping that we will not notice they build on a foundation of lies. They have no honor and are not true patriots. We need patriots that unflinchingly look for and embrace truth to grow as a nation and live up to the ideals laid out in our foundational documents. This fourth of July, let us recommit ourselves to the ideals of truth, justice, kindness, mercy, and compassion, those things that all true patriots espouse and what will make our nation truly great.

What's Next...

 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. II Corinthians 3:5-6

Across our nation, men and women of good conscience celebrated the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision which rolled back Roe v. Wade. Like me, they mourned the death of voiceless innocents. But, if we place our faith in dubious political machinations gained through gaming the system, we lean upon a weak reed indeed. I remember a world before Roe v. Wade, a world in which abortions took place. It was also a world in which many Christians counted that as a decision between a woman and her doctor. Changing the law, while a good thing, will not solve the foundational problems.

We still exist in a culture that glorifies violence in its many guises. Just as Roe v. Wade was transient, this current change is transient. Given the nature of our political system, so dependent upon voter energy, a few election cycles may bring in a new crop of justices willing to reinstate an updated version of Roe v. Wade. The group of politicians, willing to carefully engage in a long-term campaign designed to game the system and place justices of their own stripe on the bench, may find themselves among the retired ranks next cycle, leaving behind a judiciary far out of touch with the citizenry as a whole and bereft of credibility. And we will be no closer to solving the problems which result in so many abortions. I find it astonishing that a group of people who decry the ability of law to solve human problems placed so much faith in changing the law and not working on the conditions that brought about such carnage. Now, those angered by this change will be all the more animated in reversing the change, leaving us a much more difficult task. If we truly believe in the sanctity of life, we must address the current cultural conditions which devalue life, starting with our infatuation with violence. 

Over the past fifty years or so, we have carefully constructed a culture that glorifies violence in many different forms and venues. Movies, music, video-games, all contain many graphic and realistic depictions of violence in all its forms. The glorification of violence extends to sports. We love a good smashing hit in football or hockey. Motorsports fans ooh and ahh over a multi-vehicle crash that reduces cars to spinning, rapidly disintegrating, often flaming hulks. We must look at how our predilection of violence has spread to national and local policy. We increasingly look to armed force as the first solution to problems. This misalignment drives ever-growing military budgets. Increasingly police patrol our streets kitted out with all the equipment of military forces going into battle. We would do well to take a pause and reconsider how our devotion to and enjoyment of violence reflects a culture devoted to death instead of life. We need to reeducate ourselves concerning the ways of peace.

If we wish to defend life we need to pour more of our resources into education. We need to stop bleeding off precious resources into various schemes that target the wealthy and focus our efforts on strengthening the public institutions that serve the more vulnerable sectors of our body politic. The public education institutions, and those who work in them, shape the future. They need our support and help, not continual badgering. We must invest in their well-being through adequate salary, appropriate resources, and fewer intrusions into the classroom. Our children spend eight hours a day with them for most of the year, and the future health of the nation depends on them.

We must also continue to address healthcare. Far too many of our nation perish through inadequate healthcare. It is to our shame that the most prosperous nation in the world neglects so many of its citizens by not providing basic healthcare. We stand alone in the developed world in our intransigence regarding providing healthcare. All other developed nations provide some sort of universal healthcare; but, we continue to shirk this responsibility, claiming that it is too problematic, too hard. Surely, we can do much better than this, and we must if we truly believe in the sanctity of life. We have the resources at hand, we just lack the willingness to redirect them into this needful activity. Many suffer from a much-degraded quality of life due, in large part, to a simple lack of resources.

Those of us who honor the sanctity of life should also honor work. We need to address the tremendous wage inequity that exists in our culture. Since I graduated from high school, in 1979, wages for the top one percent of earners have grown by 179%, while wages for the bottom ninety percent have grown by twenty-eight percent. 2 The resulting wage gap forces many to maintain two or three part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Due to their expertise, the upper echelons will always enjoy greater remuneration for their labors; however, those of us that embrace the right to life ought to embrace the concept of a living wage for all workers, including appropriate benefits. Without adequate pay, we consign large sectors of our society to lives of endless work, near poverty, and no hope of improvement. Many families endure an existence that is only one problem away from homelessness and abject poverty. Their pay provides for a minimal life just above poverty, and nothing else. They rarely take vacations, live in fear of significant illness, drive marginal cars, and have no real hope of elevating their, or their children’s, expectations. We need to develop a culture that honors work through appropriate pay and benefits. We have the resources; we just need to strengthen our empathy.

 Much of this discussion revolves around our ability to feel empathy and express it through actions and policy. Too often we hide behind the bromide of, “the church should do this kind of work.” I agree that the church should labor in these areas of endeavor, and some are doing splendid work; however, the need is great. Also, as Christians, we ought to raise our voices and cast our votes for compassionate policies and practices. We exist in a time of unprecedented riches and abilities. Our nation enjoys great prosperity. We need to adjust our priorities, and our priorities need to include helping the less fortunate among us. There is plenty of room at the table. 

1. https://www.apa.org/pi/prevent-violence/resources/violence-youth.pdf 

2. https://bit.ly/3QXFUVN 

Party Peril

 However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion. George Washington’s Farewell Address 1796 1

When I was a shavetail lieutenant, a presidential candidate came to Augusta, Georgia where I was stationed. A couple of LT’s decided to swing by the rally to check it out. While there, a national news team filmed them and aired a clip of them on a national television network during the evening news. The next day the commanding general called them to his office and summarily dismissed them from the service. They had no particular party affiliation and went to the event simply to gawp; however, they attended in uniform, unwittingly giving some the impression that the Army sided with a particular candidate and party, something the Army steadfastly seeks to avoid. Throughout my tenure as an enlisted soldier and commissioned officer the Army eschewed any linkage to party. It was not until late in my career that the Army summoned the temerity to encourage soldiers to vote. Consumed with day to day mission efforts, normally you had no idea of the political leanings of those around you and those who commanded you. We served at the pleasure of the president, whatever party they came from. I served every president from Ronald Reagan through Barrack Obama and did so without a qualm. Each of them did things I liked and things I did not like. Party did not matter. Now as a retired officer, I look out on the landscape of a country convulsed and divided by rampant party affiliation. 

President Washington addressed party affiliation and various other issues in his final missive. With the help of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Washington composed in his “Farewell Address,” to provide guidance for the new nation. With great prescience, Washington understood the seductive nature of political parties and their attendant perils, particularly the lever they provided “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled” individuals in tearing down the institutions of our government while maintaining the façade of democracy. We see this sad inclination at work every day.

Sooner or later parties seek to gain and maintain power as their primary goal. Born out of the desire of like-minded individuals to band together to secure change, they eventually become focused on continued existence and continued control of the levers of government. When this occurs, they shift from being a legitimate participant in the exercise of government to something else. They no longer serve the people, they serve themselves. Unscrupulous individuals exploit them, and their unsuspecting supporters by mouthing party-line platitudes all the while taking actions primarily designed to consolidate power and influence unto themselves. Washington understood the threat this posed to the healthy development of democracy and the overall health of the nation.

Intense feelings of party affiliation shape the landscape of contemporary American culture. According to a Public Religion Research Institute poll the percentage of Americans that would be unhappy if their son or daughter married someone of a different party has grown from the single digits in the 1960s to forty-five percent in 2016. 2 This percentage exceeds the percentage of religious people who would be unhappy if their children married outside their faith by a substantial margin. The Army measured my worth by my competence and willingness to do what was required to secure mission accomplishment. Now in the civilian world, many, if not most, judge my fitness based on perceived party affiliation. I know that in the teaching field, teachers carefully measure what they teach against the prevailing party yardstick in their community. They understand that should they depart from the community “norm” they will have to answer to belligerent parents, a hostile school administration, or some combination of both. Instead, they engage in self-censorship, degrading classroom instruction, and students suffer. All of this in the name of party, a failed human institution. This ought not to be.

No party gets everything correctly. Each party, conceived of and constructed by humans, espouses certain things incorrectly. When I join a party, I join all their platform. I cannot in good faith do that. Recently a major party added a “plank” to their platform that promulgated belief in something demonstrably false. If I were to join that party, I would join myself to something I know to be untrue. This would be the case for any party. We are human and we are failed, anything that proceeds from the mind of man bears the indelible imprint of failure, which is why I choose to be an independent voter. Washington understood the perils of factions, as parties were known then, and counseled for nurturing an independent American political landscape. Most would enjoin that the world Washington inhabited was fundamentally different than ours today. In Ecclesiastes, the writer addresses this idea.

9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 English Standard Version

While our world differs greatly from the world Washington knew, people have not changed. We still connive and grasp after power. Parties do simplify things. The party leadership sits down and determines the appropriate response to various issues and then promulgates the party platform and all the associated planks, saving you and me from the difficult task of research and thought. We place our trust in men and women far removed from our daily walk and individual belief structures. We do not know them or what their personal motivations and beliefs. And we incorrectly assume that those who wear the Donkey or Elephant on their lapel, bumper-sticker, or yard sign hold to the things we think are important. We also make the invalid assumption that those who wear the opposite trappings are somehow the enemy. Parties serve to isolate us in intellectual laziness, prejudice, and ignorance. We do not know the other and assume that we do. We spend our time and effort policing what we think is doctrinal purity, while failing to address the pernicious issues which confront us. We evaluate our elected officials based on perceived adherence to some sort of party litmus test instead of their ability to get things done. We glare at each other across the canyon carved by party purity and fail to lift a finger to solve the challenges we all face as a community. We fall into the trap of pursuing power and influence over working toward actual solutions to the problems that vex us. Washington saw this day coming and warned us. We desperately need to work on the problems we face, not savage each other for belonging to the “wrong” party. We need to resurrect the idea of an independent voter who carefully examines the issues and holds their elected officials accountable for their actions, not their clever sound bites. 

1. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/Washingtons_Farewell_Address.pdf

2. https://www.prri.org/research/american-democracy-in-crisis-the-fate-of-pluralism-in-a-divided-nation/ 

Truth

 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 English Standard Version

Truth is not fungible. Many try and make it so; however, no matter what they say, it is not. We endure a cultural penchant for seeking out inputs that reinforce our previously held positions. In many ways we have things backward, seeking proof for our preconceived ideas before understanding the facts. Yet, adherence to truth forms the foundation for the creation of a workable and defensible worldview. A worldview, well-grounded in truth, provides the basis for successfully interacting with an increasingly chaotic and challenging world. Our world is increasingly integrated, linked to far distant people and places with their own requirements and desires. Decisions made in ignorance and self-centered isolation lead to conflicts, conflicts avoidable if we take the time to search out and integrate truth into our worldview; however, people increasingly ignore truth, seeking out those who say the things they want to hear.

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. II Timothy 4:3-4

This is nothing new. Paul spoke to this over two millennia ago. We like to think that we have moved past believing myths; however, when we actively seek out those that say what our “itching ears” want to hear instead of engaging in the struggle required to integrate truth into our worldview, we choose to believe a myth of our own making. We see this in almost every aspect of modern society; social, political, economic, and religious. Rather than actively seek the light of truth, we build our worldview and then go off in search of those who support our worldview. Then when things go awry, we conveniently blame the other. After all, if they would but adjust their worldview, we would not need to deal with those pesky facts. This cultural penchant makes us weak and easy prey.

Unscrupulous men and women exploit our ignorance. Realizing that we remain wedded to a very specific worldview, they parrot the same dogma, using it to hide their own personal agenda, which is normally gaining and maintaining power. They understand that for many of us, fealty to worldview outweighs truth, which is ironic. We forget that for those of us who claim the mantle of Christian, Jesus made some very potent claims regarding this subject.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

When we embrace the name of Christ, we embrace fidelity to truth. For the Christian, truth matters, words matter. They matter more than political party, economic system, or personal philosophy. Search for the truth and you’re searching for Jesus, the Word made flesh. Sometimes people will say that truth is hard to find. I do not think finding truth is the problem we face. The problem is facing the truth that we find. Often, we mistakenly go in search of facts to support our beliefs instead of looking for facts and letting them shape our worldview. We fall into the trap of shaping our worldview first and then finding someone who speaks to our “itching ears.” Ultimately, we end up in a sort of echo chamber which serves to reinforce our preexisting beliefs instead of educating us. We do not like the facts so we invent our own. We must unflinchingly face facts, letting them inform our understanding of the world around us. Some might complain that this type of reasoning works against faith. I do not believe that it does. Jesus said that he was the truth. Ultimately truth will lead us to Jesus, not away from Jesus. 

To Whom Much is Given...

 …Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. Luke 12:48

I enjoyed promotions in the Army. Promotions come with more respect, greater authority, and of course, higher pay. As a young private, I stood at the bottom of the ladder, the base of the pyramid. Everyone around me had more authority than I. Their innate intelligence did not matter. They might be a rock with lips (Army speak for dumb), but if they had more rank, they expected and required me to do as they said. On the upside, no one expected much from a private. If I showed up at the right place, in the right uniform, and on time, I was a step ahead of the crowd. Truthfully, in later years, I would look back wistfully on being a private; however, as is usual, I persevered and promotions came, sometimes not when I wanted, but they came, nonetheless. Eventually, the Army promoted me to Lieutenant Colonel, proving once again that if you avoid getting killed on a deployment and wait long enough, the Army will promote anyone. Promotions bring honor.

Suddenly, those who yesterday were my peers were now my subordinates, required to comply with my lawful orders. My pay went up, sometimes substantially. All in all, despite having to purchase new rank insignia, promotion was fun. Then came in the additional responsibility. With promotion comes new levels of requirements, new burdens, new challenges to face, and new decisions to make. Toward the end of my career, I worked around general officers. It stunned me to find that in many ways, I enjoyed more freedom than they. Their days were no longer their own. Some aid with a schedule governed their activities, sometimes down to the minute. Advanced rank comes with advanced requirements. It is much the same in the kingdom of God.

We yearn for the abundant life Jesus speaks of in John 10:10. Jesus yearns to give it to us. He did become human, live on this earth, and die in order that we might partake in this abundant life. But there is the question of what we do with this abundant life? James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4:3 God, through James, reminds us that He gives us an abundant life to glorify His name and forward the kingdom, not spend in on our own passions. In a like fashion, the Army did not promote me to give me more glory, I was promoted in order to better serve. Yes, higher rank came with a certain amount of glory. I got new shiny bits to pin on my uniform. Higher rank came with greater responsibility. James clearly links answered prayer with proper motives. For what will I use the abundance God provides? Am I willing to let the Holy Spirit mold me into a vessel fit for service, or do I seek my own fleshly desires? 

One final illustration from the Army promotion system. The Army does not promote based on past performance. The Army promotes based on demonstrated ability to think, speak, and operate at the next higher level. When I was a captain, the Army wanted to see me thinking like a major, speaking like a major, and operating like a major before granting me that level of responsibility. Living into the abundant life that Jesus speaks of comes with many attendant responsibilities. Those who live in that abundance walk circumspectly, giving God glory in all their actions. Abundant livers make decisions that point toward God. Abundant livers take steps that others shy away from. They willingly pour out their lives, as Jesus did, as a fragrant offering to God. I want the abundant life. He wants to provide it. Will I demonstrate the responsibility of living into that kind of life?