Advent Day Three

Sunday, 1 December: ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3

All things, good things such as sunsets and bad things such as rebellious angels. When God chose to create, He accepted risk and the attendant ultimate sacrifice. The majestic beauty of an isolated and impassable mountain range, His. The calm stillness of a meadow full of wildflowers, His. Soaring geese with wings flashing in the winter sun, His. The soft tenderness of an infant’s cheek, His. The itchy warmth of a wool blanket, His. Wood for a manger and a cross, His. The ability to choose between good and evil, His. A small ridge suitable for a tiny village, His. A craggy Judean hill fit for crucifixion, His.

Advent Day Two

Saturday, 30 November: ¹ In the beginning, God created…Genesis 1:1a

Matt: God chose creativity. In a wonderful burst, He thought of something new and previously undone. Sadly, we frequently use creation as a measuring rod, determining the validity of a person’s faith, focusing on our own interpretation of scripture instead of the marvelous wonder of God’s conception. The beauty wrought by Him astounds, especially when taken in the context of the resultant personal pain caused by His choice. Once unleashed, creation began choosing its own path; a path that would ultimately require His personal intervention.  But God still chose to give His thoughts shape and form. You and I, components of that wild and unfettered burst of creativity, share in the legacy of choice. What will we do with this great gift, the thing that links us, however ephemerally, to Advent and divinity?

Candace: "The only true King is and always will be Jesus. Jesus, who was slain and rose again before the foundation of the Earth, had a hand in creation. Nothing was made without Jesus. Every single thing was created through Jesus. He was born Christmas Day and He is the Alpha and Omega. The Word is and was and is to come. HALLELUJAH!!"

Welcome to Advent

Welcome to Advent: As you know, each year I pen Advent musings. For me, Advent starts the Friday after Thanksgiving. I bend my thoughts toward Bethlehem and Jesus’ arrival. It seems to me that in our modern practice of Christianity, we minimize advent, focusing on self-actualization and gift-giving and getting. This year I want to consider choice and the role choice plays in this great unfolding drama that began when God chose to create and continues today throughout creation and indeed, in each of our hearts. This year, in a change, my daughter will join me in this process, perhaps daily, perhaps periodically. After all, it is her choice.

Friday, 29 November: ¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you. I Peter 1:18-20

Matt: We choose often, our lives taking on the shape of our choices. Some choices are weighty, requiring great thought and prayer; should I marry her, should I accept the promotion and move. Many choices are immaterial; do I want Columbian or Ethiopian coffee, should I wear the blue shirt or the white one. So we frequently choose in haste, with little thought given to the direction the choice will bend our lives. But at times, seemingly minor and inconsequential choices accrue to later blessing or, sadly, heartbreaking failure. With our limited foresight we seek to avoid catastrophic problems, but God does not operate that way. He chose to proceed, knowing the pain He would suffer due to His choice. He weighed the consequences, counted the joy as greater, and so we have Advent. In many ways, Advent is a celebration of choices, His and ours. So this season, perhaps we can let our hearts consider choices, choices ill-conceived and ruinous, and choices wondrous and powerful.

Candace: We have never had it all together. Our ancestors had ways that were futile. Nonetheless, Jesus (sent by God) gave is very blood and body. He gave all He is for us. He saved us, not with one billion dollars, but by his victory on the cross. We are saved here today. RIGHT NOW, we are free. Jesus was and is perfect like we couldn’t be. Before God made planet Earth, Jesus had already conquered the cross, sin, and the entire underbelly of creation. For our sake, He did this. He is the Son of Man and Son of God. I LOVE JESUS!

Armed Teachers

                Like everyone else, I watched in horror as events unfolded in the Midland Odessa area. Then a friend of mine asked me as a retired soldier and current teacher if I supported the idea of arming teachers in classrooms to protect against a mad gunman or similar situation. I do not support such an idea. I believe it to be doomed to failure for the reasons listed below. There are other reasons, these are just the ones that come quickly to my mind.

                I am a teacher. I am a teacher that also happens to be a veteran. I do not have time to adequately prepare for duties as a school marshal; no teacher has that kind of spare time. All teachers struggle to prepare for and execute their classroom duties. We do not have time to add to that burden. Serving as a school marshal implies obtaining and maintaining an extremely high degree of proficiency in marksmanship and armed intruder tactics. Those skills perish very quickly, requiring extensive commitments of time and ammunition for maintenance. Muzzle awareness, trigger control, identification friend or foe, and situational awareness are only a few of the skills required for success in armed conflict. Without proper and continued training an armed teacher is simply another out of control factor in an already chaotic situation and is more likely to inflict additional casualties. Additionally, how will school systems, already strapped for cash, find the funds required to ensure that teachers are adequately armed and continually trained. This is another duty and pressure we do not need as teachers.

                What about the need to adequately secure weapons? Sooner or later a teacher will take a short cut and toss a loaded weapon into a drawer or purse. Then, some inquisitive student will find it and play with it. Once unleashed there is no recall or cancel function of a bullet. How will we explain to the parents and loved ones of the wounded or dead from just such an accident? How will the teacher live with the guilt incurred by such an incident? I carry scars from the lawful and expedient things I did in combat. I am blessed, they do not impede upon my life in a limiting fashion; however, they remain and are an ever-present fact of my existence. A thoughtful examination of the statistics shows that schools are one of the safest places for children. Why add to the existential peril by adding in the factor of unsecured hand-guns.

As a combat veteran of multiple deployments in a variety of locations, I understand the confusion and chaos of armed conflict. No one knows who they will react once rounds start going back and forth in earnest. No amount of training, no number of hours spent in simulations adequately prepare you for the intensity of that moment. Some of us summon the courage to act appropriately. Some run and hide. Others lose the judgement and ability to make well reasoned rational decisions and then act upon them. Arming teachers assumes that they will make good and sound decisions in the heat of the moment. We have no such guarantee. While I trust my fellow teachers, I do not want them wandering the halls during an emergency. Most handguns will put a round through sheet-rock walls with hardly a decrease in velocity. A locker will slow them down, perhaps even stop them, but bullets kill indiscriminately. A policeman once told me that in all the shooter incidents in our nation no one behind a closed and locked door had been shot. It seems to me that a better strategy would be to teach everyone to turn off the lights, shut and lock the doors, gather their students in an unobserved spot, and wait for relief by appropriate authorities. An even better strategy would be a critical cultural examination.

The time is well past for us to set aside our enthrallment with guns and violence. We need to spend time and effort divesting ourselves of the love of armed might in all its guises. I know that many of my friends will drag out the second amendment leaning heavily on the phrase, “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I understand. I would encourage those that hold that phrase up as sacrosanct to look at the first half of the amendment which reads, “A well regulated…” Evidently, the framers had some idea of the right to bear arms being well regulated. I would propose that they did not envision our nation as an armed camp that regularly degenerated into a combat zone where women and children regularly suffered life-changing and mortal wounds. Finally, I spent several years in combat zones, places where I had to go about armed and wearing body armor. I do not want to spend my remaining years watching my nation turn itself into some dark parody of a cyber-punk dystopian western.

Character Matters Part V, Pluralism

            In the mid-seventeenth century the Dutch colonized what became New York. They chose Peter Stuyvesant as the governor of their colony. He’d governed the Dutch West Indies successfully. He was a brave man, losing a leg during a fracas with the Spanish or Portuguese. He took over the floundering New Amsterdam and set about making it function smoothly. He imposed his will through a variety of measures, including controlling the sale and consumption of alcohol, setting a speed limit on public roads, and closing the colony to Jews, Muslims, Catholics, and Atheists. His attempts to limit immigration to good Dutch Christians fell on deaf ears and the leadership of the Dutch West India company rebuffed his attempts, forcing him to accept anyone that came and was willing to live and work peaceably. Ever the good employee, Stuyvesant complied with his orders and the colony flourished. Eventually, when the British arrived, threatening to shell the colony unless they surrendered, Stuyvesant was unable to rally a common defense and the colony changed hands without a shot fired in anger. New Amsterdam became New York and Stuyvesant stumped off into history. But the stage was set for a pluralistic new world.

            Any leader in our nation must understand that long ago we embraced pluralism, a multi-cultural, multi-racial view of our nation. We’ve not always well complied with our stated goals; however, we continually strive to achieve this high standard. Pluralism demands that a candidate for any leadership position, any public position really, in our country must be able to set aside racial prejudice and evaluate individuals on their inherent merits. Leaders that evaluate others based on their skin pigmentation, ethnic origin, religious upbringing (or lack thereof), or sex fail to understand one of the most basic philosophical concepts of our nation. Leaders must clearly understand that they represent all Americans, not just the ones that they resemble. When leaders adhere to this idea, they strengthen our nation.

            Pluralism is one of the greatest strengths of our country. Racism, the polar opposite of pluralism, closes the door to talent and opportunity. When we view the “other” with suspicion, we limit ourselves and our nation. When we set aside our fear and accept those of differing backgrounds, we thrive. Pluralism enables us to grow and solve seemingly intractable problems. Those with differing backgrounds, differing experiences, and differing points of view often see solutions we miss because of our backgrounds. Closing the door on their full participation in our national and cultural life closes the door on richness and variety. When we limit others from full participation, economic, cultural, or political, we hobble the vision of those that founded our nation. For those of us that claim to follow Jesus, pluralism recognizes and embodies Galatians 3:28, “²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” English Standard Version. Pluralism recognizes the inherent worth of the individual and the value they bring to the larger community. Whether we draw our concept of a pluralistic society from scripture or other philosophical roots, an open society which welcomes all works best and our leaders must recognize and embrace this concept.

            Any candidate for leadership that seeks to divide, that uses race, sex, ethnic origin, or other like factor as a discriminator does not measure up to our standards for public office. By embracing discriminatory and racially divisive tactics, they reject what it means to be an American and what we expect from all our leaders. No amount of correctness on political or policy issues overcomes this peculiarly salient character flaw. Leaders must call us to unity, to coalesce as a people in order to address those things that challenge us. Candidates that employ tactics of fear do not deserve our support since they do not understand what it means to be a leader in our nation. Pluralism sits at the core of our national identity.

            Pluralism opens the door. Racism seeks to shut the door. Pluralism welcomes. Racism alienates. Pluralism sets a large table. Racism limits the seating. Pluralism strengthens and enables. Racism weakens and demeans. Candidates for public office in our land must understand these truths. They must willingly expand opportunities for all Americans for we will only succeed as a nation when everyone is welcome and free to fully participate in all areas of society and culture. Those candidates that are either unable or unwilling to embrace this concept do not deserve our consideration or support.

           

Interruptions

            One morning this summer, I had an unusual encounter. Each time we visit the family “cabin,” Christy and I put out hummingbird feeders. We enjoy watching the acrobatics of these living jewels. This year Rufous Hummingbirds drank at out feeders. Rufous Hummingbirds are quite aggressive and territorial. With their russet feathers gleaming, they take on all comers, defending “their” territory. During the day they put on quite the show. As the stars come out each night, we take in the feeders, as Racoons will knock them down and break them. In the morning, as I start my devotions, I hang them up again. In less than five minutes the hummingbirds show up for their repast.

While the hummingbirds break their fast, I spend a few minutes in private devotions. And yes, I enjoy coffee during this quiet time. I’m breaking my own fast. As an easily distracted person, I usually close my eyes when I pray, except when I’m reading off a prayer list. However, when vacationing in the mountains of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, I alter my practice. I want to take in as much of God’s splendid creation as possible. I join in the praise His creation offers as witness to His grand and beautiful design. I know this is not theologically supportable; but, I think God was on His A game when he created the mountains of New Mexico. At any rate, I always enjoy the quiet moments alone on the porch. Well, most of the time.

One morning, as I sat there, contemplating the grandeur of God’s creation, I was rudely interrupted. A Rufous hummingbird came and hovered in front of me. He hovered so closely that I could feel the downdraft of his wings on my legs. He hovered at right angles to me, keeping his eye level with mine. And then he hectored me! His angry twittering disrupted my thoughts. Startled, I realized this was not some splendid moment of communion between man and beast. No, this was a moment of direction. I had stupidly forgotten my first task, bring out the food. How dare I sit and sip my coffee while this bird and his fellow fliers went hungry. Shamefaced, I got up and returned with the feeders and hung them up. I was never bothered by a bird again. I did find the breeze of his wings rather splendid.