Fourteen Reasons for the Season

So, every year I ask myself some questions about Christmas.  This year, I thought I'd share them with you.

1. What should I get my mom?
   
2. Why are there only 17 Christmas songs? (An estimation).
   
3. Why do "artists" feel the need to release an album with these 17 songs every year? (Or even worse, they write new ones).
   
4. Why does Hallmark keep making Christmas movies?
   
5. Why do Protestant Christians actively celebrate a mostly pagan-infused Catholic Holiday? (During the Reformation, Protestants condemned celebrating Christmas).
   
6. Why do parents willingly lie to their children about a mystical bearded man who supposedly breaks into their homes at night? (Breaking and entering is a felony).
   
7. Why do Christians get mad when they see "Xmas"? (The Greek letter chi, or X, is the first letter in the Greek spelling of Christ. It's just an abbreviation, folks).
   
8. Also, why are Christians so concerned that the bad guys (not sure who they are) are taking the "Christ" out of Christmas?
   
9. Would Christ even want to be involved in a consumer-driven holiday like Christmas? (He actually instructed people to sell their stuff and give the proceeds to poor folk, Matt 19:21).
   
10. How would Jesus feel about us using His "birthday" as an excuse to buy each other stuff? (It's obviously not His actual birthday. Scholars cannot even begin to agree on a date. We use December 25th for varied reasons, mostly non-Biblical).
    
11. Why do I always feel discontented with the stuff I get for Christmas? (Oh, right, because it's just stuff).
    
12. Why do Christians say things like, "Remember the true reason for the season!" and then trim a tree, put up lights, buy loads of gifts, and take their kids to see Santa? (Probably because those ARE the reasons for the season).
    
13. Why do suicide rates go up in December in the United States?
    
14. How does Santa feel about fair trade consumerism? (Well, he's not real, but we are and elves don't make Christmas presents;  Chinese people do and I'm sure they're not caroling when they make our Christmas junk for pennies on the dollar).

Call me Scrooge, if you like, but Christmas is absurd.  The thing is, most of us feel it or think it.  So, why does nothing change?  I love spending time with my family.  I do.  But, Christmas is a joke.  It's not about Christ.  Well, it's not about the Christ I claim to know.  Next year, I'll be different.  Maybe?

Much love and much peace.

Wendell Berry and the Death Penalty

Wendell Berry's thoughts on the death penalty.

“As I am made deeply uncomfortable by the taking of a human life before birth, I am also made deeply uncomfortable by the taking of a human life after birth. Obviously, it can be well argued that the world would be better off if certain people had never been born or if they had been killed in early youth by a fall from a tree. And I certainly can imagine circumstances in which I might kill another person. But I don’t believe that mere humans have the mental or moral capacity to decide rightfully, let alone infallibly, that another human should be killed. As I don’t condone the illegal killing of a human by a human, I cannot condone the legal killing of a human by a human. One killing is not rectified or atoned for by the addition of a second. An illegal killing is in no way made better by a legal killing. A society is not made saner or more morally secure by the deputation in it of legalized killers. Whereas many illegal killings are done in hot blood, legal killings are always done in cold blood and with a procedural deliberation that is horrifying. Hot-blooded killing is of course horrifying also, but to me it is more understandable. Probably we have no choice against illegal killing, which continues to happen against the wishes of nearly everybody. But it is possible, morally and rationally, to choose to withhold one’s approval from legal killing, and I so choose.”

--Wendell Berry
Port Royal, KY
January 23, 2009

[Not to be altered in any way without the approval of Wendell Berry]

Rain Barrel Project

Well, it hasn't rained in like three months...but, if it does...we'll be ready now.

Spigot.

Overflow.

Screen.

Gutter shield.

Now we wait.

So pretty.

I Predict a Riot

There's a story in Acts 19 about a trip Paul made through Macedonia on his way back to Jerusalem.  Apparently, in the city of Ephesus, local businessmen were upset at The Way because their whole industry was being affected due to large numbers of people having a change of heart. See, these businessmen were making miniature versions of the temple of Artemis. This temple is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, in case you were wondering. It was a big deal. Not only was it a huge, beautiful temple in a bustling city, it served as the cultural and financial center of Asia. The temple of Artemis was important and the guys who hand-crafted miniature statues of it were making bank.

Well, Paul shows up and tells everyone that "gods made with hands are not gods." Needless to say, that didn't sit well with the capitalistic craftsmen. So, the whole city of Ephesus erupts in this torch-baring riot. A lot of people didn't even know why everyone was mad, they just joined the rioters because everyone was doing it.

Turns out, businesses may not always line up with the Kingdom of God. In fact, they can't even exist in the Kingdom of God. There was no room in the Kingdom for artisans who made statues of Artemis. In order to participate in the Kingdom, they would have needed to completely abandon their businesses.

Maybe in our society there are corporations that can't exist in the Kingdom of God. Maybe it's because they use slave labor in a foreign country. Maybe they are only interested in maximizing shareholder wealth and don't care about the communities they operate in. Maybe they don't promote women. Or folks of color. Maybe they're paying off the FDA in order to keep their toxic products on the shelves. Maybe they market mind-poising filth to children. Maybe they'll buy the Presidential Election in 2012. Maybe they tell farmers they can't own the seeds their soy beans produce. Maybe they're poising countless water sheds in Arkansas because of frac drilling. Maybe they tell the media what to say. Maybe they say climate change is a fallacy and that our dependence on fossil fuels is the only way it can be. Maybe they can't exist in the Kingdom of God.


If the church is functioning as the church, then maybe our cities should be in an uproar, too. Or maybe we'll buy low and sell high like everyone else.

Enemy Neighbors

So, there were these really religious folks in Jesus’ time called the Essenes. They were among the three major religious sects of the day; the Pharisees and Sadducees being the other two. The Essenes developed an interesting ritual, as recorded by Josephus in War 2:139. The Essenes would swear an oath twice every day. The oath included a pledge “to hate forever the unjust and to fight together with the just”. The Essenes saw themselves allied with God and that one day God would destroy everyone who didn’t associate with them. They taught that a person should love their fellow-sectarians (allies) and hate those who were not in confederation with them. Their justification for this teaching was Leviticus 19:17-18:

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart...you shall not avenge nor bear any grudge against one of your own people, but love your neighbor as yourself.”

Using reverse logic to interpret the scripture, the Essenes assumed that if they were supposed to love their neighbors, then they should equally hate their enemies.

End scene.

Enter Jesus.

Matthew 5:43-44 records Jesus teaching about love, neighbors, and enemies:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Jesus completely undermined the Essenes interpretation. He said, “OK, I know what you’ve heard from the religious leaders, but I say to you...” Jesus interpreted the culturally well-known words of Leviticus 19:17-18 a little differently than His Essene counterparts. To Jesus, “neighbor” didn’t just include those people you’re close to or associated with. Jesus said “neighbor” includes enemies, as well.

Enemies can’t be neighbors and neighbors can’t be enemies. It’s one or the other, folks. Jesus wants us to broaden our definition of “neighbor”.

In Matthew 5:46, Jesus said “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”

This was adapted from a chapter in New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus, by David Bivin. I strongly recommend reading that book.

Praying for the Flat Tire Folks

This is an email I received from my friend and mentor Rick Lovall. Enjoy.

Today I was convicted of praying for Jesus to help someone. Don't tell me you've never prayed that prayer before. You know the one. You're driving down the road, through the rain, and see someone stranded with a flat tire. Instead of stopping to help them and risk messing up your perfectly groomed hair you pray, "Jesus, please help those poor people". You then crank up the tunes and mash the gas trying desperately to get their look of despair out of your mind.

 

Ephesians 5:30 says "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." You know Jesus' reply to your prayer would be, "You're my body...YOU go help them! I took you right to someone that needed help and you didn't even slow down."

 

The conviction I felt today wasn't about someone with a flat tire. My dad taught me long ago to help the flat tire folks out because you never know when flat-tire despair will hit you. The conviction I felt was while praying for Jesus to help a handicapped gentlemen I saw today. Granted, he appeared to be doing just fine...no flat tire, nothing all all seemed "wrong". But there I was...the helping hand of the Lord...the arm of Love...the voice of Grace...the legs of compassion...and I just kept driving.

 

Remember what Jesus taught..."I was hungry and you fed me. I was _________ and you ________ me." (Fill in the blank). We were called to serve....not just sermons on Sunday, but love on Monday, mercy on Tuesday, grace on Wednesday... you get the picture.

 

How embarassing would it be for me to pray that selfish prayer, only to hear Jesus answered it by sending someone else to help him? I can't imagine how I would feel if Jesus asked me, "Why didn't you help them?"

 

Just something to think about....

 

I love every one of y'all!

 

Rick Lovall