Whole Christmas

  The season of Advent draws together many strands of the Christian story.  We look back at the Old Testament prophecies surrounding Jesus' birth and how they were fulfilled with precision.  We anticipate the second coming of Jesus, an important hope without which our faith would not be whole or complete.  

   Perhaps less common in some traditions, we also look ahead to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Even the old man Simeon hints at Jesus' painful destiny before the infant is even two months old, when he says to Mary: "And a sword will pierce your own soul too."  Christians are reminded of this reality of suffering when they take communion during Advent.  Christmas truly is a time of joy, but it cannot be completely isolated from what comes before, after, and that which we still await.

   Two pieces of music that are commonly performed during the Christmas season embody this "Whole Christmas" idea within them.  Incidentally, they were written twenty-two years apart in 18th century England.  

   The first is the familiar anthem "Joy to the World" by Isaac Watts.  Originally this hymn was not written for Christmas, but as a version of Psalm 98.  It does not refer to specific events from the Matthew or Luke versions of the first Christmas. And yet some of its phrases, such as "Let earth receive her king" and "Let every heart prepare him room," do fit nicely with the idea that Jesus came as king and that his coming requires a response.  Alyssa Poblete even suggests that the song is more about Jesus' second coming than his first:

"So why do we sing this song at Christmas? It is clearly a song about Christ’s second coming—when the full expression of his glory will be revealed. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the Christmas story. Or does it? After all, there is no second coming without a first coming." [1]

So, we cannot properly celebrate Jesus' birth without also keeping in mind what things will be like when his Kingdom comes in all its fullness, when the effects of sin will all be eliminated, as symbolized by thorns no longer infesting the ground.

   The other piece of music that helps Christians celebrate Whole Christmas is George F. Handel's Oratorio Messiah.  While he originally wrote it to coincide with Lent/Easter, this rich vocal and instrumental work is not out of place at Christmas.  Beginning with Isaiah 40's "Comfort Ye My People" and ending with the heavenly vision of Revelation "Worthy is the Lamb", Messiah gives us the sweeping biblical story of God's good intentions for humanity.  
   When we see the Christmas story in its whole context, as the songs I just mentioned help us to experience, it also becomes more real.  It is more than just a time to pretend everything in the world is perfect or a season to over-indulge.  Christmas by itself does not work magic.  In the midst of the mess we find ourselves in as humans, we can be assured that God has a rescue plan.  It is a work in progress, and the final ending will be beyond our imaginations!

[1] Alyssa Poblete wrote this on December 22, 2014 in a blog post entitled "Joy to the World: A Classic Christmas Hymn Reconsidered". It is no longer accessible on the Gospel Coalition website.

Christmas Inferences

 

 As accounts of a person's birth go, the story of Jesus contains minimal details.  Of the four gospels, two of them do not refer to the circumstances of Jesus' arrival on earth, and the two that do talk about the nativity focus on somewhat different aspects.  Due to the brevity of both accounts, we have made inferences by taking the details that are mentioned and then filling in the gaps based on our best guesses of how things must have been in those days.  Those inferences we make are based on our cultural practices as well as traditional ideas passed down over the centuries through religious songs, art and habits.  Many of these traditions are rooted in Western Europe before much archaeological study was done about the Middle East and the way of life in Palestine.  For example, the Christmas poem by Christina Rossetti entitled "A Christmas Carol" (1872) makes assumptions about the weather at the time of Jesus' birth based on the climate of the United Kingdom in December:

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Today, we are quite certain that Jesus' actual birthday was not in December.  No matter what the season, there would not have been snow and ice due to the moderate climate of Bethlehem.

The Manger

   Besides being in Bethlehem, we know very little about the place where Jesus was born.  It is stated in Luke 2:7 that "there was no room for them in the inn," so we know he was not born in a lodge or guest house.  The details that the baby was "placed in a manger" has led to an inference that most people may not realize is absent from the text.  For many, the word "manger" and "stable" are synonymous, but this deserves a second look, according to Dr. Kenneth Bailey.  This man of God passed away in 2016, but he left a significant book entitled Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.  By living in the Middle East for forty years he became familiar with customs and practices that made him see the reference to Jesus being placed in a manger differently.

• When we hear about an animal's feeding box, we automatically think of a barn, where animals live separately from humans.  However, Middle Eastern families in small villages shared space in their home with their small herds of sheep and goats.  Therefore, access to a manger could have been close to where people were living.  It is not inconceivable that Jesus was born in a private home that had one wing where animals could get shelter when needed.  The resourcefulness of using a manger to house a baby does not mean that there were donkeys, cattle and sheep surrounding the birthplace of the Lord.
• Middle Eastern hospitality is extreme.  Welcoming a stranger, especially one who is about to give birth, is expected in Middle Eastern culture.  When we imagine the innkeeper offering a stable to Mary and Joseph, such a thing is unthinkable to the Palestinian person.  If the shepherds had found the infant Jesus in a place we see depicted on Christmas cards, cold and dark and smelly, they would not have left rejoicing as they did.  Instead, they would have taken Jesus to a better and proper location or petitioned home owners nearby to have compassion and welcome the holy family.  Recently, a children's Christmas play was shared in which the child playing the innkeeper breaks character and calls after Mary and Joseph, "You can have my room."  If a child would offer them her bedroom, would not someone steeped in the culture of hospitality have opened his home to those displaced because of the census?

The Magi

   While the gospel of Luke tells about humble shepherds coming to see the Christ child, Matthew's account tells of Magi from the East.  Our inferences regarding the Magi have led to fanciful speculations:

-The song "We Three Kings of Orient Are" names Melchior, Balthasar and Gaspar/Caspar, based on a traditional text dating to about 500 A.D and considers that they were kings of Persia, Arabia and India, respectively.

-Because there were three gifts, it is presumed that there were three Magi.

-Nativity scenes place the Magi around the manger with the shepherds.

-The mode of transport was by camels.

   A few corrections to these ideas can be found by better understanding the times. Magi were not royalty, but they were a class of people who were well educated and influential.  Perhaps the title of "professor" helps us better understand who they were. In fact, this word is used in the Chinese Bible to designate these men of the East.

   Any long journeys to be undertaken by men of rank like the Magi would have involved a complete entourage of servants.  Three men travelling this distance would want others with them to provide security, food, animal care and other logistics.  They may have used camels, but we don't know for sure.

   If we believe that the Magi and the Shepherds both came to adore the infant Jesus together, we would note that Matthew 2:11 says "On coming to the house..."  Jesus was staying at a house when the Magi arrived.  As I suggested earlier, he was also likely staying at a house when the shepherds came.  

   The fact that Herod decreed that all infant boys below the age of 2 years were to be killed to ensure the baby Jesus, the one "born King of the Jews" would be among the victims seems to suggest that Jesus was no longer a newborn when the Magi came to see him.  However, the ruthlessness of Herod that is documented in other history books means it would not be surprising if he chose the round number of 2 years of age as the cut off just to be sure this threat to his throne would be disposed of.

Conclusion

   My notes here about the manger and the Magi are not meant to dismiss all of the traditions and songs based on questionable inferences.  However, I hope that was we read and hear the accounts from Matthew and Luke, we can remember that they happened in a time and culture different than our own.  When we read between the lines of Bible stories it is good to be informed about what the original readers would have understood by them.  I am grateful to scholars like Dr. Kenneth Bailey, Dr. Paul Maier and Joe Amaral who have most recently enlightened me in this way through their books and published interviews.

Surprising Contrasts in the Nativity Story

   The well-known details of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem are repeated in the carols that are played through sound systems in shopping malls and sung in churches during Advent.  We know of mangers, and shepherds and wise men and a star they followed.  It's familiar and comfortable to many of us. I'd like to point out some surprising contrasts in the nativity story that might help make it fresh and new for you this Christmas.
1)  The first contrast is the sign the shepherds were given.
   When the shepherds were told to look for a child, they were given two things to look for: the babe would be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  We imagine Jesus' birth taking place at a cold time of year if we live in the West, so it would be obvious to us that a newborn be clothed.  However, what we know of Mary and Joseph is that they were poor.  Not all Hebrew parents could afford clothing for their babies. Yet somehow, clothing was provided for their son so that he could "wrapped snugly in strips of cloth," as the New Living Translation puts it.  The shepherds would have heard these two descriptions of the baby and wondered at the contrast.  If the child was clothed (indicating a level of wealth), why would he also be in the feeding trough for animals?  When the shepherds found baby Jesus, the story they spread about a newborn well dressed but kept in an animal's feeding box would have caused their listeners to marvel as well.  What would become of a child like this? One who had attributes of wealth and humility at once?
2) The second contrast is in the reactions of King Herod and the Magi
   King Herod's palace was not far from Bethlehem, about 3 miles away.  In fact, Bible teacher Ray VanderLaan points out that Bethlehem was literally in the shadow of the sizable building called the Herodian, one of Herod's palaces [1].  The child Jesus was born close to the man who ruled as king, but went unnoticed by him until "Magi from the East" came to Jerusalem asking for one born "King of the Jews." Some Christmas songs have led us to think that these men were "kings," but they were educated people (sages, familiar with the stars).  The Chinese word used for the Magi is the same word that is used for "professors."  These learned men from the East probably came from Persia or modern-day Iran.  The sheer distance they were willing to travel in order to honour a royal child contrasts sharply with the short distance Herod sent his soldiers to try to destroy a royal child.
3)  The third contrast lies in the three gifts the Magi brought
   The gospel writer Matthew tells that the gifts the Magi brought were gold, frankincense and myrrh. In our modern day, the value of just one of these gifts is readily apparent.  We know that gold is a commodity of great worth and that it does not deteriorate the way some other metals do.  But what of frankincense and myrrh? Incense was used in the Jewish temple as a form of worship; its aroma represented the prayers of the people rising up to God; however, the Magi may not have known of this specific aspect of Judaism.  Myrrh was an oil used in embalming the bodies of those who died. Could it be that this gift of myrrh hints at the final purpose of Jesus' birth: that he would die for the sins of the world?  These distinct gifts were all high in value, yet the gift of myrrh seems to highlight something of Jesus' mission in a way that the other gifts do not.

I encourage you to look deeper into the Nativity story yourself and look for other surprising elements and contrasts.  Imagine you are reading it for the very first time, and it will never get old.


[1] Article by Ray Vanderlaan https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/in-the-shadow-of-herod-article

What happened to Holy-days?

   I vividly recall attending a Christmas program over 10 years ago in which a youth group acting out a skit.  In this skit certain characters considered Christmas as "just another excuse to party."  The purpose of the actors was to hold up this mirror to the audience for self-reflection.  Is this what our holidays have become?
   Christmas, Easter, even the few lingering "Saints Days" that appear on typical calendars have strayed far from their original intentions. St. Valentine's Day often celebrates lust instead of love, while St. Patrick's Day is associated with overindulgence in beer while wearing the color green.
   I'm quite certain that my fellow Canadians who celebrated the Victoria Day long weekend gave little or no consideration to the former monarch after whom the day was named.  It is a time to party with profuse amounts of alcohol and fireworks, even if nobody knows why.
   As our culture becomes ignorant of the foundations of western civilization, we are not only losing the meaning of the red letter days on our calendars.  We are also having every day hijacked by all kinds of different interest groups so that today (June 17th) is simultaneously dedicated to eating your vegetables, apple strudel, flip-flops, cherry tarts and a particular brand of root beer.  How are pondering or celebrating these material things supposed to benefit anyone, except perhaps the healthy daily discipline of eating vegetables?
   While the examples cited here may seem innocuous, I originally began this post in reaction to the Social Media created day that encouraged people to send nude photos of themselves to a friend.  I did not want to search its exact name because I didn't want to add to its popularity.
 
   What happened to celebrating a day simply because "this is the day the Lord has made"?
 
   One way to assess a culture is to look at what it celebrates and how it does so.  What observations have you made about the shift in special days?

 

True Humanity

   If we believe that Jesus came into the world, in part, to live the life of a perfect human being, then even his birth tells us something about what is good about being human.  That's where I will begin in this reflection.

• Jesus was born as helpless and dependent as any infant.  Being helpless and dependent is part of being human.  It occurs early in life; it often occurs at the end of life.  For some dear human beings, helplessness and dependency accompany them their entire journey of life.  However, it does not make them less human.  Various forms of vulnerability are part of our humanity, and we should not see them in and of themselves as things to avoid at all costs.  
• Jesus set aside his power [1] when it would make him selfish.  When I use the word power here, it includes such things as the potential for fame, knowledge and wisdom, ability to do miracles, authority over angels, and privilege as the son of God.  He had various things at his disposal, which he could have used to give himself a more comfortable life, but he refused to do this kind of thing. Satan tempted him three times in the wilderness to use his power to take a short-cut from God's purpose and plan.  What we can learn from this is that just because we may have certain forms of power (status, citizenship, possessions, position, wealth, opportunity), we are not to grasp these things for selfish ends.  Self-denial shows true humanity.
• Jesus used his power to bless others.  When I use the word power here, I am thinking of his power of speech, his love, his authority, his heritage, his patience and his masculinity. He used the power of speech to convey truth to people confused and abused by previous teachers.  He used the power of love to forgive the sin of paralyzed man prior to healing him. Jesus used the power of his authority to answer the tough questions of Pharisee, Saducee and Herodian alike in order to set things right.  He used the power of his heritage to connect the writings of Moses, David and the prophets with his ministry.  He used the power of patience to endure all the hardships brought upon him because of the fallout of sin.  He used the power of his masculinity to show honour, respect and protection for men, women and children.  The very reason God has endowed humans with various "powers" is for the benefit of others around them.
• Jesus represented God in the world.  In the beginning, God made humans in his own image, to represent him on earth and care for fellow creatures.  This high calling had been marred and stained by sin.  Sadly, when pundits say that humans are more cruel to each other than animals are, they are right.  Humans will cut down others who get in their way to attain manifold forms of power: even worthless possessions, fleeting fame, and the first place in a line-up.  However, Jesus came as the "image of the invisible God" [Colossians 1:18].  Jesus was greatly concerned with God's intentions for right living and stewardship of power--image bearing.  That image bearing comes at the intersection of fully recognizing both our power and our weakness.
• A common way to refer to humans is to call them "mortals."  That is, they have a life span that will come to an end.  Jesus' human lifespan was just over three decades in length.  At cemeteries we can find tomb stones for those who lived just days or months and ranging all the way to those who saw beyond their ninetieth year.  Jesus' life and sacrificial death made a way to attain something more--eternal life.  In the book of Revelation, He promises to those who remain faithful to him that they will "have the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" [Revelation 2:7].  When Jesus rose from the dead, he had a body that would not deteriorate or decay.  In the resurrection at the fulfillment of all things, our physicality as humans will be affirmed and brought to its highest and best expression.  

[1] I am indebted to Andy Crouch's book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power (2013).  His way of describing what power is led to this train of thought being further developed by me.

Christmas hospitality

 I was asked by someone in my church to share a story of a past Christmas.  I thought I would include it here as well.

   The Christmas season in North America involves many social gatherings and dinners.  We receive advice from web sites and blogs about how to serve the right foods, decorate in the latest style and create the right atmosphere for our guests to enjoy.  However, what is Jesus’ advice about such dinners and feasts?  In Luke 14:12-14 he says something that we find hard to swallow.  He says to invite people who may not be in our circles, those who don’t normally get invited to these events.  Jesus says we will be blessed if we do this.

   I do not want to pretend that this is what I do every Christmas or Thanksgiving or Easter.  Often I live such an insulated life that I would not even be aware of who needs such an invitation.  Just looking after my own extended family can feel like enough.  However, over the years I have experienced the opportunity and blessing from including people who might not be the typical guests.  I will share one particular Christmas Eve story in hopes that it re-inspire me and perhaps others to find a way to celebrate Jesus’ birthday by following his advice about dinner parties.

   One spring I met a single mother (Kay) and her pre-teen daughter who lived in a subsidized housing complex not far from my rural home.  Kay used a wheelchair and received daily help from a personal support worker.  This initial meeting was followed by me visiting her about once a week, with my pre-school children coming along with me.

   As Christmas got closer, my natural inclination was to invite the two of them over for a meal, but our house was not equipped with a ramp.  Not giving up, we thought of taking hospitality “on the road” and proposed bringing Christmas Eve dinner to the town house and enjoying the meal there all together.  Kay readily agreed.  Her own relatives had not made any effort to include them in a Christmas dinner, it would seem, for many years.

   So it was that on Christmas Eve my husband and I loaded up hot casserole dishes containing chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables and bundled children in car seats to go to Kay’s house for dinner.  I also packed a table cloth, grape juice and paper napkins.  Kay’s daughter let us in, not quite sure what to make of this.  She helped set the table, apologizing that not one place setting matched with another.  Even though our forks and knives did not match and the walls bore pock marks from an unwieldy electric wheelchair, our Christmas Eve dinner was a time of warm fellowship.  We brought a Bible and read about the first Christmas before closing in prayer.

   Is there room at your table or in your schedule to include someone who would otherwise be alone this time of year?  It is indeed more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35b)

Thanksgiving Menus

   The traditional menu for Canadian Thanksgiving borrows a great deal from the iconic meal shared by the Pilgrims and the Native Americans in 1621.  The roasted turkey, potatoes, along with the vast array of vegetables including squash and corn, come from this harvest festival in New England about one year after the Mayflower first arrived in the new world.
   Certainly, the idea we associate with Thanksgiving is abundance.  For our large gatherings, we prepare much more food than we can possibly eat at one sitting.  People take second (or third) helpings, putting off their diets for the sake of the festival.
   Even before the Pilgrims and further to the north, there was a service of Thanksgiving in 1578 led by pirate/explorer Martin Frobisher giving gratitude to God for his care and provision after a dangerous voyage in search of the Arctic Northwest Passage. This Thanksgiving, which did not occur in October or November, was focused upon protection rather than harvest.
   I wonder sometimes if we are missing some of the context of these first North American Thanksgivings.  Consider the following:

1. Records from Martin Frobisher's ships show that each week his crew would receive meat on four days and no meat on the other three.  The other rations on board included flour, oats, dried beans and biscuits.  One would imagine that any Thanksgiving meal accompanying the first Canadian Thanksgiving in 1578 would not have been a lavish affair.
2. The fact that turkey was served at the first American Thanksgiving was not due to marketing or people saving up for weeks to purchase such an expensive type of poultry. Turkey was part of the menu because wild turkeys were abundant in the place where the Pilgrims and Natives were living.  They could easily hunt them, and the meat was tasty.  In that same spirit (choosing something for my Thanksgiving menu simply because it is abundant), I intend to find a way to elevate kale.  Just today, we harvested four "trees" of it from our vegetable garden. (See photo)
3. Both of these original Thanksgiving events were not about a nebulous feeling of gratitude one stirred up once a year.  They were part of a daily lifestyle of giving God the credit for any blessings that come our way.  Thanksgiving needs to be directed somewhere: any celebration that is missing the element of acknowledging God's role in our lives will fall short of the true meaning of the holy-day.
4. The first celebrants of Thanksgiving had experienced difficulties most of us could only imagine.  Frobisher and his crew daily faced hostile weather and were far from home and family, and yet they could celebrate.  The Pilgrims had survived one year in the new world, but many of their number had succumbed to disease and starvation.  We do not celebrate Thanksgiving only if everything in our lives is going well.  We celebrate it even though there are really difficult things in our lives.   

Last Words

   The last words in a book or film are often typed in capital letters: “THE END.”  The viewer does not expect any more action; the reader closes the book and does not anticipate hearing any more about these characters, unless a sequel exists or is hinted at.  For now, they have come to their final words.

   In different contexts “THE END” is spelled out differently.  Every prayer seems unfinished without its “Amen.”  A parting between friends or family invokes the words “Good-bye” or “Bye” for short.  We employ this metaphor when a loved one passes away—a funeral allows us to say our “Good-byes.”

   Some people put great stock in the last words spoken by famous people.  And Jesus’ final words (7 statements in all) are often a focus for sermons during the season of Lent, as occurred in my local church.  When my pastor reflected on the very last word from the cross, he pointed out that this sentence of submission: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” is taken from Psalm 31:5.  In that original context, the psalm writer was not at all hinting at death or “the end.”  Rather, he was committing himself to God by continuing to live in Him.  When Jesus speaks these words in Luke 23:46, he does so not in a resigned whisper but a loud declaration!  There is more to come.  Life will be returned to the Lord and Giver of life.

   Because Jesus’ death was part of a greater plan that involved resurrection on the third day, the other endings in our life are not final either.  When we speak a prayer to the Father, our “Amen” does not mean “that’s all done and over with.”  It is a triumphant “so be it,” an invitation for God to carry our requests forward according to his perfect timing.  When we say “Good-bye” we keep in mind the original phrase it has been shortened from: “God be with ye.”  We expect that our relationship will carry on even if distances may separate us for a time.  Even our so-called final good-byes are not final at all for those who embrace the resurrection life of the Son of God.  They are a temporary “see you later” until that time when all things are made new.

   That knowledge is reflected in the practice of remembering not the birthdays of saints and martyrs, but the day of their death.  It was actually a new beginning...

Guest Post by JungSeong: Great Love

Charcoal briquettes

This Easter reflection will be preached on Easter morning in Michigan by a young man born in South Korea.  He gave me kind permission to share it here.  I really enjoyed his image of the charcoal briquette applied to the life of Christ. 

Ephesians 2:4

I want to introduce one item, which is a charcoal briquette.  Nowadays, few people use this item. However, 20 years ago, many Koreans considered it indispensable for their families during winter season. This is because it was able to make the room warm and therefore keep the body warm. But today we might think that a black, dirty, and ugly briquette is worthless.

However, the briquette has another meaning.

When the briquette catches on fire, it sacrifices itself so that the ice-cold room becomes a warm room.  A chilled body becomes a warm body. Also after the charcoal briquette is used up, the ashes can be spread on an icy road or path to make them less slippery. In this way the charcoal briquette completes its mission.  

Now, in our Bible reading, Paul described how God showed His great love for us through giving His only son Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus took on flesh like us sinners, was born in a manger and lived as the son of a carpenter.

We find that Jesus knew his mission on earth, and he did it.

This mission required Jesus has to sacrifice Himself on the cross, to die and rise up again!

His suffering on the cross shows us sinners His great love.

In Ephesians 2:4, it says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

What does the cross show us?  We surely know "it is that through Christ’s death on the cross, our old nature is crucified, put to death, and buried with him so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer reign in us, but that we may offer ourselves to him as a sacrifice of thankfulness" (Heidelberg Catechism Answer 43).

What does the cross show us?

In our greatest sorrow and temptation we may be assured and comforted that Jesus Christ, by His unspeakable anguish, pain, terror, and agony, which Jesus endured throughout all His sufferings 
but especially on the cross He has delivered us from the anguish and torment of hell (Heidelberg Catechism Answer 44).

We see that Jesus cleaned up our all sins, our all shame, our hurt and whatever pains we have. 

Then Jesus accomplished His mission, died and came to life after 3 days!

Jesus Christ shows us through his resurrection life that he has overcome death, so that he could make us share in the righteousness which he obtained for us by his death.

By his power we too are raised up to a new life.

Christ’s resurrection 
is to us a sure pledge 
of our glorious resurrection. (Heidelberg Catechism Answer 45)

Just as Jesus shows us His great love with warmth like a charcoal fire!

His sacrifice for us like the briquette sacrifice to warm our bodies.

And Jesus Christ made a way in the world through the resurrection just as the briquette’s ash can assist people to walk safely on an icy road.

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Through His resurrection, God raised us with Christ and seated us with Christ in the heavens: it is past, present, future, and forever.

Let us pray.

Thank you for your message. Your great love brings us from anguish and torments of life. And your resurrection changes us into your people. It’s all by your grace. Thank you for your great love. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Holy Week Surprise

   During Holy week, it makes sense to read passages from the Bible that deal with the events that occurred in the last week of Jesus' earthly life.  As well, we can read the reflections that others have written in response to those events.  I was planning to do the latter and involve my family for our devotional time after lunch on Palm Sunday.  As I prepared to open the book of reflections, my husband asked me, "Don't we read the Bible now?"
   At first I took offense.  I was not suggesting we not read the Bible anymore at our meal time devotions.  It was only for this week that I intended to read the reflections of an author I respect and who has good insights into Christ's suffering.  Besides, the place we were reading in the Bible, the book of Nehemiah, had nothing to do with Holy Week.  We could go back to it later, I reasoned.
   However, my husband's gentle prompting to "let the Bible speak" prevailed.  Nehemiah chapter 13 was where the bookmark was.  I began reading and quickly came to the part where a priest who had been put in charge of the temple store rooms was renting a large store room to an opponent of God's people as a kind of storage locker. [1]  Nehemiah was upset that this large room intended to store grain offerings and other items vital in the worship of God was now holding household items belonging to Tobiah, the Ammonite.  What did Nehemiah do?  He "threw all Tobiah's household goods out of the room" (verse 8) and had it purified and returned to its proper use.
   One of the significant events of Holy Week is recorded in the Synoptic gospels, where Jesus enters the temple and overturns the tables of those who have turned the courtyard of the Gentiles, a place of prayer for non-Jews, into a money-making racket.  Nehemiah and Jesus are both part of a tradition that reforms Temple worship and practices.  The words of Psalm 69 apply to both of them in addition to their author David: "Zeal for your house consumes me."

From Wake up Call's Facebook page

   This first surprise of Holy Week was the reminder that the Scriptures have one author, who fits it all together. The challenge of this surprise is to re-examine my zeal for the things of God and the proper worship of His holiness.  How will I respond when I discover that big name evangelists have made million-dollar empires from the Kingdom of God?

[1] Apparently, having more possessions than can fit in your house is not only a modern phenomenon.

Listening to the Words

   Christmas music has been playing on the radio where I live for more than three weeks.  The station we are most likely to tune into is a local Christian one.  Not only the carols likely to be sung in church are played, but also some of the light-hearted wintery songs like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland" performed by various artists on their Christmas albums.
   One apparently harmless song has also received airplay: "Do they Know it's Christmas?" by BandAid, recorded in 1984.  Originally a fundraiser for famine victims in Ethiopia, it continues to be popular at this time of year.  The song even talks about God and prayer, so why would anyone object?  The lyrics say, "Let's say a prayer/Pray for the other ones", but at the very end of that stanza we hear the callous words, "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you."
   I must have listened to this song dozens of times over the past thirty years, but I never caught that phrase until this year.  What is this line supposed to mean?  When we hear of the misfortunes of another person, our prayers should NOT go first to gratitude that it is not us. Instead we ought to be pleading with God for that other person's relief.  It is all too common that as humans we turn this around.
   Lyricists Bob Geldof and Midge Ure who were behind the effort to raise money for famine victims did not add to compassion when they included that line.  There's no explanation in the rhyme scheme for the way they ended the second stanza.  Yes, they came up with a song that sold over 3.7 million copies (statistic from 2012) and created a foundation called "Band Aid Charitable Trust." However, the song's message (not to mention the stereotypes about Africa as a whole being a place "Where nothing ever grows/No rain nor rivers flow") has done harm.  It has reinforced the secular attitude that says "Thank God" flippantly when someone else suffers or even worse gives the impression that this is what Christians say and think in the face of suffering..
 

Dona Nobis Pacem

   The three Latin words Dona Nobis Pacem (give us peace) are often sung at this time of year. Choirs of children and adults utter the plea that God grant them a sense of peace.  Not just absence of war, but true harmony with the people in our lives and most of all with God Himself.  The angels message of Peace on Earth continues to be prominent in our Christmas celebrations.
   However, the first mentions of God giving peace (shalom) come well before the Christmas story. The desire for peace and wholeness has been with us a very long time, and the blessing God told Aaron and the priest to place on the people in Numbers 6:24-26 includes peace:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. 

(emphasis mine)

   As I was pondering this blessing I noticed that each of the three statements begin with "the LORD," the word for God that means he is the faithful promise keeper, the personal being "I AM."  The source of this series of blessings is important because we so often seek peace and blessing elsewhere.

   Each of the three statements contains two gifts that God is bestowing on the people, for a total of six gifts.

• blessing (well-being)
• keeping (preserving our lives, guarding our steps)
• his face shining upon us (favour, like a smile that fills us with a sense of belonging)
• grace (something we do not deserve in the least)
• his face turned toward us (attentiveness, we are noticed, we are not just a number)
• peace (harmony in our relationship to Him and others around us)

   One thing my grandmother used to stress about going to church, even when you might not get anything out of the sermon or even if you were a foreigner and the service was held in a language you did not know, was that at very least you would receive "the blessing" pronounced by the pastor at the closing of the service.   At the end of the liturgy I have grown up with, the Benediction is given by the pastor with upraised arms.

   Attending a church service Sunday after Sunday is a way that we ask God to "give us peace."  And when that Blessing is pronounced, we may open our hands to receive it.

When You Can't Afford to Give

   This time of year is associated with giving.  Giving gifts to your friends and family has become an integral part of Christmas celebrations.  Charities appeal to donors to consider the needs of the less fortunate, and rightly so.  But what if a person finds him or herself in a position of being unable to give?

   This question presupposes that giving is a matter of material things.  We think that if you are poor, you can't give, but this is so wrong.  Giving has so many forms that are accessible to people of all ages and economic situations.  In fact, much can be learned from the way in which people in so-called "poor" countries give generously.

   This month I challenged myself and my family to do an intentional act of giving each day.  Most of these do not require having a bi-weekly or monthly salary.  Giving begins in the heart.  When the heart practices giving even when money is tight, that heart will be ready to give to an even greater extent when circumstances turn around.

   Check out some of the ideas we came up with:

• Do a chore at home that is not really your job.  Do not draw attention to it.
• Think about a duplicate of something you own and find a way to give your extra one to someone who has none.  (Inspired by John the Baptist's advice in Luke 3:11.)
• Find something in your closet that you have not worn or used for 6 months or more and give it to a centre that ministers to newcomers.
• Re-gift something that you've received but do not use.
• Gather all the change in your house.  Put it in a pretty box and then leave it on the doorstep of a neighbour, who you think could use it.
• Create a coupon offering to use a talent or ability and give it to someone else.
• Give a little more than usual to the Sunday offering.  Think about the people who are benefiting from the offering and pray for them.
• Spend the equivalent of what you spend on milk (or some other thing you always need in the house) on non-perishable food and donate to a food bank.
• Give a compliment to someone you meet.
• Call a family member or friend on the telephone who you have not seen in a while.  Listen to how their day was.  If it is a local call on your land line, it is free.
• You have probably "stolen" a pen from a public space at least once in your life.  Plan to deliberately leave a pen somewhere that people are likely to need one.
• Give away an orange.
• Give a thank you note to someone who does a thankless job.
• When you prepare a snack today, make a second one to give to a co-worker, classmate or family member.
• Give part of your lunch break to pray for or with someone.
• Lend a helping hand by carrying something for someone or opening a door for someone.
• Write an encouraging Bible verse on a small card and leave it somewhere for a person to find.
• Offer someone a ride or give someone a bus ticket.
• Pick up two pieces of trash you see lying around indoors or outdoors and put them in the right place.
• Lend a book you've enjoyed to someone else, and don't expect to get it back.
• Give time to someone by playing a game or listening to a song together.
• Scrape someone else's windshield or shovel someone else's driveway.
• Give a music CD you've enjoyed to another person you think might also enjoy it.
• Drop off a small care package for a person who has to work on Christmas Day (hospital, nursing home, public works)
• Leave a box of tissues in a place where people outside of your family might need them.
• Make a hygiene kit or two for someone in need.  Bring it to a local community centre for distribution.
• Give away any partial gift cards you have.
• Give a mug with a surprise inside to someone in your neighbourhood.
• Invite someone over for lunch, dinner or dessert.
• Make something (a card, baked goods, or a craft) and give it to someone.
• Take a picture and send it to someone electronically or in the mail.

If you have other ideas about how to give, I'd love to hear them.

Do Good Things Come in Threes?

   How much validity does the expression "Good things come in threes" have?  I've also heard the opposite: "Bad things come in threes," such that a person who has had two things go wrong in her day was still expecting a third to make it complete.  I would venture that such statements are based on a type of superstition that stops counting after three.  Each day or event, depending on our outlook, can have numerous good or bad aspects to it.
   That being said, there is something special about the number three that goes beyond the formula for fairy tales (three wishes, three characters, three incidents) and the rules of baseball.
   Since it is Easter weekend, I'd like to share about the "three days" between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Jesus predicted more than once that, similar to Jonah's sojourn in the belly of the fish, he would be "three days and three nights" in the heart of the earth (Mark 12:40).  After that, he would rise again.
   The modern, Western reader may be perplexed, as I used to be, about how this timing exactly works. When we think of three days and three nights, we think in terms of 72 hours.  However, when you look at the Gospel accounts, Jesus' time in the tomb was much less than this.  Could Jesus have made a mistake? Was he exaggerating just so we'd see a parallel between his experience and Jonah's?
   Then I read about Jewish reckoning of time.  When we approach any text, we should be aware of the historical and cultural context in which it was written.  So, when a Jewish person speaks of "a day," it can mean 24 hours or any part thereof.  A part of a day is considered a whole in the way time is measured.
   There's one more thing.  While we measure a day from midnight to midnight, the Jews still consider the day beginning at sundown.  When we look again at the account of Jesus' death we see the following:

• He was crucified on Friday, during which there were three hours of darkness in the middle of the day. Jesus dies in late afternoon, and his friends take his body to the tomb before sunset.  There is concern to do this quickly because the Sabbath is approaching. Friday counts as "Day 1."
• It states in Luke 23:56b, "they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."  This is "Day 2."
• The Sabbath ended at sunset, but no activity would have been undertaken in the dark.  Thus the women got up "very early in the morning" on the first day of the week (Sunday) to bring spices to the tomb.  When they arrive the tomb is already empty. Some time during the night Jesus overpowered death.  That makes "Day 3."

The words of a Puerto Rican folk hymn, translated into English, refer to "good" and "three":

Oh how good is Christ the Lord!

On the cross he died for me.

He has pardoned all my sin,

Glory be to Jesus.

Glory be to Jesus!

Glory be to Jesus!

In three days he rose again.

Glory be to Jesus.

Sounds of Christmas

A gift from one of my students

One of the essentials of Christmas for me is its music.  Many early memories are bound up with that, such as performing “The Friendly Beasts” with my third grade class,  hearing “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” from a Bing Crosby LP at my childhood home and the background music of Dutch children singing carols on the cassette player in the humble dwelling of my Opa and Oma.

   Two songs are especially meaningful to me because they were sung at Christmas church services by amateur vocalists, everyday people who had a musical talent they were willing to share.  The first was sung by a youth leader and carpenter who later took up urban ministry in Amsterdam.  He introduced me to the words of the Scott Wesley Brown piece called “This Little Child.”  I was struck by its ability to draw together the child in the manger with the life he lived and expectation of his return to our broken world.

            “Who would have thought this little child

            Was who the prophets said

            Who will return to judge the word, the living and the dead.

Oh, can’t you see that long ago, so very far away, this little child was born a King

            that day?” [1]

   The second singer was a retired dairy farmer with a booming tenor voice.  I’ll never forget his rendition of “O Holy Night.”  After a long period of being unable to speak or sing due to a stroke, this man is now with the Lord, no doubt praising him once more.

“Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.”[2]

Would you leave a comment sharing a Christmas song that has a special meaning for you?

---

[1] “This Little Child” by Scott Wesley Brown © 1981

[2] “O Holy Night” was originally a French poem by Placide Cappeau and set to music by Adolphe Charles Adams in 1847.  American John Sullivan Dwight is responsible for the English translation commonly used today.

Readings for a Holy Holiday, Week Three

December 15: The Good Shepherd

What kind of person would use this tool to do his or her work?  A shepherd.  What do shepherds take care of?  Do you think sheep are easy to take care of?  It may surprise you that they are not!  They are easily scared, and they need food and water nearby all the time.  Sheep also like to explore and find any hole in the fence to escape.  Then they might also get lost.

   A shepherd with many sheep needs to watch them carefully so that they will not wander away and so that no wolves or other wild animals will attack them.  He risks his life to chase away any animal that would hurt his sheep.  He needs to lead the sheep to clean water and green grass.  He comes to know each sheep by name.

   Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).  He never took care of actual sheep, but He is talking about taking care of us.  He knows each of us by name too.  He gave his life to save us from our enemies of sin and Satan.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

You are my shepherd, I have everything that I need.  You lead me.  Protect me in times of danger.  I am as helpless as a sheep without you.

Amen.

Other Readings for this week include:

December 16 The Door

December 17 The Redeemer

December 18 Lamb of God

December 19 Lion of Judah

December 20 The Amen

December 21 Immanuel

Readings for a Holy Holiday, Week Two

Here are another seven days worth of readings.  Each one is a link that you can click on to open up the reading and its accompanying photograph.

December 8:  Root of Jesse

December 9:  True Vine

December 10: Balm of Gilead

December 11: Bread of Life

December 12:  The Word

December 13:  Strong Rock

December 14:  Cornerstone

Feedback is always welcome!

Readings for a Holy Holiday, Week One

   Yesterday I was sent an online survey asking my feelings or impressions of the upcoming holiday season.  At the end, it informed me that, according to my answers, I value a "Holy Holiday".  Apparently over 50% of Americans and over 30% of Canadians feel the same way.  For that reason I'd like to share (again) some daily readings and photos for a Holy Holiday.

December 1 The Alpha and Omega

December 2 The Creator

December 3 The Potter

December 4 The Son of God

December 5 The King

December 6 The Prince of Peace

December 7 The Sun of Righteousness