Part of the celebration of Christmas is the celebration of beautiful branches grafted onto the sometimes-older vine. Things such as evergreen Christmas trees, St. Nicholas, even the December dating, are all "add-ins" to the original story, each bringing/brought by believers who were then new to the faith. Some of the things are older, some younger, but all are gifts to you and me in our time.
If you were to count the religions that interpret winter solstice as a significant promise of new life, first harbinger of spring, it would be the whole list. If the most insightful psychology says that we are hard-wired for faith in God, then surely this is one of those points built into us.
As the days stop their shortening and slightly begin to lengthen, astronomers ancient and modern have pointed to the event. From the astronomical observatories at Chaco Canyon to the Central American religions, to the Egyptians and Greeks, ancient astronomy was hardly primitive on this point. And it has fascinated the children of God in every age.
On what day was Jesus actually born? I don't know. On what day did the early Christians decide to celebrate His birth? Within the solstice festival.
Over and over, festival days, heroes, and theology come to be grafted into the story. Thank God for that.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Count the Context
Take Isaiah 61, or actually most of the poetry of Isaiah. Imagine a rather plain man with an exciting message, walking in the dust just like he was processing into the Temple, full of a message that trumped the circumstance!
Isaiah is preaching to refugees. People who are exiled, and have been for a long time. People in refugee camps longing to go home.
Consider the Advent/New Year messages: every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low, the road prepared for the way home. The road that was brutal getting here is the road that God will make accessible for homeward travel.
Great and powerful poetry, to WHOM? To the prosperous? To the comfortable IN their homeland? To the ones all well-spoken-of? Not at all - to the ridiculed, the down-played, sometimes vilified foreigners in a sophisticated land. God did not ADOPT the Babylonians; God USED the Babylonians, and Cyrus the Persian, unbelievers to accomplish what he wanted.
Anything to do with our contemporary situation? Has God decided to side with the prosperous who use the right labels, instead of the helpless, the outcast, the downtrodden who are children ALSO of Abraham who succumb to hate instead of love? Has God decided to do a strange thing, loving those we love and hating those we hate, instead of insisting that we do a new thing, loving those whom he loves and hating no one?
Worth pondering. Worth praying over. Worth using as a corrective to the easy arrogance that comes to us, and upon us, so easily. God's good news through Isaiah may be better good news than we sometimes give credit to.
Isaiah is preaching to refugees. People who are exiled, and have been for a long time. People in refugee camps longing to go home.
Consider the Advent/New Year messages: every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low, the road prepared for the way home. The road that was brutal getting here is the road that God will make accessible for homeward travel.
Great and powerful poetry, to WHOM? To the prosperous? To the comfortable IN their homeland? To the ones all well-spoken-of? Not at all - to the ridiculed, the down-played, sometimes vilified foreigners in a sophisticated land. God did not ADOPT the Babylonians; God USED the Babylonians, and Cyrus the Persian, unbelievers to accomplish what he wanted.
Anything to do with our contemporary situation? Has God decided to side with the prosperous who use the right labels, instead of the helpless, the outcast, the downtrodden who are children ALSO of Abraham who succumb to hate instead of love? Has God decided to do a strange thing, loving those we love and hating those we hate, instead of insisting that we do a new thing, loving those whom he loves and hating no one?
Worth pondering. Worth praying over. Worth using as a corrective to the easy arrogance that comes to us, and upon us, so easily. God's good news through Isaiah may be better good news than we sometimes give credit to.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Remembering the Rabbi
Rabbi Goldstein. Port Arthur minister's association. The Rabbi was to talk on the Christian communion.
Holocaust survivor, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of History, and working on a fifth.
80 years old with the energy of an athlete at 40! Deep sense of history. Always drove that insanely long Chrysler, often a little careless about things like traffic lights. Always in a hurry.
Why write about him? Because at least once a year, it is worth tapping into the beliefs of every ancient religion: the "remembered" live.
Why write about him? Because a very provocative realization crossed my desk yesterday! If Jesus was (and is) "the Word made flesh", and the Word was available within the Old Covenant, and to know the Word is to know God, and no one comes to God except through Jesus who IS the Word, then...............
What do I "do" with the Rabbi? He doesn't fit the language with which I was brought up. The Rabbi is "brother" in some difficult to express manner. I don't understand it all, but there is a clear sense that I should remember him with a special kindness, because that's how God deals with all of His covenant people, whether I understand it or not.
The "family of God" is chosen by Him, without consultation with me. Like Jesus said, He has other sheep in other folds. In all of this, there is the sense of a very large door swinging open, almost soundlessly. And behind that door? So big!
And there is a peace in that!
Holocaust survivor, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of History, and working on a fifth.
80 years old with the energy of an athlete at 40! Deep sense of history. Always drove that insanely long Chrysler, often a little careless about things like traffic lights. Always in a hurry.
Why write about him? Because at least once a year, it is worth tapping into the beliefs of every ancient religion: the "remembered" live.
Why write about him? Because a very provocative realization crossed my desk yesterday! If Jesus was (and is) "the Word made flesh", and the Word was available within the Old Covenant, and to know the Word is to know God, and no one comes to God except through Jesus who IS the Word, then...............
What do I "do" with the Rabbi? He doesn't fit the language with which I was brought up. The Rabbi is "brother" in some difficult to express manner. I don't understand it all, but there is a clear sense that I should remember him with a special kindness, because that's how God deals with all of His covenant people, whether I understand it or not.
The "family of God" is chosen by Him, without consultation with me. Like Jesus said, He has other sheep in other folds. In all of this, there is the sense of a very large door swinging open, almost soundlessly. And behind that door? So big!
And there is a peace in that!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Only Through Jesus, and Better Than You Thought
"If Jesus is THE WORD made flesh, and THE WORD was with the JEWS BEFORE He became flesh, and no one comes to the Father but through Him (THE WORD), then what kind of ideas might we come up with?"
This provocative line is from one of the responders to a blog I follow: http://rachelheldevans.com and just one of many thought-provoking elements there.
I find great comfort in those who point out that God holds the door WIDE OPEN, even as some of His children seem to want to push it closed at least a little bit.
The lectionary readings for this Sunday before the start of Advent include the "shepherd's warning" passage: Jeremiah 23:1-6.
Required reading for all who audaciously stand to preach.
This provocative line is from one of the responders to a blog I follow: http://rachelheldevans.com and just one of many thought-provoking elements there.
I find great comfort in those who point out that God holds the door WIDE OPEN, even as some of His children seem to want to push it closed at least a little bit.
The lectionary readings for this Sunday before the start of Advent include the "shepherd's warning" passage: Jeremiah 23:1-6.
Required reading for all who audaciously stand to preach.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Old Words, Italian
Listening to "Way with Words" on NPR yesterday (a show about where do words come from), a caller asked about an old expression his wife used: "I can put my hand on the fire!" It says, this is absolutely true, I'll stake everything on it.
Where did that come from?
From old Italy, from a pre-Christian temple truth-testing ritual, where apparently there was a flame always present, and as a "spiritual" test very like the medieval water tests or combat tests, it was a way to swear to the truth. If you could hold your hand over the flame, you were innocent of any falsehood. Even swearing that you COULD do it was convincing.
Other things from old Italy? When Catholicism became the religion of the Empire, some elements of other religions were sort of swept into the theology of the area. This is pretty much the missionary equivalent of "love me, love my dog" thing, in which we accept the opinion with the one who holds it. The same has happened in every century: easter eggs, Christmas trees, the DATE of Christmas celebrations, naming the months of the year, etc.
You can probably think of some examples of cultural beliefs becoming articles of faith. On the second Sunday in a new pastorate, I was met by a small delegation after church. Their request: "We need to sing the old, familiar hymns, and you need to pick them!" It did take another meeting or two to realize what were THEIR old, familiar hymns. Actually, you could have divided the church into five groups (having moved in from elsewhere), based on their definition of "old, familiar".
Culture - - - faith - - - always mixing together, and the wise Christian always wants to know the source of the "absolute belief" that slides into the conversation.
Where did that come from?
From old Italy, from a pre-Christian temple truth-testing ritual, where apparently there was a flame always present, and as a "spiritual" test very like the medieval water tests or combat tests, it was a way to swear to the truth. If you could hold your hand over the flame, you were innocent of any falsehood. Even swearing that you COULD do it was convincing.
Other things from old Italy? When Catholicism became the religion of the Empire, some elements of other religions were sort of swept into the theology of the area. This is pretty much the missionary equivalent of "love me, love my dog" thing, in which we accept the opinion with the one who holds it. The same has happened in every century: easter eggs, Christmas trees, the DATE of Christmas celebrations, naming the months of the year, etc.
You can probably think of some examples of cultural beliefs becoming articles of faith. On the second Sunday in a new pastorate, I was met by a small delegation after church. Their request: "We need to sing the old, familiar hymns, and you need to pick them!" It did take another meeting or two to realize what were THEIR old, familiar hymns. Actually, you could have divided the church into five groups (having moved in from elsewhere), based on their definition of "old, familiar".
Culture - - - faith - - - always mixing together, and the wise Christian always wants to know the source of the "absolute belief" that slides into the conversation.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Re-Walking History
A blog carried by the New York Times is tracking history, 1860, based on today's date in that year. As a short history lesson, it makes a fascinating read. I didn't know, for example, that slave-captives returned to Africa were all sent to Liberia, no matter where they originated. Out of sight, out of mind often creates a wave of chaos that lasts for decades.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/a-slave-ship-in-new-york/#more-66969
is today's listing.
Why study 150 year old "journals"? Well, just like reading the Diary of Anne Frank, history opens our eyes.
And open eyes are essential for disciples who want to be faithful in OUR time!
Have you found other historical windows that help faithfulness?
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/a-slave-ship-in-new-york/#more-66969
is today's listing.
Why study 150 year old "journals"? Well, just like reading the Diary of Anne Frank, history opens our eyes.
And open eyes are essential for disciples who want to be faithful in OUR time!
Have you found other historical windows that help faithfulness?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
An Ancient Well of Anger
From Yemen, bound for Chicago, bombs were in packages that bore the addresses of Jewish institutions. But in place of the names of the institutions, individual names of historic figures from the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition had been used. These bombs that didn't go off, plus other packages used to test out the travel patterns of freight airplanes, point to an element our Western minds find difficult to grasp.
For most of US, the Crusades are a matter of very old history that have nothing to do with us or the present. For the opponent's mind-set, Zionism and Israel are an extension of a centuries-old invasion of Europe into Palestine and neighboring countries. We don't connect anything 14th century with 21st century. They do. To us, it seems like a form of mental illness; to them, it is a deep and angry connection, a deep well of hatred which is much more than manipulation through propaganda.
Part of the difficulty of the whole matter is understanding just how "religious" it is. It may be wrong, it may be terrible, it may be irrational, all those things wrapped up in one horrendous series of acts - but there is a deeper well of anger than we easily comprehend.
Resist? absolutely! Do battle in the war for the persuasion of minds? absolutely! Be determined to defend this country and others against this ancient hatred? absolutely! Be aware of an enemy with a deeper anger than we might have realized? absolutely!
Wasn't it Jesus who said: "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves?" That's never been the easy road!
For most of US, the Crusades are a matter of very old history that have nothing to do with us or the present. For the opponent's mind-set, Zionism and Israel are an extension of a centuries-old invasion of Europe into Palestine and neighboring countries. We don't connect anything 14th century with 21st century. They do. To us, it seems like a form of mental illness; to them, it is a deep and angry connection, a deep well of hatred which is much more than manipulation through propaganda.
Part of the difficulty of the whole matter is understanding just how "religious" it is. It may be wrong, it may be terrible, it may be irrational, all those things wrapped up in one horrendous series of acts - but there is a deeper well of anger than we easily comprehend.
Resist? absolutely! Do battle in the war for the persuasion of minds? absolutely! Be determined to defend this country and others against this ancient hatred? absolutely! Be aware of an enemy with a deeper anger than we might have realized? absolutely!
Wasn't it Jesus who said: "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves?" That's never been the easy road!
From Garden to Garbage
All of us know about waste. It costs us! And it clutters us! But it's rare that someone actually adds it all up.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/from-farm-to-fridge-to-garbage-can/
This today in the New York Times. Human nature is phenomenally entertaining! In a country that struggles financially to make sure that every child has enough to eat, that invents social welfare programs as a safety-net, AND that moans mightily about the cost of it all, we waste good stuff!
When I was very small, we washed cans after taking the food out, cut out both ends, and flattened them for the "scrap metal drive", making sure that metal became defensive weaponry in the great WWII. Now that I'm grown, I help with a clean-up project along the highway, picking up trash we toss.
Values are like a garden - - - and there is no self-tending garden! Values either grow or perish, depending on the attention that the gardener of such things applies.
What sort of lesson in all this? The whole world of philosophy can be approached just through this doorway! Happy trails!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/from-farm-to-fridge-to-garbage-can/
This today in the New York Times. Human nature is phenomenally entertaining! In a country that struggles financially to make sure that every child has enough to eat, that invents social welfare programs as a safety-net, AND that moans mightily about the cost of it all, we waste good stuff!
When I was very small, we washed cans after taking the food out, cut out both ends, and flattened them for the "scrap metal drive", making sure that metal became defensive weaponry in the great WWII. Now that I'm grown, I help with a clean-up project along the highway, picking up trash we toss.
Values are like a garden - - - and there is no self-tending garden! Values either grow or perish, depending on the attention that the gardener of such things applies.
What sort of lesson in all this? The whole world of philosophy can be approached just through this doorway! Happy trails!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)