A Year of Sundays: Week 5

 Sunday 5: The First Sunday of Christmas

It confuses many people to learn that the twelve days of Christmas don't count down to Christmas; they begin on Christmas. This becomes an interesting distinction between the secular and the Christian calendar.

There seems to have been great debate this year over when it is acceptable to put up decorations, with a growing number of celebrants advocating for November 1. Having grown up in a strictly day-after-Thanksgiving house, this seems too early for me. I suspect that these early decorators have been influenced by modern radio which begins playing Christmas music in early November.

The November 1 onset of Christmas music really doesn't bother me. With so many stations available, I choose how much or how little I listen to it. What has bothered me for years is when the Christmas music stops. For most of my life, that same station that has been playing music for weeks returns to its normal broadcast at noon on Christmas day.  I've never understood it! Couldn't they at least go to midnight?

I was pleasantly surprised this year to turn on the radio on December 26 to hear Christmas music. And again on December 27. I was truly delighted. It truly felt like I was able to stretch Christmas beyond one day. Today the Christmas music is gone (even from the Christian radio stations), but we are still in the liturgical Christmas season.

At my church we do not meet on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day. This Sunday is set aside to be with family, allow staff and volunteers to relax, and linger in the most unique time of the year. It is probably more practical than theological, as it is a day many are traveling, hosting visitors, or resting. Though I am not Catholic, I found it interesting that the first Sunday of Christmas in the Catholic calendar is the Feast of the Holy Family, celebrating the family unit of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. One could argue that, in our tradition, not meeting on this Sunday is also about the holiness of family.

Today's Scripture readings focuses on family. In Luke 2:22-40, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple to keep the laws associated with the birth of a firstborn son. The corresponding Old Testament reading is Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15 and details the origins of this law.

And then there is Colossians.

In today's New Testament reading, Colossians 3:12-17, we come to what feels like an unrelated passage.  Or is it? 

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13, NIV)

There might not be better instructions for a day we are focusing on family. Our families are the ones who see us at our worst. We also see them at their worst and, consequently, they are the hardest to forgive.  They are the ones we are most likely to hold a grievance against. They are the ones we are most challenged by.

Though this passage was not written to a biological family, it seems fitting. If we can learn to forgive our family, maybe we can forgive others. Remember, Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive his brother (Matthew 18:21).

Not a stranger who was rude to him at the market.

Or a coworker who keeps eating his lunch.

Not even a neighbor who's always blocking his driveway with his car.

A brother.

May we all do the same.

A Year of Sundays: Week 2

 Sunday 2: The Second Sunday of Advent

The second Sunday of advent draws our attention to PEACE. We read in Scripture that Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), Jesus' peace is not like the world's peace (John 14:27), Christ's peace should rule our hearts (Colossians 3:15), and even that there are some undeserving of peace (Matthew 10:13).

But what does peace even really look like?

(Try to answer that question for yourself before you read any further. It's a lot harder to put into words than you first think.)

We conceptually understand the type of peace that exists in the absence of conflict. No war = peace. We understand, but may not frequently experience, an internal peace that is a sense of calmness and restfulness. But is there something more? Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT to define peace from a Christian perspective. It returned:

From a Christian perspective, peace is often understood as a deep, abiding sense of harmony and wholeness rooted in God's presence and grace. It goes beyond the absence of conflict or turmoil and reflects a spiritual state of well-being and reconciliation with God, oneself, and others. Key aspects of peace in the Christian faith include:

1. Peace with God: Through Jesus Christ, Christians believe they are reconciled to God, breaking the barrier of sin (Romans 5:1). This peace signifies a restored relationship with the Creator.
2. Inner Peace: Christians trust in God's sovereignty and promises, which provides comfort and calm even in life's challenges (Philippians 4:6-7). This peace is described as "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding." 
3. Peace with Others: Following Christ's teaching to love one's neighbor and seek reconciliation, Christians are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). This includes resolving conflicts and promoting unity in relationships. 
4. Eschatological Peace: The Bible envisions a future where ultimate peace will reign under God's kingdom, described as a time when "the wolf will dwell with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6) and there will be no more pain or strife (Revelation 21:4). 

In essence, peace in Christianity is both a gift from God and a way of life shaped by faith, trust, and obedience to His will.

I am actually quite impressed by this response. When I ask what peace looks like, what I am really asking it means to have what ChatGPT called "peace as a way of life."

In today's Gospel reading, we meet adult John the Baptist along the banks of the Jordan river. The crowds asked John a question similar to what I am asking, how should we live?

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:10-14, NIV)

 His responses were direct and called for an immediate response: Be content. Contentment is underrated these days. We are bombarded with images on television and social media that make us believe we need more. We need better. We need newer. While the mediums may be new, the problem is not. In the book of James we read:

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (James 4:1-2, NIV)

So, I return to my initial question: what does peace really look like? Peace looks like:

• having so much trust in God's ability to provide for us, that we only take enough for today.
• being so thankful for what God has given us, that we don't take things from others.
• opening our eyes to others' needs instead only focus on ourselves.
• talking to God when we think we are lacking in some way.
  

What does peace look like to you?

Meaningless

Pandemic boredom has struck me hard this week.

I keep a pretty clean house, so I didn't have a lot of "catch up" work to do, and any I had was finished the first week we stayed home. I have been doing homework, reading, writing, and doing daily devotions more consistently. But like I said, pandemic boredom has struck me hard. So I looked for other projects:

I washed all my doors, inside and out.
I brushed the dog.
I washed all my baseboards.
I washed the walls in my bathroom.
I cleaned my kitchen cupboard doors.
I washed my ceiling fans.
I erased 4,000 emails in one sitting.
I hand polished my hardwood floors.
I cleaned my closet and one son's closet.
I trimmed two trees in my backyard.
I organized my cassette tapes, matching mixed tapes with covers.

It's all feels meaningless. On a day when it feels like there is not point to anything you do, sit down with twelve chapters of wisdom from a king who calls himself Preacher. Yes, today is a day for Ecclesiastes. Certainly if a king feels his actions are meaningless, I am allowed to feel the same. Wisdom, pleasure, possessions, labor, riches, and even life itself are all called foolish. That just about covers it all. I can imagine the Goodreads reviews if it were published today: Three stars. It had some good parts, but the Preacher needs prozac!

So what's the point?

Let's hear from the preacher himself: "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NASB).

I am reminded of another part of the Bible that says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve" (Colossians 3:23-24, NASB).

Even though it's all meaningless, it matters because we choose to follow or disobey God through it. We will be judged according to how our faith plays out in our actions. So, whether this time of sheltering in place is filled with busyness or boredom, I pray my actions bless the Lord.

Equipment vs Equipping

It's not every day that I get to say God revealed something new to me. After having been raised in a Christian home, attending a Christian college, and working at my church for several years I am fortunate to have been exposed to a lot of different aspects of my faith. Thank God! And while I know I don't know everything - I'll even be the first to admit I don't even know most of it - it's not very often that I have a brand new thought I have never heard before. But, that is just what happened to me a short while ago.

Our church was having their annual ladies' retreat. On the first night, before I went to sleep, I opened my Bible to Colossians 1:9-14 and read:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Wow, that's a powerful prayer! What I realized is that all these years I have been praying for the wrong thing. Look again at what he is asking for. The list includes a lot of verbs (you remember, ACTION words). He didn't ask God to give them fruit, he asked that they bear fruit. He didn't ask that they be imparted with wisdom, but rather that they grow in knowledge. He didn't ask for miraculous strength, but that they be strengthened. And why? So they may have endurance, patience, and be able to joyfully giving thanks to God.

I know that God appreciates our prayers and He understands our intentions despite what we're saying, in much the same way that I enjoy talking to my two young sons. I love when they ask me for help or share a thought with me. But isn't there something more? Absolutely! One of the best parts of parenting is developing a deeper relationship with your kids and this includes communication. When Josiah first started to talk he couldn't say more than a few words and they were often wrong (well intentioned, but wrong). There were a few months when he called me Daddy. I was just so glad he called me anything that it didn't matter. If he still called me Daddy today, it might not be as cute. So what's my point?

God loves to hear from His children, but I think He's desiring deeper conversation. If we model our prayer after what we read in Colossians 1 we will shift from asking for equipment to asking for equipping. What's the distinction? A runner might need new equipment from time to time (shoes, water bottle, pants) but if they are not equipped to run the race it is useless.

Dear God, forgive me for all the times I asked for the stuff that I thought would make me a better Christian. Please help me to grow close to You so that I am prepared to handle what comes my way in life.

Avalanche of Sin

I was reading about David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) last night. It really is quite a fascinating story, and an excellent case study on sin. I don't think I'd be exaggerating to say that EVERYONE knows that what David did was wrong - even David himself knew it (see 2 Samuel 12). Yet, we read of David doing what so many of us seem to do - planting one sin and harvesting a crop of evil. To try to cover up his sin David lied, murdered, and hurt many people. To think all of this could have been avoided if David had only done what he was supposed to do - work. His job as king was to lead his people to war in the spring, as was customary for them. But for whatever reason, David did not fulfill his obligation. And in his boredom, he went to the roof top... and so it began.

I was just reading up (thank you Wikipedia) on avalanches. It seems as though it takes a very particular situation for an avalanche to occur and then "when an avalanche occurs, as the snow slides down the slope any slab present begins to fragment into increasingly smaller tumbling fragments. If the fragments become small enough the avalanche takes on the characteristics of a fluid." This explains why people get buried under avalanches and not run over. As the avalanche gains momentum, it has more power to do harm.

If David had made one different decision - and keep in mind it wasn't an especially spiritual decision, but only to do his job - he would have avoided the whole situation. It helps me realize why we're told in Colossians 3:23 to do our work as if we were working for God.