The destiny of Jesus was to inaugurate a new Way of doing things, to institute a plan that would give good news of hope to everyone, including the marginalized, the poor in spirit and poverty-stricken of the world. The "good news of great joy" which the angel announced to the shepherds (see Luke chapter 2) was "for all the people." The intent of Jesus was to guide us into the way of peaceful existence.
Most everyone is familiar with the details of the arrival of Jesus. He was not born in a palace. His family was not one of great influence. He entered the world in humility. Drawing on that humble nature, he asks those who believe in him to be of the same mind as he is: to love all and put the needs of others ahead of our own. He asks us not to seek merely for personal gain, but to share what we have, our time and resources.
The teachings of Jesus are meant to draw people closer to God, closer to the things of the spirit: patience, kindness, love, joy, gentleness. Jesus was not born to drive people away from his kingdom, and he calls his followers to be living expressions of his message of hope, of compassion, each of us living in a manner which attracts people to The Way he came to establish.
Believing in Jesus, being a follower of Christ, a Christian, is only the beginning of our work here on earth, just as the birth of Jesus was a starting point, a transformational moment in time, with great possibility wrapped around it. What Jesus asks of us requires a shift in our natural thinking, in the way we behave and how we treat others. And that change does not happen automatically. It is a choice we make every day, a decision to embrace what is best, to opt for an honorable path and the way of peace.
Let us look at the celebration of the birth of Jesus as our call to action, a challenge to examine our beliefs, with an eye for putting aside old, worn out ideas and looking at the world with a fresh vision for helping steer the course of the future down a path with less hate and more love, better opportunities for all. It doesn't necessarily seem accurate to say Jesus was born to change the world. Rather, his teachings show The Way for us, his followers, to revolutionize everything.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Another Low in Christian Activism
I find the recent controversy regarding Lowe’s Hardware Store’s decision to pull advertisements from the TLC television show “All American Muslim” more than a bit baffling. After apparently caving in to pressure from certain Christian groups who think the show puts too much of a positive spin on Islam, Lowe's is now facing boycotts from Christians, Muslims and Jews who are speaking out against the decision to pull the ads.
According to the ChristianPost.com, "On Saturday, demonstrations in front of various Lowe’s locations across the country [sought] to raise awareness against the perceived bigotry behind the chain’s decision."
I'm sure the powers that be at Lowe's are more than a little confused and scrambling to come up with a damage control plan.
“We stand against Lowe’s decision. We feel corporations have the right to make their own decisions regarding their advertising. But when you are basing that decision on a fringe group and their hatred and bigotry then that’s wrong. They (Lowe’s) buckled,” Abed Ayoub, legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, told The Christian Post. “We’ve seen Christian groups as well as Jewish and other interfaith groups come out and stand up against this bigotry. It’s been a very diverse show of support.”
Ah, the irony. Corporations do have the right to make their own decisions regarding their advertising (and which members of Congress they choose to fund to further their agendas), and as Americans, we have a right to boycott those companies with which we disagree. But honestly, for the religious community, is this the best use of our time and resources? Remind me why we care so much about this issue?
If it starts a conversation about bigotry against Muslims which leads us, as a nation, to stop demonizing them, then that's one thing. But I don't see that as where this is heading. It just seems like more of the same pointless religious effort to meddle in private enterprise, and even law-makers are putting in their two-cents' worth.
Poverty is on the increase. Unemployment numbers are stubborn. Funding for organizations like Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children is on the chopping block. Many children in the foster care system need good homes. Veterans are coming home from Iraq with physical and psychological scars and few job prospects. The list goes on, all the while the Church seems to have trouble mobilizing to address much of anything other than collective outrage over the lack of Christ in Christmas and now Lowe's advertising spending habits.
It's embarrassing, at best. It's blasphemous at worst.
I realize I'm veering away from my recent efforts at remaining positive, so I'll end by saying, let's begin to put this much time and energy into addressing issues which matter, issues Jesus might actually care about. Doesn't that seem like an appropriate gift to give him on his birthday?
According to the ChristianPost.com, "On Saturday, demonstrations in front of various Lowe’s locations across the country [sought] to raise awareness against the perceived bigotry behind the chain’s decision."
I'm sure the powers that be at Lowe's are more than a little confused and scrambling to come up with a damage control plan.
“We stand against Lowe’s decision. We feel corporations have the right to make their own decisions regarding their advertising. But when you are basing that decision on a fringe group and their hatred and bigotry then that’s wrong. They (Lowe’s) buckled,” Abed Ayoub, legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, told The Christian Post. “We’ve seen Christian groups as well as Jewish and other interfaith groups come out and stand up against this bigotry. It’s been a very diverse show of support.”
Ah, the irony. Corporations do have the right to make their own decisions regarding their advertising (and which members of Congress they choose to fund to further their agendas), and as Americans, we have a right to boycott those companies with which we disagree. But honestly, for the religious community, is this the best use of our time and resources? Remind me why we care so much about this issue?
If it starts a conversation about bigotry against Muslims which leads us, as a nation, to stop demonizing them, then that's one thing. But I don't see that as where this is heading. It just seems like more of the same pointless religious effort to meddle in private enterprise, and even law-makers are putting in their two-cents' worth.
Poverty is on the increase. Unemployment numbers are stubborn. Funding for organizations like Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children is on the chopping block. Many children in the foster care system need good homes. Veterans are coming home from Iraq with physical and psychological scars and few job prospects. The list goes on, all the while the Church seems to have trouble mobilizing to address much of anything other than collective outrage over the lack of Christ in Christmas and now Lowe's advertising spending habits.
It's embarrassing, at best. It's blasphemous at worst.
I realize I'm veering away from my recent efforts at remaining positive, so I'll end by saying, let's begin to put this much time and energy into addressing issues which matter, issues Jesus might actually care about. Doesn't that seem like an appropriate gift to give him on his birthday?
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Christmas Is But a Moment in Time
When I awoke this morning, the sun had not yet begun to shine on our part of the world. The moon, however, illuminated the view outside my window in a spectacular way. Hovering in the sky just above the treeline, it was brilliant and its light spilled out onto the frozen pond near our house. The ice created splendid, crackled patterns of light, a monotone stained glass effect more spectacular than the most magnificent cathedral.
I longed for the moment to last, but after a few minutes the earth rotated the night away as the sun began to rise, changing the chilly, blue-gray of predawn into warmer tones of pink and brown. A small flock of geese flew low over the tree tops, their undersides catching the light of morning rays from the sun. They were elegant in flight and gone in seconds, another passage of time I could not hold onto, could not control, could not will to last, not matter how hard I tried.
Full daylight brings its own beauty in the natural world, but it is harsher and somehow, less magical. What I perceive as imperfections -- broken tree limbs, leaves in the yard, dead and dried flower stems not yet pruned -- become visible and steal my focus.
All of this made me think of the illusive nature of Christmas. The anticipation of a single day of the year often makes us fixated on one ethereal moment, while all else pales in comparison. Yet, Christmas is but a single moment in time, and it can rarely ever live up to the hype which surrounds it. Kids will often not appreciate their gifts, disappointment can be palpable, family arguments sometimes erupt at a moment's notice, dinner might even be burned, and suddenly, the reality that Christmas is just like any other day hits home.
The key, I believe, is not to pine away for moments which are special and fleeting, while placing high expectations on yourself and others during the holidays, or any time. Embrace the moonlight, enjoy the sunrise, but love the full daylight and know that is where our lives are lived with all of the messiness, sadness and situations over which we have no control.
Remember to appreciate all the days leading up to Christmas and don't put too much pressure on yourself, and others, to be perfect. We have collectively decided December 25 is a special day, but it is brief, and it is merely a day, one 24-hour chunk of a year, like any other. Those of us who celebrate the birth of Jesus have reason to celebrate every day; December 26 will be a fine day, too.
I longed for the moment to last, but after a few minutes the earth rotated the night away as the sun began to rise, changing the chilly, blue-gray of predawn into warmer tones of pink and brown. A small flock of geese flew low over the tree tops, their undersides catching the light of morning rays from the sun. They were elegant in flight and gone in seconds, another passage of time I could not hold onto, could not control, could not will to last, not matter how hard I tried.
Full daylight brings its own beauty in the natural world, but it is harsher and somehow, less magical. What I perceive as imperfections -- broken tree limbs, leaves in the yard, dead and dried flower stems not yet pruned -- become visible and steal my focus.
All of this made me think of the illusive nature of Christmas. The anticipation of a single day of the year often makes us fixated on one ethereal moment, while all else pales in comparison. Yet, Christmas is but a single moment in time, and it can rarely ever live up to the hype which surrounds it. Kids will often not appreciate their gifts, disappointment can be palpable, family arguments sometimes erupt at a moment's notice, dinner might even be burned, and suddenly, the reality that Christmas is just like any other day hits home.
The key, I believe, is not to pine away for moments which are special and fleeting, while placing high expectations on yourself and others during the holidays, or any time. Embrace the moonlight, enjoy the sunrise, but love the full daylight and know that is where our lives are lived with all of the messiness, sadness and situations over which we have no control.
Remember to appreciate all the days leading up to Christmas and don't put too much pressure on yourself, and others, to be perfect. We have collectively decided December 25 is a special day, but it is brief, and it is merely a day, one 24-hour chunk of a year, like any other. Those of us who celebrate the birth of Jesus have reason to celebrate every day; December 26 will be a fine day, too.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Bring on the Peace
I try not to complain about being busy. After all, I choose to do the things I do, and I don't have to do as many things as I do, so if I start to get overwhelmed, I realize it is my problem, not anyone else's problem. However, having said that, I will confide I have had a rather action-packed week and another few days ahead which are also filled to the brim.
So, as part of the ongoing effort to simplify my life...seeking less clutter, fewer material possessions, more time to appreciate what is beautiful and important...I'm keeping my blog entry short this morning. Because, if Jesus is the reason for the season, if we do want to "keep Christ in Christmas," we need to think about his message, his example.
Let me throw something out there for us all to consider. While it is true each of us are responsible, ultimately, only for our own actions, as a society, we bear collective responsibility that there are those who would pepper spray fellow shoppers over a game to be given to a child on a holiday which bears the name of Christ.
We have been marching merrily along the path of rampant consumerism, instilling greed in our children from a young age, for many years, creating a holiday which bears little resemblance to the teachings of the one whose birth we are allegedly celebrating.
It's time to step away, if not in one big swoop, then bit by bit, but somehow, those who follow the teachings of Jesus need to help stop the madness. Stop worrying and stressing. Don't give in to pressure to "do it all." Encourage kids to give a lot more and get a lot less during the holidays and not expect a mountain of toys under the tree.
I'm not going to take time to type the whole passage, but I encourage each of you to read the words of Zacharias the prophet, in Luke 1:67-79. He says Jesus would, among other things, "guide our feet into the way of peace." While peace in the world is not within our means, as individuals, to obtain, peace in our own lives is entirely up to us.
Be filled with joy. Laugh and love. I can't say it any better than Gandhi did, "You must be the change you want to see in the world," but here's my paraphrase: Let's bring on peace and back off pepper spray!
So, as part of the ongoing effort to simplify my life...seeking less clutter, fewer material possessions, more time to appreciate what is beautiful and important...I'm keeping my blog entry short this morning. Because, if Jesus is the reason for the season, if we do want to "keep Christ in Christmas," we need to think about his message, his example.
Let me throw something out there for us all to consider. While it is true each of us are responsible, ultimately, only for our own actions, as a society, we bear collective responsibility that there are those who would pepper spray fellow shoppers over a game to be given to a child on a holiday which bears the name of Christ.
We have been marching merrily along the path of rampant consumerism, instilling greed in our children from a young age, for many years, creating a holiday which bears little resemblance to the teachings of the one whose birth we are allegedly celebrating.
It's time to step away, if not in one big swoop, then bit by bit, but somehow, those who follow the teachings of Jesus need to help stop the madness. Stop worrying and stressing. Don't give in to pressure to "do it all." Encourage kids to give a lot more and get a lot less during the holidays and not expect a mountain of toys under the tree.
I'm not going to take time to type the whole passage, but I encourage each of you to read the words of Zacharias the prophet, in Luke 1:67-79. He says Jesus would, among other things, "guide our feet into the way of peace." While peace in the world is not within our means, as individuals, to obtain, peace in our own lives is entirely up to us.
Be filled with joy. Laugh and love. I can't say it any better than Gandhi did, "You must be the change you want to see in the world," but here's my paraphrase: Let's bring on peace and back off pepper spray!
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