Happy Friday Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
Be > Do: During the flurry of year-end, it’s worth pondering Ps. 46:10. As Dallas Willard noted, “The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it’s who you become. That’s what you will take into eternity.” Doing often comes at the expense of being. I do hope/pray that your next few days contain some great moments of being.
A Good Funeral: I didn’t see much of 41’s funeral three weeks ago, but I’ve been thinking about what I did see. Funerals are important, and not just the grand statecraft events held for former presidents. Years ago a retired pastor told me that what he missed most about parish ministry was the funerals. I thought that was odd. Now I get it. Weddings are generally joyous events, but when you are officiating one you are not always sure you’re doing the right thing. And you are quite aware that few are paying much attention to what you are saying. That is not the case in a funeral.
Merry X-mas: Some years ago, a staff member tore into me for writing Xmas on a meeting agenda. “As a pastor you should see the need to put ‘Christ back into Christmas’.” I apologized and then tried to explain that in the Greek, X is the first letter in Christos and that X has been shorthand for Christ for centuries. I went on to note that I used the Greek letter theta – which is an O with a line across the middle – for God, and no one has attacked me for that. No disrespect is intended. Merry Xmas.
Eagle? Cougar? No…: Perhaps you’ve been asked, “If you could be any animal, what would it be?” Assuming you are like most people, you named something powerful, fast and sleek – i.e., something far enough up the food chain that it is more likely to eat than be eaten. Alas, when God was asked what we were most like, he chose the lowly sheep. If you have spent anytime around one, you’ve picked up that: 1) they are not very bright; and 2) they have zero defenses. You do not call a sheep that has escaped its pen a free sheep. You call it lost. And you know that if you do not find it soon, you will call it dead, because someone else called it lunch.
Post -Truth: A few weeks back I noted that the 2016 word of the year was post truth. In fairness, we have not completely abandoned truth. What we have done is made it less important than our preferences and desires. We are all for truth when we like it. It’s truth we find inconvenient that we ignore. I continue to think the 2019 word of the year will be fake news, but I did hear of another nomination: senior orphan. It refers to the elderly who will spend the holidays alone. (BTW, if you want to better understand the term senior orphan, you can watch this German commercial that went viral a couple years back).
True: Speaking of truth, it’s also worth noting that we do not believe Christianity is true because it works. We believe it works because it’s true. There is a difference.
Trending: Everywhere I looked this week I saw articles (and apps) for meditation. Everyone is now into silence and quiet. The WSJ goes so far as to claim that silence is now big business, pegging it’s number at $1.2B in revenue.
Missing the Point: Hobby Lobby suggests that “Christmas is what you make it.” That’s clever marketing for a craft store, but altogether wrong. Christmas is what God made it.
Prayer Requests: Like most churches, we have lots going on at the moment – e.g., Christmas Eve services, December giving targets, special programs for those who are hurting, etc. etc. The prayer is that God is honored and pleased with our meager efforts. On a different front, I would covet your prayers as I head into a two month sabbatical. And also for Explore God Chicago. Over 800 churches are now participating, and we have over 250 names of people we are praying will attend.
Student Prayer: In honor of finals – and in light of my years as a college pastor – I share the student’s prayer: Now I lay me down to rest. A pile of books upon my chest. If I should die before I wake, that’s one less test I have to take. Closing Prayer: [Fourth Sunday in Advent] Open our hearts, O Lord, and enlighten us by the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may seek what is well-pleasing to your will; and so order our doings after your commandments that we may be found meet to enter into your unending joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Saint Bede (672-735)