Speaking of Idols: A friend that was beholden to comfort and prosperity recently lamented. “I find time to read the newspaper but not the Bible. I make space to watch football but not to pray. I look forward to golf but not Heaven!”
The Question: Larry King – whose bout with COVID has him back in the news – said that if he could interview anyone ever it would be Mary. And he would focus on the Virgin birth (technically, the Virgin conception), because, he noted, “that would settle it.” Yes, that would. But according to Paul everything ultimately pivots around the resurrection. If Jesus rose from the dead – as He said He would – then we must follow. And if He did not, why would we?
What Should We Admire Most About Jesus? In his classic, Humility and Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray argues that the most amazing thing about Jesus – and what we should be zealous to embody – is His humility. Had you asked me what I thought was “the most amazing aspect of Jesus,” I am not sure what I would have said, but it would not have been His humility. But Murray is winning me over. In the second of his book’s thirteen meditations, Murray argues that all of life comes down to the struggle between pride and humility. Note: This work, written over a century ago, is a slow read. I am taking it a few paragraphs per day. That said, I am very proud of my progress. Indeed, I am also proud of how quickly I am aware of the irony of my pride in reading a book about humility. Apparently, I need to keep reading. (And let me suggest you likely do as well, given that you live in a culture that idolizes self-esteem).
On a Related Note: I found this quote a perfect addition to the Mason jars of muddy water I hand out. “Solitude does its work whether we have any cognitive understanding of it or not. Just as the physical law of gravity ensures that sediment swirling in a jar of muddy river water will eventually settle and the water will become clear, so the spiritual law of gravity ensures that the chaos of the human soul will settle if it sits still long enough.” (Do you sit still long enough to let things settle?)
Without Comment:
- Nearly 17% of the U.S. population is over 65 compared to 13% a decade ago. Meanwhile, our birth rate is now 1.6 children per couple, which: 1) is 1⁄2 the rate of the 1960s, 2) is not enough to replace the population; 3) means that without a spike in immigration our workforce – and economy – will shrink.
- Before the 2020 election, 80% of Biden supporters and 77% of Trump supporters stated that they and the other side “fundamentally disagree about core American values.” 90% of Biden supporters and 89% of Trump supporters said the other candidate’s election “would lead to lasting harm to the US.”
- According to Business Insider, the average person touches their “mobile device” 2,167 times per day and spends 144 minutes on social media.
- More than 40% of all Americans now identify politically as independents.
- Netflix added 8.5M new subscribers in Q4, bringing totals to 203.7M. CEO Reed Hastings said, “we are competing with sleep.”
Corrections, Additions and Updates: 1) In last week’s Update, I claimed that 61% of the US POWs held in the Hanoi Hilton later viewed their trials as “beneficial.” An alert reader noted that I should have said, “61% of those who survived their stay later described it as beneficial.” 2) I received several comments on Washington’s farewell speech which I had linked. One person sent this link to an updated (i.e., modern vernacular – and a bit course) version, which she found more understandable.
Shocked: One of the ways I know that people have started reading their Bible, is their need to tell me that Jesus is so much less tame than they expected.
Quote of the Week: “Jesus is not a figure in a book but a living presence. It is not enough to study the story of Jesus like the life of any other great historical figure. We might begin that way, but we must end by meeting Him. Jesus is not a memory but a presence… Jesus is not someone to discuss so much as someone to meet. The Christian life is not the life of a man who knows about Jesus, but the life of a man who knows Jesus.” William Barclay.
Closing Prayer: I am communing with fire. Of myself, I am but straw but, O miracle, I feel myself suddenly blazing like Moses’ burning bush of old. You have given me Your flesh as food. You who are a fire which consumes the unworthy, do not burn me, O my Creator, but rather slip into my members, into all my joints, into my loins and into my heart. Consume the thorns of all my sins, purify my soul, sanctify my heart, strengthen the tendons of my knees and my bones, illumine my five senses, and establish me wholly in Your love. Amen. (Symeon Metaphrastes – 900 – 987)