Happy Friday
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Jesus, Matthew 5
The call to meekness has never sat well with me. The word sounds too much like weak and it has a certain Caspar Milquetoastish about it that I’d like to not be associated with. However, meekness is celebrated – both in the Sermon on the Mount and also in Psalm 37:11. And if you bother to dig you learn it’s not a call to weakness. Quite the opposite. Meekness and timidity have nothing in common. Indeed, only the strong can be meek. And only those who are both strong and fiercely yielded to the Holy Spirit have a chance of pulling it off.
From the Archives: It seems like a good time to read some of our nation’s more thoughtful political messages. I am thinking of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural, of George Washington’s Farewell Address and of MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. BTW, I think there is a lot of truth to the idea that we get the government we deserve. Rather than complain, pray for our leaders.
Question of the Week: Why do we all struggle with self-righteousness? Why do we feel the need to persuade ourselves that we are good?Why do we feel threatened if someone implies we are not?
Question of the Week Two: Would I want to be married to me? Would I want to work for me? Would I want me as a Dad or Mom? Would I want to try to tell me the hard truth?
Quotes Worth Requoting: This classic is from Lewis’s Prince Caspian. “Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”
“That is because you are older, little one” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”
This Week’s Challenge: It’s old news that this moment is not only fueling an us/them tribalism, it is also encouraging “us” to view “them” in the least generous ways possible. Jesus calls us to rise above whatever subgroup we identify with and to love and serve others, especially the poor and oppressed. May we take seriously our mandate to proclaim the Good News and engage in Good Works. (BTW, it may be worth reminding yourself that people are more often won over by love than they are by arguments.)
Quick Takes: Isn’t it obvious that secularism is failing and this is a moment when the church could be shining!
Corrections: In last week’s update, I identified Jonah Goldberg as an editor at National Review. Though he held the post from ‘98 to ‘19, he is now associated with AEI and TheDispatch.
Marriage: Just as Brad and Angelina suggest that marriage is hard even if you’re both shockingly good looking, Bill and Melinda’s divorce suggests it takes more than money.
Without Comment: Since many of the Ivy-League schools have made the submission of SAT / ACT scores optional, the number of applications have sky-rocketed.
Application: Information + Inspiration = Frustration. What we need to make life work is more than insight and desire, we need the Holy Spirit, friends and practice.
JP on JP: A few years back, I noted the rapid rise of Jordan Peterson, a Harvard trained psychiatrist whose rules for life – and his unwillingness to accept PC protocol – had made him a viral sensation, albeit one who is equally lauded and despised. He has been out of the news for health issues, but he is back with a new book. I found this WSJarticle – The Man They Couldn’t Cancel – interesting, in part for his suggestion that he thinks he achieved fame because, unlike many who claim to be smart, he does more than criticize – he encourages and provides direction.
Words matter. BTW, one of the things I’ve noted about JP is his belief that “the battle” is won or lost with words. More to the point, that the assault from those who will strip rights and force conformity comes by their determination to define some terms and to banish others.
Closing Prayer: Holy Lord Jesus, the heavenly Vine of God’s own planting, I ask you, reveal yourself to my soul. Let the Holy Spirit, not only in thought, but in experience, give to me all that you, the Son of God, are to me as the true Vine. Amen. (Andrew Murray – 1828-1917)