Happy Friday,
Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18ff
Many consider it God’s job to keep their life easy. As a data point, Mary’s life got much harder after God intervened. So did Joseph’s. So did Abraham’s. So did Moses’. So did… well, you get the point.
Second Place: What you think about God is the second most important thing about you.
Caring for Caretakers: One of the things you learn being a pastor is that while Christmas is a time of high-high for some, it is a time of low-low for many. This is a good moment to be extra patient with those around you.
Futurum versus Adventus: Fifty years ago, Jürgen Moltmann made an important distinction between futurum and adventus. The first believes the present is pregnant with the future. The second believes the future will be altered by outside forces. Christianity affirms the second. Our hope rests on the promise that the one who showed up as a helpless baby will return as the All-powerful King.
Clean Up: 1) Last week, I referred to the lead singer of Switchfoot as Jon Ferguson instead of Jon Foreman. Sorry. I knew better. Jon Ferguson is a rock star pastor in Chicago but not an actual rock star rock star. Nor is he the lead singer of Switchfoot. 2) In response to my reference to Emel — my Uber driver with the autistic son — I was sent this song by Ben Rector. It’s pure gold. If I could sing, I would sing this song.
Thought Experiment: Set aside the season’s big issues — e.g., Do the Die Hard films qualify as Christmas movies? — to answer this question: which biblical character would you want to trade places with? Not Job. Or Ruth. Or Peter. Or Paul. Or Isaiah. Or Hosea. Or Mary. Or… well… once again, you see where this is going. You have challenges. But given that you are reading this email, it’s likely you are living a life of extraordinary blessing.
WOTW: The word that is suddenly everywhere is Krampus — a demonic, Gene Simmons-esque, anti-Santa of European origin. The rise of Krampus says something notable — and notably depressing — about this moment. BTW tomorrow is the last day to submit a nominee for WOTY.
IS2M: 1) Some secular people have started pushing back on the chaos and confusion of the moment by embracing Christ; 2) People’s ability to twist their faith to fit their politics suggests a lot of mental pilates is going on; 3) Jonah is replacing Exodus as the biblical book of the moment; 4) McDonald’s’ new adult Happy Meal is long on calories and short on promised results (i.e., it did not make me happy); 5) We should be paying more attention to Toynbee’s observation that civilizations die not by murder but by suicide; and 6) This four-panel cartoon is one of the more insightful things I’ve stumbled across in quite a while.
Resources: 1) If you make a donation of any amount to Lakelight before Monday, December 18, we will send you my most recent book — How Do You Know — hopefully in time for Christmas; 2) Here is my sermon on Isaiah 11 — in which I implore people to “pick a lane;” 3) On January 1st, I’ll be resuming five-minute daily devotions that you can sign up for here. Most of Q1 will be directed at The Big 10 — an eleven-week series on the Ten Commandments.
Without Comment: 1) This Gallup/Brookings poll suggests that children raised by conservative parents have better mental health than those raised by liberal parents; 2) This report contends that math scores for 15-year-old Americans are now at an all-time low; 3) The value of the chemicals in your body is around $575. The value of your organs — if they were all successfully harvested and sold — is around $45 million; 4) This WSJ article claims that the single biggest cause of violent crime, drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, unwed pregnancy, suicide, and psychological disorders is fatherlessness; 5) This YouGov/Economist poll shows that eight percent of US college students “strongly agree” that the Holocaust did not happen. An additional 12% “tend to agree.” This Gallup poll shows that 28% of Americans consider themselves Republicans, 24% consider themselves Democrats, and 46% say they are “Independents.”
Housekeeping: There will be no Friday Update on Dec. 22nd. Glenn Wishnew — the Associate Director of Lakelight — will write the Dec. 29th Update. I will be back on January 5th. Merry Christmas.
So… What is the Most Important Thing About You? Earlier, I stated that our thoughts about God are the second most important thing about us. That was obviously a setup to get you to ask, “What is the most important thing about me?” The answer is… what God thinks about you.
Closing Prayer: I am not worthy, Master and Lord, that you should come beneath the roof of my soul; yet since in your love toward all, you wish to dwell in me, in boldness I come. You command; open the gates, which you alone have made. And you will come in, and enlighten my darkened reasoning. I believe that you will do this; for you did not send away the harlot who came to you with tears, nor cast out the repenting tax-collector, nor reject the thief who acknowledged your kingdom. But you counted all of these as members of your band of friends. You are blessed forevermore. Amen. (John Chrysostom, 347 – 407)