Beginnings....

As soon as the kids go back to school, we start seeing signs that The Holiday is coming.  Halloween isn't even over before the decorations and music of the Yuletide season are pounding our senses, and people have started to ponder budgets and gifting requirements.  In the world of secular, nominal Christianity, the season of Advent is spent anxiously awaiting The Big Event, the day to end all days, the most anticipated moment of the year.  For a brief time, anything is possible.  Santa rules the skies and the minds of children (and their desperate parents,) and the stores are filled with the stuff that makes up modern living, so we can shower our nearest and dearest with ever more goods to show how much we love them.

Reformation or transformation?

Words are powerful.  They are small, seemingly insignificant, a pattering of sound throughout our days.  But sometimes, words are so profound they change the course of history.

Martin Luther has been a polarizing figure in the history of the church for 500 years.  As we celebrate this milestone of the schism he fueled in The Church, The Reformation, I have been thinking about his life and his goals.

Words of the soul...

I am a word person, although not, by nature, especially chatty.  I force myself to be social and outgoing in the business world, because it is required of me.  And my closest friends and family think I never stop talking, because I am comfortable enough with them to share my real being with them.

But my natural inclination is for solitude and quiet.  I am thought filled, although I keep most of my thoughts to myself.  In my happiest moments, I am still and at peace, which in my mind, at least, is a darkened, quiet spot where I am at rest.

Run with perseverance...

Hebrews 12:1 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  It is one of those passages which gives me something different each time I read it.  It uplifts, inspires, challenges and confuses in equal measure.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us."

Forgiveness is for me....

When my children were young, they would occasionally get into a battle of words.  Physical wounds were never serious, but verbal damage could come quickly and cut deeply.  After one of these episodes, I would make them each go to their rooms to contemplate the mess they had made, and to figure out how to make it right.

The answer always involved two steps.  The first was an apology from the one who instigated the wrong doing.  The second was to actively forgive the one who apologized.  It was not optional for this to occur, and they would remain incarcerated in their rooms until they were ready to play the game, whether they meant it or not.

Impossible dreams....

It is easy to believe that Jesus performed many miracles while he was on earth.  It is not hard to imagine that the power of his word would cause the seas to calm or the wind to cease or demons to be cast out or the blind to see.  God can do anything, and Jesus is God.

But that was then, and this is now, and it is equally easy to assume that the day of miracles is long past.  The world is a mess and God has a lot to keep track of.  What does a little thing like my life have to do with him, really?  Surely he has better things to do than worrying about me.  I don't know about you, but that is how my thought process usually goes.

Gardening...

It is spring, and the earth is opening itself up for planting and growing and renewal.  Spring is a time of hope, of inspiration, of promise.  The sunshine and the rain and the heat and the leaves and the grass growing all speak to the newness of life coming forth, and it is energizing.

But there is more to spring, a darker side to this cheerful season.  There is also severe weather, and violent tornadoes that destroy and kill.  There is hail, which batters the tender emerging plants, threatening their existence and the livelihood of the farmer who planted them.  Weeds sprout and take over the good plants, and must be ruthlessly destroyed before they ruin the garden.  There are gloomy days, when the sky is grey and overcast, and the clouds hang low like a weight in the sky.  There are trees that fail to grow because they are shaded by larger, more aggressive trees that take all the sunlight.  Animals are born, but they don't all survive.  Each season has its hardship, and spring is no exception.

A Mighty Fortress...

One of the most famous hymns in Lutheran tradition is an old favorite called "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."  Written by Martin Luther in the late 1520's, it is a hymn which brings one to the very foot of the cross.  It's dark lyrics supported by the tremulous and heavy melody, it sends shivers down the back as you read through the words leading us into battle against Satan and his followers.  It was intended to spur to heavenly battle the defenders of the true faith against the forces of evil that were about in the world.

But those forces weren't just lurking in the 16th century, or 2000 years ago at Golgotha.  We must guard our hearts and minds against those who do us harm today, just as Jesus resisted the temptations of Satan in his ministry so long ago.

Reckless love...

The story of the prodigal son is one of the most famous in the Bible.  Even those with only a passing knowledge of the parables are usually familiar with the epic tale of two sons pitted against each other, vying for their father's love and attention.  Whether The Responsible One or The Wild Child, or more likely a combination of the two, most of us can relate to the sons as they struggle with their choices, a story of right and wrong and ultimately, forgiveness.

God's warrior....

The Bible is filled with strong images of battles, warriors, kingdoms won and lost.  It is frequently harsh in its imagery - a wounded man passed by, a poor widow giving all she has, death, destruction, mayhem.  Seen in the context of the times they lived in when the Bible was written, it is easy to understand the immediate appeal of verses which talk about strong defenses and winning battles.  Onward Christian Soldiers wasn't just a song, they lived it every day as Christians faced persecution and death for their faith.

Possiblities....

The best thing about dogs?  They are always positive something good could happen at any moment.  The eternal optimism is an uplifting reminder to me that with God, anything can happen.  He is not limited, as we are.  The sky is not the limit - there are no limits to what God can do.

The world is becoming a scarier place right now.  While preaching tolerance, a new intolerance has taken hold that demands conformance to the single view point of the loudest voice of the moment.  We no longer discuss, we argue and harangue.  We don't allow others to have their own perspective - if they disagree, they are discriminating.  Opinion is fact, but only when its ours.