Wrecking call...

Everyone loves Christmas.  Joyful music.  Chestnuts roasting o'er the open fire of our minds, if not our actual fireplace inserts.  The bell ringers clanging, the feel good gifts and parties and new clothes and toys and goodies.  The cookies and treats and egg nog.  The lutefisk and lefse, or whatever ethnic specialties you embrace, bringing loved ones together from near and far.  It is a season of joy and optimism for most, colorful, festive and fun.

Most people think of Christmas as the highlight of their year.  It is the ultimate holiday, a week of non-stop celebrating.  To prepare, we tear down our usual decorations, and our usual barriers, and we embrace the change of seasons.  We put up our special ornaments, raise the tree, hug a co-worker or friend.  Even snow seems less cold and more inviting in the rosy glow of the lights and bells.

Waiting...

Psalm 46 addresses the harsh realities of life.  Wars, pestilence, natural disasters - it is all there.  But at the end of the chapter, we come to this in verse 10:

Be still and know that I am God.

We are helpless against the forces of nature.  We cannot control the continents or the oceans.  We can't stop epidemics.  We don't have the power to control other nations.  We are divided and angry with those who are not like us, or who think differently from us, even in our own nation, and our own families.  Life is an uproar in this fast paced world we live in.  And then we get this simple message.

Escape From Your Alcatraz

My son-in-law has a very close friend who was severely injured in a hit and run bike/auto accident a couple of years ago.  He was left for dead by the careless driver, who drove off without even calling for help for the young man whose life was ebbing rapidly away in the middle of the pavement.  As the blood flowed under the mangled mess which used to be his bicycle, he was found by two other motorists, who immediately helped staunch the flow and called for help.  Josh was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent surgery, which saved his life.  And all who know him are grateful, because he is a very rare and amazing person.  He is, in a word, unforgettable.

But he is forever changed as a result of this terrible accident.  His mind, sharp as ever, is locked inside a body that no longer works as it once did.  Now almost completely paralyzed, Josh is in a prison of someone else’s carelessness.

Not all prisons have bars.

Who am I?

Jesus asked Peter, in Matthew 16:15,

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter had a quick and simple response.  Jesus was the Messiah, and although he didn't fully understand what that involved, he knew that much was true.

This morning in church, the pastor asked us a question that has caused me to think, and I wanted to share it because I think it goes to the root of who we are as Christians.  The question, which follows from that original question Jesus asked Peter, is, "Who do we say we are?"

Human amalgam...

Pure gold is one of the softest metals on earth, with many valuable qualities.  It is extremely malleable, and can be beaten into gold leaf so thin it is almost transparent.  It is highly reflective, and also an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.

The most prominent usage of gold is for jewelry, where its various qualities make it the perfect setting for most precious gemstones.  But there are many industrial uses for gold, as well, especially in the technology industry, where it is used as a component for various types of electronic equipment, especially computer circuit boards and other internal parts.

Timing is everything....

Ecclesiastes 3 is, in popular culture, sort of a cliche.  The words are familiar to most people, even if they can't place where they originally came from.  It is a song, it is a poem, it is a saying on a facebook post.  It means different things to different people, but most of the time, it is a superficial glance at words which can be twisted to mean whatever you want them to mean.

But when you really dig into the passage, there is a lot of substance.  It isn't a whimsical statement at all.  It is clear direction on how we, as Christians, should live.