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Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

“Christ Entering Jerusalem” Wilhelm Morgner, 1912
The opening hymn was familiar (to me) and appropriate to the occasion

All glory, laud, and honor, to you Redeemer, King.
To whom the lips of children made sweet Hosanna ring!
You are the King of Israel and David’s royal Son,
Now in the Lord’s name coming, the King and Blessed One.

It was Palm Sunday, 2022, and I stood and sang with gusto. I noticed my three-year-old granddaughter sitting next to me, coloring. At the mention of “children” in the hymn, I picked her up, held her, and began swaying to the music. I whispered in her ear something to the effect that, “This is the story of children waving palm branches as they welcomed Jesus.” She was mesmerized. The next song reinforced the message:

Hosanna, loud hosanna, the little children sang
Through pillared court and temple the lovely anthem rang
To Jesus who had blessed them, close folded to His breast
The children sang their praises, the simplest and the best!

I doubt she understood what “pillared court and temple” meant, but she certainly understood children singing to Jesus. Just before the sermon those in the congregation 5 years old and younger were excused for children’s worship, where they heard about Jesus’ riding on a donkey and were given a xeroxed picture of the story to color. After the service, my granddaughter wanted to show the picture to her grandpa.
As touching as that experience was, it was the offertory that made the biggest impact on my soul. The pianist played “The Palms” by Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830-1914). I didn’t remember all the words, but I knew the last two lines:

O'er all the way green palms and blossom s gay
Are strewn this day in festive preparation,
Where Jesus comes to wipe our tears away;
E'en now the throng to welcome Him prepare.

Join, sing His name divine, Let ev'ry voice resound with united acclamation,
Hosanna! Praised be the Lord, Bless Him who cometh to bring us salvation.

Tears came to my eyes. Something deep within me, memories of previous Palm Sundays had been gently triggered. My church uses a great deal of contemporary music in worship, which I appreciate. These new songs contain a freshness that is lost when a song is used too often over the years. Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people, writes the Psalmist (Psalm 141:9). But there is also something rich about singing the songs that have nourished believers for generations. Undoubtedly there were those in the congregation who did not know the two older hymns, or for whom the offertory had no meaning. On the other hand, I was not the only “Seasoned Saint” who was connecting with that piano solo. An older gentleman sitting behind me was humming. The lady in the seat ahead of me was moving her head in time with the music.

In addition to memory, what we were experiencing was the power of ritual. The Dutch Calvinist Church where I grew up did not have all the rituals common in Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant churches. I never heard of “stripping the altar” on Good Friday, and we didn’t have a sunrise service on Easter morning. But we had our own traditions. Chief among them was the singing of familiar hymns at specified times during the year. Palm Sunday simply required our singing “All Glory, Laud and Honor to Thee, Redeemer, King.”


Ours is a multi-generational church. Grandparents worship with their grandchildren. The Praise Team leads us in contemporary music. The organist plays the hymns. Next Sunday the Easter service will conclude with the “Hallelujah!” chorus from George Frederick Handel’s “Messiah.” The freshness of the “new song” and the power of familiar rituals. Both are important.


  A multi-generational church is a multi-cultural church. The rich and meaningful traditions that touch the soul of the grandparents often seem meaningless to those who are younger. Singing contemporary songs from words projected on a screen feels like a loss to a tenor like myself who reads music. America is filled with white, mono-cultural churches, catering to just one age group: High Schoolers flock to the hip church down the street that offers their kind of music, accompanied with lighting and smoke machines. The dying church around the corner clings to its organ and hymns. Church is a place where people want to feel comfortable.


A multi-generational church is not always a comfortable place. The congregation faces some of the same challenges as a multi-racial church, including the challenge of experiencing something that is meaningful to others even if it isn’t what I would necessarily choose. Multi-racial congregations are quite rare in America. The challenges are too great and often seen as not worth the effort. Perhaps the same could be said about multi-generational congregations. They require a desire to learn from people who are different from us. They require tolerance. They insist that we leave our judgments at the door. Most of all, it is essential that they are places populated by people filled with love, the kind of love the Apostle Paul describes when he writes: Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:2-4)


Multi-cultural worship is hard. But it is also incredibly rewarding. People of different generations have a great deal to learn from each other. Telling that one story to my granddaughter of Jesus, palms, and children singing enriched my life immeasurably. I also have much to learn from younger generations of believers. I’m eager to discover what they have to teach me.


I want to thank the members of my church who loved those of us who are older so much that they were willing last Sunday to sing a couple of hymns written long before they were born and listen to a classical piano piece as an offertory. Together, young and old, we reenacted the story of the pilgrims entering Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday:

To You, before your Passion, they sang their hymns of praise.
To You, now high exalted, our melodies we raise.

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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Dr. King welcomes Joseph McLawtern, USN to the podium of Grosse Pointe High School, March 14, 1968.
Today is a national holiday in the United States in honor of the Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many will recall his “I Have a Dream” speech, given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream . . . I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. ”

Others will remember his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written to a group of white clergymen in defense of the ongoing non-violent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. I remember that when I was eleven years-old he came to speak at the high school in my community, Grosse Pointe Michigan.

In late 1967 Grosse Pointe was a troubled community. The race riots in neighboring Detroit in July of that year and the resulting fear and tension were still fresh in everybody’s mind. The riots– there were several across the city, lasting for almost a week– resolved nothing. Racial tension remained high in both Detroit and Grosse Pointe, the Motor City’s most exclusive suburb.

It was not surprising then that there was mixed reaction to the announcement in December that Dr. King was going to make a speech in our “lily white” community on March 14. Many were excited by the prospect of the Civil Right leader coming. The Grosse Pointe Human Rights Council was sponsoring the event in an attempt to foster better understanding between blacks and whites. Others clearly opposed his visit. “Why is he coming here to stir up trouble?” I recall one person asking. I’m sure he was not alone in his sentiments.

The chief of police, Jack Roh, was certainly concerned about trouble. His fear was that black militants would use this opportunity to demonstrate, and so he drafted riot control plans. Roh’s concerns were well founded; there was trouble that night. The trouble came, not from black militants as Roh had feared, but from members of an anti-communist white supremacy group called Breakthrough. In order to keep Dr. King safe, Roh actually sat on Dr. King’s lap on the last leg of the trip from downtown Detroit to the high school. Three weeks later Dr. King went to Memphis, TN, where he fell victim to an assassin’s bullet.

As I reflect on Dr. King’s legacy this year, when our nation is in such turmoil, I think Dr. King’s historic visit to Grosse Pointe gives us a number of insights. Allow me to briefly highlight just two.

First, Dr. King was willing to travel to The Other America. That was actually the title of his speech: The Other America. “I use this title because there are literally two Americas,” he said. He was clearly influenced by the report of President Johnson’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, the so-called Kerner Report commissioned in response to the Detroit riots. That report began with this blunt assessment: “This is our basic conclusion. Our nation is moving toward two societies, one Black, one White.” When Dr. King accepted the Grosse Pointe speaking invitation, it meant he, a poor Black southerner, would have to travel to a wealthy northern white community. He had the courage to go to The Other America.

Dr. King’s words remain true today. “There are literally two Americas.” The two Americas in 2022 are different from the two Americas of 1968, but they are just as polarized. We have many ways to describe these two Americas: red states and blue states, Republicans and Democrats, people who watch FOX news and those who watch CNN. Whatever label you give to it, there is no question– we are two nations. The two Americas of 2022, like 1968, don’t understand each other, nurture prejudices against each other, and avoid each other. And, like 1968, we are destroying each other.

King had the courage to go to The Other America. The danger was real. Roh had to sit on his lap to keep him safe. But he made the trip. And he gave a message that is as relevant for the two Americas of 2022 as it was for the two Americas of 1968.

"Let me say finally, that in the midst of the hollering and in the midst of the discourtesy tonight, we got to come to see that however much we dislike it, the destinies of white and black America are tied together. Now the races don't understand this apparently. But our destinies are tied together. And somehow, we must all learn to live together as brothers in this country or we're all going to perish together as fools."

Whether we vote Republican or Democrat, whether we get our news from FOX or CNN, our destinies are tied together. We need to learn to live together as brothers and sisters in this country or we’re going to perish together as fools.

It is tempting to surround ourselves with people like us, people with whom we agree. When we do so, we only reinforce our misconceptions, our misunderstandings, and our prejudices. We all need to make the frightening journey to The Other America, wherever that is. Those who live in urban areas need to spend some time in “flyover country,” drinking coffee and chatting with the locals. Those who live in the heartland need to spend some time in places that are not dependent on agriculture for their economic survival. Every one of us would be both challenged and enriched by developing relationships with people who are from a different background or think differently than we do.

Secondly, Dr. King treated those with whom he disagreed with absolute respect. I had the privilege a couple of years ago to interview an elderly woman who was there that night. She had just one memory of that historic event. “Dr. King was such a gentleman,” she said.

When Dr. King was introduced, the audience gave him a five-minute standing ovation, the first of 32 times they applauded the speaker. But twice during his speech he was interrupted by those who opposed him. The first interruption came from a woman in the audience. “I’ll just wait until our friend can have her say,” King said.

The second disruption came from a young man when Dr. King began speaking of his views on the Vietnam War. “Alright if you want to speak, I’ll let you come down and speak and I’ll wait. You can give your Viet Nam speech now listen to mine. Come right on,” King offered. The young man walked up to the podium and introduced himself. “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Joseph McLawtern, communications technician, U.S. Navy, United States of America. I fought for freedom I didn’t fight for communism, traitors and I didn’t fight to be sold down the drain. Not by Romney, Cavanagh, Johnson – nobody, nobody’s going to sell me down the drain.” The Civil Rights speaker thanked the young man and continued his speech.

We need to treat those with whom we disagree with absolute respect. We need to allow them to “give their speech” even as we challenge them to “now listen to mine.” And we need to listen when they give their speech– listen to both the content of what they are saying and to their heart that so passionately energizes their position. We need to avoid stereotyping, name-calling, and crude language. We need to learn how to disagree without becoming disagreeable. We need to restore civility to our conversations.

I hope someday, years from now, when an old person is asked about their memories of me, they are able to reply, “He was such a gentleman.”
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EPIPHANY

EPIPHANY

Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

The Adoration of the Magi, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1632
Today (January 6) is Epiphany, the “Twelfth Day of Christmas,” the day Christians remember the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem where “they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Matthew 2:11). The Christian calendar switches today from the celebration of Christmas to the season of Epiphany. The calendar will again be changed on Ash Wednesday, when Christians mark the beginning of the season of Lent.

The season of Epiphany doesn’t receive the attention of the seasons on either side of it. It is sometimes called “ordinary time.” Christians who regularly light Advent wreaths, sing Christmas carols, and give up something for Lent often miss out on the riches of this overlooked season. In the Gospel readings of this season, Jesus turns up in the most unexpected places. The season begins with the Magi discovering Jesus, not in the palace in Jerusalem, but in an obscure farming village. His mother is not a queen, but a poor peasant woman. He is surrounded, not by royalty, but by shepherds.
As we journey through this season, we find Jesus in the wilderness, a god-forsaken place where he literally struggles with the Devil. He shows up at wedding in the remote Galilean village of Cana, where the guests are tipsy. He appears at a well in Samaria, talking to a foreign woman. He’s not afraid to attend a dinner party at the home of a leper (Matthew 26:6) or spend the night at the home of a tax-collector (Luke 19:5). In fact, He seems to prefer eating and drinking with the riffraff of society (Luke 15:2).

The climax to the season is the Sunday before Lent, Transfiguration Sunday. Three of his disciples are with him on a mountain when suddenly their eyes are opened and they see Jesus in his full glory. Jesus has been “Emmanuel,” God with us, for the disciples the whole time. They just didn’t see it.

Coincidentally, today is also the first anniversary of the January 6, 2021 assault on the United States Capital building, when a mob of Americans unhappy with the Presidential election results stormed a major symbol of Democracy seeking to have the results overturned. In Washington a House Select Committee is busy investigating what happened on that terrifying day. Across the country Americans are engaging in frightening conversations about the end of Democracy and an upcoming Civil War.

Epiphany and the Anniversary. Epiphany, a “Torii Gate” day, sacred for Christians. The Anniversary, a “Windmill” day, significant in the ongoing advancement of American culture. Is there any connection between the two?

Some would make a direct connection. The protesters on January 6 included those who carried Christian flags and waved “Jesus Saves” signs. Windmills and Torii gates are two symbols representing the same thing, a Christian America.

At first the Magi made this same connection. Jerusalem was the center of government for Palestine, the place where King Herod’s palace was located. It was the logical place for the Magi to look for the answer to their question, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? Jerusalem was also the Holy City, Zion, the mountain on which stood the Lord’s Temple. It was the best place to begin looking for the Holy Child.

The Sovereign God has certainly not abandoned the halls of government or the sacred spaces dedicated to His glory. He is Lord of all. But Epiphany reminds us that the Magi didn’t find Jesus in Jerusalem. They found him in Bethlehem. Not where we might expect to find Him, but in out-of-the way places. Not among the religious crowd (the Pharisees), but among the poor, among shepherds tending the sheep that would be slaughtered for the Pharisees’ sacrifices. The irony is that the shepherds of Bethlehem would not be able to participate in those sacrifices because their job rendered them “unclean.”

Where is Jesus on Epiphany, 2022? The history of Rembrandt’s Epiphany painting, “The Adoration of the Magi” (pictured above) makes the point of this blog in an interesting way. Copies of this valuable painting have been hanging for decades in both the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in the Gothenburg Art Museum in Sweden. These are world class art galleries, places where you would expect to find a Rembrandt masterpiece. But the original was not in a museum. It hiding in plain sight, hanging on a wall in a private home in Rome. In 2016 when the painting fell off the wall the owners decided to have it restored. The restorer, Antonella Di Francesco, was the one who discovered that the painting was an original. Di Francesco issued a statement: “During my work one of the most beautiful things that can happen during a lifetime: the sudden awareness of being in front of a work by a very great author who reveals himself to you, which comes out of its opaque zone and chooses you to be redeemed from the darkness.” De Francesco had an Epiphany.

The national mood at the beginning of 2022 is certainly dark. I suspect we all agree that the Anniversary was a dark moment in American history. Politicians and the media have a financial interest in keeping us focused on the darkness. But Epiphany calls us to shift our focus to the Light of the World. When we Christians keep our eyes open as we go about the routine of our lives, whether that’s in an obscure farming village, the desert of doubt and uncertainty, celebrating the weddings birthdays of those who are dear to us, or rubbing elbows with the riffraff of society, we just might discover “. . .one of the most beautiful things that can happen during a lifetime: the sudden awareness of being in front of a work by a very great author who reveals himself to you, which comes out of its opaque zone and chooses you to be redeemed from the darkness.” We just might experience the glory of Epiphany.
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THE ODE OF THE HERO

THE ODE OF THE HERO

A Christmas Meditation

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”

I collect nativity sets from around the world. When my wife and I go to a new country, I look for a nativity set made by local artists out of material readily available in the area. Currently we have at least sixteen nativities from North and South America, Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, every one of my nativity sets is missing one important character from the story. I’ve been trying for years for years to find a nativity that includes this shadowy character. Many of them include an angel, but none of them include the angel’s archrival: King Herod.

Herod never actually shows up in Bethlehem. But his shadowy figure is clearly present, behind the scenes, waiting for his opportunity to pounce. Matthew tells of his demonic plot. He makes it his mission to kill Jesus. Every boy child in Bethlehem under the age of two becomes collateral damage in his sinister scheme. Their mothers’ grief was inconsolable.

The name Herod means “Ode of the Hero.” The angel’s song is clearly audible. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). But there is another song being sung at Christmas. A deeply disturbing song. Herod’s song. the Ode of the Hero. John tells this same story in the Book of Revelation, but the character of Herod is replaced by a dragon.

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Nothing’s changed since Matthew and John wrote this story. Herod’s slimy presence can still be found at Christmas, seeking to destroy the hope brought by the child in the manger. He still wants to replace the song peace sung by the angels with his narcissistic ode extoling violence and destruction. Have you seen or heard Herod this Christmas? He’s there, lurking in the shadows.

I heard him singing clearly and unashamedly on Christmas night. My wife and I were driving home from a wonderful Christmas celebration with our family, listening to sacred carols on our local Christian radio station. A commercial interrupts the music, advertising a “Concealed Weapons Class” at a local gun shop beginning January. A concealed weapons class advertised on Christian radio. On Christmas. On the birthday of the Prince of Peace. The Ode of the Hero being sung between “O Holy Night” and “Do You Hear What I Hear.” The angel’s song included that wonderful verse: “Said the king to the people everywhere, ‘Listen to what I say: Pray for peace, people everywhere.” The Ode of the Hero’s song included the verse: “Make sure you have a concealed weapon permit.” Both songs were playing on Christmas night, 2021.

Herod, the Hero, and his desire to destroy the true Savior can be seen in the Christmas cards of Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky and Representative Lauren Boebert from Colorado. Both representatives chose to have their families photographed in front of a Christmas tree holding guns. Both cards came out the week following the Oxford school shooting in Michigan that took the lives of four students and injured six more students as well as one teacher. “Merry Christmas” Massie tweeted. “PS: Santa please bring the ammo.” He’s singing the Ode of the Hero. Meanwhile the grief of mothers in Oxford, Michigan is inconsolable.
Christmas offers us a choice. We can embrace the humble King in a manger or the violent king who slaughtered Bethlehem’s children. We can sing the song of the angels or Ode of the Hero. We can’t do both. Which one will we choose?

As you make your choice, I invite you to read the rest of John’s account. He clearly tells us that we are currently fighting a battle with the dragon. The rest of his book tells us that the Child wins the victory over the dragon.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb.

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The Commander of Peace

THE COMMANDER OF PEACE

A Christmas Meditation

Every warrior’s boot used in battle
And every garment rolled in blood
Will be destined for burning
Will be fuel for the fire.

The chorus is one of the three high points in George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, The Messiah. The other two are the Hallelujah! chorus and the grand finale, Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain. This familiar chorus, coming as it does after ten Advent solos and choruses, finally makes the Christmas announcement using the words of Isaiah

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given
And His name shall be called:
Wonderful! Counselor!
The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.

“The Prince of Peace.” The Hebrew word usually translated “prince” is an interesting one. It is the same word used in Joshua 5. Joshua sees a man with a sword drawn and asks, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The man responds, “Neither, but as commander of the Lord’s army I have come” (Joshua 5:14). The name of this Child of Bethlehem is “Commander of Peace.” Military commanders are in charge and direct the course of war. The Child of Bethlehem is a new kind of Commander, a Commander not in charge of war but of Peace.

We seldom reflect on this verse within its context. The previous verse sheds some interesting light on Isaiah’s announcement of the birth of Jesus. Verse five tells us that “warrior’s boots” and “garments rolled in blood” will be destroyed by fire. Governments established by military victory will be overthrown. A new government will be established, not by war but by the zeal of the Lord (verse 7). A peaceful government that will never end. A government made secure not by its by military strength, but by justice and righteousness.

Christmas 2021 is the first Christmas in twenty years that the United States is not at war. With President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, the War on Terror (at least the military aspect of it) is over. America is not at war. But it also is not at peace. We are an anxious people. We are tempted to blame the COVID virus that has affected our lives in so many ways over the last two years. But our behavior tells a different story. While many refuse to get vaccinated, which is the best defense against the virus, gun sales are at an all-time high. We average two shootings on school property every month. Many are calling for civil war. This is not a nation at peace.

The Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom. Shalom means more than the absence of conflict. Shalom does not comes from the warrior’s boot or every garment rolled in blood. It is not the product of the most powerful military in the history of the world or an assault weapon safely secured in our home. This government was established by the shedding of blood, not on battlefield or in a peaceful demonstration that got out of hand, but on a cross. The garment rolled in blood that established God’s shalom was a purple robe, which together with a crown of thorns served as props for a mocking ceremony.

Shalom is the blessing given to those who submit their lives fully to a King who was mocked. The Kingdom of this King is not maintained by military might, but by justice and righteousness. At the King’s birth angels announced the arrival of shalom.

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

The Commander of Shalom has arrived. You won’t find him in Jerusalem, or in Rome, or in Washington. No regal attire or military medals identify him as someone important. You will find him in an obscure village, wrapped in swaddling clothes and sleeping in a manger. He’s not being guarded by a military detachment. He’s being guarded by shepherds and angels.

This is my prayer for you this Christmas, when peace seems to be so illusive:

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.

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Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the American involvement in the Second World War. My wife, Robin, and I have the privilege of observing this occasion here in Hawaii. This was my first time visiting the base and both the USS Missouri and the USS Arizona. A number of High School bands and choirs were invited to be a part of the events. Seeing the reactions of these young Americans and hearing them say, from their hearts, “Thank you for your service” to veterans has been a touching experience. I wish every high school student had the opportunity to visit this sacred site.

 

On our second night here friends of ours invited us to watch the performance of a Hawaiian hula dancer they know. We sat at a front row table hosted by the dancer’s husband. Four Japanese women were also a part of our group. We enjoyed sharing memories of our time in Japan with these wonderful women.

 

At one point the lead musician got very serious. He reminded the crowd of the upcoming anniversary and the loss our nation experienced eighty years ago. He identified two “special guests” in the audience: two World War II veterans. The crowd applauded these former servicemen with enthusiasm.

 

Most of us in the audience felt an appropriate amount of pride and gratitude for our nation. It was a patriotic moment that united rather than divided us as Americans. I felt that sense of privilege I often experience at such times for the opportunity I’ve had to wear the nation’s uniform.

 

I couldn’t help but notice my Japanese table mates, however, and their reaction. They appeared very uncomfortable. I understood. I had the same feeling of discomfort when I visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I leaned over to the woman sitting next to me and said, “I visited Hiroshima. we love the Japanese today. This has all been healed.” The tension in her face relaxed and she quietly said, “Thank you.”

 

There is an old saying: “We need to study history so that we won’t repeat it.” The study of history includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. It includes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the loss of 20% of all Marines serving at that time in the battle of Okinawa, dropping Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the signing of the peace treaty aboard the USS Missouri. It includes the Louisiana Purchase and the genocide committed under the doctrine of “Manifest Destiny.” It includes slavery, Jim Crow, the and Civil Rights Movement as well as the passing of the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It includes the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Tulsa Massacre of 1921.

 

It’s all a part of the American Story.

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Child Sacrifice

CHILD SACRIFICE

“3 people believed to be students killed in school shooting, sheriff's office says” (CNN)
“Oxford High School shooting: 3 students dead, 8 hurt including 1 teacher” (FOX)

For all the differences between these two news outlets, the headlines were remarkably similar. Oxford, Michigan has joined an increasingly long list of communities in the United States scarred by a mass shooting in a local school. Less than eight hours later a second shooting took place in Humboldt, Tennessee following two basketball games at Humboldt High School. One adult was killed, a second medevacked to Memphis where he underwent surgery. Several others received minor injuries.


The responses are predictable: “Top Michigan Senate Republican urges ‘balance’ as Democrats push for change in wake of Oxford school shooting” (https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/12/top-michigan-senate-republican-urges-balance-as-democrats-push-for-change-in-wake-of-oxford-school-shooting.html). The Senate paused for a moment of silence after a speech by Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, who once resided in Oxford and continues to represent the community. A discussion is underway in the White House concerning whether President Biden will visit the grieving families. We can be assured there will be candlelight vigils, more moments of silence and promises of prayers for the victim’s families—and nothing will change.


These two incidents make 29 school shootings on school property (K-12) the USA during 2021. That is down from 2020, when there were “only” 10, probably because many schools were not in session much of the year because of COVID. Both 2019 and 2018 had 24. Two school shootings a month have become the norm in the United States (https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2021/03). The prosecutor in the Michigan case, Karen McDonald, was right when she told reporters we have become “desensitized to school shootings.”


According to news reports, the weapon used in the Michigan incident was a semiautomatic 9mm Sig Sauer SP2022 pistol. The suspect, Ethan Crumbley, is a 15 year-old sophomore who will be tried as an adult. The gun was purchased four days earlier by the young man’s father.


I must confess, I’m not much of an expert on guns, but I have to ask: how does a fifteen year old manage to acquire such a destructive weapon and carry it around without supervision? The young man cannot legally purchase either cigarettes or a beer, yet he somehow is able to smuggle such a powerful weapon onto his school campus. And many Americans are concerned that passing laws to make this behavior more difficult somehow violates their “Second Amendment Rights.”


A Facebook friend of mine posted today that the Second Amendment has become an idolatry. He then posts the Merriam-Webster definition of the word “idolatry”: (1) the worship of a physical object as a god and (2) immoderate attachment or devotion to something. I think he’s right– guns have become a god in America. Many place their trust in them rather than God for security. Gun owners in many cases are “immoderately” attached or devoted to them. They will do everything in their power to defend their god.


The interesting thing about an idol is that sooner or later it will demand the sacrifice of the worshipper’s children. The worship of both the Canaanite gods Baal and Moloch required the sacrifice of children. Those in the grip of addiction, where a substance (alcohol, drugs) or a behavior (gambling, sex) become a god will eventually sacrifice their children’s well-being to gain a “fix.” Too often we send our young men and women off to wars where they are killed, not in the pursuit of justice as St. Augustine promoted, but to secure natural resources like oil to keep up our materialistic lifestyles.


I find it highly ironic that the very Americans who are most emphatic about the “Right to Life of the Unborn,” which they portray as the slaughter of innocent children, are also the most opposed to reasonable gun control laws to reduce the slaughter of innocent children on the school campuses of our nation.


How many children have to be sacrificed before we end this madness?

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The Church And The Poor

THE CHURCH AND THE POOR

Caring for the poor is a central theme of the entire Bible. In the Old Testament there are gleaning laws that provide for the poor (Leviticus 19:10; Ruth 2:3). In legal disputes neither the rich or the poor are to be treated with favoritism (Exodus 23:3; Leviticus 19:15), but the poor must not be denied justice (Exodus 23:5). Jesus came to “preach Good News to the poor” (Luke 4:18). He called the poor “blessed,” and said that His Kingdom belongs to them (Luke 6:20). Jesus himself was homeless (Matthew 8:20). He was originally rich, but Jesus willingly became poor so that through His poverty we might become rich (II Corinthians 8:9). According to James, those who are poor according to the standards of this world are rich in faith (James 2:5), and the Apostle Paul directed that on the first day of the week believers give an offering for the relief of those in need based on their income (I Corinthians 16:2-3).

Some Christians have suggested that care for the poor is the responsibility of the church and not the government. Those who make this claim are almost always quite well off, and object to being taxed to provide social services for those in need. Many of them point to Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” which they judge to be a complete failure. So let me ask: how has the church done in caring for the poor since the 1960s when Johnson was President of the United States? Has the church fulfilled its responsibility to care for the poor?

There are many excellent examples of Christian care for the poor. Catholic Social Services does a great job providing for those less fortunate. Most Protestant churches can point to benevolent ministries in which they are actively involved, from stocking food pantries to partnering with less fortunate congregations. Denominational agencies such as Lutheran Social Services, the Mennonite Central Committee, or World Renew and para-church agencies like World Vision International have extended Christian charity to the most remote and impoverished places in the world. Thousands of American Christians have sacrificed their own comfort and moved to undeveloped countries to offer medical care, distribute food, or build the infrastructure necessary to provide clean water. Between now and the end of the year, Christians will contribute millions of dollars to benevolent agencies as part of their Thanksgiving Day observance (November 25 in the US) or in gratitude for the gift of a Savior we celebrate on Christmas.

Have we done enough? Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). We (Christians) need to admit the problem of poverty is bigger than we can fix. But have we made care for the poor the priority that the Bible seems to indicate it should be?

Since the 1960s, Evangelicals have largely abandoned the communities where the poor live—the cities. We have built thousands of multi-million-dollar buildings in the suburbs, while leaving beautiful buildings in the central cities (where the poor live), with gorgeous stained-glass windows, virtually empty. I can’t help but wonder, if we really believed that it is the church’s task to meet the needs of the poor, given the extent of the problem, how could we have afforded these fancy new sanctuaries that are used only a few hours a week?

The central teaching of Jesus was love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 27:37-38). Too often blogs like this one, promoting compassion and care for the poor, use guilt to motivate. I confess I have done far too much of that in my own ministry. The Christian faith is not about guilt, but grace. The question is not, “have I done enough?” That is a legalistic question, resulting in either guilt or self-righteousness. The important question is, “Do I love the poor?” If we really love the poor, providing for them will come naturally.

Let’s be honest. The poor are not all that lovable. Homeless people smell. Poverty breeds crime. Those who lack adequate resources suffer undiagnosed and untreated mental illness. Many turn to alcohol and drugs to cope. Do I love the poor?

Those who love the poorest of the poor have the heart of Jesus. Churches who love the poor are following the Lord of the Church. When we really love the poor, how their needs are met becomes an irrelevant question. The only thing that is important is that their needs are indeed met.
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CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

           The sign hangs prominently on the side of an old barn in the small town of Shelbyville, Michigan.  “God, Guns, Country.” Three perfectly acceptable English language words. If these three words were found on fourth grader’s spelling list their appearance together would have little meaning.  But on the side of a barn in 2021, these three particular words one after another are intended to convey a message.  A message of both faith and politics.  The farmer is telling all who drive by, “I believe in God, I believe in guns, and I believe in America.”  The Latin word for “I believe” is Credo, from which we get the English word Creed.  “God, guns, and Country.”  This is the farmer’s Creed.  This is where he puts his hope, his trust.  He lives his life in faithfulness to these three affirmations.

 

            Many Christian Churches affirm a different creed.  A creed that dates back hundreds of years, and summarizes the teachings of the New Testament Apostles.  A creed that is, in many ways, much more difficult to affirm than the Shelbyville farmer’s creed.  The creed is known as the Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried,
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
From thence He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy catholic church,
The Communion of the Saints, the forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

           In Catechism class I learned that this creed was divided into three parts:  “God the Father and our creation, God the Son and our salvation, and God the Spirit and our sanctification.”[1]  This is the Trinitarian faith of the historic Christian church, affirmed by Roman Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, those such as myself that come from the Reformed tradition, and many others. A faith and trust in the power of a Triune God, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”  For the Shelbyville farmer faith and trust in a Trinitarian God is not enough.  He follows a different trinity, the “holy trinity” of God, guns, and country.   

     

            This alternative trinitarian faith often goes by the name of Christian Nationalism. In a recent article, Christianity Today magazine defined Christian Nationalism as “the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way.”[2] 

            Christian Nationalism is not new. It goes back to the 1600s when the Puritans sought to develop a “City on a Hill” that would be a light to the nations of the world.  The Puritans understood America as a New Israel.  Eventually Christian Nationalism developed into the idea that America had a “Manifest Destiny.”  This doctrine of Manifest Destiny was used to justify the “Indian Wars” and is at least partly responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Native Americans.  Today Christian Nationalism is found in the idea that America is a Christian nation, that God continues to have a special rule for the United States to play among the nations, that as long as she is faithful to the God of Christianity and conducts her affairs in accordance with the teachings of the Bible she will be blessed, but  should she turn away from the Christian God she will lose her special status and role and instead of Divine blessing she opens herself up to the Divine curse.

 

            This is a blog about the connections between faith and culture.  It seeks bridge the gap between religion and politics.  I believe a relevant faith will inform our politics.  But I do not affirm Christian Nationalism.  I believe Christian Nationalism is a violation of both Christianity and the American Dream.  I would go so far as to call it a heresy, a very outdated but most appropriate word.  Orthodox Christianity teaches that the Biblical message is for all people, regardless of their ethnic, racial, or national origin.  America was established as a secular nation.  Unlike the nations of England, there is no national church or national religion in America.  Church and State are to remain separate, to allow each of them to do their important work unencumbered by the other.

 

             In contrast to Christian Nationalism, this blog affirms pluralism.  It presupposes that citizens of this country who affirm any religion or hold to no religion at all are equally American.  That includes those who hold to the Christian Trinity, those whose god is not understood as Trinitarian, and even those whose trinity is “God, guns, country.” I write from the perspective of an Orthodox Christianity that affirms the creed found above.

 

             This blog focuses the connection between faith and culture.  It assumes an individual’s faith commitment will be a formative influence in how he or she will engage with culture.  While written from a primarily Christian perspective, this blog recognizes, accepts, and supports the notion that America is a secular society and that people from a variety of faiths are citizens of this country and are free to worship as they see fit.  America is a pluralistic nation, and this blog celebrates that.

[1] Heidelberg Catechism question and answer 24 https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism#toc-part-ii-deliverance  
[2] Paul D. Miller, “What is Christian Nationalism?   Christianity Today, February 3, 2021.  https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/february-web-only/what-is-christian-nationalism.html

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Why are You Crying?

WHY ARE YOU CRYING?

A Meditation for Easter

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:13)
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:15)

            The question comes to Mary twice.  Woman, why are you crying?  The angels ask the question first, and Jesus repeats it.  Mary answers the angels with the same interpretation of the events of that fateful morning she gave Peter and John earlier:  They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put him.  (John 20:2, 13).  She mistakes Jesus for the gardener and in her confused thinking asks if he is the one responsible.  Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.   (John 20:15)

 

            The message here is clear and easy.  This is Easter Sunday!  Jesus is alive!  There is no room for crying on this the most glorious day of the Christian year!  Put a smile on your face, head to a crowded service at your local church, and sing from the depths of your heart: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!  Alleluia!”

 

            And yet . . . Jesus is certainly alive, but on Easter 2021 we are on the verge of a fourth wave of the COVID 19 virus.  Jesus is certainly alive, but on Easter 2021 over 600 unaccompanied minor children cross the southern border of the United States each day (according to CNN).  Jesus is certainly alive, but on Easter 2021, woman continue to view abortion as the best or only option to deal with pregnancy.  Jesus is certainly alive, but during Lent, 2021 there were 64 mass shootings in the United States (defined as incidents involving four or more victims of firearm-related violence) including incidents in Georgia whose victims were mostly Asian-American women  and Boulder, Colorado where 10 were killed in a grocery store (“List of Mass Shootings in the United States,” Wikipedia).  I could go on.  The point is, whatever one’s political leanings, these are tragedies and they will continue once Easter has passed.  Why are you crying?  There are plenty of reasons for anyone concerned about what’s going on in society to be on the verge of tears if not completely bawling.

 

            There are those who would discourage followers of Jesus from experiencing the full range of human emotion.  They quote Paul’s letter to the Philippians:  Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  (Philippians 4:4).  The message they give is that Christians are supposed to be happy all the time.  Every Sunday they should attend church and sing praise songs, because “God is good, all the time; all the time God is good.”  Did your loved one die this past week?  He’s in a better place, so be happy for him.  Has evil shown its ugly head again this past week (see meditation March 30)?  Don’t get too upset.  God is Sovereign.  He is in control.   

   

            Mary cried because she thought Jesus was still dead, and now his body was missing. Jesus was a victim:  first of the cruelty of the cross and now of the greed of grave robbers. She was wrong.  On Easter we discover that Jesus is not the victim, but the Victor. The resurrection of Jesus allows us to once again rejoice, celebrate, and experience hope.  But it does not eliminate our pain and suffering.  The post-resurrection world is still a broken world, and it will be until Jesus returns.

 

            The same Biblical writer who who wrote that we should Rejoice in the Lord always also wrote,  do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  (I Thess. 1:13).  This life we are living is not a utopia.  We still grieve.  But, because of the resurrection, we grieve in the context of hope.  That makes our grief bearable.

 

            There will come a time when God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. That is the Christian hope, a hope secured on Easter Sunday when Jesus conquered death itself.

 

            Meanwhile, we live in a still-broken world, in the time between Easter and Christ’s final return.  Evil still exists.  Atrocities abound.  Sometimes it can get overwhelming.  We break down with sobbing that comes from the depth of our souls.  What we are experiencing is not what God wants.  But we sob in hope.  We work for a more just and holy world in the midst of our tears, knowing that God is at work and we are a part of His re-creation of the world he loves. Hear again these Easter words, and from them take hope:  “The Lord has risen!  He has risen indeed!”