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The Commander of Peace

THE COMMANDER OF PEACE

A Christmas Meditation

December 22, 2021

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

December 7, 2021

Today marks the 80^th 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 13^th and 14^th 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

December 3, 2021

“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

October 27, 2021

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

April 23, 2021

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

April 4, 2021

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!”

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FACING EVIL

A Meditation for the Christian Holy Week

March 30, 2021

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (Mark 15:33-34)

In October, 2001, I had the privilege of being deployed to New York City to assist with the recovery from the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. One of my responsibilities as a chaplain was to accompany family members to the site where they witnessed for the first time the crude crematorium where their loved ones died. I will never forget the reaction of one woman. A graduate of the University of Berkley in California in the 1960s, she struggled to comprehend the absolute horror of what was in front of her. As she stared at the still smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers she kept saying to herself, over and over: “It’s evil. It’s evil. It’s evil.” It seemed as if she mentally had no category to help her comprehend the awfulness of what she was witnessing.

According to Mark’s description of Jesus’ crucifixion, darkness enveloped the area when Jesus was hanging on the cross. The darkness began at noon- the brightest time of the day—and lasted until 3:00 PM when Jesus finally expired. Was this a solar eclipse? Perhaps, but three hours is a long time for an eclipse. It is better to understand the darkness metaphorically. I’m not suggesting that the darkness wasn’t real; I believe it was. But light and darkness are a universal metaphor for good and evil. Jesus’ words, spoken in Aramaic and recorded for future readers in the original language, reinforce this understanding. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

According to the writer John, God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5). Jesus himself claimed, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12). Now, the “Light of the World,” the One who had come from God (John 13:3), the Holy One of God (John 6:69), the One who had no sin (I Corinthians 5:21) was now enveloped in darkness, abandoned by God, experiencing the full power of unmitigated evil. The Father, who loves the Son (John 3:35) and confides in Him everything he does (John 5:20) now abandons his Son to face the darkness all by Himself. The special relationship that exists within the Trinitarian Godhead has been ripped apart by the power of evil.

It is impossible to overstate the horror of this text. The horror of the Berkley graduate at the sight of the smoldering World Trade Center ought to be the horror of the believer that dares look at the Savior dying on the cross: “It’s evil. It’s evil. It’s evil.”

The Apostle Paul reminds us, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (I Corinthians 5:21). The horrible cross from which we turn our gaze away is also a wondrous cross. By his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

The wonder of that horrible cross goes beyond our personal. When Christ experienced the full power of evil in that noontime darkness, he was experiencing all the evil of this world. Christ was experiencing the power of evil that motivates terrorists to hijack a plane full of civilians and force it to crash into a skyscraper. He died for the evil that led to slavery in our nation based simply on skin color. He died for the evil of Jim Crow. He died to redeem systemic racism and generational poverty. He died to redeem a world that struggles with global warming. He died for a world that experiences earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear meltdowns as happened in Japan on March 11, 2011.

Sometimes the sheer evil in this world overwhelms me. With the Psalmist, I look heavenward and cry, “How long?” My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? (Psalm 6:3). How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? (Psalm 82:2). How long will the wicked be jubilant? (Psalm 94:3). I long for a world where justice reigns and God’s shalom (peace) is experienced by all. But so often all I see is the darkness of evil. At such times I need to remember that Jesus experienced a darkness deeper than I will ever begin to understand. I need to remember that He faced the full power of demonic evil, alone, on Calvary’s cross. This is the Christian hope. The darkness of the cross is not the final word. Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15). The principalities and powers of darkness are not in control of this world. They have been defeated, replaced by an Easter lightening (Matthew 28:3) and a Creation garden (John 20:1-18) where the tomb is empty and tears are dried. The powers of darkness and evil, both individual and social, have been faced head-on and have been defeated. “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

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Windmills & Torii Gates

WINDMILLS AND TORII GATES

February 23, 2021

“Windmills and Torii Gates.” Two massive structures from two very different countries representing two very different cultures Windmills are early factories. They harness the energy of the wind and use it for flood control or for milling grain. Windmills can be found throughout the world, but are often identified with the Dutch. Two thirds of the country of the Netherlands lies below sea level. They used windmills to pump water out of the low farmland and back into the sea. During the Industrial Revolution windmills were replaced by new sources of power, including the steam engine, the internal combustion engine, and electrical power. Windmills have made a comeback in recent years,and travelers may well spot “windmill farms” on their journeys.

Torii gates are unique to Japan and the Shinto religion. They are often found at the entrance to a sacred shrine. They have only one purpose: to separate the sacred from the secular. When a pilgrim walks through a Torii Gate, she enters sacred space. This blog is about the connection between Windmills and Torii Gates. The connection between the secular world of factories and human cultural development (Windmills) and the sacred space of religious belief, faith, and the Divine (Torii Gates). I choose these two symbols because they represent two cultures that have had a formative influence on my life. I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a center of Dutch American culture. I was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, a faith community with deep roots in the Netherlands. Thirty-seven years ago a group of pastors and elders representing this faith community laid their hands on me in a small town in South Dakota, ordaining me into my life’s work as a Christian minister. Dutch Americans, symbolized by the secular Windmill, placed on my shoulders the mantle of representing the sacred.

For twelve years I lived out this vocation in sacred spaces, serving Christian Reformed churches in South Dakota, Michigan, and Texas. Then, at age 39, my life took a dramatic turn. I began living out my spiritual vocation in the secular environment of the United States Navy, where I commissioned to serve as a Chaplain. I was now both ordained and commissioned. My ordination represented my spiritual calling, symbolized by the cross on the left lapel of my uniform. My commission was to live out that vocation in the secular world of the United States Navy, represented by the rank on the right side of my collar. Ordained (sacred) and Commissioned (secular). My task was to bridge the divide between the two, to bring the sacred into the secular spaces of ships, aviation hangers, and the war zone in Iraq.

For twenty years I lived out of this dual identity and responsibility. For seven of those twenty years I was stationed in Japan, land of the Torii Gates. Japanese culture, symbolized by the religious Torii Gate, has also been a formative influence on my life. I am now retired, living in Holland, Michigan, within walking distance of DeZwaan(“the swan”), the oldest authentic, working windmill in the United States. This 300-year-old windmill, which was heavily damaged in World War II, was moved from the Netherlands to Holland Michigan in the 1960s and restored to its previous working condition. Every year in May I enjoy the city’s “Tulip Time” Festival, when tourists come from all over the world to view the massive plantings of these Dutch flowers and enjoy the authentic Dutch dancers in the streets and the Dutch food available in both the restaurants and on the streets.

But I am no longer completely at home in this world where I began my life. My service in the Navy gave me the opportunity to see the world, and to live cross-culturally in Japan. I now live cross-culturally in Holland, Michigan. I am now a citizen of the world. I write from that perspective. I write as a world citizen. I write as someone influenced deeply and appreciative of many cultures, including my own Dutch American culture. I write as someone who was ordained to represent the Christian faith in a multi-faith environment. I write about Windmills and Torii Gates.