Small Steps

Jesus counsels us not to worry. But how can we not feel some anxiety, some measure of fear when we consider the unknown, uncertain future of our lives and the lives of those we love? How can we abandon worry when own our personal histories teach us that we have very little control over what may befall us?

We know, intellectually, that we should not worry but trust God. But how do we practice such a robust trust in divine grace and sympathy? How—concretely—do we live into Providence? How do we abandon ourselves to Providence and lose the anxiety and worry that besets the world over?

Small steps. Begin with four words, often repeated: “Thy will be done.”

Sick Day

A rainy Sunday morning

And the sound from three blocks away

Pushing through the foggy quietude,

The ringing of the First Presbyterian bell

A sound soft but strong

Sharp thud

Escaping into the neighborhood,

Which is long accustomed to the old voice.

The ring is no stranger to the

Hair-like moss dripping from oaks and magnolias

Hanging high over the cracked blacktop

Chipped red brick hiding underneath.

The ring grabs the ears and imagination

And I can see the red-robed choir

Ready for the procession and

An acolyte, maybe my son,

Leading the whole holy bunch of them

Into a sacred hour out of step with the times

But into an eternity,

 As I lie flat on my back at home

Listening to the bell and a fire in the hearth

And to a little voice that whispers

“Be still and you will heal.”

Blessings

Do you ever feel caught between two ways of living? Caught between a life that longs for the blessing of the world and the life that longs for the blessing of God?

The world blesses glamor, physical prowess, brilliance, efficiency, beauty, and money. Jesus does not bless these things. Jesus blesses mercy, peacemaking, righteousness, and purity of heart, among other things.

We need to learn which blessings to ultimately seek. We need to learn to ultimately value the blessings that Jesus valued over against the blessings that the world values.

AZ

It’s hard to know what to feel, except sadness and disgust. It’s hard to know what to think except, “Why?”

Why the murders? Why did a 22 year old guy want to kill people? Why, for that matter, do we live as if something equally tragic doesn’t occur every day in our nation? Do we simply feel powerless to affect any change, whatsoever—in ourselves and in our culture? Do we simply live overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the violence that we see on TV, at the movies, hear on the news?

O, how God must weep.  

Christmas

Christmas is charged with an energy that no other holiday, no other holy day can touch. Fourth of July is a lightweight compared with Christmas. And Easter? Well, Easter is the most important day on the Christian calendar. But not even an empty tomb can compete with a baby in a manger. Christmas is the heavy weight of holy days.

So many dreams, hopes, and longings. So much emotion. So much nostalgia, sentiment, anticipation. So much of the past and future all wrapped together like presents in our hearts.

But why exactly does Christmas come to us with so much weight, energy, hope, and longing? Maybe it's the nostalgia of childhood or family. Or, maybe it's the sound of the baby in the manger. Maybe the story of the babe in the manger does something transcendental to our hearts. Maybe it's the cries of new life, which are like songs of angels. Maybe the story of the baby suggests to us the greatest present in the world is the present of God's incarnation. The baby is the fulfillment of all of our hopes and dreams for a life fully imbued with God's love.

Making God in Our Image

As I listen to an individual speak about their understanding of God, as I listen to people describe their faith in Jesus Christ, I am becoming more attuned to how perspectives on Jesus closely mirror personal views on politics and social issues.

That is to say, if the person is politically conservative, Jesus looks conservative. If the person is liberal, then Jesus is liberal. Contrary to good theology that says God is wholly other than us, it seems that Jesus is never very different from us.

Though the Bible suggests that we are made in the image of God, my experience suggests that we often make God in our image. God becomes what we want God to be. Jesus is the God-man who looks alike us and our agendas.

The Little Drummer Boy

A fire burning, smoke rising through the sixty year old brick chimney. I watch the quiet activity in my home and notice the reflection of the flames dancing in the brass ash-screen. And I listen. Listen to the music. Christmas music. The Little Drummer Boy. Something catches in my throat every time I hear this song.

I played my drum for Him
Pa rum pum pum
I played my best for Him
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me
Pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

My heart softens, an indefinite longing opens wide. Is the longing for God? It feels like a spiritual longing. A longing for something beyond what I see, hear, feel, taste, and touch. A longing for something beyond my ability to describe the longing.