Being Prepared...

Its just about time for Santa to do his thing again this year. Several years ago my daughter told "the man with all the toys" (to quote a Beach Boys' lyric) what she would like him to bring her for Christmas. And we prepared for an expected Christmas-Eve visit. We did our part to make Santa feel welcome when he brought those items that had been requested. We set out hot chocolate and home-made sugar cookies. And, my daughter wrote Santa a note. The note said "Thank you" for the gifts that would be placed under the tree and it also asked this question: "Are you right-handed or left-handed?" I'm not sure why that was important to my daughter, but that was the question. You would want to know that Santa answered that question to my daughter's satisfaction.

In the church, over the past four Sundays, we have been preparing for Christmas 2010. We have invited ourselves to look forward to the annual arrival of the incarnation of Love, and Joy, and Hope, and Peace. It occurs to me that a note could be left at the church after the 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve worship service that might offer a "Thank you" to God for the Gift and the gifts we know God has and will bring our way. Maybe we could also ask God to answer a question...not which-handed God is, but maybe something like "Why would you do this wonderful thing for us every year?" Or, maybe "Is there something you would like us to do in return for all you have done for us?"

That could prove interesting.

I have heard (and seen in print) several folks lament that they hear "Happy Holidays" more than they hear "Merry Christmas" at this time of year. Some are vowing not to shop at stores who advertise their goods with "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." The complaints go on.
And so, I wonder...I wonder because I do not know for sure...although I do suspect.
-I wonder what persons of other faith traditions in our neighborhoods think about being expected to wish folks, or have themselves wished with, "Merry Christmas."
-I wonder why some folks think that how the holiday season is advertised defines the holiday season.
-I wonder if some who are really upset with the lack of enough "Merry Christmas" wishes and advertisements will nonetheless consider Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, or even the Grinch as suitable Merry Christmas symbols.
-I wonder if behind some of the complaints about the shortage of "Merry Christmas" greetings is really a nostalgia for wonderful Christmas holidays gone bye...for returning things to the way it used to be in an imagined better time of life.
-I wonder how central the Christ of "Merry Christmas" is to our lives the remainder of the year; and what greetings are exchanged that might display that.

Me? Are you sure?

Ever get the feeling that you had been asked (called, prevailed upon, singled out, required) to do something you (1) didn't feel adequate to do, and/or (2) thought somebody else could do better? Yeah, me too.
Maybe, though, I am up to the task. Maybe I should get past that first-blush objection. Maybe I really do have the skill, the energy, the tenacity, the deep-down ability to do this thing! There are other things I have done that are something like what I'm being asked to do now...maybe I can recall how I accomplished those jobs and make some application here.
And, I have friends! Maybe I could call in a few or many of them to consult with me on what looms ahead. Maybe one or more of them could actually offer expert instruction. Or, maybe one of them could give me a really inspiring pep-talk about how I can do this thing...and do it well, in fact!
Maybe, come to find out, I am the only person who can do what is being asked of me. Maybe the work is so personal that I alone can accomplish it. Maybe God, or the Fates, or my family, or my community sees in me something worthy of this calling that has been foisted upon me.
Maybe its just you-n-me, God. Maybe its best if I just stop thinking about it, worrying about it, stalling around...and get to it! If I don't get to it now, who knows, lightning may not strike here again!

The Bible? What?

Interesting question from a webinar a friend participated in recently (question posed by Brian McLaren): "What do we mean when we say the Bible is authoritative?"
Yeah, what do we mean? First, I think it would be near impossible to get too many people to agree on a satisfactory answer to that question. Second, now we can probably tackle the question.
Does every word in the Bible have authority over my life? No way! Argue all you want about how the Hebrew Scriptures are to be considered relevant for today, but I'm not gonna stone anybody! I have no idea what to make of the stories about God actually killing or ordering the killing of human beings! Even though its forbidden, I am going to get the hair on my temples cut at Great Clips today! You get the point...there are some major chunks of the Bible that I do not consider authoritative in any way, shape, or form.
There are portions of the New Testament I do not consider relevant to life in my world today, either.
So, Brian McLaren, here is my answer to your really good question: I consider the best of the Bible to be authoritative. And for me, the best of the Bible is the life and teaching of Jesus.
I am a big fan of Jesus' graceful way of living and his sobering challenges to our thinking and acting. For me, the Bible gets us to Jesus and then leaves us alone to encounter him for the rest of our lives.

Probably many...certainly many, ideas that seemed good at the time have proven not to be good ideas for all times. We could compile a long list of such ideas. We would all be able to add to the list because we have all been the victims or the perpetrators of such ideas.

One such idea is this: that one religious format fits all people, in all places, and in all times. Cookie-cutter religion is sometimes laughable. It is sometimes dangerous. It is sometimes hurtful. My experience of Creator and Redeemer can never be your experience of Creator and Redeemer. And even if our experiences of Creator and Redeemer are similar, they cannot be expected to be every one's experiences.

It might seem like a good idea to reduce faith to a short list of simple rules but I would suggest that this does not allow for the personal experience of God (as Creator and Redeemer)by each man, woman, and child.

I hope that in my preaching and in my living I am leaving room for individual experiences of God that are similar to mine and different than mine. Probably, I do not do as good a job at this as I could. So it would be a good idea if I were to be more intentional about it.

That seems like a good idea.

In the Prime of Life

I'm not sure when the prime of my life was...or if it hasn't already been, then I'm not sure when it will be. I don't think I'm in it right now. I am in possession of a Medicare Card. I am not all that many years away from mandatory retirement. I cannot yet come close to shooting my age in golf. I recently suffered my first broken bone. That bone was broken in my first motorcycle accident in the 45 years that I have been riding. (It wasn't a bad accident at all, and I am going to recover just fine...and fully.)
I wonder when "the prime of life" comes for each of us. I wonder what it looks like. What it feels like. I wonder if I will know it when it arrives. Will my outlook on life be more positive when I'm in my prime? Will I be a better father? Will my faith deepen and maybe make a bit more sense? Will those closest to me be able to detect my prime and advise me of its arrival?
Maybe I will be in the prime of my life when I have more answers than I have questions. Could that be true, do you think?

College Football is Back!

I am a Notre Dame college sport fan. Doesn't matter the sport, I pull for the Irish to win. But football comes first...basketball second. Having grown up in a town just seven miles from South Bend I come by this ND-thing easily.
This Saturday the Irish will open the 2010 football season againt the Boilermakers. Neither team distinguished itself last year and neither is ranked among the top teams nationally this year. Its a home game for ND, so perhaps we will have a slight advantage...but nobody really knows much of anything about how good or how not-so-good either of these teams will be this year.
In some ways, it doesn't matter who wins because the fact is COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK! (But that previous statement isn't my real sentiment: LET'S GO IRISH!!!)