Last week I wrote a rather harsh post directed toward those who say that they follow Jesus. I am so frustrated with my sisters and brothers who, like Esau who gave away his birthright as the firstborn because he was hungry. The quintessential short-sighted person. The Church has given away its birthright as well. And, for an equally short-sighted reason. Political power and control. Such a fickle mistress is politics. I have been around a long time and have seen political fortunes ebb and flow with the tide of public opinion. For the Body of Christ to embrace such nonsense is truly beyond frustrating. I know that many, (most?), who read this think that I’m over reacting. All of this is simply a passing thing. Once humanity advances a bit more and becomes more empathetic and kind, these stone age ideas will pass just as the Neanderthal. There’s a problem with that thinking. Neanderthal DNA is still present in modern Homo Sapiens. It has persisted far beyond it’s original form. So shall the ideas and cultural baggage that my fellow pilgrims on this Way. Let me give a couple of examples that I heard this past weekend. I was with some others having coffee. One of them spoke about someone who was a tad more liberal than he. Another person interjected something along the lines of, “What, is she some sort of liberal? Does she recognize the “Trans Movement”? The other said that it wasn’t about the “Trans Movement.” The exchange was biting and hostile. And, a purely political exchange. The same person who had replied to that earlier exchange shared a story about being in New York City for the Macy’s parade. After the parade there were apparently protesters outside of Macy’s. They were protesting Macy’s selling of mink coats. This person said that he went up to the protesters and made the statement that they must be Pro-Life. After all, if they protested the slaughter of animals they surely must be against the slaughter of innocent unborn children. He emphasized his argument until some of the protesters became uncomfortable. But, to him, this was a victory for God. I think that if he wanted to actually do something helpful he should have joined the protesters. After all, he is Pro-Life! These examples seem to be insignificant to most people. Maybe you, dear reader. The ramblings of people who have no idea what the culture is moving toward. Ok. I’ll give you that. For me, however, these are people who claim to believe in God the Father of Jesus. Their faith is wrapped up in how they interpret and understand the Scripture. The same Scripture that I love. This is painful for me. These folks have walked away from their First Love in order to embrace a particular political position. Then, they say that their position is godly and the Only True Way to Christian. In their judgment any deviation from their narrow, conservative political position amounts to heresy. And, heretics are to be stoned. When I decry the way the Church has been compromised by the powers and politics of humanity I am sharing the pain that I feel. The pain that Jesus and the Church are being misrepresented by hateful people. The pain that the Church has allowed herself to be dragged down to such a level where she can no longer be the voice of God’s Love and Good Grace to the world. And, the pain that so many of my sisters and brothers are bound up in the chains which have lies for links. If anything that I write or teach or preach may break some of those links, then I will rejoice. If God’s Good Grace and Love may find a way into this world to reveal health and healing, that will answer prayers. If I, and others, (I’m surely not alone in this), can represent Jesus and the Church in a way that honors both God and Humanity, my job will be done well. So, when I rant about the Church and the ways in which she has been slandered and mislead, grant me some grace. This is my heart and my passion.
Those of us who live in Ohio are becoming aware that this August 8 there will be a special election. The issue to be voted on will change the Ohio Constitution making it more difficult for certain constitutional amendments to pass. Currently, the threshold for approval of an amendment is 50% + 1. For those of us who struggled with math, let’s just call that a Simple Majority. That’s kinda how majority rule in a democracy works. The folks who put this amendment on the special election ballot want to change that to 60% of voters necessary to approve. That’s called a Super Majority. That creates a higher bar for any amendment to the Ohio Constitution to receive approval.
Now, I know the ramifications of this particular vote. I’m not going to get into that. I know how I’m going to vote. You all are intelligent folks who are capable of making a reasoned decision. Just make sure that you get out and vote!
What I want to address today is a sign. A sign that I saw in someone’s front yard. An election sign. Whoever put the sign in the yard apparently wants everyone to vote Yes on the issue this August. A yes vote will change the constitution to require that Super Majority thing I mentioned above. The subtext of the sign reads, “Protect the Constitution.” Ok, I get it, I think. Make things harder for special interests to change the constitution. Of course, special interests are supporting a Yes vote. But that’s a story for another time.
What struck me was the subtext. Why do we need to protect the Constitution and not the people whom that document is meant to serve and protect? Why are people concerned about legalities when ethics are tossed to the wind?
That, too, I think I understand.
So many folks in this country talk about how the U.S. is a nation of law. We tout the idea that no one is above the law. If people just obey the law everything will go swimmingly. The law is considered the bedrock of our democracy. We need to protect it at all costs. Just look at Jan. 6, 2021. We shouldn’t be surprised by this. While this country was not founded as a Christian nation. (Anyone who says otherwise is simply ignorant. You can walk away from them.) It was built upon a Protestant ethic. The reformers, particularly Calvin and Luther, set in motion the importance of the written word and the Law. Luther famously touted “Sola Scriptura”! Scripture alone is all that is required to know about salvation. The written word of God. Calvin carried the ball much further down the line. He established the criteria by which people could live and prosper. He even tried to establish a theocracy in part of Switzerland. The Law of God would rule people justly. Of course, that’s until people actually get involved. That, too, is another story for another time.
In time, this reformed notion of the written word morphed into legalism. The importance of the written law was finally established right here in the U.S. of A. From the very beginning the law and the courts became the final arbiters of what is right and what is wrong. Human ethics and morality became less important than the letter of the law. I hope that you can see where I’m going with this.
We, as a nation, have decided that it’s possible to legislate morality. People are set aside for a legal declaration of what’s good and proper for people’s lives. Rather than encouraging and teaching ethical behaviors that lift communities and empower people to live their best lives, we clamp a lid on that with laws that cannot do anything but hold people down and oppress them.
It is written, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” That comes from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. I wrote a bit about that here. Yet, people are putting signs in their yards so that we will protect the letter. They would have us abandon our humanity and our conscience so that a piece of paper filled with words can continue to hold people down rather than seeking ways to lift people up.
On August 8 there will be an election.
Please vote with your humanity and your conscience.
I have to say that I’m pretty pissed off right now. Yeah, I know that I should be glad that the trump reign of incompetence will soon end. And, there’s hope that new vaccines will knock down Corona virus. But, these are very things that piss me off.
Let me explain. As most of you who read this blog thing regularly know, I fled from the world of Evangelical Christianity. I spent over 30 years within those walls. I was formed by the teaching and fellowship of that tribe. I was glad to consider them my family, my sisters, my brothers…my friends. Many of them I still count as friends and family. That doesn’t mean that I agree with what they currently stand for or believe. In fact, I found that I had to run from the bubble that so insulates that world as to suffocate those locked inside. Once outside, I had to “shake the dust off of my shoes” in order to begin a process of cleansing. And, as a witness against that world.
Ok, so I’m out and allowing God the Holy Spirit to build anew in my life. So, why worry about what once was? Why not simply embrace the present and look forward to a blessed future?
The answer is actually quite simple.
EVANGELICALISM HAS BECOME A THREAT TO OUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING!
Over the years the Evangelical Church, in particular, the White Evangelical Church has become radically political and conservative. Thanks to such people as Jerry Falwell, Sr., this brand of Christianity climbed into bed with the Republican party. Over time, like a parasite, Evangelicalism gorged itself on the power that they were acquiring in the political arena. Christian nationalism grew and the so-called 7 Mountain movement came into its own. This group seeks to install like-minded Christian leadership into every public area in our society. Conservative values became Christian values. Single issues like abortion or gay rights became a rallying call that could muster the faithful to elect more cultural conservatives. Evangelicals and political conservatives began to fear-monger in order to activate their political bases. “Oh my God! Our culture is being overrun by homosexuals and demonic abortionists! Soon, they will take over the schools and the government! We will lose our power and our voice as ‘Muricans!” We saw the result of this first hand in 2016 when 81% of White Evangelicals threw their lot in with Donald Trump. EIGHTY-ONE PERCENT!!! In the 2020 election, 76% still supported the pussy-grabbing, lying, pornstar sleeping, adulterous, thrice married bigot. Much of that was a reaction to that uppity Black guy, Barak Obama. The nerve of him thinking that he could actually be President of these here United States! Most, however, was that the power that Evangelicals felt as their savior took the oath of office made them giddy with delight. They could finally impose their will on the majority of citizens because The Donald would give them whatever they desired. And, he rewarded their faithful loyalty by doing just that. Nominees to all of the federal courts were approved conservatives. Three of those to the Supreme Court. But, that wasn’t all. Evangelicals are expert at playing the persecution card. If someone doesn’t agree with their particular brand of Christianity they claim that they are being persecuted. Don’t want to sell to gay people? “I’m being persecuted because I can’t let my religious bigotry keep ‘those’ people out of my shop!” The biggest lie that these people tell, however, is costing lives. There are many large Evangelical churches and organizations who think that the minimal requirements for curbing the current Covid-19 pandemic are an affront to their rights. When businesses were shutting down because of the spread of Covid, churches were often exempt from those orders. And, how dare some politician tell ME that I have to wear a mask or social distance! I have rights, you know. In particular, there is a church in California pastored by Covidiot John MacArthur. He heads Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. He spent much of the summer in litigation with state, city, and county officials over his refusal to do anything at all to help stem the spread of the virus. For him, his religious rights trumped the health of the community. I single him out, but there are many, many more church leaders like him across the country. One of the tacts that MacArthur and his cohort take is to cite scripture for there defiance. They say that the writer of the Book to the Hebrews has a verse that commands them to gather together. That verse is in chapter 10. It reads:
“not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing.
[New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Heb 10:25). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.]
They make the claim that this verse demands that they obey God rather than humans. They are compelled to gather together because told them “Not to forsake our own assembling together.” This is what most people refer to as ‘Proof texting.’ People have a belief in something, so they pour over the Scriptures until they find a verse that “Proves” that belief is correct. (Actually, it only Proves their ignorance.) Proof texters yank any verse or passage out of its context just so they can say that they have a Biblical basis for their opinion. In this case, that verse does NOT provide them with the clarity they so desperately desire. In its context, the writer of this book was trying to encourage people to maintain their faithfulness to God. It seems that some were becoming discouraged. Their old friends and relations had rejected them. They weren’t welcome at the clubs. Some may have been getting a ‘side eye’ from people on the street. And, they had been taught that Jesus, himself, was going to return and vindicate them. That day seemed further and further off. Some had apparently given up and left the fledgling church to return to their own lives. At least there they would be treated with the respect and dignity that they just knew that they deserved. This was the social context that Hebrews was written to address. If people really want to get an idea of what the writer was getting at, we must look at a couple other things. First, the previous verse provides a reason for the above encouragement. It states,
“And let us pay attention to each other for the provoking of love and good works.
[Translation by Gareth Lee Cockerill in, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Epistle to the Hebrews, ed. Joel B.Green, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 2012, p.464.]”
The writer encouraged the readers to love others and do good works. How was the best way for these 1st century believers to do that? By gathering together to encourage one another. He especially called on those who did find themselves discouraged, who may have developed a ‘habit’ of sleeping in on Sunday, to be of good cheer and gather! Jesus was King and Savior! He sits on a throne next to the Father in the heavenlies! He will bring his reward for those who remain faithful! That is what the writer called for. There is no command in this. There is no imperative anywhere in this verse. “Don’t forsake one another. Especially, as you see the Day (of the Lord) approaching.
Are there ways that we can fulfill this writer’s words of encouragement today? Do these ways absolutely require us to gather together and disregard the health and safety of our sisters and brothers in the faith? Of our families? Of our co-workers and friends? Of our communities? Yes! There are many ways that we can do this task without the dangers of virus exposure. But, it seems that the Evangelicals would rather exert their own rights to disregard any so-called government meddling that might cause them a bit of discomfort. “I Have My Rights,” say the people who claim to follow a Lord and Master about whom it was written,
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
[New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Php 2:5–8). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.]
God would NEVER, let me say it again, God Would NEVER require the faithful to do anything that could bring harm and suffering to anyone. Let that thought sit in your mind and grow roots. Let the Love that sprouts from those roots grow and bear fruit that may bring blessing, not curse, to us all.
This post is written in loving memory of, Bob Mertes, a dear Brother in Christ who recently walked on after a battle with Covid-19. Rest in Peace, Bro! We’ll catch ya on the other side!
Sometimes I feel like that proverbial “Fish Out Of Water.” Most of my vision and attention is on Christianity, specifically the Bible, and how it intersects with culture and church. So much damage has been done to people because of the weaponization of both theology and Biblical study. How many LGBT young people have been shunned by family and community as so-called religious leaders use the Scripture as a bludgeon to hammer these young folks like a blacksmith shaping iron? “Hey, you Pious Pricks! These are humans made in the Image of God! Not something that you may objectify and form into your own likeness in the way that you have molded your god!”
Yet, sometimes I’m drawn out of the world of religion and into the world where people actually live and breathe. Hell, many of us argue that this ‘real world’ is the only place that religion is able to find its true footing. After all, Yahweh came and pitched God’s tent right here on Terra Firma in order to prove Divine Love for the Cosmos. When you think about that, it’s pretty amazing!
Today is one of those days that I find myself drawn into the world where faith and praxis intersect with culture. I am committed to trying to shine the Light of God and Faith into the darker recesses of our humanity. Places where injustice and oppression find themselves attempting to grow in God’s Garden like weeds and thistles. (As an aside, I have been waging war on real thistles in my yard and garden. These intrusive weeds are ubiquitous to our area and are damned hard to kill. We have finally found a treatment for them. But, it requires cutting each individual plant and ‘painting’ the curative on the newly cut stem. Time consuming for sure. A pain in the back? Yep! But, it is effective. I’ve noticed a huge reduction in new sprouts. Maybe, just maybe, I can win this battle!) That image is really quite relevant to the growth of weeds in the church at large. And, White Evangelicalism in particular. Since the early 1980s when people like Jerry Falwell, Sr., Jim Dobson, Kenneth Copeland, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker, and others christened the so-called ‘Moral Majority’ and began to tout their brand of christianity there has been a decided shift in the winds of politics. White Evangelicalism seemed to be drawn inexorably into the maelstrom of power. Since so much of their dogma was relegated to the outbox of relevancy, they chose to fire weapons of faith at their newly created Culture Wars. In actuality, it wasn’t all that new. Religious powers had tried to enforce their particular brands of culture and morality on the world for pretty much Ever. In the 1980s, however, their reach, or overreach, hit the airways of mass communication. In a way that was good. It gave the wider world a chance to see the immoral power struggles that embraced religion in real time. It was also, however, a means to ‘rally the troops.’ These conservative religious people sounded the clarion call to alert everyone that the world was on fire with atheists and communists and all sorts of mean & hateful people who were going to eat babies and wreak havoc on Mom, apple pie, and the ‘murican way! Heaven have Mercy on us all!
What actually happened, though, was not a rescue mission to save the culture. It was not, in fact, even a religious call to repentance and faith. The primarily White, conservative, Evangelical church became the de facto religious wing of the Republican party. They traded their birthright, and absolutely abdicated any claim to the moral high ground, for a bowl of oatmeal.
The apostle Paul wrote, (you really didn’t think that I could resist bringing the Bible into this, did you?), a lot about how faith and culture should interact. One image that I found while studying Paul is that of a person paying for sex with a prostitute. Paul was NOT writing to people who weren’t part of the Church. He wrote specifically to those who claimed to follow Jesus. And, while he was writing about a person actually interacting with a prostitute, the image, I think, bears on what is happening in the world of White Evangelicalism. Paul wrote, “Don’t you know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh’” (1 Cor. 6, NRSV).
I want to be clear that I believe that conservative religious people, particularly White Evangelicals, have climbed into bed with conservative politics, especially the Republican Party, and have engaged in relationships that have made you One Flesh with them. How far can you fall before you reach the bottom?
I adjure you to consider the position that you are in. It’s precarious to say the least. God is NOT for or against any political party or position. God seeks the fruit of truth and justice. All other fruit is tasteless and rotten.
Earlier this summer we in the U.S. were witnesses to something that purported to be a “Movement.” Black Live Matter was written across our nation in ALL CAPS. Many of us who had lived through an earlier Movement during the Civil Rights struggle of the 60s as well as that of the Viet Nam war resistance viewed this new thing with, I think, a tinge of nostalgia. We were there. Our black and white, rabbit-eared televisions put us in the mix of the struggle. Of course, most of us were mere children at the time. But, even we could sense the electricity in the air and smell the ozone of the sparks it created. Many of those sparks erupted into full-blown conflagrations as Watts and Hough caught fire and burned. I will never forget watching the police in Chicago press the ‘Suppress At All Costs’ button out in the streets during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Nor, will I ever stop mourning four dead young people on the campus of Kent State University when Gov. James Rhodes allowed the Ohio National Guard to use lethal force against protesters.
Many changes came about during those moments in history. Voting rights were gained by the disenfranchised in America. A war in some far away jungle was fought on nightly television news. And, we saw the end of an era on April 4, 1968 when Martin Luther King, Jr. Was murdered.
I say an end of an era because in many ways it was. People in this nation had seen and experienced enough. Enough anger; enough hate; enough killing. It seems as though there’s only so much chaos that we humans can endure before we simply stop and close our eyes.
So, we convinced ourselves that we had all done a great job of addressing the many issues of the day. The good results we kept. The not so good we chalked up to ‘experience’ and walked away from.
In most places that process has a name.
Complacency.
That one word describes a sense that All Is Well. Or, at least it’s Not Terrible and we can live with it. It reveals a people who are tired and who have no desire to press the struggle to its actual terminus. “We’ve done pretty good! Well, at least pretty OK!” we say as we turn on the ball game and open a fresh bottle of Heineken’s.
Perhaps I’m just voicing my own cynicism. I’ve seen this process happen so many times. People mobilize and march and stage boycotts and the news carries this or that spokesperson for the “Cause du jour.” Then there are the rebuttals that must be shown. Equal opportunity and all that. Soon, the news cycle shifts to the high price of chicken because of some bacterial thing that made someone in B.F.E. puke.
Then, gone. Forgotten.
It seems that only when people break windows and burn cars and yell and scream and throw things…it’s only THEN that people pay attention. I read the NY Times for Sunday. There was a lot about the late John Lewis. As there rightly should be. He was a giant among Humanity. However, the causes that he fought for were conspicuously missing. Black Lives Matter? The only coverage was about the Federal Government’s illegal activity in Oregon. I haven’t seen a word about any marches or rallies on local media. In fact, the absence of coverage for PEACEFUL and NON-VIOLENT activity, the very things that Congressman Lewis gave his life for was deafening.
Seriously, folks. Do we need to burn the country down in order to secure some semblance of Justice for what the Bible names, “the least of these?” Will it take more deaths and disaster to finally show us that we are all Equal in God’s eyes? So, dammit! We should be equal in one another’s eyes as well? What will it take? We’ve been at this a long, long time and the same issues are still raising their Hydra Heads.
I don’t know. I hope that I will be able to see some life in our culture before mine ends. But, that hope hangs on a thread.
There is a myth that states that people only use about 10% of their mental resources. That idea has fueled many science fiction books and movies. I’m reminded of an old episode of the Outer Limits where David McCallum was the subject of an experiment. In the episode human evolution was sped up. He developed enhanced mental abilities. We all knew that because his head grew larger to accommodate the increased brain mass.
Even though the myth about brain usage persists, I think that many of us do have a piece of us that is woefully underutilized. And, I think that this deficiency is a tragedy.
Human Potential.
Yep. Simple.
Let me share a little of what I mean using myself as an example. Note: I’m not saying that everyone falls into this. But, it certainly is common.
I am what some folks would call a “Creative.” I guess that means that I have an artistic side that hangs over my belt, or something. One person I knew would refer to those like me as ‘sensitive musicians.’ He used that as a pejorative. In fact, people who aren’t artists or musicians or writers or whatever do tend to hold us up to some degree of ridicule. (Actually, I think they fear us. But, that’s another story.) Believe me, we are acutely aware of the criticisms aimed at us. For some reason we are especially susceptible to these critiques. So, many times when presented with the option of living inside of our imaginations where we build worlds and launch symphonies or keeping some sort of peace with normal people, we simply acquiesce and do nothing.
Lost potential.
There are other times when our minds are so full that our heads and hearts feel like they’re going to explode. But, so many times we’re just not allowed to open the tap and let the pressure out. Eventually, the effects of stuffing our creativity turns us into mannequins. We’re not much good for anything except gathering dust and hanging clothes on.
Again, potential…Poof!
In my case, I get to come home every night and plop my skinny butt into a chair and watch television. Now, that doesn’t sound like a terrible thing, right? I work all day and some think that it’s a nice thing to get home and chillax. You know, unwind after a long day and all of that stuff. The problem is that I really hate the television. It can pretty much turn into a mind-numbing activity that I’m pretty sure was invented by aliens to lull us into a comfortable stupor so that they could show up and take over the world. But, I take part in this daily exercise in futility for one reason. To keep the peace. Like so many other creatives, we don’t do well with conflict. I avoid it like the plague. But, at what cost? Well, there’s the obvious cost of my own piece of mind and happiness. There may be a larger cost that no one ever really considers.
The loss to societies and cultures.
What do you think the world would look like if Michelangelo had given into critics? “Sorry, Pope Julius, it’s not a good time for me. Too many demands on my time. After all, I have to watch the water in the river flow past. Nothing better than that.”
What would I do if given the chance? Write? Make music? Think? All of these? No, these things don’t look like they would produce a lot. Is the loss of these things worth the cost of keeping the peace?
I don’t know.
I guess we’ll never know. I have to watch the news now.
The song says that this is the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” I really want to believe that. But, it’s so bloody hard. It’s not hard because of all the chaos and turmoil that is churning around the globe. Politics and the economy effect people, for sure. And, unless you’re part of the 1%, the effect isn’t necessarily good. Then there are the wars and famines and stuff. Those things are never good Families break up, (or, are broken up by the aforementioned war and stuff). The news carries stories of robbery, rape, murder, fires, floods, etc. that destroy people and all of their hopes and dreams. No, these aren’t the things that make this time of the year a tad less than “Wonderful.” I think that there’s a presumption out there that because of an event 2,000 years ago we are somehow special. We are made in the image and likeness of some Creator God that has chosen us to stand on the necks of others. The perceptions that we, at least in the West, have of ourselves is that we are ‘exceptional.’ But, are we…really? There’s another story that’s told this time of year. One that may truly be exceptional. A story that was told a very long time ago. A story that should show us what it means to be human in this world. This story talks about vulnerability and danger. There is action and escape. More importantly, though, I think that the story reveals God’s heart in a way that all of the “Thou Shalt Not” commands can never possibly show. So, let’s take a look, shall we? “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up form the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby , who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Take a few minutes. Read it again. Chew on it. Where are all of the ‘exceptional’ people? You know, the ones with money, prestige, and power. Where are the governments who wage war on other nations? And, their own people. Where is Wall Street, Madison Ave., and all of the other centers of economic power? I don’t see them. Do you? I only see a family in a backwater town in an occupied country trying to get by. So, how is it that so many of us simply don’t get it? We go about life day by day without a care or a clue. “We’re special!” we tell ourselves. Are we? No, I think not. That family in the story was special. As are all of the other families just like them throughout the world. This is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?
