Not sure whether to own up to this or not, but we had an e-discussion amongst the church staff about the words 'ox and ass' in the carol What Child Is This. We wondered if we should change them, given that 'ass' doesn't communicate 'donkey' to anyone under the age of 10. To most younger children, 'ass' is a 'bad word,' one they get in trouble for saying in school, no matter how vehemently they insist they meant 'donkey'.
As a parent of a 6-year-old, I was all for changing it: "ox and lamb" was the perfectly good variation proposed by our director of music. After a few emails though, we finally decided, on this carol at least, to use the words as they are in our denominational hymnal. We changed other words in other songs during the services, but "ass" remained.
I'm glad. As I sung it, I got to thinking about oxen: big, hard to steer, able to throw their weight around. And asses - stubborn, not-so-bright, sturdy but not beautiful. I'm glad the oxen and asses were there with Christ when he was born. Maybe William Dix, who wrote the words back in 1865, knew exactly what he meant. I figure he was probably acquainted with both kinds of ox and ass (the animals AND the people), and might very well have intended both meanings.
If there were oxen and asses there with Jesus (we don't know it for sure, but it's not a big leap to think so), there might be room for me too. Even in my oxish and ass-like moments.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
My family loves to watch 'Survivorman' and 'Man vs. Wild' on Discovery. Each Friday evening, we get pizza and gather around to watch what these two guys do as they survive in various parts of the globe. I've learned some interesting things. 1. If you're lost, get shelter, water, fire and food - in various orders depending on where you are surviving. 2. Go slow. 3. Keep working toward survival, because work itself gives you hope. I also learned to cook grasshoppers before you eat them, because they can carry tapeworms, and that brightly-colored insects will usually make you sick.
The big lesson, though, was one my mom taught me and the survivalists only confirmed: after you cut the head off (a chicken, an insect, a snake...) the rest of the body will continue to move around for awhile.
I don't want the Church to succumb to that fate. We can move for a long time without connection to Christ, our head. But our movements are the movements of a dying creature, futile and leading nowhere. Our primary goal as the Church is to be connected to Christ through prayer, worship, holy communion, Scripture study and discussion, fasting, giving alms... These are the tasks we focus on as we live on earth. Everything else flows from them. We can't change ourselves - to center our lives on changing ourselves or others leads only to futility and frustration.
When we stay connected to Christ, our head, when we abide in the true Vine, then blessings flow, life flows through us into the world. We are transformed in the process, and so is everyone and everything we touch.
I'm glad I know how to boil water in a plastic bottle, how to build a fire, how to make a simple shelter in this good creation of God's. I'm more convicted to turn off the TV, and this computer, and spend some time with the Source of Life.
The big lesson, though, was one my mom taught me and the survivalists only confirmed: after you cut the head off (a chicken, an insect, a snake...) the rest of the body will continue to move around for awhile.
I don't want the Church to succumb to that fate. We can move for a long time without connection to Christ, our head. But our movements are the movements of a dying creature, futile and leading nowhere. Our primary goal as the Church is to be connected to Christ through prayer, worship, holy communion, Scripture study and discussion, fasting, giving alms... These are the tasks we focus on as we live on earth. Everything else flows from them. We can't change ourselves - to center our lives on changing ourselves or others leads only to futility and frustration.
When we stay connected to Christ, our head, when we abide in the true Vine, then blessings flow, life flows through us into the world. We are transformed in the process, and so is everyone and everything we touch.
I'm glad I know how to boil water in a plastic bottle, how to build a fire, how to make a simple shelter in this good creation of God's. I'm more convicted to turn off the TV, and this computer, and spend some time with the Source of Life.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Magnificat mullings
Do you think Mary really meant it when she said God would send the rich away empty?
Do you think that would make her happy?
Do the rich need to be sent away empty? Is it good for them?
Or is the Magnificat just the song of a poor girl, shaped by poverty to think that all the problems of their world would be righted if only the rich would get their comeuppance?
Do you think she really hoped that princes would be toppled from their thrones? Did she have any idea of the political upheaval that would cause?
Would the world be better if the poor were suddenly to become rich, or the powerless would suddenly have power?
I don't think so. It would just be the same thing all over again. Power corrupts, and all that.
Maybe Mary's vision is bigger than she is. Maybe the Kingdom is when God comes near to everyone, regardless of their station. Maybe being in God's presence shows the haves what they have not, and the have nots what they have. Maybe having been sent away empty would cause the rich to turn to God. Maybe having their bellies filled will enable the hungry to know God.
I wonder. I wonder what she saw when she sang, and what she hoped for. I wonder how she hoped we would live, we who still call her blessed, generations later.
Do you think that would make her happy?
Do the rich need to be sent away empty? Is it good for them?
Or is the Magnificat just the song of a poor girl, shaped by poverty to think that all the problems of their world would be righted if only the rich would get their comeuppance?
Do you think she really hoped that princes would be toppled from their thrones? Did she have any idea of the political upheaval that would cause?
Would the world be better if the poor were suddenly to become rich, or the powerless would suddenly have power?
I don't think so. It would just be the same thing all over again. Power corrupts, and all that.
Maybe Mary's vision is bigger than she is. Maybe the Kingdom is when God comes near to everyone, regardless of their station. Maybe being in God's presence shows the haves what they have not, and the have nots what they have. Maybe having been sent away empty would cause the rich to turn to God. Maybe having their bellies filled will enable the hungry to know God.
I wonder. I wonder what she saw when she sang, and what she hoped for. I wonder how she hoped we would live, we who still call her blessed, generations later.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
What I want for Christmas
Everyone asks me what I want for Christmas. After some thought, I've determined that I want less stuff, but more time. I want less waste, and more beauty. I want less surface, and more depth. I want joy for those I love, and the privilege of being in their lives. I want more Jesus, and less me.
None of this can be wrapped and put under a tree. All of it will require a certain amount of letting go.
What do you want for Christmas?
None of this can be wrapped and put under a tree. All of it will require a certain amount of letting go.
What do you want for Christmas?
Monday, December 1, 2008
rain in the desert
Every time we go to Arizona it rains. No kidding. We are considering a proposal to the Arizona government - they pay our airfare, and we will come out anytime they need relief from drought.
Of course, it might not be us. The rain in Arizona might happen when we are there because we usually go in their winter (such as it is there).
In Arizona, they bless the rain. Cloudy days are a rare treat to be savored. They build fires, snuggle up on the couch with a book and a blanket, and even forego golf (while all the tourists are out in their tank tops and shorts). Or, like one valet we met, they dance in the rain, enjoying every drop of what they know will disappear all too soon.
I'm pretty sure the rain wasn't our fault (or our gift, for that matter). Hopefully I will remember not to take the snow, or the many other inconviences of winter, so personally. Life happens. I hope I can snuggle or read or dance. I hope you can, too.
Of course, it might not be us. The rain in Arizona might happen when we are there because we usually go in their winter (such as it is there).
In Arizona, they bless the rain. Cloudy days are a rare treat to be savored. They build fires, snuggle up on the couch with a book and a blanket, and even forego golf (while all the tourists are out in their tank tops and shorts). Or, like one valet we met, they dance in the rain, enjoying every drop of what they know will disappear all too soon.
I'm pretty sure the rain wasn't our fault (or our gift, for that matter). Hopefully I will remember not to take the snow, or the many other inconviences of winter, so personally. Life happens. I hope I can snuggle or read or dance. I hope you can, too.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Roundabout Way
Exodus 13: 17-18a When Pharoah let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people by the roundabout way…
In geometry, math students learn that the shortest path from point A to point B is a straight line. As a task-oriented individual, I am prone to view life that way. Efficient and concise, the straight line is very appealing. Shouldn’t life follow a similar line? It works in geometry!
Our geometry doesn’t always work for God. Much to my dismay, the best path is not always the most efficient. Like the children of Israel, there are reasons God leads me along ‘the roundabout way.’ There are lessons to be learned, character to be built, a life to be developed in the wilderness.
And, like the Israelites, there are worse things to be spared, sometimes, by the roundabout way. God doesn’t see fit to answer to me. Often I have no idea why I am taken through an experience. Wilderness feels, well, wild and uncontrolled, not logical and not efficient. Yet if I am honest, it is those wilderness times that draw me closer to him. I let go of the mindsets and ways of being that enslaved me. I learn to trust God for more and more of my life.
Because God leads me, the roundabout way is not so desolate as it might have been. When the time there is done, I am more prepared for what comes next than I would have been otherwise. The roundabout way is not NO way, it is the way where God leads. God has blessed the roundabout way with his presence, and I am learning to be grateful for the inefficiency of the path.
In geometry, math students learn that the shortest path from point A to point B is a straight line. As a task-oriented individual, I am prone to view life that way. Efficient and concise, the straight line is very appealing. Shouldn’t life follow a similar line? It works in geometry!
Our geometry doesn’t always work for God. Much to my dismay, the best path is not always the most efficient. Like the children of Israel, there are reasons God leads me along ‘the roundabout way.’ There are lessons to be learned, character to be built, a life to be developed in the wilderness.
And, like the Israelites, there are worse things to be spared, sometimes, by the roundabout way. God doesn’t see fit to answer to me. Often I have no idea why I am taken through an experience. Wilderness feels, well, wild and uncontrolled, not logical and not efficient. Yet if I am honest, it is those wilderness times that draw me closer to him. I let go of the mindsets and ways of being that enslaved me. I learn to trust God for more and more of my life.
Because God leads me, the roundabout way is not so desolate as it might have been. When the time there is done, I am more prepared for what comes next than I would have been otherwise. The roundabout way is not NO way, it is the way where God leads. God has blessed the roundabout way with his presence, and I am learning to be grateful for the inefficiency of the path.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Sacrament of the Barbecue Sauce
Sometimes the greatest gift we give others is remembering.
Last year in a Stewardship meeting, we were planning our annual hog roast. Mike Miles, an amazing cook, commented that we'd use Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce because everyone liked it. In a probably overly-opinionated way, I said, "Everyone but me. I prefer the eastern North Carolina-style sauce." Vinegary, peppery, not so sweet. Having spent time at Duke, and having sampled many types of sauce in my stay there, I was quite adamant. Mike revised his statement with a chuckle.
This year, I didn't have much to do with planning the hog roast. Mike and his small group spent hours creating the side dishes from scratch, planning and preparing and serving. They sacrificed time and energy to bless their entire church family. When I slipped in the kitchen to thank them, I was told that Mike had made a special sauce, just for me: eastern North Carolina-style, with his own signature tweaking. In all his doing for the whole church, he had done this one thing for me alone.
A year and a half later, Mike remembered our conversation. He recalled what I liked, and he did something about it. How incredibly kind! I felt so honored and humbled by that gesture. He couldn't have blessed me more if his gift had cost a mint of money. Mike remembered, and he acted, and his action showed his care. What's more, in a way I can't explain, that barbecue sauce was more than delicious (which it certainly was). It was a means of grace, a way that God communicated his infinite love and care for me, personally.
Sometimes, all it takes to bring life and joy and blessing to someone else is to remember and act. We think about doing big things for the glory of God, when often what communicates God the best is something rather simple. Mother Teresa said it: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." I would simply add that small things done with love are indeed great things in the Kingdom of God.
Last year in a Stewardship meeting, we were planning our annual hog roast. Mike Miles, an amazing cook, commented that we'd use Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce because everyone liked it. In a probably overly-opinionated way, I said, "Everyone but me. I prefer the eastern North Carolina-style sauce." Vinegary, peppery, not so sweet. Having spent time at Duke, and having sampled many types of sauce in my stay there, I was quite adamant. Mike revised his statement with a chuckle.
This year, I didn't have much to do with planning the hog roast. Mike and his small group spent hours creating the side dishes from scratch, planning and preparing and serving. They sacrificed time and energy to bless their entire church family. When I slipped in the kitchen to thank them, I was told that Mike had made a special sauce, just for me: eastern North Carolina-style, with his own signature tweaking. In all his doing for the whole church, he had done this one thing for me alone.
A year and a half later, Mike remembered our conversation. He recalled what I liked, and he did something about it. How incredibly kind! I felt so honored and humbled by that gesture. He couldn't have blessed me more if his gift had cost a mint of money. Mike remembered, and he acted, and his action showed his care. What's more, in a way I can't explain, that barbecue sauce was more than delicious (which it certainly was). It was a means of grace, a way that God communicated his infinite love and care for me, personally.
Sometimes, all it takes to bring life and joy and blessing to someone else is to remember and act. We think about doing big things for the glory of God, when often what communicates God the best is something rather simple. Mother Teresa said it: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." I would simply add that small things done with love are indeed great things in the Kingdom of God.
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