Day 9 - Christmas Season Devotionals
January 3
Galatians 5:13-26
“On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Nine Ladies Dancing.”
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22) are represented by the nine ladies dancing.
This icon is Rublev's famous painting of the Trinity. You will notice that they are seated around a round table, each figure has the same face but is wearing different garments. The Trinity has been referred to as a “divine dance” where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit interact with one another in a variety of movements and interactions that are interdependent. Our lives with Christ can be much like a dance, where the partners interact with one another. Usually one is the leader but they dance together as one unit. Dancing can be so light and beautiful but it requires care and harmony to succeed. My favorite dancing is ice dancing. I just love watching gifted skaters as they whirl and glide across the ice, the partners in effect being one.
The Fruit of the Spirit interacts with us as it dances and whirls from the depths of our being. The Fruit of the Spirit issues forth as the evidence of a spirit filled life. A tree that is healthy produces fruit that is good to eat. Likewise, lives that are lived under the authority and control of the Holy Spirit produce fruit that is attractive. My grandfather was a gentle, kind man. He always had a kind word for everyone, a helping hand when needed, and a dollar or two if someone was totally down and out. His life radiated the life of the Spirit that filled his every fiber. I remember him opening that big old Bible and reading it every day, I remember also, the prayers that he prayed. They were simple and yet profound. He talked to God as if he was sitting across the breakfast table and they were two old friends sharing a meal and their stories. Because of this his life produced fruit and impacted us in more ways than we can comprehend.
We are commanded to seek after and pray for the gifts of the spirit, but we are not to seek the fruit of the Spirit—we are told to seek the Spirit. My prayer for this year is that I would more and more submit my life to the control of the Holy Spirit. My hope is that in doing so others will see the fruit of the Spirit in my life and that they will see evidence of the divine dance of grace within me.
Action Point: In what ways do you see these nine ladies dancing in the lives of your friends and family? How is this dance evidenced in your life? What areas do you need to surrender to the Spirit to make room for the fruit to grow?
Galatians 5:13-26
“On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Nine Ladies Dancing.”
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22) are represented by the nine ladies dancing.
This icon is Rublev's famous painting of the Trinity. You will notice that they are seated around a round table, each figure has the same face but is wearing different garments. The Trinity has been referred to as a “divine dance” where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit interact with one another in a variety of movements and interactions that are interdependent. Our lives with Christ can be much like a dance, where the partners interact with one another. Usually one is the leader but they dance together as one unit. Dancing can be so light and beautiful but it requires care and harmony to succeed. My favorite dancing is ice dancing. I just love watching gifted skaters as they whirl and glide across the ice, the partners in effect being one. The Fruit of the Spirit interacts with us as it dances and whirls from the depths of our being. The Fruit of the Spirit issues forth as the evidence of a spirit filled life. A tree that is healthy produces fruit that is good to eat. Likewise, lives that are lived under the authority and control of the Holy Spirit produce fruit that is attractive. My grandfather was a gentle, kind man. He always had a kind word for everyone, a helping hand when needed, and a dollar or two if someone was totally down and out. His life radiated the life of the Spirit that filled his every fiber. I remember him opening that big old Bible and reading it every day, I remember also, the prayers that he prayed. They were simple and yet profound. He talked to God as if he was sitting across the breakfast table and they were two old friends sharing a meal and their stories. Because of this his life produced fruit and impacted us in more ways than we can comprehend.
We are commanded to seek after and pray for the gifts of the spirit, but we are not to seek the fruit of the Spirit—we are told to seek the Spirit. My prayer for this year is that I would more and more submit my life to the control of the Holy Spirit. My hope is that in doing so others will see the fruit of the Spirit in my life and that they will see evidence of the divine dance of grace within me.
Action Point: In what ways do you see these nine ladies dancing in the lives of your friends and family? How is this dance evidenced in your life? What areas do you need to surrender to the Spirit to make room for the fruit to grow?
Day 8 - Christmas Season Devotionals
January 2
Matthew 5:3-10
“On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Eight Maids A-milking.”
It's a brand new year! And with each new year comes new plans, new goals, new resolutions. The new year inspires us to assess our lives and determine areas where we desire to change. In this self-evaluation we discover areas of weakness that we determine to address. So, we break out the weights, we try on a new diet, we resolve to get more exercise, read more books and watch less television. For a while we are full of energy and vitality ready to meet all of our new goals. However, far too quickly we get bored and soon we are right back to where we were the previous year. Lasting change doesn’t materialize for a number of reasons: pace of life, lack of discipline, lack of support, etc. Our walk with Christ is not about resolutions to try harder, but it is about character.
The eight maids represent the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount: “blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, and blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.”
The Beatitudes inspire us to reflect God-like qualities that sustain us and enable us to live as followers of the Great King. This requires for some of us, change. Real change that makes a difference however, comes only when an individual becomes dependent upon the help of the Holy Spirit, submits to the loving guidance and support of a caring community, and covenants to intensify their walk with God. Different from the “gifts of the spirit” the character qualities that make up the Beatitudes are by-products of lives of daily submission and encounter with God. They come as a result of a disciplined life, committed to follow the way of Christ.
Action Point: Make your New Year's resolutions and goals but determine that you cannot do this alone. You must submit yourselves to the help of both God and community as you develop these qualities of character.
Matthew 5:3-10
“On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Eight Maids A-milking.”
It's a brand new year! And with each new year comes new plans, new goals, new resolutions. The new year inspires us to assess our lives and determine areas where we desire to change. In this self-evaluation we discover areas of weakness that we determine to address. So, we break out the weights, we try on a new diet, we resolve to get more exercise, read more books and watch less television. For a while we are full of energy and vitality ready to meet all of our new goals. However, far too quickly we get bored and soon we are right back to where we were the previous year. Lasting change doesn’t materialize for a number of reasons: pace of life, lack of discipline, lack of support, etc. Our walk with Christ is not about resolutions to try harder, but it is about character.
The eight maids represent the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount: “blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, and blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.”
The Beatitudes inspire us to reflect God-like qualities that sustain us and enable us to live as followers of the Great King. This requires for some of us, change. Real change that makes a difference however, comes only when an individual becomes dependent upon the help of the Holy Spirit, submits to the loving guidance and support of a caring community, and covenants to intensify their walk with God. Different from the “gifts of the spirit” the character qualities that make up the Beatitudes are by-products of lives of daily submission and encounter with God. They come as a result of a disciplined life, committed to follow the way of Christ.
Action Point: Make your New Year's resolutions and goals but determine that you cannot do this alone. You must submit yourselves to the help of both God and community as you develop these qualities of character.
Day 7 - The Christmas Season Devotionals
January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
Romans 12:1-8
“On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Seven Swans A-swimming.”
The "seven swans a-swimming" represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, and mercy/compassion (Romans 12:6-8). God's desire is to bring all things in creation, under the lordship of Christ (Ephesians 1). He gave us gifts that would enable us to work together as one body, His body (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). These gifts were given to the people of God to enhance their relationships with one another, in order to grow and be built up to do the work of God, (Ephesians 4:1-16). We as his children, are to be proactive in the use of these gifts. We are to exercise them and use them so as to participate in the vision and plan God has for the world, and to unite us together in order to stand strong in the midst of the temptations and evil that surround us.
The metaphor that surrounds the Swans is that of a swimmer. Swimmers are gifted athletes, disciplined in the pursuit of their sport. We who are the body of Christ, are to be active and disciplined in the pursuit of God’s will, love and grace. Like trained swimmers we are to be "in the pool, about our Father’s business."
Action Point: How are you using your gifts as individuals…as a community? What gifts do you see present in your faith community?
Happy New Year!
Romans 12:1-8
“On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Seven Swans A-swimming.”
The "seven swans a-swimming" represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, and mercy/compassion (Romans 12:6-8). God's desire is to bring all things in creation, under the lordship of Christ (Ephesians 1). He gave us gifts that would enable us to work together as one body, His body (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). These gifts were given to the people of God to enhance their relationships with one another, in order to grow and be built up to do the work of God, (Ephesians 4:1-16). We as his children, are to be proactive in the use of these gifts. We are to exercise them and use them so as to participate in the vision and plan God has for the world, and to unite us together in order to stand strong in the midst of the temptations and evil that surround us.
The metaphor that surrounds the Swans is that of a swimmer. Swimmers are gifted athletes, disciplined in the pursuit of their sport. We who are the body of Christ, are to be active and disciplined in the pursuit of God’s will, love and grace. Like trained swimmers we are to be "in the pool, about our Father’s business."
Action Point: How are you using your gifts as individuals…as a community? What gifts do you see present in your faith community?
Day 6 - The Christmas Season Devotionals
December 31
Genesis 1
“On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Six Geese A-laying.”
The image of six geese a-laying reminds us of the six days of creation. Genesis 1 & 2 is an early hymn of confession of God as Creator and Sustainer of the world. Often forgotten in the consumption mentality of our age is the command God gave to Adam to cultivate and care for the world. The world was given to humans as a gift of the creator. As part of the catechism of faith this reminder of our role as caretaker of God’s creation is important because of its link with the creator himself.
Action Point: During this Christmas season what promises do you wish to make to enhance your relationship to God’s creation. Discuss what it means for humans to husband or care for God’s creation.
Genesis 1
“On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Six Geese A-laying.”
The image of six geese a-laying reminds us of the six days of creation. Genesis 1 & 2 is an early hymn of confession of God as Creator and Sustainer of the world. Often forgotten in the consumption mentality of our age is the command God gave to Adam to cultivate and care for the world. The world was given to humans as a gift of the creator. As part of the catechism of faith this reminder of our role as caretaker of God’s creation is important because of its link with the creator himself.
Action Point: During this Christmas season what promises do you wish to make to enhance your relationship to God’s creation. Discuss what it means for humans to husband or care for God’s creation.
Day 5 - The Christmas Season Devotionals
December 30
Luke 2:21-40
“On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Five Gold Rings.”
What a gift! Five gold rings would provide a ring for each finger. When Abraham’s servant, Eleazer went to Haren in search of a wife for Isaac he met Rebeccah. After she had completed his special test he gave her a gold nose ring and two golden bracelets. This represented a wonderful gift. Likewise these rings in the song, represent a wonderful gift. Some legends believe the five gold rings of the song refer to the first five books of the Bible.
If we did not have these first books of the Old Testament we would not have the complete story of God’s love. Our “true love” gave to us the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy make up the books known as the Pentateuch or Torah. They tell us of the history of God’s loving creation, humanity's sinful failure, and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world. The foundation of all that we believe as Christians finds its roots in the story of the children of Abraham. These books tell God's story and our story from creation to covenant, from the Fall into sin, to the promise of a redeemer and from deliverance to establishment as a people. In them we view God’s loving interaction with his creation. These truly are precious golden documents that tell us who God is and who we are.
Action Point: Find a way to communicate the extreme value of God’s over arching story. What does it mean for us to be part of a community that has been called by God to communicate his story? What kinds of things ought we to do as part of his called out ones?
Luke 2:21-40
“On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Five Gold Rings.”
What a gift! Five gold rings would provide a ring for each finger. When Abraham’s servant, Eleazer went to Haren in search of a wife for Isaac he met Rebeccah. After she had completed his special test he gave her a gold nose ring and two golden bracelets. This represented a wonderful gift. Likewise these rings in the song, represent a wonderful gift. Some legends believe the five gold rings of the song refer to the first five books of the Bible.
If we did not have these first books of the Old Testament we would not have the complete story of God’s love. Our “true love” gave to us the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy make up the books known as the Pentateuch or Torah. They tell us of the history of God’s loving creation, humanity's sinful failure, and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world. The foundation of all that we believe as Christians finds its roots in the story of the children of Abraham. These books tell God's story and our story from creation to covenant, from the Fall into sin, to the promise of a redeemer and from deliverance to establishment as a people. In them we view God’s loving interaction with his creation. These truly are precious golden documents that tell us who God is and who we are.
Action Point: Find a way to communicate the extreme value of God’s over arching story. What does it mean for us to be part of a community that has been called by God to communicate his story? What kinds of things ought we to do as part of his called out ones?
Day 4 - The Christmas Season Devotionals
December 29
“On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Four Calling Birds.”
Romans 1:1-6
Image from www.fashion-era.com
I remember as a child hearing birds as they chattered and whistled in the treetops. I particularly remember the Jays and the Crows who seemed to call and respond to each other. I am uncertain as to what they were saying but I can imagine that it had something to do with where to find food, or a warning such as—“watch out there is an intruder,” etc.
The four calling birds of the song refer to the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ. They tell the story of our “true loves’” plan of redemption. They tell an unlikely story—a virgin gives birth to a child that becomes the hope of the world. This child of hope, this savior of the world was not born in a palace nor did he live a life of comfort and luxury, but rather he lived among those who were the neediest of all. The gospels are a call to remember, “God so loved the world that he gave…”
Action Point: How are you proclaiming this good news? What kinds of things can you do in the upcoming year to herald the story of our “true love?”
“On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Four Calling Birds.”
Romans 1:1-6
Image from www.fashion-era.com
I remember as a child hearing birds as they chattered and whistled in the treetops. I particularly remember the Jays and the Crows who seemed to call and respond to each other. I am uncertain as to what they were saying but I can imagine that it had something to do with where to find food, or a warning such as—“watch out there is an intruder,” etc.
The four calling birds of the song refer to the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ. They tell the story of our “true loves’” plan of redemption. They tell an unlikely story—a virgin gives birth to a child that becomes the hope of the world. This child of hope, this savior of the world was not born in a palace nor did he live a life of comfort and luxury, but rather he lived among those who were the neediest of all. The gospels are a call to remember, “God so loved the world that he gave…”
Action Point: How are you proclaiming this good news? What kinds of things can you do in the upcoming year to herald the story of our “true love?”
Day 3 - The Christmas Season Devotionals
John 3:1-21
December 28
1 Corinthians 13
“On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Three French Hens.”
Do you ever wonder what in the world a French hen is? I certainly have. Well, I have learned that it is a small savory fowl much like the Cornish Game Hen of which we are more familiar. It was a delicacy of the wealthy and was considered a wonderfully exquisite gift.
Paul in his letter to the Church in Corinth reminds them of three theological virtues that are special gifts from our “true love.” They are: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith is the framework of all that we believe, hope is that which inspires and encourages, and love is the foundation upon which we build all of our relationships. If one is to grow into the disciple that Jesus has commanded these three virtues, must provide the pattern for living.
Action Point: Talk about the role of each of these gifts. How do we evidence the virtues of faith, hope and love in the hectic, busy, frantic world in which we live? In what ways can you determine to live out these virtues tomorrow and in the days to follow?
December 28
1 Corinthians 13
“On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Three French Hens.”
Do you ever wonder what in the world a French hen is? I certainly have. Well, I have learned that it is a small savory fowl much like the Cornish Game Hen of which we are more familiar. It was a delicacy of the wealthy and was considered a wonderfully exquisite gift.
Paul in his letter to the Church in Corinth reminds them of three theological virtues that are special gifts from our “true love.” They are: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith is the framework of all that we believe, hope is that which inspires and encourages, and love is the foundation upon which we build all of our relationships. If one is to grow into the disciple that Jesus has commanded these three virtues, must provide the pattern for living.
Action Point: Talk about the role of each of these gifts. How do we evidence the virtues of faith, hope and love in the hectic, busy, frantic world in which we live? In what ways can you determine to live out these virtues tomorrow and in the days to follow?
Day 2 - The Christmas Season Devotionals
December 27
Scripture Reading: John 3:1-21
The song continues with, “On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Two Turtledoves.”
Doves are beautiful birds. The cooing of doves is soothing and calming. White doves have for centuries represented, peace. The two turtledoves mentioned in the song, represent the Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the story of God to the world. Each of the biblical divisions has its place in revealing much about God and his human creation. We see from the opening pages of Genesis, right through the last word of The Revelation of John God's gracious love and desire for relationship.
God, our “true love,” not only gave to us his son but he provided through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit a record, a word that would be for all generations a guide to faith and practice. These ancient documents delivered through priests, prophets, and apostles provide words of comfort, instruction, exhortation, confrontation, and conviction, all intended to lead us to the Prince of Peace.
Action Point: Reflect upon the importance and value of both testaments in your life. What role have they played even this week as you continue the adventure of your life in Christ?
Day 1 - Christmas Season Devotionals
Christmas Night, December 25 - December 26
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14
The first verse of this well known Christmas song is: “On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a Partridge in a Pear Tree.”
A partridge in a pear tree seems a very interesting image. Partridges are primarily a grounded fowl, related to quail, chukar, and pheasant. Driving down the rural roads of Idaho, one is likely to encounter a covey of quail—a mother followed by several tiny ones. She takes every opportunity to protect those little ones by either running or gathering them to her side. Besides quail one may also view the beauty of a pheasant in flight or glimpse the wiley chukar.
This image of a partridge may draw our thoughts to the passage where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem and desires to care for her like a mother hen wishes to gather her chicks under her wings. This is the epitome of love—self-sacrifice and caring nurture. The image of a partridge in a pear tree is one of Jesus on the cross as the ultimate redeemer and sacrifice for sin. "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." You, I, and our neighbors, are His purpose. We always have been. We always will be. He came as the suffering lamb of God. The angel's pronouncement had been, " . . . and He SHALL save His people from their sins . . ." Isaiah proclaimed him “wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace,” John in the fourth gospel, reminds us that “God so loved the world that he gave us his only son…”
I have seldom seen quail, pheasant, chukar, or partridges in trees, therefore it is interesting to think about them there. The image draws our thinking to the idea of provision. Pears are nourishing and nutritious. When Jesus died on that “tree” he became the provision and sustainer of our lives.
Action Point: When you think of the image of a "partridge in a pear tree," or Christ on the cross, are their metaphors that come to your mind? What theological truth do you think you could communicate related to this image? How do we participate in the “saving role” of the great King?
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14
The first verse of this well known Christmas song is: “On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a Partridge in a Pear Tree.”
A partridge in a pear tree seems a very interesting image. Partridges are primarily a grounded fowl, related to quail, chukar, and pheasant. Driving down the rural roads of Idaho, one is likely to encounter a covey of quail—a mother followed by several tiny ones. She takes every opportunity to protect those little ones by either running or gathering them to her side. Besides quail one may also view the beauty of a pheasant in flight or glimpse the wiley chukar.
This image of a partridge may draw our thoughts to the passage where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem and desires to care for her like a mother hen wishes to gather her chicks under her wings. This is the epitome of love—self-sacrifice and caring nurture. The image of a partridge in a pear tree is one of Jesus on the cross as the ultimate redeemer and sacrifice for sin. "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." You, I, and our neighbors, are His purpose. We always have been. We always will be. He came as the suffering lamb of God. The angel's pronouncement had been, " . . . and He SHALL save His people from their sins . . ." Isaiah proclaimed him “wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace,” John in the fourth gospel, reminds us that “God so loved the world that he gave us his only son…”
I have seldom seen quail, pheasant, chukar, or partridges in trees, therefore it is interesting to think about them there. The image draws our thinking to the idea of provision. Pears are nourishing and nutritious. When Jesus died on that “tree” he became the provision and sustainer of our lives.
Action Point: When you think of the image of a "partridge in a pear tree," or Christ on the cross, are their metaphors that come to your mind? What theological truth do you think you could communicate related to this image? How do we participate in the “saving role” of the great King?
The Christmas Season
The Christmas Season
A Devotional Guide
Dr. Gary Waller
The celebration of Christmas begins with the celebration of Advent, which is the time of preparation for the coming of the Christ child. But, the time known as "The Christmas Season", in the church calendar, begins with Christmas day and continues for the following twelve days. In the Western Church Calendar the “Twelve Days of Christmas” are the twelve days between Christmas Day and the beginning of the season of Epiphany that begins on January 6th. The 12 days count from Christmas Night and December 26th until January 6th, Epiphany.
The origin of the Twelve Days is complicated. In the Western church, Epiphany is traditionally celebrated as the time the three Wise Men or Magi arrived to present gifts to the young Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12). In some cultures, especially Hispanic and Latin American cultures, January 6th is observed as “Three Kings Day”, or simply the “Day of the Kings”. Even though December 25th is celebrated as Christmas in these cultures, January 6th is often the day for giving gifts. In some places it is traditional to give Christmas gifts for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Since Eastern Orthodox traditions use a different religious calendar, they celebrate Christmas on January 7th and observe Epiphany or Theophany on January 19th.
January 5th is called “The Twelfth Night”, it is the last day of the Christmas Season before the celebration of Epiphany (January 6th) begins. “The Twelfth Night” often included feasting along with the removal of Christmas decorations. French and English celebrations of Twelfth Night included a King's Cake in honor of the visit of the Three Magi.
The Season of Christmas—the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, give opportunity for families and the church to continue the celebration of Christmas. It also provides an opportunity to explore the great themes of salvation, discipleship, and theology. One way this has been propagated is through the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
The song has enjoyed great popularity in modern times. Many people believe that the song is about the 12 days preceding Christmas and see it as a humorous song. There have been a variety of “take-offs.” Jeff Foxworthy’s composition “A Redneck 12 Days of Christmas,” and other such renditions provide humor but little understanding of the reason for the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas.
The song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, is often seen as simply a nonsense song for children. However, there is a legend that suggests it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, containing hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith. The legend asserts that the song was a mnemonic device to teach catechism to youngsters in a way that was memorable and yet secretive. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but rather, refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.
Many have questioned the historical accuracy of this interpretation of the origin of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Some, in the name of historical accuracy, have simply debunked it as an "urban myth.” There is little "hard" evidence available either way. Some church historians affirm this account as basically accurate, while others point out apparent historical discrepancies. The "evidence" on both sides is mostly rational, using logical deduction and probabilities. One internet site devoted to debunking hoaxes and legends says that, "there is no substantive evidence to demonstrate that the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was created or used as a secret means of preserving tenets of the Catholic faith, or that this claim is anything but a fanciful modern day speculation..." (Snopes) What is omitted is that there is no "substantive evidence" that will disprove it either.
It is certainly possible that this view of the song is legendary or anecdotal. Without corroboration and in the absence of "substantive evidence," one probably should not take rigid positions on either side. That would violate the spirit of Christmas that the song is seeking to encourage. For the sake of historical accuracy, we need to acknowledge this uncertainty.
However, on another level, this uncertainty should not prevent us from using the song in celebration of the Christmas season. Many of the symbols of Christianity were not originally religious, including even the present date of Christmas, but were appropriated from contemporary culture by the Christian Faith as vehicles of worship and proclamation. Perhaps, when all is said and done, historical accuracy is not really the point. Perhaps more importantly is that Christians can celebrate their rich heritage, and God's grace, through one more avenue. Hopefully hearing the song will remind hearers in one more way of the grace of God working in transforming ways in their lives and in the world. After all, is that not the meaning of Christmas? The following devotions use the song and its legend as inspiration for daily family worship.
I hope that the daily devotions will be an opportunity for you and your family to continue to celebrate the meaning of this time of year where we remember how much God loved us. "For God so loved the World that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life." (John 3:16)
A Devotional Guide
Dr. Gary Waller
The celebration of Christmas begins with the celebration of Advent, which is the time of preparation for the coming of the Christ child. But, the time known as "The Christmas Season", in the church calendar, begins with Christmas day and continues for the following twelve days. In the Western Church Calendar the “Twelve Days of Christmas” are the twelve days between Christmas Day and the beginning of the season of Epiphany that begins on January 6th. The 12 days count from Christmas Night and December 26th until January 6th, Epiphany.
The origin of the Twelve Days is complicated. In the Western church, Epiphany is traditionally celebrated as the time the three Wise Men or Magi arrived to present gifts to the young Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12). In some cultures, especially Hispanic and Latin American cultures, January 6th is observed as “Three Kings Day”, or simply the “Day of the Kings”. Even though December 25th is celebrated as Christmas in these cultures, January 6th is often the day for giving gifts. In some places it is traditional to give Christmas gifts for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Since Eastern Orthodox traditions use a different religious calendar, they celebrate Christmas on January 7th and observe Epiphany or Theophany on January 19th.
January 5th is called “The Twelfth Night”, it is the last day of the Christmas Season before the celebration of Epiphany (January 6th) begins. “The Twelfth Night” often included feasting along with the removal of Christmas decorations. French and English celebrations of Twelfth Night included a King's Cake in honor of the visit of the Three Magi.
The Season of Christmas—the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, give opportunity for families and the church to continue the celebration of Christmas. It also provides an opportunity to explore the great themes of salvation, discipleship, and theology. One way this has been propagated is through the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
The song has enjoyed great popularity in modern times. Many people believe that the song is about the 12 days preceding Christmas and see it as a humorous song. There have been a variety of “take-offs.” Jeff Foxworthy’s composition “A Redneck 12 Days of Christmas,” and other such renditions provide humor but little understanding of the reason for the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas.
The song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, is often seen as simply a nonsense song for children. However, there is a legend that suggests it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, containing hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith. The legend asserts that the song was a mnemonic device to teach catechism to youngsters in a way that was memorable and yet secretive. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but rather, refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.
Many have questioned the historical accuracy of this interpretation of the origin of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Some, in the name of historical accuracy, have simply debunked it as an "urban myth.” There is little "hard" evidence available either way. Some church historians affirm this account as basically accurate, while others point out apparent historical discrepancies. The "evidence" on both sides is mostly rational, using logical deduction and probabilities. One internet site devoted to debunking hoaxes and legends says that, "there is no substantive evidence to demonstrate that the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was created or used as a secret means of preserving tenets of the Catholic faith, or that this claim is anything but a fanciful modern day speculation..." (Snopes) What is omitted is that there is no "substantive evidence" that will disprove it either.
It is certainly possible that this view of the song is legendary or anecdotal. Without corroboration and in the absence of "substantive evidence," one probably should not take rigid positions on either side. That would violate the spirit of Christmas that the song is seeking to encourage. For the sake of historical accuracy, we need to acknowledge this uncertainty.
However, on another level, this uncertainty should not prevent us from using the song in celebration of the Christmas season. Many of the symbols of Christianity were not originally religious, including even the present date of Christmas, but were appropriated from contemporary culture by the Christian Faith as vehicles of worship and proclamation. Perhaps, when all is said and done, historical accuracy is not really the point. Perhaps more importantly is that Christians can celebrate their rich heritage, and God's grace, through one more avenue. Hopefully hearing the song will remind hearers in one more way of the grace of God working in transforming ways in their lives and in the world. After all, is that not the meaning of Christmas? The following devotions use the song and its legend as inspiration for daily family worship.
I hope that the daily devotions will be an opportunity for you and your family to continue to celebrate the meaning of this time of year where we remember how much God loved us. "For God so loved the World that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life." (John 3:16)
The Golden Compass
Following in the footsteps of Harry Potter, and Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code, the movie, The Golden Compass, due for release tomorrow (December 7), is creating quite a furor of controversy from Catholic and evangelical circles. The Golden Compass is the first book of author Philip Pullman’s trilogy, The Dark Materials. In a recent article in Newsweek, Pullman describes himself as an atheist, but his vocation is storytelling, and his only agenda, he said, is to “to get you to turn the page.” He further says, “To regard it that I am a militant atheist, and my intention is to convert people…” is stupid, “how do they know that?” “Why don’t we trust readers? Why don’t we trust filmgoers?” (December 3, 2007, p. 58) Many who have read the book, vehemently disagree that its primary message is religious, contending that it is simply a great fantasy.
Detractors argue that Pullman's children's fantasy novel is a forceful attack on the Catholic Church and serves as a vehicle for promoting atheism to children. "You have two characters who set out to kill God," said Pete Vere, a canon lawyer and co-author of a forthcoming book entitled Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy. Mr. Vere's book, which is critical of Mr. Pullman's work and his atheistic views, is being promoted on a website called http://www.atheismforchildren.com .
Other Catholics interpret The Golden Compass as a denunciation of organized religion dominated by a distant, imposter God. "That's his [Pullman’s] image of religion that he's doing away with and frankly, we can all do away with that image of church and religion because that's not the church in Christianity that we believe in today," said Sister Rose Pacatte, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, Calif. "That God that he kills off, he's doing us a favour."
The trilogy tells the story of Lyra, a girl in an alternate world who becomes a pawn in a power struggle waged by an all-powerful group called the Magisterium. That body, which many see as a fictional stand-in for the Catholic Church, seeks obedience through social control, especially of children as they reach puberty. The God figure in the novels is called the Authority.
While many Catholic school boards have pulled the books from their shelves and reading lists, some Catholic school boards believe the book is valuable for students to examine and decode. "The reality is we can't ban this book - nobody can, no school board can. The books are widely available, the film is going to go into wide release, so we're more concerned with giving our students the tools to discern what's right and what's wrong, to interpret these books, to use the Catholic faith as a means then to interpret the world around them." said Jonathan Wright, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board's religion and family life consultant. (Emphasis mine – GW)
Gisèle Baxter, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia who has taught the books in a children's literature course, said characterizing their position on religion is difficult and "almost a problem of vocabulary" because "saying that the books are anti-religious ... is not quite accurate." Instead, she said, the trilogy centers on an anti-authoritarian parallel universe where the characters are antagonistic to autocratic religious institutions.
David Bruce of Hollywood Jesus makes the following comment about the film,
"For us, this is a film that opens the door of opportunity. Think of the great discussions that can arise from this film. Also, Pullman is a wonderful man with deeply held ideas about the preciousness of humanity and the immense beauty of this world. He is committed to making this planet a better place for all of us. This, I believe, is reflected in his books. It is an idea that resonates with so many - and part of the reason why his novels are best sellers. He has an important message that should not be overlooked just because he is a committed non-religious humanist.” (www.hollywoodjesus.com)
Why can’t we criticize the Church? Why can’t we criticize authority? The movie like so many others forces us to take a good look at what has survived for 2000 years in the name of Christ. It begs us ask the question, “What is the heart of the gospel?” Is Christianity so fragile that one movie, or a series of books and movies can destroy it? I don’t think so, it has lasted over 2000 years precisely because it returns from time to time to the simple message of the gospel, which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” Periodically in the midst of “doing” church perhaps it is important to remember what it means to “be” the Church. I am not suggesting that we open our minds and accept everything as truth, neither do I want us to shut them off. Perhaps people like Pullman come around from time to time to bring us back to the main thing—the love of God for a lost humanity exhibited through the beautiful picture of the “Babe of Bethlehem.”
I have not had the opportunity to read the book but I plan to listen to the audio tapes as soon as they come into the Nampa Library. I will have further to say after I am finished. I will watch the movie when it shows up at the dollar theatre.
For further research:
google: The Golden Compass or check out the Christianity Today link below:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/goldencompass.html
or go to www.hollywoodjesus.com and read David’s entire review.
Blessings,
Gary Waller
Detractors argue that Pullman's children's fantasy novel is a forceful attack on the Catholic Church and serves as a vehicle for promoting atheism to children. "You have two characters who set out to kill God," said Pete Vere, a canon lawyer and co-author of a forthcoming book entitled Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy. Mr. Vere's book, which is critical of Mr. Pullman's work and his atheistic views, is being promoted on a website called http://www.atheismforchildren.com .
Other Catholics interpret The Golden Compass as a denunciation of organized religion dominated by a distant, imposter God. "That's his [Pullman’s] image of religion that he's doing away with and frankly, we can all do away with that image of church and religion because that's not the church in Christianity that we believe in today," said Sister Rose Pacatte, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, Calif. "That God that he kills off, he's doing us a favour."
The trilogy tells the story of Lyra, a girl in an alternate world who becomes a pawn in a power struggle waged by an all-powerful group called the Magisterium. That body, which many see as a fictional stand-in for the Catholic Church, seeks obedience through social control, especially of children as they reach puberty. The God figure in the novels is called the Authority.
While many Catholic school boards have pulled the books from their shelves and reading lists, some Catholic school boards believe the book is valuable for students to examine and decode. "The reality is we can't ban this book - nobody can, no school board can. The books are widely available, the film is going to go into wide release, so we're more concerned with giving our students the tools to discern what's right and what's wrong, to interpret these books, to use the Catholic faith as a means then to interpret the world around them." said Jonathan Wright, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board's religion and family life consultant. (Emphasis mine – GW)
Gisèle Baxter, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia who has taught the books in a children's literature course, said characterizing their position on religion is difficult and "almost a problem of vocabulary" because "saying that the books are anti-religious ... is not quite accurate." Instead, she said, the trilogy centers on an anti-authoritarian parallel universe where the characters are antagonistic to autocratic religious institutions.
David Bruce of Hollywood Jesus makes the following comment about the film,
"For us, this is a film that opens the door of opportunity. Think of the great discussions that can arise from this film. Also, Pullman is a wonderful man with deeply held ideas about the preciousness of humanity and the immense beauty of this world. He is committed to making this planet a better place for all of us. This, I believe, is reflected in his books. It is an idea that resonates with so many - and part of the reason why his novels are best sellers. He has an important message that should not be overlooked just because he is a committed non-religious humanist.” (www.hollywoodjesus.com)
Why can’t we criticize the Church? Why can’t we criticize authority? The movie like so many others forces us to take a good look at what has survived for 2000 years in the name of Christ. It begs us ask the question, “What is the heart of the gospel?” Is Christianity so fragile that one movie, or a series of books and movies can destroy it? I don’t think so, it has lasted over 2000 years precisely because it returns from time to time to the simple message of the gospel, which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” Periodically in the midst of “doing” church perhaps it is important to remember what it means to “be” the Church. I am not suggesting that we open our minds and accept everything as truth, neither do I want us to shut them off. Perhaps people like Pullman come around from time to time to bring us back to the main thing—the love of God for a lost humanity exhibited through the beautiful picture of the “Babe of Bethlehem.”
I have not had the opportunity to read the book but I plan to listen to the audio tapes as soon as they come into the Nampa Library. I will have further to say after I am finished. I will watch the movie when it shows up at the dollar theatre.
For further research:
google: The Golden Compass or check out the Christianity Today link below:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/goldencompass.html
or go to www.hollywoodjesus.com and read David’s entire review.
Blessings,
Gary Waller
Advent Prayer
Recently a colleague of mine, with a differing eschatology, wrote the following prayer. I have adapted it to my theological understands of God's present and future reign. The changes were minor. I guess I have wanted to "mennonize" it. Nonetheless, I want to thank Mark Love of Abilene Christian University for listening to God and writing down this prayer and confession of faith.
Pictures of God's Future, Our Salvation
God has established a day in the future when all humanity will gather around one table, will constitute one family all recognizing God as Father.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
God has established a day when we will fully enjoy his presence. Sin and death will no longer separate us from God.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
God has established a day when all of creation will be set free from its bondage to decay, when God's good order will once again be seen in a new creation.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
God has established a day when all nations will stream to God's holy mountain to learn only from him. His teachings will reach the coastlands, filling all the earth.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
God has established a day when there will be no more war, nor will there be weapons of war. Although we may not easily see this day, we live it it's hope and mercy.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
God has established a day when each will be filled and satisfied, where hunger and want shall be no more.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
God has established a day when we shall have rest, when toil and struggle will no longer mark our existence and our life can be a life for others.
This is our salvation, we belong to that day
Because of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit we experience that future today…
Not fully, but in ways that are undeniably connected to that future hope
And we live together a way of life that is only explainable by our belief that this day is very real.
Interesting Challenge
Hmm. That's an interesting challenge, Craig. Let me think of three propositions that might fit Wright, Fee and other more recent interpreters. This is just a rough draft, but it's something to begin talking about:
1. God has worked through history, revealing himself and his ways to many people. These people wrote their experience of God, (in the Hebrew Scriptures through the Judaic people of God and in the New Testament through the person of Jesus), and these writings were collected as God's revelation.
2. While each individual insight may not be historically or scientifically true, the principles communicated by each author reflect God's true nature, action and will.
3. The clearest way to understand this revelation is by comprehending the cultural, social, historical, literary and theological background of the society from which and to which the author wrote.
So, does this make sense? Does it offend anyone? Any revisions?
Steve K
1. God has worked through history, revealing himself and his ways to many people. These people wrote their experience of God, (in the Hebrew Scriptures through the Judaic people of God and in the New Testament through the person of Jesus), and these writings were collected as God's revelation.
2. While each individual insight may not be historically or scientifically true, the principles communicated by each author reflect God's true nature, action and will.
3. The clearest way to understand this revelation is by comprehending the cultural, social, historical, literary and theological background of the society from which and to which the author wrote.
So, does this make sense? Does it offend anyone? Any revisions?
Steve K
Youth Baseball
I've always known, deep down that baseball is one of the most divinely inspired team sports. The poetic rhythms of the game:
The patron saint of non-ball player baseball administrators, Bart Gaimatti, needs to inspire me. He got Pete rose out of baseball, on agreeable terms, he rekindled the passion for the poetry of the game, honored it's traditions, and cared about the fans. But on the downside, he died in office of heart failure, one week before his one-year anniversary as the commissioner. Sacrifice bunt?
Missional baseball leadership? Hmmm.
- the emphasis on the presence of the Trinity
- the reality that the best in the game strike-out most of the time
- the desire to get home, either by transcendence (out of the park), or by immanence (around the bases)
- and many more....
The patron saint of non-ball player baseball administrators, Bart Gaimatti, needs to inspire me. He got Pete rose out of baseball, on agreeable terms, he rekindled the passion for the poetry of the game, honored it's traditions, and cared about the fans. But on the downside, he died in office of heart failure, one week before his one-year anniversary as the commissioner. Sacrifice bunt?
Missional baseball leadership? Hmmm.
A Missional Birthday
Two Sundays ago we had a party at church. As the plans for the party required a various last minute accommodation (tow-trucks, picking up balloons, providing driving directions, etc) our regular time of gathered worship was anything but regular.
The guest of honor, a one-year old little girl, Mikala, was there. She came with her caretakers as she awaited her mother. Her mother, recently out of jail is getting her life back on track. Members of our church are helping with her care for her daughter, Mikala. After the Mikala's mom and her friend had arrived, we awaited the rest of her mother's friends. Slowly, they began to filter in. Our small house church more than doubled in size and strangers began playing party games with each other. Many of these guests also had had the experience of jail. We a wonderfully diverse group. Traditional Mennonites, both young and old, playing pin the tail on the donkey with folks of widely differing life experiences.
We'll see how the relationships that began then might be fostered in the days and weeks coming. As it happened, perhaps the finest missionary among us that day is now only entering her second year of life.
"And a child shall lead them..."
The guest of honor, a one-year old little girl, Mikala, was there. She came with her caretakers as she awaited her mother. Her mother, recently out of jail is getting her life back on track. Members of our church are helping with her care for her daughter, Mikala. After the Mikala's mom and her friend had arrived, we awaited the rest of her mother's friends. Slowly, they began to filter in. Our small house church more than doubled in size and strangers began playing party games with each other. Many of these guests also had had the experience of jail. We a wonderfully diverse group. Traditional Mennonites, both young and old, playing pin the tail on the donkey with folks of widely differing life experiences.
We'll see how the relationships that began then might be fostered in the days and weeks coming. As it happened, perhaps the finest missionary among us that day is now only entering her second year of life.
"And a child shall lead them..."
Needing Another Method for Reading Scripture
Grenz makes an a common sense appeal that scripture be for us the norm for theological reflection. As "people of the book" that should be no-brainer. But no matter how ofter we read the common text, we continually find various ways to spit hairs and split communions. Few things seem as fraught with potential conflict as our most common heritage; i.e. reading scripture.
Recently, I was having lunch with some Presbyterian ministers while sharing strawberries, sharing thoughts on Luke 10, and trying to share a common approach to scripture. We looked at a passage from a PC USA resource (http://www.pcusa.org/oga/publications/scripture-use.pdf) called, Presbyterian Understanding and Use of Holy Scripture. Helpfully the document delineated three predominant approaches to reading scripture....
Model B Distinctive Characteristics: The Bible as Witness to Christ, the Word of God
What is lacking in this list? Isn't there a fourth position that has emerged since the rise of postmodernity? Where do we put the likes of Grenz, N. T. Wright, and even Gordon Fee? So, what I am asking, can we begin to forge a unifying theory of biblical interpretation? Is there a fourth way appropriate to the context in which we now live and minister?
Recently, I was having lunch with some Presbyterian ministers while sharing strawberries, sharing thoughts on Luke 10, and trying to share a common approach to scripture. We looked at a passage from a PC USA resource (http://www.pcusa.org/oga/publications/scripture-use.pdf) called, Presbyterian Understanding and Use of Holy Scripture. Helpfully the document delineated three predominant approaches to reading scripture....
Model A Distinctive Characteristics: The Bible as a Book of Inerrant Facts
2. Each word of the Bible is considered divinely chosen, and it is inerrant in all things, including science and history.
3. In all regards he Bible is considered to be the judge of human thought and in no way is it to be judged by us.
Model B Distinctive Characteristics: The Bible as Witness to Christ, the Word of God
1. Faith relationship replaces dependence on rational procedures. God can be known not by the mind alone, but by faith encounter with Jesus Christ, God incarnate.
2. The Bible is the word of God because by the Holy Spirit it is the instrument by which God in Christ encounters a person. The Bible is not diminished in its power by the presence of archaic and superseded conceptions of past times and cultures in matters of science and history as well as in religious and ethical realms.
3. The major emphasis is on God's act of self-revelation rather than on the process by which Scripture was written. The inspiration of its authors is not denied, but the stress is on the impact of the Holy Spirit on the readers of Scripture.
2. The accent is on the Bible's function as communicating a divine message in human forms of thought. The message speaks to the needs of people in all cultures despite its particular historical context of ancient Near Eastern culture. To understand the divine message one must pay the closest attention possible to the human words, neither presuming the meaning to be obvious nor forcing meaning into arbitrary harmonies or a preconceived theology.
3. Human, relational metaphors, rather than scientific or propositional statements aptly describe God's communication with his people and provide us with invaluable attitudes, approaches and analogies by which people can cope with contemporary problems in a Christian perspective.
What is lacking in this list? Isn't there a fourth position that has emerged since the rise of postmodernity? Where do we put the likes of Grenz, N. T. Wright, and even Gordon Fee? So, what I am asking, can we begin to forge a unifying theory of biblical interpretation? Is there a fourth way appropriate to the context in which we now live and minister?
Common Purpose
Reading today's email from Sojonet quoted at length a recent speech from Gordon Brown, the new PM in Britain. The Prime Minister's entire speech in online at: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12755.asp
It seems as if the people of Great Britain are fortunate to have a leader that understands that the international push of the Jubilee initiatives from the Vatican and rocker Bono are moving too slowly. Inspired by the call for Jubilee, the UN developed the Millennium Development Goals.
Brown said that we're moving too slowly and that, "our pace is too slow; our direction too uncertain; our vision at risk. ... We cannot allow our promises that became pledges to descend into just aspirations, and then wishful thinking, and then only words that symbolize broken promises."
For instance, in my state there are many social ills. There is a great need for community development to organize and meet these shared needs. However, there are several religious bodies that will not work together if other religious bodies come to the table. A hope arising from a postfoundational posture is that we might be able to come to a common text (not only sacred writings, but demographics, narratives of social experiences, etc) and hear these together. But as long as we come with foundational assumptions of "right" and "left", we are bound to leave the poor in their poverty while we waste our time wondering if we are more correct that others, or less sullied by their presence.
So much for today's rant....
It seems as if the people of Great Britain are fortunate to have a leader that understands that the international push of the Jubilee initiatives from the Vatican and rocker Bono are moving too slowly. Inspired by the call for Jubilee, the UN developed the Millennium Development Goals.
Brown said that we're moving too slowly and that, "our pace is too slow; our direction too uncertain; our vision at risk. ... We cannot allow our promises that became pledges to descend into just aspirations, and then wishful thinking, and then only words that symbolize broken promises."
He then challenged his audience:
And so my argument is simple: The greatest of evils that touches the deepest places of conscience demands the greatest of endeavor. The greatest of challenges now demands the boldest of initiatives. To address the worst of poverty we urgently need to summon up the best efforts of humanity.
I want to summon into existence the greatest coalition of conscience in pursuit of the greatest of causes. And I firmly believe that if we can discover common purpose there is no failing in today's world that cannot be addressed by mobilizing our strengths, no individual struggle that drags people down that cannot benefit from a renewed public purpose that can lift people up.
To find that common purpose, he said:
Our objectives cannot be achieved by governments alone, however well-intentioned; or private sector alone, however generous; or NGOs or faith groups alone, however well-meaning or determined—it can only be achieved in a genuine partnership together.
After addressing governments and businesses, the prime minister went on:
Reflecting momentarily on the theological nature of the call to a common purpose to depose poverty, the struggle of common purposes is what alludes us. A missional ecclesiology needs to take into consideration the opportunity to join in a common task to serve a common earth in a common need. Yet, there are numerous NGOs that are religious in orientation that refuse to work together. Many reasons are used to justify the lack of shared effort. But one that is often noticeable is the theological filters that keep us from being "unequally yoked" with others who may not share the same theological commitments.Let me say to faith groups and NGOs—your moral outrage at avoidable poverty has led you to work for the greatest of causes, the highest of ideals, and become the leaders of the campaign to make poverty history. Imagine what more you can accomplish if the energy to oppose and expose harnessed to the energy to propose and inspire is given more support by the rest of us—businesses, citizens, and governments.
For instance, in my state there are many social ills. There is a great need for community development to organize and meet these shared needs. However, there are several religious bodies that will not work together if other religious bodies come to the table. A hope arising from a postfoundational posture is that we might be able to come to a common text (not only sacred writings, but demographics, narratives of social experiences, etc) and hear these together. But as long as we come with foundational assumptions of "right" and "left", we are bound to leave the poor in their poverty while we waste our time wondering if we are more correct that others, or less sullied by their presence.
So much for today's rant....
Welcome to the Conversation
Several years ago I read Stan Grenz' book, Beyond Foundationalism. After reading it, I had the pleasure getting to know Professor Grenz. We first met at a Friends pastors gathering. With his baptist persuasion and my Anabaptist persuasion, we enjoyed bearing the anomalies of ritual among our friendly non-ritualistic Friends.
In the months after that weekend retreat, I began to look forward to the bridges that might be built between divergent streams of Christianity through the work of Grenz and Franke . Though not lined out in Beyond Foundationalism, there seemed to be realizations, or awarenesses that could heal many of the rifts that exist between traditionalists and progressives, between liberals and conservatives, between fundamentalists of various stripes. What was lacking were the practices to put those convictions into action.
Alas, Stanley Grenz left this world before this important missiological and ecclesiological work could be completed. It is my hope that we might look more deeply at the ideas laid out in Beyond Foundationalism and begin to generate in this generation of Christian leaders, practices which reach beyond the comfortable and careless labels of "liberal" and "conservative." Instead, may we begin to live into the reality of actually being one in Christ.
In the months after that weekend retreat, I began to look forward to the bridges that might be built between divergent streams of Christianity through the work of Grenz and Franke . Though not lined out in Beyond Foundationalism, there seemed to be realizations, or awarenesses that could heal many of the rifts that exist between traditionalists and progressives, between liberals and conservatives, between fundamentalists of various stripes. What was lacking were the practices to put those convictions into action.
Alas, Stanley Grenz left this world before this important missiological and ecclesiological work could be completed. It is my hope that we might look more deeply at the ideas laid out in Beyond Foundationalism and begin to generate in this generation of Christian leaders, practices which reach beyond the comfortable and careless labels of "liberal" and "conservative." Instead, may we begin to live into the reality of actually being one in Christ.
Saving the World with the Harlem Globetrotters
What is the equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters in other fields or endeavors? Did the folks at Anderson Accounting have the all stars of the accounting world? Doesn’t Goldman-Sachs have the financial geniuses of the investment world? Didn’t the Chicago Bulls have the best basketball players during the 1990’s and the New York Yankees have the best ball players in the past century?
But the Globetrotters are not usually the all-star players. They are good at what they do. But what they do is not play basketball to win. What they do is play to play. They work hard at their play, but they play. I know they could be beaten by a number of college and professional teams. But their point is not to win, but to stretch. Not only to entertain but to help us imagine other possibilities. The Globetrotters have always been able to try out new things without the burden of pulling off a winning season. They are able to suspend the competitive expectations of athletics in order to create space for experimenting. In the evolution from trick shots to alli-oops, in adaptation from flashy ball handling to driving down the lane, I suppose the capacity to dream of new skills has been egged on by the Globetrotters.
What would it look like if we tried the same experiments in other fields? Non-competitive, low-stakes landscaping? How about developing similarly choreographed ways of cleaning dishes after meals? Or shopping? Or preaching? Or whatever we do? What ever happened to playing? What happened to our ability to create playful episodes in our routines?
The other night with my son Nathan (the animal lover) we watched a PBS show on young animals. A couple of lion cubs were wrestling each other. As they played, one of the moms of the pride noticed the cubs needed a lesson. Mom and one of her co-moms started to play. They demonstrated the move that knocked the hind feet out from under their prey. Then, just in case the kids didn’t catch on, Mom went and demonstrated on them. Soon the lion cubs were knocking each others’ leg out from beneath them.
Why do we stop playing? In the pressured moments we expect so much from each other. We need to win. We have come to expect ourselves to be winners. Frequently we find ourselves, those we love and the groups of people that mean so much to us in a state of desperation. In my town, the onslaught of meth is a high stakes competition of the lives of our neighbors. In my church, we find at stake traditions of justice, community and peace that are waning as our impact on our community dwindles along with our membership. In the boom and bust cycles of business, we feel the threat of layoffs and suspended wage increases. The list can keep growing until I have us all depressed. But the point is we all have so much at stake. We are frustrated. In the dialogue of Tom Stoppard’s play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, “somewhere, there was a place, we could have said ‘no’.” But now we live in the pressured and burdened time of high stakes consequences. We loose stress-out, we self-medicate the pain with habits and chemicals and sleep.
And it is this very feeling of anxiety that makes it all the more difficult to play. The lions know in their animal way of knowing, that play is not about fun first and foremost, but about survival. In the different roles and parts we play in families, churches, businesses, and community, we need to play. In modern parlance, it doesn’t get us too far in the right direction to be known as “players.” But playfulness may be the key to our survival.
Perhaps the Harlem Globetrotters exist to save the world.
But the Globetrotters are not usually the all-star players. They are good at what they do. But what they do is not play basketball to win. What they do is play to play. They work hard at their play, but they play. I know they could be beaten by a number of college and professional teams. But their point is not to win, but to stretch. Not only to entertain but to help us imagine other possibilities. The Globetrotters have always been able to try out new things without the burden of pulling off a winning season. They are able to suspend the competitive expectations of athletics in order to create space for experimenting. In the evolution from trick shots to alli-oops, in adaptation from flashy ball handling to driving down the lane, I suppose the capacity to dream of new skills has been egged on by the Globetrotters.
What would it look like if we tried the same experiments in other fields? Non-competitive, low-stakes landscaping? How about developing similarly choreographed ways of cleaning dishes after meals? Or shopping? Or preaching? Or whatever we do? What ever happened to playing? What happened to our ability to create playful episodes in our routines?
The other night with my son Nathan (the animal lover) we watched a PBS show on young animals. A couple of lion cubs were wrestling each other. As they played, one of the moms of the pride noticed the cubs needed a lesson. Mom and one of her co-moms started to play. They demonstrated the move that knocked the hind feet out from under their prey. Then, just in case the kids didn’t catch on, Mom went and demonstrated on them. Soon the lion cubs were knocking each others’ leg out from beneath them.
Why do we stop playing? In the pressured moments we expect so much from each other. We need to win. We have come to expect ourselves to be winners. Frequently we find ourselves, those we love and the groups of people that mean so much to us in a state of desperation. In my town, the onslaught of meth is a high stakes competition of the lives of our neighbors. In my church, we find at stake traditions of justice, community and peace that are waning as our impact on our community dwindles along with our membership. In the boom and bust cycles of business, we feel the threat of layoffs and suspended wage increases. The list can keep growing until I have us all depressed. But the point is we all have so much at stake. We are frustrated. In the dialogue of Tom Stoppard’s play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, “somewhere, there was a place, we could have said ‘no’.” But now we live in the pressured and burdened time of high stakes consequences. We loose stress-out, we self-medicate the pain with habits and chemicals and sleep.
And it is this very feeling of anxiety that makes it all the more difficult to play. The lions know in their animal way of knowing, that play is not about fun first and foremost, but about survival. In the different roles and parts we play in families, churches, businesses, and community, we need to play. In modern parlance, it doesn’t get us too far in the right direction to be known as “players.” But playfulness may be the key to our survival.
Perhaps the Harlem Globetrotters exist to save the world.
Making the Missional Turn
I used to have an allergic reaction to the word missional. Church fads promoted in the Christian publishing and church conference circuit had made me become a bit jaded on the latest and greatest insights for my congregation. So I lifted my nose to all things missional. But as I began to work with others who had been using this term, I began to realize it was not a program, curriculum, or conference. Something much deeper was being probed. Missional is simply what the word presents itself as: an adjective. Something that describes the way the church is when it’s really being the church.
Missionary People
We are a missionary people of a missionary God: one who is free and already on the move independent of our actions, yet inviting us to join in the mission. We are sent-and-sending people. The Son is sent to us and the Spirit sends us to the Father, from whom we are sent to seek the lost. But at times we have thought of our churches as destinations and enclosures. It’s as if we’ve locked ourselves into our own churches. So it’s up to us to turn from being a “vendor of religious goods and services” to becoming the seeking and sending people of God.
I noticed I had made a turn in my thinking one summer when two church denominations with which I had been working each engaged in self study. Each denomination asked its members to describe where they had seen God at work. The results were revealing. In both groups the responses were about what the churches were doing—youth programs, new worship styles, community involvements, and a variety of other activities. It sounded like busy church people doing good things. But what I didn’t hear was an answer to the question, What is God doing? The lines easily blur between God’s actions and our activities; hence, we confuse our initiatives with God’s call, our decision with God’s will, and our point of view with God’s promised and preferred future. The end result is dangerously close to a form of atheism or idolatry. God becomes an afterthought to bless the good things we are doing. My turn in thinking felt a lot like repentance.
Starting with Scripture
Back in the 4th century, Constantine I adopted Christianity as his imperial cult, and people came to identify Christianity with the will of the ruling elite. When we are freed from Constantinian assumptions, the word of God is not an inside story that is bewildering to the outsider. Scripture, missionally viewed, is no longer just an “owner’s manual” for maintenance of the individual believer or the corporate fellowship. Rather, Scripture shakes us from maintenance to repentance; it requires us to turn around and get involved in the mission of God in the world (Luke 4:18-19, 21b; 10:1).
Scripture then, is the beginning point for making the missional turn. Approaching the Scriptures with openness toward being changed requires humility. It is not about doing an exposition of the text as we’ve been trained, but being exposed by the text. It is breaking free from an intellectual attempt to claim the meaning of the text, and instead allowing the text to read our lives. Clearly within the shared memory of Quakers is the expectation that as we gather around the text as a community empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Scripture speaks to us and transforms us in the creative power of Jesus' own voice.
Collaborating with Jesus
The missional turn is shaped and empowered by Scripture. As is revealed throughout the Gospel stories, being sent means collaborating with our teacher, Jesus, and learning from shared experiences. The intention of God’s shared missionary venture is stated in Luke 10, Mark 6:7, and other passages. The “sending” passages in John’s Gospel (e.g., “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” John 20:21b NLT) make it clear that God is a seeking and sending God—first sending Jesus, who sends the Holy Spirit and then will send a community into God’s continuing mission. The Scripture reveals a God engaged in mission. To seek, and then to join in the mission of God (the missio dei), is our calling.
For many, the missional emphasis has transcended thinking about “programs.” In fact, today there is skepticism of programs borne of exhaustion. For congregations across North America, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, the collapse of Constantinian Christendom has resulted in bewilderment, imagination, and a renewed need for discernment.
One point of the turn is that congregations are reacquainting themselves with other sent ones. Alan Roxburgh’s book The Sky is Falling calls for community to form among those in the traditional and emergent church. Bridging organizations are being imagined, encouraged, and experimented with. For instance, I serve in the Boise Presbytery as a Mennonite-Quaker (that mutt pedigree is why they enlisted me), teaching and forming pastoral missional leaders for shared mission in the region through multiple denominational and non-denominational groups. In a neighboring community, the ministerial alliance moved from being a mutual forum for support to being a group that initiated community-led service to needy families. It became a venue for church and local government cooperation. Each of the Christian traditions represented in these settings brings its own uniqueness to share with others. It’s out of an appreciation of the various gifts that a type of resilience and empowerment flows as we each bring tools for missional engagement.
Another aspect of the continuing turn is being a particular people living as a contrast-community. People whose world has not reeled and shifted feel little need for turning or transformation. However, most all of the established churches in the West have been marginalized since the end of Constantinian Christendom. Some still try to keep the ground from shifting. A mainline denominational leader I know jokingly says, “When 1958 comes back, we’ll be ready.” Well, it won’t come back.
The new setting calls for a community in contrast to the prevailing culture—a community not tied to affluence, where justice is sought out, where all persons are afforded dignity, and where peace is broadcast. Where there is no contrast there is no mission.
A third point in the missional turn is a renewed and vigorous openness to the reign of God. As one dwells in the biblical text, it becomes clear that God is at work. The apostles draw attention to God’s reign, not their own efforts. Those able to see that God is already present in mission can point to things God is doing in the world. Once when talking with some non-Christian friends about the ability to hear God, I found they did not believe a certain politician’s claim that he could hear God telling him what to do. When I mentioned that Jimmy Carter claims to hear from God, they all expressed openness to that kind of God. They believed that peace, compassion, self-sacrifice, and truthful speech were expressions of the kind of God they could trust. God did the mission work in that conversation. As long as we keep an eye on God who is free and on the move, all we have to do is announce his presence and activity.
The missional turn is made as a community formed by Scripture and listening to Christ discerns the ways in which God is already at work. This is a turn that cannot be made alone; the need for partners on this missional journey cannot be understated. Even at times when we might feel alone, we carry with us the conviction of a community formed by the sent and sending God.
Missionary People
We are a missionary people of a missionary God: one who is free and already on the move independent of our actions, yet inviting us to join in the mission. We are sent-and-sending people. The Son is sent to us and the Spirit sends us to the Father, from whom we are sent to seek the lost. But at times we have thought of our churches as destinations and enclosures. It’s as if we’ve locked ourselves into our own churches. So it’s up to us to turn from being a “vendor of religious goods and services” to becoming the seeking and sending people of God.
I noticed I had made a turn in my thinking one summer when two church denominations with which I had been working each engaged in self study. Each denomination asked its members to describe where they had seen God at work. The results were revealing. In both groups the responses were about what the churches were doing—youth programs, new worship styles, community involvements, and a variety of other activities. It sounded like busy church people doing good things. But what I didn’t hear was an answer to the question, What is God doing? The lines easily blur between God’s actions and our activities; hence, we confuse our initiatives with God’s call, our decision with God’s will, and our point of view with God’s promised and preferred future. The end result is dangerously close to a form of atheism or idolatry. God becomes an afterthought to bless the good things we are doing. My turn in thinking felt a lot like repentance.
Starting with Scripture
Back in the 4th century, Constantine I adopted Christianity as his imperial cult, and people came to identify Christianity with the will of the ruling elite. When we are freed from Constantinian assumptions, the word of God is not an inside story that is bewildering to the outsider. Scripture, missionally viewed, is no longer just an “owner’s manual” for maintenance of the individual believer or the corporate fellowship. Rather, Scripture shakes us from maintenance to repentance; it requires us to turn around and get involved in the mission of God in the world (Luke 4:18-19, 21b; 10:1).
Scripture then, is the beginning point for making the missional turn. Approaching the Scriptures with openness toward being changed requires humility. It is not about doing an exposition of the text as we’ve been trained, but being exposed by the text. It is breaking free from an intellectual attempt to claim the meaning of the text, and instead allowing the text to read our lives. Clearly within the shared memory of Quakers is the expectation that as we gather around the text as a community empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Scripture speaks to us and transforms us in the creative power of Jesus' own voice.
Collaborating with Jesus
The missional turn is shaped and empowered by Scripture. As is revealed throughout the Gospel stories, being sent means collaborating with our teacher, Jesus, and learning from shared experiences. The intention of God’s shared missionary venture is stated in Luke 10, Mark 6:7, and other passages. The “sending” passages in John’s Gospel (e.g., “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” John 20:21b NLT) make it clear that God is a seeking and sending God—first sending Jesus, who sends the Holy Spirit and then will send a community into God’s continuing mission. The Scripture reveals a God engaged in mission. To seek, and then to join in the mission of God (the missio dei), is our calling.
For many, the missional emphasis has transcended thinking about “programs.” In fact, today there is skepticism of programs borne of exhaustion. For congregations across North America, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, the collapse of Constantinian Christendom has resulted in bewilderment, imagination, and a renewed need for discernment.
One point of the turn is that congregations are reacquainting themselves with other sent ones. Alan Roxburgh’s book The Sky is Falling calls for community to form among those in the traditional and emergent church. Bridging organizations are being imagined, encouraged, and experimented with. For instance, I serve in the Boise Presbytery as a Mennonite-Quaker (that mutt pedigree is why they enlisted me), teaching and forming pastoral missional leaders for shared mission in the region through multiple denominational and non-denominational groups. In a neighboring community, the ministerial alliance moved from being a mutual forum for support to being a group that initiated community-led service to needy families. It became a venue for church and local government cooperation. Each of the Christian traditions represented in these settings brings its own uniqueness to share with others. It’s out of an appreciation of the various gifts that a type of resilience and empowerment flows as we each bring tools for missional engagement.
Another aspect of the continuing turn is being a particular people living as a contrast-community. People whose world has not reeled and shifted feel little need for turning or transformation. However, most all of the established churches in the West have been marginalized since the end of Constantinian Christendom. Some still try to keep the ground from shifting. A mainline denominational leader I know jokingly says, “When 1958 comes back, we’ll be ready.” Well, it won’t come back.
The new setting calls for a community in contrast to the prevailing culture—a community not tied to affluence, where justice is sought out, where all persons are afforded dignity, and where peace is broadcast. Where there is no contrast there is no mission.
A third point in the missional turn is a renewed and vigorous openness to the reign of God. As one dwells in the biblical text, it becomes clear that God is at work. The apostles draw attention to God’s reign, not their own efforts. Those able to see that God is already present in mission can point to things God is doing in the world. Once when talking with some non-Christian friends about the ability to hear God, I found they did not believe a certain politician’s claim that he could hear God telling him what to do. When I mentioned that Jimmy Carter claims to hear from God, they all expressed openness to that kind of God. They believed that peace, compassion, self-sacrifice, and truthful speech were expressions of the kind of God they could trust. God did the mission work in that conversation. As long as we keep an eye on God who is free and on the move, all we have to do is announce his presence and activity.
The missional turn is made as a community formed by Scripture and listening to Christ discerns the ways in which God is already at work. This is a turn that cannot be made alone; the need for partners on this missional journey cannot be understated. Even at times when we might feel alone, we carry with us the conviction of a community formed by the sent and sending God.