I have never much liked the low church liturgy wherein the worship leader says, “God is good,” and the people respond, “all the time.”  The leader then repeats, “All the time,” and the people say, “God is good.”

In the high churches the liturgist says, “In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,” and the people respond, “Good Lord, deliver us.”

It may be nothing more than a matter of opinion, but I find the first litany to be trite as much as it may be true.  I find the second speaking into the reality of our lives.  Maybe it’s just me.

In fact, God is good. All the time. And we must beseech his deliverance in all times of tribulation and of prosperity.

As the old year ends and the new year begins, we reflect on things just past and wonder about things soon to come.  Christians both reflect and wonder in the light of God’s goodness and our need for deliverance. All the time. Continue reading →

Luke 2:1–21

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Continue reading →

We are part of a “Life Group” through the church in Auburn.  We are four couples of similar age and circumstance who meet every other week or so for dinner, conversation, and Bible Study.  The group is a great joy for us.

Several group meetings back, our study took us to Hebrews 1 and the mention of angels as “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).  As our discussion unfolded, we talked about some of the popular conception (and misconception) of angels – both in the church and in the culture. Someone remembered the line from the old film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where we are told that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

At least one member of our group did not remember the line or anything about Clarence, the guardian angel sent to help poor George Bailey in his time of despair.  We decided we needed to right the wrong, so this past Tuesday night our group gathered for good food and conversation, but mostly to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Continue reading →

Becky and I have been away visiting family this week, so just a brief observation:

The church has a well-deserved bad reputation for how it has dealt with heretics and their heresies.  I could write about that someday.  But our record with heretics and heresies doesn’t mean heresy and heretics don’t exist nor does it mean that defending truth and denying falsehood is necessarily a bad thing.

Which leads me to a great heresy brewing in the non-church word.

General Motors has announced plans to expand the Corvette line beyond the iconic sports car to an SUV and a four-door sedan.  Yes, heresy, and it would seem safe to say General Motors is now led by heretics.

The Corvette’s production run and my lifetime are nearly synonymous, so I think I should have a say in this.  Heresy!  Don’t tell me about the Porsche sedan and SUV. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

I am not suggesting burning at the stake, but what will become of us if we let heresy and the heretics have their way?

Someday I will write about heresy and heretics in the church. It’s a problem there, too.

Is more likely than a white Christmas

According to the National Weather Service, we have about a 39% chance of a white Christmas in Auburn, Indiana. The NWS defines a white Christmas as one with a snowfall of an inch or more. We’ll see.

In the meantime, we have a 100% chance of a schizophrenic Christmas. I define a schizophrenic Christmas as one where it is not clear at all what in the world we are celebrating.

Of course, a schizophrenic Christmas is nothing new. The first schizophrenic Christmas may have taken place in Rome sometime during the Fourth Century when newly converted pagans started celebrating the birth of Jesus instead of the Saturnalia, all the while keeping their favorite traditions of the pagan holiday. In the Twenty-first Century newly converted pagans enjoy something more akin to the Saturnalia, all the while keeping their favorite traditions of the Christian holiday.

We see it all the time.

I absolutely love our neighborhood’s best lawn display of Christmas lights. The owners do everything themselves; it’s not paid a service or a computer generated show.  Thank you! Continue reading →