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More God, Less Time?
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, January 10, 2009
A friend of mine (thanks, Don) pointed me to a fascinating article in the Los Angeles Times. It’s called, “A closer, faster walk with thee.” The writer, Duke Helfand, chronicles the growing tendency among American Christians to squeeze God into very short segments of time. It would be easy to complain about this, but I think it deserves some thoughtful attention besides criticism. At any rate, here’s the link to the article. I’d be interested in your observations.
Topics: Christian Living | 6 Comments »
Seeing With New Clarity
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 7, 2009
I recently got a new pair of glasses. I hadn’t had my prescription for my glasses updated in a few years, so it was about time. As it turned out, my distance vision had improved, while my up-close vision had deteriorated. So I definitely needed some new lenses. These lenses, in addition to being just right for my aging eyes, also had a special treatment to reduce glare. The optician promised that I’d see much more clearly if I added this extra (and not inexpensive) treatment.
When I first put on my new pair of glasses in the doctor’s office, I had an experience I’ve only had once or twice in my life, also when putting on new glasses for the first time. The world looked startingly clear and precise. In fact, everything around me almost looked falsely crisp because I had become used to living in a state of bluriness. Even several days after first trying on my new glasses, I continue to marvel at how sharp the world looks.
This is exactly what happens, or what should happen, at any rate, when we become Christians and begin to see life through the lens of Scripture. We’re still looking at the same things – the same actions, events, conflicts, challenges, people, institution, and even ourselves – but we see them differently, with greater clarity. Such vision should enable us to live with new meaning and significance as we seek to live as citizens of God’s kingdom.
Topics: Musings | 2 Comments »
Why Stay in a Sick Church?
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Over the past few years, I have at times weighed in on the question of why orthodox, Bible-believing Christians should stay in denominations that flirt with heresy or abandon biblical authority. In particular, I have spoken of my own involvement in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and why I remain in this denomination in spite of numerous frustrations and grave concerns about it.
The Episcopal Church often seems to be plagued with even greater problems than the PC(USA). Many Episcopalian churches and even some dioceses have left their denomination and affiliated with other Anglican dioceses in other parts of the world. Moreoever, there is a move afoot to form a new Anglican denomination in North America. I have many friends who are a part of this movement. I also have many friends who remain loyal to the Episcopal Church, quite a few of whom are solidly evangelical in their theology.
Christianity Today’s website has just published a fascinating interview with a leading Episcopalian who is remaining in his denomination even though, as a solidly orthodox, Bible-believing Christian, he has many concerns about the direction of the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Dr. Russell Levenson is the Rector (Senior Pastor) of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. With over 8,000 members, St. Martin’s is the largest parish in the denomination. I highly recommend that you read Rev. Levenson’s interview. It is full of wisdom and deserves a careful reading by all who are part of a church, especially by those of us who are members of denominations in crisis.
(I happen to know quite a few members of St. Martin’s because they come to Laity Lodge. They’re fine folk: faithful, committed, worshipful. In fact, I’ll be teaching a group from St. Martin’s in a couple of weeks when they join us for their annual Laity Lodge retreat.)
Oh, by the way, “sick” as in “Why stay in a sick church?” is Rev. Levenson’s word. I would feel hesitant to use this of another church or denomination, though I find it an apt description of my own denomination. We who are sick need healing. We need the Healer.
Topics: Church Life | 12 Comments »
Let It Flow Out: An Interview with N. T. Wright
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Last November, N.T. Wright spoke at a Laity Lodge retreat. I had the privilege to conduct an extensive interview with him on a wide variety of issues. Excerpts from this interview are now available at The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website affiliated with Laity Lodge. I’ll put up the first part of this interview here. You can click on the link at the bottom to finish reading at The High Calling.org. (Many thanks to my colleague, Marcus Goodyear, for his outstanding editing of this interview.)
What does it look like to be “Simply Christian” outside the professional church from 9 to 5?
It looks like a million different things. Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote, “Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in eyes and lovely in limbs, not His.” In a sense, when you become a Christian, you become your genuine self. You’re called into that fresh selfhood. God made each of us to be really quite different and to reflect in a million little glittering diamonds that sense of the differentness of Jesus. Jesus looks like one way in this person and another way in that person. Ordinary people develop skills and talents which are peculiar to them. Then they bring those gifts to the church—gifts of art, gifts of leadership, gifts of craft, gifts of service of all sorts. You will see a rich variety develop.
Just as an interesting aside, our local culture in the north of England is a working-class culture. For generations and generations, everyone has lived in these little row houses like in the mining or steel communities. At the end of the village, there is one big house, which is where the owner lives. He tells everybody what to do, and they do it. He pays them, and they go and have a beer. That’s it. They don’t have any decisions to make except which pub to visit at the end of the day. That is still how a lot of people approach the church. We don’t expect to think. We don’t expect to make decisions. That’s what the Vicar is for. We expect the clergy to tell us what to do, and we don’t want to think for ourselves. I want to say, “No, you’ve all got to be individuals and do your own thing.” Actually, I think that’s part of the Gospel.
How do Christians glorify God in their daily work or does our work have some other, more nuanced, purpose?
There are all sorts of different jobs. George Herbert’s famous hymn, “Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws, makes that and the action fine.” It’s a very important principle of Christian service. Now, it’s much easier, no doubt, to think of yourself as doing important Christian work if you’re preparing sermons or being chief in a music band in church or whatever. But actually, the guy who sweeps the step is doing just as much good as you are, maybe more. I am delighted when I go to a church and see people doing mundane things with a sense of pride, because they’re doing them for the love of God and the body of Christ. I love those people. Nobody knows who they are; nobody knows their names. As a bishop, I try to go around and thank them because I can see they’re doing a good job. Of course, we’d all like to be the architect who builds the cathedral or the composer who writes the symphony or whatever. But most of the time, we do what needs to be done. Christ shines out of the way we work, not so much what we do, but how we do it.
How does one’s work fit into the overlap of Heaven and earth?
If it is true that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, then each Christian is a place where Heaven and earth overlap. C. S. Lewis said, “Next to the blessed sacrament, your Christian neighbor is the holiest object ever presented to your senses.” In Christians, the true Christ should be truly present. From that point of view, what you do as a Christian should embody that overlap of Heaven and earth. But we often think of Heaven in such grandiose terms, often platonic terms, and we just see that Heaven and earth are meant to go together. They were put together in the first place in Genesis 1 in the garden.
For the rest of this interview with Bishop Wright, click here.
Topics: N.T. Wright | 5 Comments »
Complaining About College Football
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, January 5, 2009
Wherever I go these days, people are complaining about college football. This odd fact will make more sense if you know that I live in Texas and have recently vacationed in Southern California. Texas is, after all, the home of several prominent football teams, including the University of Texas Longhorns. Southern California is also the home of several prominent football teams, most of all the University of Southern California Trojans.
If you follow college football at all, you know that the Longhorns and the Trojans have, in recent years, regularly been in the running for the national championship. In fact, the Trojans won the title in 2004, and the Longhorns narrowly edged Trojans in 2005. This year, both Texas and USC had strong hopes of winning the national championship. But neither school will end up with this honor. However, there are lots of people, including but not limited to Trojan and Longhorn fans, who believe that one of these teams is, in fact, the best in the country. So there’s been plenty of complaining about college football and the odd way it determines a national champion. (Photo: Vince Young of Texas scores a game winning touchdown in the closing seconds of the national championship game for 2005, played in the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006. Until this game, USC was ranked #1 and Texas #2. Note: the following is not for USC fans: a clip of Vince Young’s amazing touchdown; a clip of Texas fans losing their heads in celebration).
If you’re not familiar with how this is done, let me explain briefly. College football does not have a national tournament to determine the champion team, unlike college basketball’s March Madness. For years, the national champion in football was determined by a couple of national polls. This worked fairly well, except for years in which the polls came out with different champions, which was not that uncommon. So, beginning in 1998, college football came up with a new system, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Now, with the help of an omniscient computer, the two best teams in college football would play each other in a championship game, with a clear winner and champion to be determined on the playing field.
At least this was the plan. But, in fact, the BCS plan hasn’t worked as it had been hoped. The main problem is that, in some years, the best computer models don’t necessarily identify the best two college football teams. 2008 is exemplary. At the end of the crazy season, none of the top five teams in the BCS standings had a perfect record. Each team lost one game along the way. (Ironically, sixth-rated Utah did have a perfect record, but the BCS computer devalued this record because Utah didn’t play sufficiently difficult opponents. In the Sugar Bowl last Friday, Utah solidly defeated fourth-ranked Alabama, showing surprising strength and remaining undefeated. ) The top two teams, Oklahoma and Florida, just barely edged out Texas, the third-ranked team. USC lagged behind in fifth, after Alabama.
Now an Oklahoma vs. Florida championship game would make perfect sense, except for the tiny fact that Texas actually beat Oklahoma in 2008. On October 11 Texas won the head-to-head competition 45-35. That would seem to make Texas clearly better, right? Not necessarily. After getting beaten by Texas, Oklahoma went on to crush its opponents with a record-setting offense. In its last five games, Oklahoma scored at last sixty points and won by an average of more than thirty points. Texas, meanwhile, was cruising along just fine, until it lost a squeaker to Texas Tech on November 1 (39-33). After that victory, Tech looked like it was heading for a national title until the Red Raiders got crushed by none other than Oklahoma on November 22 (65-21).
So now you’ve got a problem. Texas beat Oklahoma comfortably early in the season. Later in the season Texas lost to Texas Tech by a little. Three weeks later Oklahoma destroyed Texas Tech. So which team is the best, Texas or Oklahoma? Not an easy choice.
One might think this choice would have been made simple because both Texas and Oklahoma are in the Big-12 Conference. Surely they would play each other in the final conference championship game. Right? Not so fast. Because the Big-12 is divided into northern and southern sections, only Texas or Oklahoma would play the clearly inferior Missouri for the Big-12 title. Oklahoma beat Missouri by the score of 62-21 on December 6. Texas, ironically, ended up third in the southern section of the Big-12 because Oklahoma was the conference champion and Texas Tech beat Texas and got second place.
So, the team that might very well be the best college football team in the country not only missed a chance to play in the national championship game by a whisker, but actually ended up in third place in its conference. Then there’s USC, which lost one game, a close on in September to Oregon State. Otherwise, USC mostly devastated its opponents with the best defense in college football. USC’s excellence was on display particular in the Rose Bowl, where it defeated highly-ranked Penn State with ease.
So, I’ve been hearing a lot of complaining about college football recently. Texans feel slighted. Southern Californians feel slighted. And both sides are not just caught up in a fit of whining. It’s not impossible to believe that the two best teams in college football are not even playing in the BCS championship game. (If Texas loses to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl tonight, this will stop some of the whining. If the Longhorns pummel the Buckeyes, no doubt folks will turn up the volume of their complaining.)
So, whatever should we do about this gross injustice? Let me offer a few observations.
First, it seems to me that some sort of college football tournament would be both more fair and more fun. If the top four (or eight) teams were to meet each other in playoff games, with a final championship game sometime in January, at least the winner would have an undisputed claim on the title. (It’s surely true, however, that sometimes the winner of the tournament isn’t really the best team, but was lucky, or unusually pumped up, or something like this.)
Second, I think this approach would mostly work without compromising the academic demands on the players. Okay, okay, I know that academic achievement isn’t generally the top priority of many college football players and programs. But it should be. I’m still rather naively idealistic about that. Yet, the fact that most colleges are on break in early January means that players could focus on football without compromising their studies.
Third, as I listen to people argue about the injustice of the BCS system, it seems as if they have completely forgotten the fact that college exists primarily for academic purposes. Moreover, the idea that football is, in the end, just a game, seems to have been consigned to the ash heap of antique ideas. I’m well aware that college football is a huge business. But, in my opinion, we have our priorities way out of whack when it comes to college football.
I say this knowing that I am offending just about everybody in my new state of Texas, as well as hundreds of my friends in Southern California. Don’t get me wrong. I think football is great. It’s fun. It’s entertaining. It’s inspirational. But it is, in the end, it is not nearly as important as many other things in life. Texas and USC may well have been victims of BCS injustice this year, but the players, coaches, and fans are not being imprisoned for their faith, tortured for their political beliefs, or killed because they offended a tyrant. Arguments about college football aren’t bad, but they, like football itself, should be thought of as a game, something entertaining, but not essential.
Topics: Pet Peeves | 11 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, January 4, 2009
Serve the Lord
Serve the LORD with reverent fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Introducing a Change in Weekend Daily Reflections:
Starting yesterday, I began to try something new in my Daily Reflections. During the week, I’ll continue to work passage by passage through a book of the Bible. But on Saturday and Sunday, I’ll base my reflections on a Psalm. This will allow for some thematic variation, while still taking us systematically through different biblical books. More importantly, it will allow us to dig deeply into the Psalms, the Spirit-inspired instruction book for prayer. As we work through the whole Psalter, two chapters each weekend, I pray that your relationship with God will become deeper, truer, and more vital.
Reflection on Psalm 2
Though most of us are not kings or earthly rulers, nevertheless Psalm 2 speaks directly to us. It calls us to “serve the Lord with reverent fear.” We are to offer our whole life to God, not just the “religious” parts. We serve God by serving others at work, in our families, in our communities, as well as in our churches. Our service results from our reverent fear. We aren’t afraid of God, serving to assuage his wrath. Rather, overwhelmed by God’s majesty and mercy, we offer our whole lives to him as an act of continual worship.
Such service is not burdensome, but joyful, because it is a response to God’s grace and love. Yet, even in our rejoicing we tremble, aware that our loving Father is not some nice little god, but a consuming fire and the all-powerful creator of heaven and earth.
When we serve the Lord with our lives, we often discover a new joy in living. This joy comes from seeing God use us for his purposes, and from realizing that our lives really matter.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: In what ways do you serve the Lord? How do you hold together the fear of the Lord and the joy of the Lord? Are there ways you can grow in your service to God?
PRAYER: Lord, in some contexts I find it natural to serve you . . . when I’m at church, or teaching your truth, or praying for someone in need. Yet, I must confess there are times when I just don’t see my life as an offering for you. I have bought into the sacred/secular divide, where service to you happens in church or mission work, but not in daily life. Forgive me, Lord. Help me to see my whole live as one continuous act of service to you.
As I serve you, may I do so with joy, remembering all that you have done for me. May my servanthood be an offering of gratitude to you, gratitude mixed with celebration.
In my service and in my rejoicing, may I remember who you are, not only my Savior and friend, but also a holy God, a God whose power is beyond my comprehension, a God who deserves my full allegiance and worship. Amen.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
A Few More Scenes from the Rose Parade
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, January 3, 2009
Yesterday I put up some pictures from my recent tour of the Rose Parade floats. I didn’t actually attend the parade, but rather observed the preparations for the parade. Here are a few more photos:
Notice the amazing quantity and quality of flowers on this small portion of one float. Overall, the Rose Parade uses hundreds of thousands of roses, not to mention millions of flowers. Check out this interview for the details.
Tubas and toilets . . . .
Cloris Leachman, recently of Dancing with the Stars fame, was the parade Grand Marshall.
Our friend, Jenny, was working for a KTLA, a Los Angeles television station that does a fantastic, in-depth job of parade coverage. We met Jenny after the parade began, and were able to get a tour of the Wrigley Mansion, the administrative headquarters of the Tournament of Roses. This house was once own by William Wrigley Jr., of Wrigley’s chewing gum and Wrigley Field fame. It’s now known as the Tournament House.
Topics: Holidays | No Comments »
Scenes from the Rose Parade
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, January 2, 2009
Along with my family and some friends, I visited the Rose Parade on New Year’s morning. We didn’t actually sit along the parade route and watch the parade live. Rather, we got up extra early and toured the amazing floats before the parade began. I thought I’d share a few scenes from our Rose Parade exploration.
The float sponsored by the city of Sierra Madre was called “Bollywood Dreams.” It included professional dancers flown in from India. As you can see, they were a bit cold before the parade started, and tried to keep warm with metallic warming blankets.
Note the amazing detail on this float. Every bit of surface area on a Rose Parade float must be covered with flowers or other kinds of plant life.
Notice, for example, how the float builders used pieces of pinecones to make the brown antlers of this antelope.
Notice the amazing detail on this float, which features characters from the Wizard of Oz.
Topics: Holidays | No Comments »
Happy New Year!
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, January 1, 2009
Topics: Holidays | 2 Comments »
What Did I Do That Really Mattered?
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, December 31, 2008
This last Sunday I was able to worship at Irvine Presbyterian Church. As most of you know, I was the Senior Pastor there for sixteen years, from June 1991 through September 2007. This was only the third time I worshiped at Irvine Pres since I left there over a year ago.
It was great to be back with the Irvine congregation, even though it felt strange in many ways. The worship service was wonderful: Christmas-themed, with beautiful Christmas music and a solid, biblically-based message by one of the the church’s associate pastors, Tim Avazian. I love worshiping in the Irvine sanctuary, a building that inspires reverence and exudes warmth.
As I watched the worship service flowing smoothly, with God’s glory at the center of congregational attention, and as I listened to the Word of God being preached truthfully, I was struck by how well Irvine Presbyterian Church is doing without me. Honestly, this thought brought joy to my heart. There’s nothing I want more for my former congregation than for them to be more and more the church God has designed them to be. This is happening right now, even as I sit on the sidelines and cheer. Though the church hasn’t found a new Senior Pastor yet, it is being ably shepherded by the staff, including the Interim Pastor Rick Hull. They’re in the middle of a two-year process of calling a new pastor, which has included the writing of an incisive mission study (PDF of mission study).
As I reflected on the fact that Irvine Presbyterian Church is doing so well without me, and has a promising future ahead, I wondered what I did there that will stand the test of time? I served as the church’s pastor for about 6,000 days. What did I accomplish during that time? One day, when nobody at Irvine Presbyterian Church even remembers me, will my impact be more than a dusty portrait hanging on the wall of the administration building? What did I do that really mattered?
A small part of the answer to this question was before my eyes in the Irvine Pres sanctuary. I served on the building committee that oversaw the design and building of the sanctuary. This was a team effort, through and through. But there are a few features of the sanctuary that reflect my direct and impassioned advocacy. Some of those I could see last Sunday. Others were not quite as obvious. For example, I insisted that it wasn’t enough to put a baby changing station only in the women’s restroom. It took some effort, but finally the committee agreed, though some members were doubtful that this was a reasonable expense.
My contributions to the buildings at Irvine Pres did matter, and still do, though they’re certainly not what mattered most. This is not something that can be easily measured. It has to do with changed lives, both inside and outside of the church. It’s about shaping and encouraging the growth of the congregation. It’s about leading the church to care for the world across the street as well as on the other side of the world.
I’m not going to spend much time blogging on the question “What Did I Do That Really Mattered?” I am going to think about it some more, however. As we come to the end of 2008, this is a good time for all of us to consider what we have done in the last year that really mattered. Such reflections may lead us to gratitude, when we realize that God has been at work in and through us. But our examination of our life and its significance should also help us to reconsider and refocus. Most of us, myself included, spend a whole lot of time and energy on that which, in the end, really doesn’t matter. Now is a good time to redirect our efforts.
I close with a classic statement by the famed 19th century cricket player and missionary, C. T. Studd: “Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Now there’s something to think about.
Topics: Musings | 1 Comment »
My Comments on My Commenters
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, December 30, 2008
When I first began blogging over five years ago, I didn’t have an effective commenting feature on my blog. This was a result of my peculiar way of blogging. Unlike the vast majority of small people, I did not use an automated blogging service (Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, etc.). Rather, I formatted my entire blog “by hand,” using HTML and Dreamweaver. This gave me lots of power to control the look of my blog. But it meant that certain kinds of functions, like comments, were far beyond my abilities. Finally, in April of 2007 I managed to come up with a hybrid blog, a combination of HTML code surrounding a Wordpress automated blog. Now I could allow people to make comments, or to comment on the comments of others, in a more standard blog format. The result, not surprisingly, was more comments from my blog readers.
I don’t know if you’ve spent much time reading comments on blogs. If not, I wouldn’t recommend it. For the most part, blog comments are not especially insightful. Often they are inane. Often they are rude and offensive. If you want to check out some salient examples, visit the marvelous Newsweek website called On Faith. This “blog” features contributions by some of the most outstanding religious (and irreligious) leaders in the world, including: Chuck Colson, Sam Harris, Elaine Pagels, Desmond Tutu, Rick Warren, Elie Wiesel, and N.T. Wright. Many of the comments added by readers are appropriate and helpful. But I’ve been amazed by the rather large number of mean, disrespectful, and outright nasty comments. In particular, I remember one post by Desmond Tutu, a bishop, Nobel prize winner, and, arguably, one of the most respected leaders in the world. I can’t remember the topic of Bishop Tutu’s post. But I do remember several of the comments that spoke to him like he was a complete idiot. They ridiculed his faith and mocked his ideas. Admittedly, most blog comments are this bad. But the overall level of blog comments doesn’t exactly build my confidence in the intellectual and moral fiber of the blogosophere.
But then there are the comments on my blog. Please pardon me if I take a moment to brag about my commenters. I am truly proud of their intellect, curiousity, and kindness. There have only been a couple of times when I’ve had to edit comments because of their inappropriate language. I do not, by the way, edit or delete comments that are critical of me or my ideas. I should mention, however, that every comment on my blog goes through an outstanding screening program (Akismet) that keeps spam out. I’ve had over 2,000 legitimate comments on my blog in the last year and a half. I have had over 13,000 spam comments that have been caught by Akismet. Most of these are promoting something: porn, pharmaceuticals, etc. Akismet (associated with Wordpress) allows me to have my comments unmoderated. Every once in a while, however, a legitimate comment is held for my moderation.
There are times when I don’t get many comments. And there are times when I get dozens. I am not always able to comment on the comments, but I do try to read them all. Of course I’m encouraged by those who agree with me or express their appreciation for my blogging efforts. I’m often sharpened in my thinking by those who disagree, or by those who ask tough questions. More than once, questions by my commenters have determined the future course of my blog.
If you read my blog comments with any regularity, you’ll get to know some of the personalities. There are some who are consistently positive. I’m thankful for their support. There are others who disagree with me quite often. I’m thankful for their honesty and the respect with which they communicate. I hope I respond with similar graciousness.
I’m proud of my blog commenters. They are doing something that is increasingly rare in our country: dealing openly, respectfully, and graciously with serious issues, even in the midst of significant disagreement. So, for those of you who comment, thank you, both for adding your thoughts, and for doing so in such a helpful way.
Topics: Blogging | 15 Comments »
The Inevitable, Ironic Pandemonium in Christmas Eve Worship
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, December 29, 2008
This year my family and I joined a Christmas Eve worship service at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Burbank, California. My sister-in-law and her family are part of this church, so we joined them on Christmas Eve.
The service was quite fine. We sang several beloved Christmas carols, including: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Away in a Manger.” A bass soloist sang a moving version of “O Holy Night.” The church took up a special offering for a ministry that cares for poor children in Tijuana, Mexico. The pastor’s sermon was right on, hitting the core of the good news of Christmas. We shared communion together, and then finished by singing “Silent Night” outside while holding candles. All in all, it was a blessed time.
But during this service the inevitable happened yet again. Throughout most of the service, there was an undercurrent of commotion. Babies squawked. Toddlers whispered. Elementary-aged kids shifted excitedly in their seats. I must confess that at several points in the service I was distracted because of the spontaneous participation of children.
I say this is inevitable because I’ve experienced this sort of commotion in Christmas Eve worship for years and years. When I was Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, we had two early services on Christmas Eve that were especially for families with young children. You can imagine what happens if you jam a few hundred excited children into an enclosed space for an hour. Pandemonium! I never had to work harder to keep people’s attention during a sermon than when I gave my short Christmas Eve meditation in those services. But ever our later service at 6:30 usually had enough children present to create a Muzak of youthful din. Only our 11:00 p.m. candlelight communion service was usually free of such noise.
I know some churches that, in an effort to provide a quiet atmosphere for adult worship, try to keep parents from bringing their young children into Christmas Eve services. But, given the desire of families to worship together on the holiday, this approach rarely works. It can even cause hurt feelings and a sense of unfriendliness.
And, in my opinion, it’s not in keeping with the theological reality of Christmas. That’s why I say the pandemonium in Christmas Eve worship is ironic. Remember what we’re celebrating: the birth of a baby, a baby who no doubt made plenty of noise. Yes, I know we love “Silent Night” and sing of the little Lord Jesus “no crying he makes,” but the reality was much more ordinary. Because newborns sleep a lot, there were times of silence and “no crying” in the stable where Jesus was born. But, as one who was fully human even as he was fully God, Jesus surely made plenty of infantile racket.
I try to remember this as I’m being disturbed by children’s noises in Christmas Eve worship. Jesus didn’t come to earth as some sort of miracle child who never cried. He was really and truly human. He came into our existence to experience life as we experience it, crying, laughing, shrieking and all. Thus, though a part of me would rather enjoy Christmas Eve worship in mature silence, I’m strangely glad for the inevitable, ironic pandemonium that comes from real children doing what real children do.
Next time you’re in a Christmas service, or any worship service for that matter, and a child’s noise bothers you, remember the baby Jesus. Celebrate the wonder of God becoming fully human in Jesus. Because Jesus started life as a fully human little noisemaker, he was able to represent the rest of us noisemakers on the cross.
Photo: The conclusion of Christmas Eve worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Burbank, California. It’s all there: the manger and the cross, with candlelight and “Silent Night.”
Topics: Christmas | 3 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, December 28, 2008
God’s Perplexing Permission
LORD, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?
Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?
Return and help us, for we are your servants,
the tribes that are your special possession.
As the prophet looks upon the mess Israel made of its life, his thoughts turn to the mystery of God’s inaction, or even God’s participation, in the rebellion of Israel: “Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?”
If you’ve walked with the Lord for a while, I expect you’ve had questions like these. If you’ve made poor choices for your life and these choices have led to much suffering, you’ve no doubt wondered why God let you make such a mess of your life. Why didn’t he guide you differently? Why didn’t he intervene?
Isaiah does not answer these questions for us. Nor does the Lord in response to Isaiah. Yet Isaiah reaffirms just how much we need God’s help, even if we don’t understand God’s ways. “Return and help us,” Isaiah prays, “for we are your servants.”
Similarly, when we suffer because of the poor decisions we have made, we realize that we need God’s help. This is the good news: although God’s ways are often mysterious to us, nevertheless, he is there to help us. As we read in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, always read to help in times of trouble.”
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Have you ever wondered why God allowed you to make such a mess of your life? When? Why do you think God gives us such freedom?
PRAYER: Gracious God, you know there have been many times in my life when I have asked questions just like those of Isaiah. I have wondered why you have let me make such painful mistakes in my life. And sometimes, Lord, it even seems as if you have given me a stubborn heart to oppose you. None of this makes much sense to me.
Yet what I know without question is that you are a wise and merciful God, and I need your help. So even when I can’t figure out what you’re doing in my life, or not doing, I still come to you for help. Return and help me, Lord, for I am your servant.
Today I pray for all who are suffering because of poor choices they have made. May they turn to you in humility, and may you reach out to them in your mercy. Help them, Lord! Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | 1 Comment »
A Few More Christmas Images
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, December 27, 2008
Adults like Christmas, but children love Christmas. During my family’s Christmas celebration, I had fun watching my youngest nephew, Brody. He’s two years old, and a lover of Christmas, naturally.
Brody examines his new bus closely.
Brody tries to destroy, uh, err, plays with my mom’s Christmas village.
The nativity set in front of our house in Texas. The figures are more than three feet high. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that this nativity set used to be displayed on my roof in Irvine. Now it lives in our front yard in its own “stable.”
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Some Christmas Images
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, December 26, 2008
Just for fun, here are some photos of Christmas celebrations.
Fireworks mark the conclusion of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade.
Santa shows up at my father-in-law’s house on Christmas Eve. We all loved it. Too bad my son, Nathan, wasn’t there, for some reason. Recently, he always seems to miss out on Santa’s visits.
My daughter enjoys sitting on Santa’s lap.
Topics: Christmas | 1 Comment »