JANUARY 20, 2017

In the good old USA it is inauguration day.  As I write we have a new president, Donald Trump.  The country could not be more divided than it is concerning this new administration.  Even as I write there are protests throughout the land.  Anger and frustration and bitterness runs very deep in those who did not support Mr. Trump.  Social media is ablaze with harsh rhetoric coming from both sides of the issue, and there is a fear that verbal rhetoric might turn to physical violence. Actually, it already has.  We'll see where it goes but, hopefully, at some point cooler heads will prevail and keep people on a track for good and not for harm.

My thoughts today turn to what it means in times like these to be Christian.  And, believe me, this issue is extremely important on this day and in the days to come.  The Church is split on President Trump.  Some "believers" basically hate the man, and view him almost as the devil incarnate.  Others celebrate his victory because they believe that once again America will be great. The chances of the two sides coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ seems almost impossible to imagine.

In this world of chaos and bigotry and sexism and name-calling and shock, how should we as Christians live?  Hopefully, like the way we should have been living all along.  The great prayer on the heart of every believer should be, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:9-10).  Followers of Jesus can't support or practice anything that violates this call to a full yielding to the will of God. 

In this light I'm not sure the best way forward is simply complaining about Donald Trump.  We all know who he is, how he operates, and what he believes.  We're not going to change his mind.  So, instead, lets fall on our knees, search our own hearts, and pray with deep seriousness, "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

The presidency of one man ought not to influence who we are or how we live.  We should be living the Matthew 25 life anyway, and if we aren't, why aren't we? Works of mercy ought to be a part of our lives no matter who the national leader might be. Today and everyday our creed should be:

1.        We must continue to seek justice for people of all races, creeds, gender, and color.

2.        We must continue seeking to end oppression and discrimination.

3.        We must continue to speak into and against all matters that reflect man’s inhumanity to man.

4.        We must seek to end poverty, to get fresh water to those who so desperately need it, to find ways to destroy the means by which human trafficking inflicts pain and suffering on women at home and around the world. 

5.        We must take care of the sick, treat with decency those who are in prison, feed the hungry, and give our time, talents and treasures to meet the needs of people who live disenfranchised, marginalized, and in many ways, dehumanized. 

Whoever the president of the USA might me, has nothing whatsoever to do with our passion, our zeal, our commitment to walk in the footsteps of the One we call Savior and Lord.  In fact, we are citizens of two worlds, this one in which we now find ourselves, and heaven (see Philippians 3:20); and until we get to heaven we are to be about the business of what is "True, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good repute" (Philippians 4:8).  We must "love…without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil; cling to what is good and be devoted to one another in brotherly love" (Romans 12:9-10).    

Today I am not pre-occupied with the National Anthem but with another anthem that has for all time and eternity captured my imagination.

Rise up, O Church of God!

Have done with lesser things.

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

To serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O Church of God!

The kingdom tarries long.

Bring in the day of brotherhood

And end the night of wrong.

       (Based on the words of William Merrill, 1911)

MY NATIVE AIR

I can't believe the number of people who have said to me, "I am so happy that 2016 is over."  It was a strange year, wasn't it?  For many it was a troubling year in terms of relationships, health, job, financial stress, etc., etc. Some lost loved ones in death.  For them Christmas was not all that joyful.  There was terrorism throughout the world, violence on every continent, anger in just about every neighborhood, and deep-seated questions about whether these things are marking what the future will be for all of us. No doubt about it, it is a dangerous world in which we live.

Now we have entered into 2017 and many of us are doing so in a spirit of hope.  People of faith don't turn the world over to the forces of evil.  As a follower of Jesus I have a hope born of God and earned through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  For six years I have been in a struggle with cancer, and everyday I am reminded that life comes to us but just as importantly that by the grace of God we are enabled to choose the attitude and spirit by which we live.  So, I say, bring it on.  I don't know what 2017 holds but I know who holds me steady in the midst of whatever this year might look like.  And, in the midst of all the issues barreling down on us, I have peace.  I suspect if you are a follower of Jesus you have peace, too. Why not?  We just celebrated the birth of the Prince of Peace.

The key to going forward in life is to take hold of the hand that has already taken hold of us, and to walk with Him day by day.  What does that look like?  It looks like faith.  Some would anoint our lives with fear.  Those of us who are of Jesus, though, are not about fear.  Our Savior says, "Fear not."  Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). 

Years ago the wonderful missionary, E. Stanley Jones said something I first ready some forty years ago.  It still resonates in my heart:

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air.

How shall we live in 2017? I think we live with all the enthusiasm of people who have encountered the living God who daily says to you, "Fear not."  Is the world falling apart?  I'm not sure this is the question we most need to ask.  What we most need to ask is, "Is Jesus Lord?"  The Bible says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).   2017 isn't catching Jesus off guard.  He is not running to keep up with changing times.  Jesus is Lord.  This is our creed. 

So, in 2017 take hold of the hand that has already taken hold of your hand.  Tether your life to Jesus and get ready for what could be a wild and crazy ride, but a ride in the Sovereign embrace of the Lord of lords and King of kings.   

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

Every year during the Advent season, as we journey toward Christmas and the day chosen to celebrate the birth of God into human history, I love to read a composition by an unknown writer called, One Solitary Life.  It is very popular and you've probably read it, too.  It speaks about Jesus and of his condition in life and of His ultimate influence.  I would like to share it here because one more time, it has touched my heart.  Maybe it will touch your heart, too. 

Merry Chistmas!

Rick

One Solitary Life.

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. 

He never wrote a book. 

He never held an office. 

He never had a family or owned a house. 

He didn’t go to college. 

He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. 

He did none of these things one usually associates with greatness. 

He had no credentials but himself. 

He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. 

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.When he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race, the leader of mankind’s progress. 

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as much as that One Solitary Life.

A THANKSGIVING NOTE

It is Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving.  The family is relaxed, loving our time together and enjoying a mild Arizona day.  There are twelve of us, including six grandchildren that I adore.  Family! What a great idea.

Tomorrow we head back into our post Thanksgiving journey home but we will be filled with memories and stories and laughter.  For our family the journey of Advent begins on Sunday and we will make our way to Bethlehem's manger and, by faith, we will look into the face of Jesus and refresh our imaginations, imaginations rooted in the outrageous grace of God. 

We will journey with another family, too; the church to which we belong.  Together we will walk the Advent journey as we seek to draw near to God in openness and transparency and self-examination.  Our journey this year is a journey of paying special attention to what God is doing in our world. 

In a sense what we do in Advent is no different than what we do everyday throughout the year.  It's just that Advent slows us down a bit and gives us the opportunity to clear out any cobwebs that might have found their way into our story. It is a time to remember, to look back, to look forward, and to embrace the present.  It is a time to remember that God really is at work in the world, and that the world, as desperate as it is for meaning and purpose and peace, is not out of control.  God is here.  He has not distanced Himself from us but has come up close and personal. 

Today, I just want to say thank You to the God of all grace.  Our world is broken but our God is not broken.  He's got the whole world in His hands.  He's got me in His hands, and that amazes me more than anything else.  The world is filled with uncertainty but Jesus helps me to make sense of things in the midst of all the non-sense. 

So, even though it is a day late I want to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to all my friends and family.  May His grace embrace you through and through.  May His mercy stun You everyday.  May His comfort encourage you.  May His love hold you steady.  May God guide you and keep you and direct you in the twists and turns of your life.  May the Holy Spirit empower you.  May Jesus touch your life to the core and give you peace.

God you bless you all,

Rick   

HOW DO WE GO FORWARD?

Wouldn't it be great if the two people who ran for the presidency of the United States would take to a platform somewhere today, stand side by side and say to America,  

"The two of us disagree on just about every issue facing our country today.  This will not change.  We will daily take our stand and fight for what we believe to be the good fight.  Today, however, we stand in solidarity as Americans.  We confess our country is not perfect.  We acknowledge that we are not perfect.  Yet, we love this country, and today we are calling for a new way of being in America.  Don't let your convictions go.  Fight the good fight but remember we are Americans all. We are a people of law.  We have a constitution.  We don't have to agree with each other but we have a constitution."

There is a great line from the 1995 movie, "The American President," where president Andrew Shepherd (played by Michael Douglas) addresses the American people.  He says to them, to us,

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. 

American is in a world of hurt and if ever there were a time for her leaders to step up and lead it is now.  Israelmore Ayivor said,

“Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is not a reserved position for a particular group of people who were elected or appointed, ordained or enthroned. Leadership is self-made, self-retained, self-inculcated and then exposed through a faithful, sincere and exemplary life.”

I love this country, warts and all, and I hope, even pray, that somehow, someway, we will stand strong in the face of adversity and exercise "advanced citizenship."