| I was sobered by a conversation that took place on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. A preschool teacher used a playful approach to get her students to think about that November holiday. She said:“Now let me think. Thanksgiving. That’s the day when we think about all the stuff we have. And how we want more things than anybody else has. And how we don’t care about anybody but ourselves. And . . .”
“No!” the children were starting to chorus! “No-o-o!” Then one little guy in the middle of the pack looked up and chirped, “That’s not Thanksgiving, Miss Michelle. That’s Christmas!” What are we teaching our children? Yes, it will be easy to rant against the commercialization of Christmas, but what are our actions teaching? Let’s take a few minutes to do a “searching moral inventory” in this area. Have we covered greed with a thin veneer of religion? I am convinced that the answer is not to ignore the season but to allow time in the presence of God to transform it. Celebrate the birth of the Son of God, but consider doing it with more simplicity. The one word that describes the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth was “ordinary.” Rather than the romanticized version of the manger scene, my studied conviction is that someone in Bethlehem took that pregnant couple into their home and Jesus’ birth was just like all the other infants—he was born in a four-room house. The only reason we assume he was born in a stable is the mention of him being laid in a manger and there having been no room for them in the inn. Would it surprise you to learn that there were mangers in every four-room Jewish house during that period? The central room was typically designed where animals would be brought inside overnight to protect them and so their body heat would help warm the family. Between it and the two adjacent rooms there would be mangers. If I am right, his birth was incredibly “ordinary.” Whatever the locale, nothing about Jesus’ arrival encourages the extravagance that is too typical. What would our children say to Miss Michelle? Would they think she had confused Christmas and Thanksgiving? John Kenneth King |
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Confused
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| Yesterday a mother shared with me that her son was confused. He asked her why those people were coming into the building after Sunday School. She told him they were here for worship. “But didn’t we already do church?” he responded. “Yes, but now there is a second worship,” she told him. “Why didn’t they come earlier?” he questioned. Two weeks into this new phase of our church life I can relate. Communion is served at both services—do I partake at both or only one, and if the later option, which one and why? How do I interact with the folks leaving after the first worship and get ready for Sunday School at the same time? How do I interact with the folks leaving after the first worship and Sunday School and get ready for the second worship? How do I remember whether or not I said something earlier in the second sermon, or just remember having said it earlier during the first time I preached it? I’ve had my moments of confusion, too.
But it’s worth it all! More people are being touched. We are being stretched to place the needs of others at least as high as our own, if not higher. New people are being given easier access into this church family because there are more opportunities and some of the “tight-group” connections are being loosened a little. We see space for new folks to sit and we are more motivated to get back to that comfortably full level. These last two weeks have been good. Ask Brian Cook. Talk with Dave and Lisa Phillips. Chat with Bill Burgess. How’s it been for you? Have you seen increased opportunities for service to others? Are you inviting family and friends to join you in worshipping God? Do you feel a little anxiety over the increased number of new faces of people you do not know? Will you invest the time and energy into reaching out to some of those folks? God will reward that effort if you’ll only extend it. Dear Father, Thank you for your faithfulness. We praise you for calling us as your people. You have placed us in a growing community and challenged us to reach more people. By faith we have taken this step because we believe that whatever you call people to do, you equip them to accomplish. Through Jesus we pray, Amen. |
Coming Home to Roost
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| Often I take the opportunity afforded by special days, such as Father’s Day, to express appreciation and praise for the honored group. But I want to offer a word of admonition—spend time with your children.
“How much?” someone asks. My best response is “Enough.” Enough to insure they know your love, trustworthiness and faith. Speaking of God’s laws, Moses said, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deut. 6:7). That takes time—plenty of it. No quick sermon will fulfill a daily responsibility. Possibly you’ve found yourself saying, “It’s not the quantity of time but the quality that matters.” While there may be a degree of insight in this statement, it contains an obvious flaw. This folk-wisdom cliché sets two necessary ingredients at odds with each other. We will not apply this cliché to other areas of our life. It too easily becomes a cop-out. Sandy and Harry Chapin’s song, Cat’s In The Cradle, expresses one danger of spending too little time with children—i.e., they will not find time for their parents later. The chorus of the first two verses is the same as the last two except the speaker/recipient have been reversed. Verse one asks and answers the son’s question, “When you comin’ home, Dad? I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then—you know we’ll have a good time then.” Verse three changes after the son goes to college. Here the father gets the same answer after he asks the boy, “When you comin’ home, Son? I don’t know when, but we’ll have a good time then—you know we’ll have a good time then.” As country people might say, “The chicken has come home to roost.” The son lived up to his promise to be just like his father. Like his dad’s example, he doesn’t have time for those he loves! Use your time wisely by investing it in those you love! If you want your family to know they are loved, spend time with them. Make it quality time but be sure it is quantity too. John Kenneth King |
From the Desk of John King 