Introspection: '13

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

Comments are always welcomed.

'13

I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:12-13 (NRSV)

This world can turn me down

But I won't turn away

And I won't duck and run

'Cause I'm not built that way

When everything is gone

There is nothing there to fear

This world cannot bring me down

No, 'cause I'm already here

From "Duck and Run" by 3 Doors Down

A long time ago, I heard that hotels do not have thirteenth floors.  Of course, any hotel that has more than twelve floors has a thirteenth floor, because, after all, thirteen follows twelve numerically.  What I mean is that, when the floors are numbered, the number 13 is skipped: what would normally be called the thirteenth floor is called the fourteenth floor.  When I first heard this little factoid, I remember thinking it was rather silly and hard to believe.  A few months ago, I spent a few days in a hotel.  As I rode the elevator up to my room, I noticed the labeling on the elevator buttons.  Sure enough, there was a button for the twelfth floor and a button for the fourteenth floor, but there was no button for a thirteenth floor.

Triskaidekaphobia is the fancy word for the fear of the number 13.  The number 13 has been long associated with bad luck and misfortune.  The thirteenth day of the month, particularly if it falls on a Friday, is thought to be an unlucky day.  Hotel owners skip the number 13 when numbering the floors of their hotels so that superstitious people won't have any aversion to staying on the floor directly above the twelfth.  As someone who is mathematically minded and also a little bit obsessive compulsive, I think it is stupid and downright wrong to skip numbers in such a way.

After this past year, though, I wonder if it wouldn't be a bad idea to also skip years that end in 13 as well.  I haven't developed a fear of the number 13, but, for me, this year really lived up to its name.  If you've read my introspections this year, you know that this hasn't really been a very happy year for me.  A number of unfortunate things have happened to me this year.

I started the year with the flu, and I wasn't able to celebrate New Year's Eve with my friends.

I had to break up with a woman I wasn't actually dating.  I came to the realization that rejecting someone else's romantic advances can actually be more painful than being rejected.¹

My soul began to collapse under the weight of the expectations other people had for me and under the weight of the guilt I bore for not meeting them.  In the process, I had some rather uncomfortable insights about the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  I found myself envying people who don't give a damn and simply enjoy their lives.²

I accepted that I couldn't please everyone and stopped trying.³  I let people down, and the people I let down were a lot more forgiving than I thought they should have been.

I lost respect for people I once admired.  In the process, I had to confront things about myself I had tried really hard not to see.  I realized, rather painfully, that I am actually not any better than people I have judged and condemned.⁴

As I began to consider writing a memoir, I was reminded once again that I don't have a good stopping point.  A lot of the things I thought were resolved in my life seem to have come unraveled, and some of the healing I thought I found in my life now seems to be undone.⁵

I looked forward to a number of events this year that turned out to be letdowns, and I missed out on an education opportunity I needed to complete one of my goals.

I got the flu again less than a week before Christmas.  Though I recovered before Christmas, I most likely gave it to a friend of mine, and he was unable to celebrate Christmas with his family and friends.⁶

I feel less motivated than I did last year.

It is ironic that my New Year's resolution for 2013 was to approach the year with a sense of optimism.  This one went out the window rather quickly.

Before I continue, I just want to say that I am well aware of my tendency to be self-absorbed and that I realize there are a lot of people who have had a much worse year than I have.  I realize that there are plenty of people out there who would be happy to compare their problems to mine and to tell me how their lives are so much worse than mine.  I realize that I have described a bunch of "first world problems" and that I really have no right to complain because, in the midst of the crappiness of the past year, I have not had to go without food, water, clothing, or shelter.  I realize all of these things, but it does not change the fact that I have been through a lot of pain this past year.

In the midst of the pain, I have had a lot to celebrate this year as well.

I had the opportunity to plan and led a five-week Bible study on my own.⁷

I was invited to go on a spiritual journey.

I had the opportunity to write and deliver six sermons - a personal record - and to speak at two churches besides my home church.

I made some new friends this year, and I was reminded that there are a lot of people in my life who love me, believe in me, and care about me.⁸

I gained a new understanding of grace, a greater realization of my own need for grace, and a greater appreciation for the grace God abundantly gives me.  2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is enough for you..." - has become my favorite Bible verse.  I'm considering getting it tattooed on my forearm for practical reasons: I will likely need to be reminded of it at least one hundred times per day.⁹

I watched my church take a step in a more missional direction when we decided to lend our parsonage to local homelessness ministry so that it may be used as transitional housing.¹⁰

I watched a number of my friends get married. Also, a number of my friends had children.

I celebrated my fourth anniversary at my current job.  I have now been at this job more than twice the length of time I was at my previous job - the job that brought me a lot of shame in the past.  I received a promotion this year, and I also learned that I was nominated for a standards of behavior award.

Life is like a music player on shuffle: in the same way that an anguished song might immediately follow a happy song, the happy times and painful times of our lives bump against each other.  Life has ups and downs, so we have to learn to take the good with the bad.

I imagine that St. Paul wasn't having a very good year when he wrote his letter to the Philippian church.  He was in jail, yet he wrote a surprisingly joyful letter.  Toward the end of the letter, he writes, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."  I once heard this verse called the "Superman verse" because many people believe that it means, "I can do anything because Christ is on my side."  For example, I once heard a pop singer quote this verse while she was accepting a major award.

Paul, in his letter, spends some time reflecting on his own life, looking back on the good times and the bad times.  When Paul says, "I can do all things," I believe that he actually means, "I can endure all things."¹¹  Paul has been through times of poverty and times of plenty, and he realizes that it is Christ who has sustained him through it all.  Though he now lays his head in a jail cell, he continues to draw strength from his faith in Christ.  If I were to put what Paul says into my own words, I would say, "I can endure whatever life throws at me, because Christ gives me strength."

I endured some lousy stuff this past year, and, though I feel somewhat worse for wear, I hold on to the hope that what didn't kill me will somehow make me stronger in the long run.¹²

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, "Nothing endures but change."  In other words, "The only constant is change."¹³  Some years are good, and some years are bad, but what they all have in common is the fact that they all inevitably come to an end.  Whether you are currently going through a good time or a bad time, you can always draw strength from the One who is eternal.

'13, I bid you a not-so-fond adieu.  Goodbye and good riddance.

'14, I outlived your predecessor, and, whether you prove to be good or bad, I intend to outlive you as well.  Bring it on!


Notes:

1. See my introspection "Love and Potato Salad."
2. See my introspection "Why I Envy the Prodigal Son."
3. See my introspection "I Can't Do It (and That's Alright)."
4. See my introspection "Amazing(ly) (Painful) Grace."
5. See my introspection "Waiting for Aldersgate."
6. Before you say anything, yes, I plan to get a flu shot this year.
7. Two of my perspectives this year came from this study.  See "Doubting with Anticipation" and "Mirror, Mirror in the Words."
8. See my introspection "Hands to Grab."
9. See my sermon "One Thing."
10. GAIHN.org
11. See Philippians 4:13 in the Common English Bible.
12. To be completely honest, some of this started in 2012, but I bore the brunt of it in 2013.
13. Wikiquote: Heraclitus

The photograph of the pocket watch was taken by Isabelle Grosjean and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.

Perspective: Christmas Is for the Poor

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

Comments are always welcomed.

Christmas Is for the Poor

Don't be afraid!  Listen!  I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere.  Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for you!  He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority!  You will know you have found Him when you see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.

Luke 2:10-12 (The Voice)

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

From "Give Thanks" by Henry Smith

If you have been reading my blog for the past few years, you have probably noticed that when I tell the Christmas story, I prefer to tell it as unromantic and undignified as possible.  I simply think that the typical nativity scene - consisting of a glowing infant, a prayerful and pious Mary and Joseph, some perfectly groomed shepherds, and some well behaved animals - simply doesn't do the story justice.

The Christmas story is a story about a child who was conceived under suspicious circumstances, a child whose teenage parents ended up delivering Him in a barn because they had nowhere else to go.  Though Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus' entry into this world was miraculous, anyone else would have considered them a couple of foolish young people who made a holy mess out of their lives - pun intended.¹

Lest you think I am simply trying to defame the Christmas story, the very inauspicious way in which the Son of God came into the world makes a powerful statement about God's love.  According to one author, "The very first statement Jesus ever voiced about His concern for the poor, oppressed, marginalized people was when he cried out as one of them - eyes shut tight, mouth open wide, wailing, kicking...  It was one of the most profound acts of solidarity with the poor He could make."²  Jesus was born in a stable as a poor child, to earthly parents whom most onlookers would consider to have poor judgment.

When Jesus grew up and began His ministry, He demonstrated a great concern for the poor.  He challenged those with wealth to share with those who were in need.  Jesus even said that whenever a person feeds someone who is hungry, gives water to someone who is thirsty, welcomes someone who is far from home, gives clothing to the destitute, nurses someone who is sick, or visits someone who is incarcerated, it is just as if he or she had done it for Jesus Himself.³  Jesus personally identified with the poor.

Of course, the materially poor were not the only poor people about whom Jesus was concerned.  Jesus once said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."⁴  The "poor in spirit" are sometimes understood to be the hopeless or the humble,⁵ but I wonder if the "poor in spirit" might also include the spiritually poor or, as some might say, morally bankrupt.  Jesus sat down for dinner with thieving tax collectors who were considered traitors to their own people.  He freely associated with women who had bad reputations.  He even invited a tax collector and a terrorist to join his closest followers.⁶

Jesus used some harsh words on occasion, but they weren't directed toward the tax collectors or prostitutes - those we would consider morally bankrupt.  Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity recently pointed out that the only people Jesus really seemed to condemn were religious bigots and rich people who didn't help others.⁷  I wonder of Jesus reserved his harshest critique for people who forgot that they were poor.

We value independence and self-reliance in our society, but it is important to remember that we are all completely dependent on God for all our needs.  All good things, including basic necessities, ultimately come from God.  Even if you have earned everything you own by the sweat of your brow, remember that God gave you your ability to sweat.  Not only are we dependent on God's provision, we are also dependent on God's grace.  We all "fall short," "miss the mark," and screw up on a daily basis, and God continually forgives us and befriends us.

I once heard Rob Bell say that in the Church we are all like beggars who found some bread and that, when we share our faith with others, it is as if we are showing other beggars where to find that bread for themselves.

Christmas is for the poor,

and we are all poor.

All we have comes from God, so we must be willing to share what we have in excess with those who do not have enough.  Over the last few weeks, as I have been trying to get the people around me to remember the poor during the Christmas season, I was reminded twice that, though it is good to remember the needy at Christmas, we must not forget those in need during the rest of the year.  Though the Christmas season occurs at the end of the annual calendar, it occurs at the beginning of the Church calendar,⁸ so the good deeds we do at Christmas should set the tone for what we do during the rest of the year.

As you celebrate Christmas with your family and friends, may you not forget those in need - those in need of food and shelter, and those in need of grace.  Also, may you not forget everything that God has done for you.

Merry Christmas!


Notes:

1. To read my own personal telling of the Christmas story, see my perspective "The Christmas Scandal."
2. Scott A. Bessenecker.  The New Friars: The Emerging Movement Serving the World's Poor.  2006, InterVarsity.  pp. 59-60
   Quoted in Advent Conspiracy.  2009, Zondervan.  pp 86-87
3. Matthew 25:34-36
4. Matthew 5:3 (NRSV)
5. See Matthew 5:3 in the Amplified Bible, the Message, and the Common English Bible.
6. Two of Jesus' disciples were Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector.  See Matthew 10:1-4.
7. Tripp Fuller and Daniel Kirk.  "Kirk Have I Loved But Tripp?"  Homebrewed Christianity Podcast.  09/26/2013.
8. For a brief lesson on the Church Calendar, see my sermon "Not of This World."

The photograph featured in this perspective is public domain.

Introspection: The Humbug in My Ear

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

Comments are always welcomed.

The (Hum)Bug in My Ear

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant."

Luke 1:46-48a (NRSV)

As children we believed

The grandest sight to see

Was something lovely

Wrapped beneath our tree

Well heaven only knows

That packages and bows

Can never heal

A hurting human soul

From "My Grownup Christmas List" by Linda Thompson

As people begin to adorn their houses and places of business with trees, wreaths, and garland and as radio stations begin to play familiar seasonal songs over and over again, we can see that Christmas is fast approaching us.  In the midst of this Christmas season, I find myself with a proverbial pebble in my shoe.  It is the same feeling I have experienced every Christmas for the past few years.  Perhaps it could be said that I have a humbug in my ear.

A few years ago, shortly after Christmas, I got into a very heated argument with someone who was angry about a rather unpleasant encounter with someone who wished him "Happy Holidays!" as opposed to a "Merry Christmas!"¹  Of course, this person wasn't alone in his anger.  Many Christians are upset by this trend, for they feel as though people are trying to remove Christ from the very holiday that was meant to celebrate His birth.  I cannot help but feel as though such Christians are being petty and even hypocritical.  At the risk of being judgmental, I suspect that many of them heard the offensive greeting while they were out buying Christmas gifts for people who don't really need anything, at a retail chain that most likely benefits from sweatshop labor and other unethical practices.

Christians are so concerned about some supposed "war on Christmas," but do our own Christmas observances truly magnify the Lord?  According to the authors of the book Advent Conspiracy, "the average American... spends one thousand dollars on Christmas gifts."²  Furthermore, "the amount of money we spend on Christmas in America is close to forty-five times the amount of money it would take to supply the entire world with clean water."³  If this high and holy time of the year has been reduced to a godless orgy of materialism - even among Christians - then who cares what people call it?  Sometimes I wonder if Christ would even want His name attached to this holiday anymore.

Greeting people with a "Merry Christmas!" is the least we can do to honor Christ this season,

the very least.

After Mary hears that she, a poor, unwed teenager, will give birth to the Son of God, she visits her cousin Elizabeth.  During the visit, Mary breaks into song.  This song, which is both worshipful and prophetic, is sometimes called the Magnificat, because Mary magnifies - or glorifies - God.  In this song, she sings,

He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.⁴

Mary's song foreshadows the Kingdom of God, the upside-down Kingdom that her son Jesus will usher in,

a Kingdom where "the last will be first, and the first will be last,"⁵

a Kingdom where the most important people are servants,⁶

a Kingdom whose King rides into town not on a white horse, but on a humble donkey,⁷

a Kingdom that is "not of this world."⁸

I live in a part of America often called the "Bible Belt."  In my area, when people say that there is a church on every street corner, they are only exaggerating slightly.  Christianity is practically a part of the culture in my neck of the woods.  I do not think that this is necessarily a good thing, though.  Often when the Church becomes integrated with the culture, the world around it does not become more Christian; instead, the Church becomes more worldly.  The radical message of the Kingdom of God becomes hijacked, watered-down, and distorted.

Mary's song reminds us that the Church is called to be countercultural and not a part of the culture.  On this same note, St. Paul writes, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed..."⁹  If we as Christians are called to be different from the world around us, then why do we expect the world to conform to our standards?  For that matter, if we are called to be countercultural, then why does our Christmas celebration look like that of the materialistic culture around us?

St. James writes that true religion is "to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."¹⁰  The poor, the sick, the disabled, and the marginalized seem to hold a very special place in Jesus' heart.  In fact Jesus says that whatever we do for them - "the least of these" - we have done for Him.¹¹  Christ loved them so much that He came into the world among them.  Consider the very inauspicious way in which He was born.  His earthly parents delivered him in a dirty barn far from home like a couple of teenage runaways.  An onlooker might say to himself, "What a trainwreck!  That kid doesn't have a chance.  He'll probably grow up to become a convicted criminal."

If we truly want to honor Christ at Christmastime, then we must not forget the needy and vulnerable people among us.

If you think I'm being judgmental, please realize that I am judging myself as well.  I have been very materialistic in my own life.  When I was a child, all I cared about during the holidays was getting stuff on Christmas morning.  I used to have trouble sleeping on Christmas Eve: I would lie awake in anticipation of the presents I would open the next day.  Celebrating the birth of Christ was no more than an afterthought to me.  I look back at myself and shake my head in disgust at my childish materialism.  Even now, I still find myself overly concerned about what gifts to buy people for Christmas. 

In the past few years, I have tried to "be the change" I would like to see.  I still give my family members material gifts, but I spend less than I used to, and, in addition, I make it a point to give money to charities in their honor.  I also try to buy gifts at stores like Ten Thousand Villages, which buys handicrafts from artisans in developing countries for a fair price.¹²

If we truly want to "keep Christ in Christmas," then we need to do more than to simply offer Christ lip service by wishing people "Merry Christmas."  We must stand out as a beacon of light amid the dark materialism that runs rampant this time of year.  We must remember "the least of these," for Christ - our Savior and King - came into the world and lived His earthly life among them.


Notes:

1. This argument got really ugly, and, to be honest, I never really got over it, as evidenced by the fact that I keep blogging about this subject.
2. Rick McKinley, Chris Seay, and Greg Holder.  Advent Conspiracy.  2009, Zondervan.  p. 51
3. Ibid., p. 13
4. Luke 1:51-53 (NRSV)
5. Matthew 20:16
6. Matthew 20:26
7. Zechariah 9:9
8. John 18:36
9. Romans 12:2 (NRSV)
10. James 1:27 (NRSV)
11. Matthew 25:35-40
12. www.tenthousandvillages.com

The photograph featured in this introspection is public domain.