Things That Were Supposed to Happen in 2011 - But Didn't

A little perspective always helps.  I get bombarded with doomsday scenarios all year, and none of them come true.  Here's a few you'll remember, and a few you may have forgotten.

1 - The Rapture Didn't Happen.  Twice.

The world was supposed to end.  Once again, someone had Biblical proof that the time had come, and billboards all across the nation heralded this doom-saying.  (Here is some background information on that.)  Of course, we're still here, and the families who paid for those signs are having financial trouble since they spent all of their money on a sign.

The doomsayers are always wrong, but that sort of habit is not limited to Christians, for example...

2 - Nuclear Fallout From Japan Didn't Hurt Anybody

Japan's tsunami/earthquake earlier this year was very devastating, and I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of that event.  But, a few days later, I was told that the nuclear fallout would travel across the ocean and kill everyone in America.  Of course, reasonable scientists told us that nuclear fallout would not harm us, but no one listens to reasonable people, and there was great panic about this.

Homes were evacuated in Japan, and some food shipments were not sent, but that's the most serious effects I've heard concerning those nuclear accidents.  It's amazing how everyone becomes an expert in nuclear power when someone scares them.

3 - Sea Life in the Gulf of Mexico is Safe to Eat

I know, I know, the BP oil spill was a 2010 thing, but I was still hearing about it this year.  People were so scared, that I was warned by friends not to eat seafood while I traveled in Spain, in March - even though the Spanish don't fish out of the Gulf of Mexico!  In some circles, it was believed that this oil spill would destroy sea life all over the globe, and these people always seemed to be around me when I ordered seafood.  I don't like littering the sea with oil, but these fears were misplaced, and I enjoyed every bite of paella I had.

4 - The Occupy Wall Street Movement had No Effect on Wall Street

They did manage to shut down a few locally owned businesses by camping out in front of small businesses and keeping customers away, but Wall Street opened and closed each day without batting an eye.  If sleeping on the ground in New York was the sort of thing that could affect Wall Street and federal politics, then the homeless people of NY would be the most powerful political lobby in the world.

These protesters have had no effect, but they do have a few valid complaints about government corruption - it's time to find a more useful way to change these things.

5 - Sarah Palin Did Not Run for Office

I don't know (or care) how you feel about this, personally, but everyone I knew was certain she would run for President.  She didn't.  I know some people who thought nothing would make them happier than seeing her run for office, and others who wanted her to run because they love to hate her.  I'm not sure why this meant so much to people, but she's not running.  (If you're the sort of person who obsesses about Palin - or some other politician - then make 2012 the year that you find something else to do.)

6 - This Website Didn't Shut Down

I got sick of this site and tried to shut it down.  But, I really just needed a break.

It's frustrating to write this site.  I beg my fellow Believers to stop being hateful to others for political reasons, but the very people who leave comments agreeing with me will later say that Republicans/Democrats are "stupid" and will continue that hate cycle.  We should all be above that sort of petty hatred.

And when I ask people to think about issues and get along with people who disagree with them, well, I just get called names and dismissed by people on both sides of the argument.  Christians say I'm watering down the Faith, and non-Christians think I'm a pushy Holy-Roller.  It hurts me to see that Christians fighting ideology wars with hatred and politics, rather than showing Christ's Love to their neighbors.

After closing down the site in defeat, I realized that I could try again with a group of writers, and I have.  So far, it's been a good change.

So, 2011 turned out very different than some people predicted.  What have I left out?

"Will there be another king like this?"

Andrew Peterson has some great Christmas music, available here. The song "So Long, Moses" has made me weep. It puts Christmas—and life and history—in perspective. "So Long, Moses" summarizes the history of Israel's yearning for a king, for a Messiah who would be a king like David: "Will there be another king like this?"

The author of Judges says that when the people of Israel first came to the Promised Land they had no king; each person considered himself his own lawmaker; instead of a king, sin reigned in the land. As bad as that was, the Israelites sinned when they longed for a king in those days. This longing was a rejection of God as their king; it was a longing to be like the other nations, a longing not to be a people who were set apart for God because they were ruled by God's law only.

They got the trouble they asked for with Saul and a number of their other kings. But Israel was not without good kings. Above all, there was King David.

As the history of Israel unfolded, the Hebrew wish for a king took on a new quality; it became a longing for a Messiah who would occupy David's throne and set things right for God's people. The prophets told of such a Messiah, the heir of David, whose throne would last forever.

When I listen to "So Long, Moses" I feel the weight of Israel's two thousand years of longing for this Messiah.

When I listen I am saddened by the tragedy that when the King came the first time few recognized Him because, as Isaiah had foretold and as Peterson's song reminds us, He came as a suffering servant.

When I listen I feel the continuing longing for the King to set things right for God's people—and, through them, as Abraham was told in Genesis 12, all the world. In fact, every time a Christian longs for things to be set right in the world, he inherits the ancient longing of Israel for the Messiah.

It's Christmastime, and the King has already come once. He himself taught us to pray for the consummation of His work on earth: "Thy Kingdom come."

Where Did Christmas Come From?

I've written a lot about this topic in the past, so I'll keep this short, and then I'll link to my previous posts.

The early church celebrated mass every Sunday - that was their church service.  Sometimes, they took mass for a particular reason, and one of those reason's was the birth of Jesus.  This "Christ-mass" took place at different times; some churches celebrated in the summer, and some churches did this more than once a year.

Eventually, a tradition caught on that said Jesus was born on December 25.  Since early records of the church were destroyed by Rome, we have no way of knowing if this tradition was based on fact, but it's a tradition, and one day is as good as another for a holiday.  It's widely believed that this day was chosen because of pre-existing Roman/Pagan/whatever holidays, but there's no evidence of that.  Besides, every day on the calendar was once a holiday celebrated by an older culture.  The early medieval scholars who chose December 25th as Christmas were trying to work it out historically and gave no evidence that they were harkening to a pagan festival that no longer existed in their time.  (Whether or not their historical efforts were successful is a good question, however.)

Christmas was more of a season than a holiday, in older times.  The weeks leading up to Christmas were (and still are) known as "Advent" and sometimes these celebrations began early in November.  (Which is why I will listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving as long as I live.)  It was a season, not just a one-day celebration, and we still celebrate "the holidays" in the same way.

So, with that introduction, here's what I've had to say on Christmas in the past, for those of you who are new to this site:

What's the deal with Christmas Trees?

More on the supposed Pagan roots of Christmas.

Why is Christmas on December 25?

Have a good holiday season, and love your neighbor.

5 Christmas Songs You Should Be Singing, but Aren't

I'm sure that the giant stack of papers I need to grade accounts for my breaking my Thinking Through Christianity silence today, but that's all right -- the joys of Christmas music are worth it. So here goes, amid the shiny pop strains of "All I want for Christmas is You" and the ten-jillionth (yes, "jillionth") rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," here are 5 Christmas songs worthy of your attention:


1. Wexford Carol: This Irish/English carol, from the 12th century, is one of the oldest surviving European carols. Its opening lines are a beautiful call to maintaining memory of why we celebrate Christmas: "Good people all, this Christmas time, consider well and bear in mind what our good God for us hath done in sending His beloved Son." Also, the linked recording, by Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss is transcendent.


2. Sussex Carol: Apparently, I really like Christmas songs named after parts of England. You may also know it as "On Christmas Night All Christians Sing." This one is remarkable for its lyrics, which point to the redemptive work of Christ: 


Then why should men on earth be so sad
Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from sin He set us free
All for to gain our liberty.

and:

When sin departs before His grace,
Then life and health come in its place.
Angels and men with joy may sing
All for to see the new-born King.

I haven't been able to find a recording that I really love, but my band and I perform this song each Christmas in an energetic, lilting style that always brings me the joy of Christmas. Maybe some day we'll record it this way.

3. The third verse of "Joy to the World": I know I'm being awfully lyrics-heavy here, but have you seen these wonderful words?

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

When we say "Joy the world," we don't just mean people, we also mean the earth. Christ's coming signals the coming of His Kingdom, which extends to every bit of creation that has been tainted by sin and the fall. His blessings flow to the most wounded individual as well as to the most hurt part of the earth -- and it even extends to horrible, horrible pop music. Yes, one day, we will hear perfect music on a perfectly restored planet, with perfectly restored bodies and souls. This is all part of the promise of redemption.

4. Come On, Everybody! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!: As far as I can tell, this Sufjan Stevens song has no deep theological value. But, for me, it captures the sheer joy of Christmastime like nothing else I can think of. Just listen for yourself and see if it doesn't make you smile.

5. Here Comes the Sun: Okay, I know this isn't technically a Christmas song, and some people at your church would look at you really strangely if you started playing this on Sunday morning, but the theme of this song is what Advent is all about -- I mean, people have been using images of light shining in the darkness as metaphors for the Messiah for a long time. Just check out this passage from Isaiah 9:

 The people walking in darkness 
   have seen a great light; 
on those living in the land of deep darkness 
   a light has dawned. 
You have enlarged the nation 
   and increased their joy...

 
 For to us a child is born, 
   to us a son is given, 
   and the government will be on his shoulders. 
And he will be called 
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace... 
 

To which, I joyously respond, "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes!" 

Happy Christmas, everyone!

The Theological Importance of Imagination

Imagination is essential to Christianity.

Now, I realize most of us have had it drilled into our hearts and minds that imagination equals irresponsibility:

“Don’t tell me stories! I want the truth.”

“Stop daydreaming your life away.”

“Don’t be naive. This is life, not a fairy tale.”

Imagining is for children, so the story goes, and perhaps it is exactly the child-like quality of imagining that makes the practice essential to Christianity. Of course many of you are familiar with when Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]" (Matt 18:3 Amplified).

I submit to you that imagination is vital to the Christian disciplines of being trusting, lowly, loving, and forgiving. In JK Rowling's 2008 Harvard Commencement speech, the writer of the imaginatively (and christianly) rich Harry Potter series asserts,

Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
[…]

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places.

Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

Imagination is not inherently evil in adults; it can be used virtuously or viciously. Used virtuously, imagination is the engine of human empathy, which is a sort of love-induced, love-inspired understanding of another human being. Love-infused understanding is the kind of knowledge we are called to embody as believers. Consider the words of the apostle Paul in yet another familiar passage:

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge... but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. (1 Cor 13:2 New Living, emphasis mine)

In other words, we cannot know another person without love---not really, not in any way that's constructive or virtuous... or in any way that really counts for anything. That passage goes on to assert just exactly what Christian love looks like:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (4-7)

If we are going to “never give up” on another person, we have to see in them something more than the flesh and blood standing before us. We have to see their potential beyond their failings. We have to see their image-of-God-bearing good will in the face of their hurtful words and actions. We have to see what is unseen. In other words, we have to see with eyes of faith.

We cannot, however, see through eyes of faith if we lack the "capacity to envision that which is not;" we cannot see truly if we lack imagination. Caroline J Simon, in her excellent book, The Disciplined Heart: Love, Destiny, and Imagination, puts it this way:

Perhaps, then, love can be a source of insight. In fact, I think that genuine love, in all its forms [neighbor love, romantic love…], provides insight into the loved one’s true self [the untainted Image-bearing self God created and Christ redeemed us to be]. In order for this to occur, however, our hearts must be trained and disciplined… The undisciplined heart is prone to whimsical reaction and wishful, self-interested projection; it confuses love with love’s counterfeits: infatuation, manipulation, and sentimentality. (12-13)

Simon goes on to distinguish between virtuous imagining as “the capacity to see what may not yet appear but should" (emphasis mine)---should as in, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven” --- and vicious imagining which demands my kingdom come, my will be done.

So what does virtuous and vicious imagining look like? Vicious imagining happens when a white woman sees a black man and clutches her purse. It happens when a young man creates a false notion of the young woman in the next cubical and reacts in bitterness when she does not act like her Invented Self would. It happens anytime anyone puts another person on a pedestal. And when we're content to see people by labels instead of names.

Virtuous imagining happens when a teacher believes there's more beneath the surface of the trouble-maker sitting in the fourth row; when he values her and therefore expects more of her than anyone ever has before. Virtuous imagining happens when a teacher or parent or friend believes in, encourages, and nurtures their student/child/friend's work and abilities. Virtuous imagining happens when friends and lovers bring out the best in us, when they encourage and nurture the beautiful parts of us we are scared to show or didn't even know were there. It happens when we see what the Good Samaritan saw: he saw a human being when others saw an inconvenience and a social faux pas. A virtuous imagination sees beyond the foibles of the church and sees Christ in the church. 

I could go on and on, but here's the point: if we want to be a song to the world and to one another, rather than unmitigated noise (see 1 Cor 13:1), we must learn to channel knowledge through love; we must learn to connect to one another's humanness, to empathize. And in order to empathize, we must relearn how to imagine.