Why Do We Kill Beautiful Things? -Maundy Thursday Sermon

“Why Do We Kill Beautiful Things?”

Based on John 13:1-17, 31-35

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ²The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” ¹²After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

³¹When he (Judas) had gone out (to betray Jesus), Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

     Jesus said, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”  There are no “what if’s,” and there is no “us and them.”  Yes, it does emphasize love between Christ’s disciples – how can we love the world if we can’t first love each other? But it also means that if we love each other, we will take that love and share it with the world no matter who is in the world or what part of the world we are in.  And if we truly possess this love, there are some serious implications for us.  There are some serious implications that will make us uncomfortable.  But before we dive into this commandment, I want to see where we stand right now…Not just us in this room, but rather, how well do people love one another just as Christ loved us?

         I’m going to start with a knock-out punch, then whoever is left can try to keep reading.  Last week, (and this is a true store – no jokes here), someone dumped an injured domestic bunny in our yard.  You’ll find that if you’re a preacher in the country, a lot of things get dumped in your yard – puppies, kittens, beer bottles, and even one day I had a cow roaming through the yard – I don’t know if the person who dumped the bunny thought I was a faith healer or just wanted to get rid of it, but nonetheless, it was in my yard, and when my wife saw it a 7am, it was ugly and in a bad condition.  She called to tell me about it, and we both figured that it would just hop off into the woods and go to Bunny Heaven.  Well, when I got home  about 7 hours later only to find the bunny in the same place and in worse shape than she had earlier described to me.  So, I called her, now asking for the phone number to Bunny Hospice.  This poor bunny hadn’t moved, and was not going to, and there was nothing I could do about it.  I’ll spare you the rest of the details, but it even gets quite comedic as phones start ringing, and the members of the church get into action action mode all because someone decided not to show a little love to a bunny and dumped it in the preacher's yard (and to be fair, they also didn't want my kids to come home and have to see the bunny in that state either).

         I’m glad I can't see through the computer to see how many dry eyes I still have and how many counseling sessions I’m going to have to hold when you're done reading.  But, let’s put that into perspective – It was a rabbit…not a human.

         In February, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was walking through a neighborhood armed with a bag of skittles and a bottle of iced tea.  He was talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone when a series of unknown events took place.  Something led to Trayvon being shot dead by the Neighborhood Watch captain.  We know Trayvon was unarmed.  We do know that the Neighborhood Watch captain called 911, followed Trayvon despite being told not to do so, uttered a profanity and a racial slur over the phone, and eventually shot and killed Trayvon.  What we don’t know is what led up to the killing.  Maybe Trayvon started a fight and the Neighborhood Watch captain shot in self-defense.  Maybe he didn’t start a fight, and it was an unjustified shooting.  Either way, a teenager is dead, a man has to live the rest of his life knowing he killed another human, parents have to live their lives without their son. No one wins.  I wasn’t there…I can’t pass judgment…But it doesn’t look like love was shown.

         Right now, in the Supreme Court, and in the Political Arena, and in homes across the country, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” or “Obamacare” as some call it, is being debated.  Whether you agree with it or not is neither here nor there, because I honestly believe Christians on both sides of the argument have their hearts in the right place and want the right and Godly thing to be done.  But, there are professing Christians, and I call them Christians because they say they believe in Christ, and because no one can see what’s in their minds and hearts except for God alone, who do not show love for others on this issue.  At a Tea-Party Debate last September, Candidate Ron Paul was asked what should happen if an otherwise healthy non-insured person suddenly goes into a tragic coma.  Ron Paul never really got to answer the question.  He was interrupted by a sizable number of audience members who cheered when the commentator asked if they should just let the person die.  Cheering to let someone die?  Is that showing the love of Christ?

         Before I go on, I want to be clear that this is not meant to endorse a political ideology, this is a sermon on loving one another as Christ loved us.  I cannot judge the shooter in the Trayvon Martin case because I don’t have all of the facts, but I can say that when deadly force is used and assumptions are made based on race, you’re not starting out on the right foot.  Whether or not all should have health care may be a political issue, but to say that we should let people die because they don’t have it is a denial of Christian love and charity.

         At the beginning, I said that if we take this command from Christ seriously, there are serious implications, and now I want to look at them.  I want us to look at exactly what it will look like and feel like for us to love one another as Christ loved us.

1.                     The most major difference, in fact the ONLY difference, is that we will stop killing beautiful things. (Now wait, you're thinking…you can’t be serious…I don’t kill…Ok, maybe I hunt…etc.)

T          There are some things to think about in reference to Killing Beautiful Things.

a.    Killing is more than taking a life.  Killing is being silent in the face of injustice.  Those who are victims are beautiful, and we MUST stop being silent in the face of injustice. (When people are cheated by the powers of the world, we MUST be a voice for those who have no voice, we will hold people accountable and not stop until “Justice and righteous roll like and ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24)(yes, that's a paraphrase, not a direct quote).

b.   Killing is withholding compassion and mercy.  Those who are sinners are still beautiful, and we MUST show Compassion and Mercy (We need to understand that underneath every action, and even sinful actions are underlying reasons – we don’t have to excuse those reasons or overlook those reasons, but we should look upon those people with mercy.  We need to treat the sinners as Jesus treated the Tax Collectors, the prostitutes, the demon possessed, the thief on the cross – with mercy and compassion)

c.    Killing is greed in the face of need.  Those who are needy are beautiful, and we MUST be generous with our charity. (If we believe what we say we believe, then we can afford to be generous because just as God provides through us, we need to let go of our sinful pride and know that if we are in need, God will provide for us, and it may be through someone else)

d.   Hate is the ultimate form of killing – both literally and figuratively.  All humans are beautiful because we are created in the likeness and image of God, and we MUST show love to all people. (Yes, this means ALL people.  Even the ones that annoy us.  Even the ones who worship a different God.  Even the ones who practice a different lifestyle.  Even the ones who hate us.  Even the ones who don’t look like us.  Even the ones who don’t share our values.  Even the ones who don’t talk like us.  Even the ones who hate our God.  It is not our job to judge. It is not our job to defend God - God is big enough to do that by himself.  It is not our job to build a church.  It is only our job to sow seeds and nurture them, and we can ONLY do that through love.  Not fake and conditional love, but rather Godly unconditional love.  The same kind of love that Jesus showed when he died for sinners like you and me on the cross on the day that the last beautiful thing had to die.

The Sermon I Did Not Want To Preach

For the Second Sunday of Lent, the Lectionary - that is the suggested Scripture Readings for that particular Sunday - included Mark 8:31-38.  This is the passage where Jesus is openly telling others that he will be killed and then rise on the 3rd day.  The Apostle Peter, trying to be a "good guy" comes up to Jesus and (in my own words) tells him that it doesn't have to be that way - they'd protect him (yes, I'm taking some liberties with the text, but the point is that he didn't want Jesus to suffer).  Jesus then oddly says to Peter "Get behind me, Satan!"  After saying that, Jesus then tells the people who are gathered there how to have eternal life.  He says they have to give up their lives to keep them.  He says that to be a follower people have to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.

"Woah," I thought "No more Mr. Nice Jesus."
No more 6 lb. 7 oz. Baby Jesus (OK, if you're a Ricky Bobby Fan from the movie Talledega Nights, I probably butchered that reference, but that's beside the point).

This Jesus is making us choose between life and death.  Not his life and death, but our own.  And if it's not life and death, it's at least going to seriously affect our comfort!  I HAD to choose a different passage to preach from.  The lectionary is, after all, a guide, not a rule.  The church police wouldn't arrest me for not using the lectionary.  Well, we don't have church police, but if we did, it would probably only be a misdemeanor anyway.

But, the more I thought about it, I realized I HAD to preach from this text.  Not just for my congregation, but also for me.  I needed this.  I needed to be reminded how to follow Jesus.  I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone.

So, I sat down to write my sermon.  Actually, that's not entirely accurate.  Rarely do I "write" a sermon.  I'm too random for that.  I only "write" sermons for very formal occasions such as funerals, weddings, or high holidays, and even then, I'll deviate from what I have written.  For the normal Sunday service, I write out notes or prepare "notes" in my head depending on how familiar I am with the Scripture and where I feel I am led to preach.  Well, as I tried to write my notes out, I just couldn't do it.  It was too intrusive, too "hardcore."  This sermon would step on too many toes.  Heck, it was crushing mine, and I hadn't even put a word on paper yet.

This went on for several days, and finally by Saturday Night, I realized that something had to be done.  I am expected to deliver a sermon on Sunday, and I only had a few hours until Sunday was to come.  So, I reread the Scripture for the millionth time and then put down a few notes.  I wasn't sure where this was going to go, but I figured I had God in a trap.  "I'll stand up there," I said, "but You have to give me the words."

Sunday came.  Time for the sermon.  I was nervous.  That's a lie....I was terrified.  I rarely get that nervous before anything anymore.

I started off by making my confession that I did not want to preach this sermon.  This was the hardest sermon I've ever preached.  I didn't even know where it would end up.  I apologized that I knew I'd be stepping on toes, but told them that if their toes got stepped on, they should know that in the process, I'd been run over by a steam roller!  Then I jumped in.

First I addressed Jesus saying "Get behind me, Satan." Jesus isn't saying Peter was indwelled by the devil, but rather that Peter was focussing on fleshly answers and not Godly answers.  That's explained in the Scripture.  Ok, so far, so good.

Then, I had to explain what it mean to follow Jesus.  And in this Scripture there was a 3-part formula:
1. Deny yourself
2. Take up your cross
3. Follow Jesus

Deny Yourself
This may be one of the hardest things for anyone to do.  It is for me.  I don't like to deny myself.   When I'm tired, I like to rest.  When I'm hungry, I like to eat.  That's why I preach facing the congregation and don't give them a profile view (insert chuckle).  But, this denial is not something we do to look more pious or holy.  We don't deny ourselves lunch so that we look pale so others can see we are suffering for Christ.  This denial is saying that we are not the most important creation ever.  We are not the center of the universe.  Our plan is not central, but God's is.  So, I told my congregation, it's ok to buy new clothes from time to time - heck, I don't want to see them in loin-cloths, and they CERTAINLY don't want to see me in a loin-cloth!

Take Up Your Cross
We use Crosses as jewelry and decorations.  In modern times, that's fine because it reminds us of Christ, but to a citizen of the first century Roman Empire, they would think we are sadistic!  It would be like wearing jewelry shaped like the electric chair...but worse.  We don't really have public executions, at least in this part of the world.  Most of us have never seen an execution on the electric chair, though we know what it's used for if we see one.  We may know some of the horror, but having not seen the actual execution, we don't know the entire horror of the electric chair.

The Cross was an instrument of death.  And Jesus is telling us to pick one up?  He's not talking about jewelry. He's talking about taking something that may kill us.  What he's saying is that if we're going to be disciples, our lives are secondary to the service of God.  We may die serving God.  To humans that sounds awful.  But to God, that's a smooth transition.  We see death as a finality.  God sees death as a mere transition because Christ defeated death.  Jesus is saying that if we're serving God, we don't have to be afraid, even if we have to face the possibility of our own death.

Follow Me
Only then can we follow Jesus.  Only after we put ourselves in our proper place can we follow Jesus.  Following Jesus is difficult and dangerous, but we are not alone.  We may suffer, but we are not without a comforter.  We may experience difficulties, but never without help.  We may be hated, but never without ultimate love.


What If We Took This Seriously - This is where toes will get stepped on
We can change the world with God if we just follow Jesus.  What would happen to poverty if just the Christians took their call seriously?  We'd eliminate it, that's what would happen.  We wouldn't worry about who "deserves" help and who "doesn't deserve" help because God never tells us which poor deserve our ministry, but it's clear that we are to minister to the poor.  Yes, some are poor because of sinful and bad and stupid choices...But, it's not our place to judge.  That's God's job.

The sick wouldn't have to worry about being insured or not if the Christians would do what we are called to do.  There simply wouldn't be a national debate about insurance.  Medical bills would simply be covered for all who need it if we took our call as Christians seriously to love God and neighbor.  There would be no "us" and "them."  There would be no "mine" and "yours."  And this is just if the Christians lived our faith...I haven't even taken into consideration if we evangelized and converted others.

Criminals would be rehabilitated.  Prisons would not be places to make criminals more hardened, they would be places to reconcile those who have done wrong back to society.  Of course all could not be saved, but many would.  Of course, crimes need to be punished, but it does no good to punish someone without teaching them how to do something right.  If just the Christians did this, our crime rate could exponentially decrease.

These are just a few of the issues that we could fix if Christians took Jesus seriously.  Are we willing to do it?  Most Christians would say "Yes, go get them!"  Few would say "Yes, let me at them."  But, we need to answer both ways.  One person cannot do it alone.  We must do it as Christ's Body led by the Holy Spirit.

Ash Wednesday Sermon 2012 "Why I Hate Lent"

Yes, the title of the sermon is deliberately misleading....This is not a theological masterpiece, but I do believe it gets to the heart of the matter.  Here is the Scripture and the Sermon:

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ⁶But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

¹⁶“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

SERMON

         They say that confession is good for the soul.  So, let me make a confession.  I don’t like Lent.  I never have.  Don’t get me wrong.  The concept is great.  Maybe I phrased it poorly.  Maybe I should have said, “I have never been a fan of how Lent is observed.” 

         In a few minutes, we have the part of the service where I give you ideas for how to observe Lent.  I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it’s going to involve things like prayer, reflection, fasting, repentance, and giving up things you like.

         I’ve always felt weird at Lent.  I’m not good at giving up things I like.  One year, before I was a pastor, I realized that I loved going to church.  I asked my pastor if I caught God in a technicality if I were to give up going to church for Lent.  I only got a blank stare followed by a nervous chuckle for a response.  Seriously, however, I love chocolate.  Trust me, you don’t know how much I LOVE chocolate.  How is giving that up going to bring me closer to God?  I tried it before.  I found myself resenting God because I gave it up supposedly for Him, even though He didn’t ask me to it, and I was miserable.  My fast lasted almost the better part of an hour.  I finally gave into my temptation after about 40 minutes of torture.  Then I worried that God hated me.  I thought I was an evil and horrible person.  Basically I missed the boat of the real meaning of Lent.  Lent isn’t about giving up one thing, it’s about a relationship with God.

         As a child, I attended a church where Lenten discipline was strictly encouraged.  Actually, we were guilt tripped into observing Lent.  The logic went something like this - If Christ could give up his life for us, we certain could give up chocolate for him – or so we were told.  To my 7 year old mind, my sacrifice seemed much more severe than his…he only suffered on the cross for 3 hours….they wanted me to do this for 40 days. 

         As the years went on, and I started to understand what Lent was supposed to mean, I found myself feeling more and more guilty, because I couldn’t, or maybe wouldn’t, give up even the smallest things.  What was the point? I’d ask.  God isn’t going to like me more because I give up something so trivial as chocolate. 

         When the movie “The Passion of the Christ” came out, we got to see in graphic detail the brutal torture Christ went through.  Suddenly, giving up chocolate seemed pointless in comparison.  Christ gave everything…What could I give that could even come close?  Then, suddenly I realized the answer.  I have nothing to give that could be even close to what Christ gave.  And in case you haven’t figured it out, neither do you.  All of this fasting, praying, and giving things up isn’t to give something back to God…it’s to bring us closer to God.  Isn’t it sad that it took a movie for me to get that?  It’s so clear in the Bible – if only we’d realize what discipleship is all about.  Yes, Christ tells us to take up our own cross…but it’s the cross of discipleship.  Discipleship may involve suffering, and yes, even death, but our death does not bring redemption like Christ’s.  It’s just our passing from one life to the next.

         In our Gospel reading, Jesus directly addresses how we should practice our piety.  Now that’s a fancy word – “Piety.”  All it means is the stuff you do to grow spiritually.  That could mean good deeds, prayer, worship, devotions, reading your bible, and so forth.  Basically, he tells us not to be show-offs.

         We sure live in a “show off” culture!  Watch a football game…someone makes a touchdown (in other words, does his job), and acts like he saved the world.  Watch a politician win an election, (that is convince more people that he or she is a better candidate), and you’d think this person thinks he or she is the 2^nd coming.  If you ever had to write a resume, you probably know what I’m talking about.  Your previous jobs go from being a normal everyday job to one that changes the entire rotation of the Earth.  We feel that if we don’t show off, even a little, we’re not noticed.  We need to be “bigger than we really are.”

         Maybe that’s true.  Maybe people won’t notice us if we don’t show off.  But, that’s the point of the Gospel tonight.  Jesus is telling us that people shouldn’t notice us.  Only God should notice us.  And there’s nothing too small for God to notice.

         Maybe I’ve never been a fan of Lent because of how many people treat this season.  What should be a holy time turns into a “show off” time.  We’ve all seen it, and probably most of us, me included, have done it – we act miserable because we can’t eat that piece of chocolate.  We let everyone know that we’re giving more to the church or that we took the money set aside to buy a new (and obviously “well deserved) TV and donated it to charity.  Our faces look paler, we break into a sweat, we look tired, our expressions are dismal, and plain and simple, some of us are just no fun to be around.  Then the issue of sin comes up.  While people should recognize their own sins more, many seem more critical of the sins of others.  Through fasting and reflection on themselves, they “magically” get insight into how others should live their lives.  I’m not quite sure of the logic there, but I’ve seen it happen way too many times.  And they’re never kind about pointing it out.  It’s always blunt and usually rude. I have to wonder if they just ate the stupid piece chocolate they gave up in the first place if they’d be more bearable to the rest of us. 

         So, whatever you choose to do this Lent, and I highly encourage you to do something – give up something, set aside a time of day to pray every day, fast one day a week, donate to the needy, volunteer…something.  Even if you have to change it to something else, please remember that it’s not for God to love you more, it’s for you to get closer to knowing God. 

         Tonight, we’re going to start Lent by placing ashes on our foreheads.  Ashes are a symbol of sin and the fact that we all return to the ground – that is we all die.  But, I’m sure it’s no accident that the ashes will be in the shape of a cross.  That shows us that even though we sin, even though we die, there is the one who died on the cross that made forgiveness and eternal life possible.

         There’s nothing magical about these ashes.  They won’t do anything to you except serve as a reminder. They’ll remind you that you belong to God.  And though you’ll wash the ashes away, you can never wash God away.  Even when you try to chase God out of your life – and we all do that from time to time – God just won’t leave.  And for that, we can be thankful.

Duke University - Perkins Library Rare Book Room Hebrew Text Exhibit

At Duke University in the Perkins Library Rare Book Room, there was an exhibit of modern and old Hebrew Texts.  These are some of the artifacts on display.

This is a Torah Scroll of the Book of Exodus - Shemot ( שְׁמוֹת) in Hebrew meaing "Names" - From the first sentence in Exodus ("These are the names of the sons of Israel...")

This scroll is from the 1700's and is entirely hand-written on the skin of a kosher animal.

All synagogues have at least 1 Torah scroll. (The Torah is the first 5 Books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).  Torah means "Law."  This is where Jewish people find the 613 commandments.

This picture is taken from the scroll above.  This is from Exodus  15:1-18, the "Song of the Sea," the song sung by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea.

Notice how the text is written.  It's written in an artistic manner to symbolize the Israelites in the middle column and the sea on both sides open so that they can cross.











Title Page of the Talmud.  The Talmud is a central text in Judaism.  It contains Rabbinic teachings on many aspects of Jewish Law including commandments, how to follow those commandments, ethics, tradition, and so forth.  Click here to learn more about the Talmud.



This line says "Talmud Babali" (meaning Babylonian Talmud)

This book is 1 of 16 in this version of the Talmud.









Here is one page from the Talmud above.  Jewish Scholars will generally study 1 page of the Talmud per day.  Reading the Talmud is difficult but fascinating because it contains Biblical Verses, commentaries on those verses, commentaries on the commentaries, and even opposing viewpoints. The main section is in the middle, and the commentaries are on the sides.













Here is a Children's Book, "Peter Pan" in Hebrew.  The Hebrew letters look different from the Hebrew you may have seen.  That is because this is written in Hebrew "cursive."  It is similar to how we can print or write in cursive in English

This picture is the title page of the Zohar - a book on Jewish Mysticism known as Kabbalah.  Click here to read about the Zohar.   The top line says "Sofer HaZoahr" ("Book of the Zohar")

This is a page of Jewish art from 1923.  It is the Biblical Book "Song of Songs," (also known as "Song of Solomon").  It was illustrated by an artist named Ze'ev Raban (See picture above for information)

 This is an illustrated copy of the Book of Jonah.  The picture is a representation of the world of the Lord coming to Jonah.  It's hard to see in this picture, but the "cloud" above Jonah looks like wind and a fish (foreshadowing Jonah being swallowed by the fish later in the book).

This is the first verse of Jonah.  The Hebrew is hard to read in this picture.  Here is what it says (Remember, Hebrew is read Right to Left):
  וַיְהִי דְּבַר-יְהוָה, אֶל-יוֹנָה בֶן-אֲמִתַּי, לֵאמֹר. (Transliterated: Vayihi, davar Adonai et-Ye'honah, ben Amatai le'amod) (The world of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amatai saying...)

A Reflection on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It's not a secret.  I'm a white male.  I grew up in an area where racial and cultural diversity just didn't exist.  I never had a serious conversation with a black person until I was in high school and worked at a summer camp.  I wasn't avoiding blacks or any other races...Diversity simply did not exist where I lived.

I went to college.  There I encountered various races, but as is human nature, we tend to gravitate towards those with whom we have something in common.  All of my friends in college were white.  I talked to other races, but I wouldn't say any were close friends.  Even though diversity did exist in this college, it was still only in isolated pockets.

In the part of Pennsylvania where I spent my first 22 years, diversity was a non-issue.  It just didn't exist.  To be diverse meant (to me back then) that I had friends from different social crowds.  Different genders.  Different sexual orientations.  Race was really a non-issue.  I didn't avoid it.  It just didn't exist.  In the small cases where there was racial diversity, it was really treated as a non-issue.  All of our cultures, though few in number, melded into one culture.

I learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a young age.  Probably in elementary school.  We were taught racism is wrong, but we never had to deal with it.  Quickly, I began to like the image I had of Dr. King.  Non-violent, God loving, Stood up for others at his own risk.

(Background info:  Even before I declared myself a pacifist, I was one.  I was not violent.  People said I was a wimp.  I just believed it was wrong to hurt someone despite what they did to me.  I also believed in God from a very early age.  Of course as a 5 year old, my belief was very naive, but the seeds where there.  I was also one who befriended the ones that others didn't like.  If I didn't befriend them, I would at least be nice to them...but this isn't about me).

It wasn't until around 2001 that Dr. King became real to me as opposed to being a mythical figure.  In 2001, this small town white boy, all of 23 years old, began to teach in urban Dayton, OH where I was the minority.  It was a culture shock.  A HUGE culture shock!  At first, I just tried to survive.  Then, my entire life changed.

These "poor," "gang member," "abused," "angry," students became people to me.  I finally had a breakthrough in what Dr. King said - paraphrasing him - that all races should be able to exist together.

Instead of "saving" these kids, I realized I was called to befriend them. To show them that people do care.  That violence can be overcome by love.

I failed a lot and succeeded much less.  I lost kids to the street.  I lost kids to jail.  I lost kids to unmentionable demons.

But, from them, I learned more than they could ever learn from me.  They accepted me.  Not because I was white...not because they had to...but because in my classroom, race was an issue that was ok to talk about.  I got many questions such as "Why do white people....(fill in the blank)."  We laughed together.  We sang together (I taught music).  We argued. We talked about what it was like to be who we are.

Dr. King is one of the most influential people who allowed my story to be lived.  Because he struggled, I could interact and befriend other races.  Because of his life, my life is better.  Though he died years before I was born, he has impacted my life.

He made me more free because he made my brothers and sisters free.

He broke down many of my walls because he broke down the walls of oppression of my brothers and sisters.

Some say a white male has nothing to say about these issues.  They may be right.  Maybe I'm speaking out of turn.  Maybe I should be silent.  Maybe I should just praise what Dr. King did for other races.  But, I cannot be silent, I cannot stop from speaking, and I owe it to his legacy to praise what he also did for me.

Because Dr. King lived and struggled, I have friends...close friends...that only 40 or so years ago would have been taboo.  Because Dr. King lived and struggled, I taught over 1,000 precious children of all races.  Because Dr. King lived and struggled, my life is better for having known people of other races - whether we became close friends or even a 1 time meeting.

Of course, others can say Dr. King made their lives better much more than I can.  Others can use the same water fountain that I use because of him.  Others can go to the same places I can because of him.  These were never issues for me...but whatever hurts our brother or sister also hurts us.

Thanks to Dr. King, I have a larger family.

Broken Hearts

Everything I say here really happened.  I left out names to protect privacy of others.

This past week was by far, the hardest week I've ever gone through.  There were countless broken hearts in the figurative sense.  There was 1 broken heart in the literal sense.

The story begins over 10 years ago.  My friends met at the University of Zimbabwe in Africa.  They had classes together, and the husband, in his own words met his "soul-mate."  When I got to know them, the love they shared was obvious.  He must have been right.

What followed was your usual "love story" of dating, engagement, and marriage.  Then, to be adventurous, they decided to come to the USA to live for a few years.  They wanted to see the world.  They didn't intend to make America their home, but through a long course of events in their personal lives, and in the political situation of Zimbabwe, they became residents here.  They had jobs, a house, and became Americans by culture.  To see them, the only hint you'd have that they were not from America was their accent.

This couple had children.  Twin boys.  But really, they didn't know they were going to have triplets - the third one didn't come out of her womb - he came from my wife's.  The third is my son - He calls those boys his best friends.  My son is white, the twins are black, they don't see a difference.  I wish we could all be like that.  Through our sons, who first played together at church in the nursery, my wife and I became close friends of this couple.  We had moved to NC after losing our teaching jobs because of budget shortfalls, and this couple was the first to befriend us in our new situation. Even after we moved from that town to where I am now pastor, we have kept this friendship.  But I'm digressing.

5 years ago, my friend, the mother of the twins, developed heart troubles.  No one could diagnose why this happened...it "just did."  No genetic defects, no accident, no known health causes.  At first it was controlled with medicine and diet.  A few years later, there would be a pacemaker.  And just last month, the heart condition became so bad that she was put on the transplant list.  Being the person she was, I was I was told by a mutual friend that when they prayed for a heart to be found, she did not want someone to have to die so she could live.  The pastor had to change his prayer to "Thy will be done..."

Within a day of being put on the transplant list, a match was found.  She went through 8 hours of surgery.  When we got the text message that she came through and was doing as well as could be expected, my wife and I broke down in tears in front of our church choir.  A miracle had happened.

I visited her in the hospital.  I am totally serious when I say that if you didn't see the machines and wires and tubes hooked up to her, you'd never know she was sick.  Her husband called her "the prettiest heart transplant recipient ever."  He was right.  She also kept her sense of humor despite the obvious physical and emotional pain.  When I told her she looked good, she looked at me, rolled her eyes, and with her lovely humor and happiness, in a small whisper, she called me a liar.  I laughed.  She gave a faint smile.  Had she not been on so much medication and treatments, I can hear the laugh she would have given.

She went home by Christmas.  She spent Christmas with her children, her husband, and her 2 mothers who were here from Zimbabwe.  Technically one was mother-in-law, but they were so close that mother is the best term.  She celebrated New Year's with her family.  She began walking around the block to get her needed exercise to speed up recovery.

Progress was slow, but she was getting better.  Then one day she woke up with a severe headache.  She didn't suffer long.  That headache was her brain bleeding.  They had been told by the heart surgeon that anything could happen in the first month or so despite how well she was doing - though medicine has advanced so much, there are still a lot of "unknowns."  She didn't suffer long.

At the hospital, the doctor said most likely she would not make it through this, but he could try a surgery that only had a slight success rate if the family wanted him to try.  They wanted him to try.  Despite the skilled hands of the doctor, the surgery was not a success. After a day, it was determined there was no brain activity.  She was only alive by machine.  After saying their good-byes, she passed away peacefully.  She was only 39.

Through this couple, I made a good friend in another pastor.  We attended licensing school together and became fast friends.  He too, was from Zimbabwe, but now lives in America.  He has a church of many Zimbabweans.

So that they could plan the dual-culture funeral (half done "American style" by their home church pastor; half done "African style" by the pastor from Zimbabwe), I came with the Zimbabwean pastor to visit the husband and the American pastor.  I was worried I would be intruding.  He told me that in Zimbabwe, when someone dies, people will come and stay with the family for weeks at a time.  I could not over-extend my welcome.

I learned a beautiful cultural tradition.  As we were sitting, people would look at one another and clap their hands in a certain fashion.  I didn't understand, so I smiled.  Finally, not knowing if I was supposed to clap, I asked the Zimbabwean pastor.  He laughed at me (that's the kind of friends we are - we are so close that even when we laugh at - not with - the other, we know it's in good nature and in love).  He explained the clapping is similar to how we wave or nod to someone so that we don't have to yell across the room.  If it's done close to the person, it's similar to a bow or nod of the head.  It's a greeting and sign of respect.

Over the next few days, I tried to stay out of the limelight, but that was not easy.  Countless Zimbabweans who now live in America came to the house.  My family stuck out for obvious skin tone reasons.  They found out I was a pastor, and in their culture, the pastor is a highly respected office.  I went from being "friend" to "Pastor" in their eyes.

Quickly, this community to which I have no ties (other than my friends) welcomed me as one of their own.  They taught me Shona words.  They told me I am now an official "Zimbabwean" no matter what.

The most beautiful pre-funeral service I ever experienced happened as my family visited one night.  Guitars and a keyboard were brought out.  The secret leaked that I'm a musician.  I was invited to play the keyboard.  I didn't know any of the songs - they were all in Shona (with some English mixed in), but I could play by ear - the chord changes weren't too difficult.  I began to truly feel part of the community. I forgot about my skin color.  We were all one community - one family.  We played music, they sang traditional Shona church songs, folk songs, and customary funeral songs.  This was not a sad time.  We celebrated life - the life of my friend.  We prayed. We shared memories. When someone spoke in Shona, one of the people would translate quietly to me so I could understand.

My family made friends.  The women embraced my wife.  The countless children played with my children.  The men invited me into their discussions.  They even switched to English just for me.

The funeral service was heartbreaking.  A husband lost his wife.  2 young boys lost their mom.  Hundreds of people lost a friend.

When someone dies, we tend to elevate their character and make them seem better than they were.  That was not the case here.  My friend was the type of person we all strive to be.  She had faults, she wasn't perfect, but she was darn close to being perfect.

The funeral service was also healing.  The family left behind will be taken care of.  God will take care of them.  Their church family will take care of them.  Their Zimbabwean community will take care of them.

My friend died too young.  Was it God's will?  I don't know.  I doubt it.  I think God allows bad things to happen - I think God remains present in those situations and comforts us, guides us, and loves us.  Why?  Because what we see, feel, and experience is not the entirety of God's plan.  While we see life and death as 2 distinct categories, God sees life and death as a continuous path without separation.  We will all die.  When we get to the "other side," there will be no divide.  Our lives can go on.  Until the final resurrection, the only difference is that our souls are separate from our bodies.  One day, God will rejoin them and redeem all of creation.  How?  I have no idea.  I don't want to know.  I just believe.

To my friend:  We loved you while you were with us.  You were a wonderful friend to us.  You treated us like family.  You were family to us.  Your husband and boys will always be part of us!  Thank you for being our friend!  We love you.


To her family:  We love you.  We don't look the same, we don't speak the same, I'll probably never be able to talk to you on a phone...your accent is too thick (yes, that is meant to be humorous...but it's true).  You are our family.  The distance between us is sizable, but we will still see each other.  We love you.


To my new Zimbabwean friends:  Thank you for accepting us.  Thank you for welcoming us into your culture and your lives.  Thank you for the jokes, the hugs, the Shona lessons, and most of all for your love.  We love you.  


To God:  We don't understand.  We're sad.  We're confused.  We've blamed you.  We've yelled at you.  This doesn't seem fair.  It's not fair.  But, I know you see the whole picture.  I know you will redeem even this.  You have a lot of explaining to do someday, but I trust in your goodness and power!  We love you!

Abolish Fear

At the time I'm writing this, Kim Jong Il died less than 24 hours ago. The GOP Presidential Candidates are blasting one another saying "this one" or "that one" can't be trusted. They're all saying Obama will destroy the nation.  The Democratic Party is touting that the Republicans will decimate the middle class if elected.  The nation is still in an economic crisis. Congress and the President can't agree on a tax "holiday" deal. Several European countries are facing financial meltdown which, I'm told, would affect the whole world.  Bradley Manning is fighting his case against the US Government who says he put the nation in grave danger by leaking war secrets.  Our military has recently left Iraq, and people are worried about what will happen.  Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and has recently captured a US Spy Drone.  Many houses were robbed last night.  In the past few weeks, there have been murders less than 100 miles from my house.  

I could go on, but what's the point?  What can we do about it?  Elect the right people?  Join the military?  Get the right house security system?  Reinvest money so we're guaranteed a healthy retirement?  Buy a gun?  Hide?  Be afraid? --  These are all things that the powers that be want us to do.   

They want us to fear.  They want us to be afraid we don't have enough...we aren't safe enough...our kids won't love us if we don't get them what they want...we're not good enough...we don't look handsome or pretty enough...and on and on.

Does it have to be that way?  Do we have to make EVERY decision based on fear?  When someone disagrees with us, does that make them evil?  What if a rogue nation gets a nuclear weapon? - We should fear that, right?

But, the time has come!  The time has come to stop living in fear!  The time has come to live in hope!

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love (1 John 4:8).

There is the answer.  Simple.  "Perfect loves casts out fear."  Perfect love abolishes fear.  Where there is love, there is no fear.

But, love of what?  What do we have to love so that we don't have to be afraid?  Well, I could probably give you a shorter answer of what we don't have to love.  But I won't take that route.

We need to love God.  God has been faithful to all of us, and yet we wonder if God will "come through" again.  Will God provide?  The simple answer is "yes." The One who created us did not create us as a "cosmic joke" to watch us struggle and suffer alone.  When we feel alone, we may be - in the worldly sense - but we're never truly alone from God.  It may feel like it, it may seem like it, we will go through struggles - even struggles that seem so great that we feel we can't cope - BUT, we're NOT alone.

We need to love others.  We need to love those who have hurt us.  We need to love those who have done evil things.  But to do this, we need to know what love is.  

  Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

That's how Paul describes love, but what does it mean?  It doesn't mean we have to tolerate evil.  It doesn't mean we have to sit silent when injustice happens.  It doesn't mean that we look at the world with rose colored glasses.  

When we see evil, we need to speak the truth.  When someone wrongs us, we should speak up.  When things in this world are not right, we need to work to make them right.  BUT, we don't need to fear!

Bad things will happen.  But, until God decides that the time has come, the sun will rise tomorrow.  And when God decides the sun will no longer rise it will because God's light will block out the sun.  If we lose our money, life will go on.  Tougher? Yes!  Impossible? Hardly!  If there is a national security issue, we may be hurt...but, we don't need to fret and worry about it.  

Over 2000 years ago, the entire picture of life was given a new frame.  Rather than what we see, we now can know with certainty that there is more.  Because Christ was born, ministered, died, and was resurrected, life now has new meaning.  Death is not death.  Death is just the end of one existence.  We can leave this existence and know that we can have a better existence.  All we have to do is accept it.

All we have to do is quit playing the "Fear Game."  Fear cannot win if we refuse to play the game.  

Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011

I saw on TV today and read that Christopher Hitchens has died of cancer.  I have not read more than a few statements he's made, and I've seen him in a few interviews, but I know of the work he has done.  His work is basically to undo the work I do.  While some try to bring people to faith, others, like Hitchens, try to bring people away from faith.

You would probably think that I'm glad a person like this is dead.  I have to confess for a few seconds my mind did take that route.  But, then I realized the purpose of my faith and realized that despite his actions and despite his claimed belief (or non-belief as it may be), I hope that God will show him mercy.

Hitchens doesn't deserve mercy.  He's attacked every organized religion known to man either directly or indirectly.  He's attacked many religious leaders including Mother Theresa (Who could attack Mother Theresa???).  He is probably responsible for thousands, if not more, abandoning or choosing not to accept faith.

Again, let me say it:  Hitchens doesn't deserve mercy.  But, neither do I.  And I would guess...no...actually I'm certain...you don't deserve mercy either.  No one deserves mercy.  Or, better phrased, no one earns mercy.  If God is as great as Christians claim (despite the fact that Hitchens wrote God is Not Great), then any tarnish we have on our being makes us unworthy of mercy.  And, being human, there is not one of us who hasn't sinned.  Sure, some sins are bigger than others.  Some sins hurt others while others hurt only ourselves or are even seemingly victimless, but they're sins none the less.

Hitchens doesn't deserve mercy - he hasn't earned mercy - Neither have I.  He has mocked God in his writing and lecturing (not just the Christian God, but any religion that worships any God).  I have mocked God too.  I have been selfish when others needed help.  I've ignored God through not praying, not worshipping, and not loving others.  I've been blessed to have a comfortable life.  I really don't lack anything I need...But I don't always thank God for that.  In fact, I seem to always ask God for more (as if God is some Cosmic Super-Wal-Mart).  I know Jesus as Savior, but I don't always act like it.  I don't always "let my light shine" so others can see it.  Heck, sometimes I completely and knowingly hide "my light."  I don't always represent Christ as his ambassador on earth.  And when I do represent Christ, it is often flawed and only a half-attempt.  I often put my own desires ahead of others' needs.  And sometimes, when I do what God asks of me, I do it begrudgingly with a bad attitude.

By reading this, you'd think Hitchens and I are one in the same (except I believe in God - though I don't always act like I do).  And, maybe that's the point.  Maybe we are one in the same.

The difference between us is simple, though.  I believe in a God who sent his Son to atone for our sins.  I don't always understand it.  I don't know exactly how this atonement works (despite the great examples I cited on my Theology Final - any understanding of "how Christ works" is purely theoretical).  All I know is that atonement does work.  Forgiveness from God does happen.  Despite my sins, God still loves me and guides me and calls me.

I also believe that somewhere (and probably for his whole life), God called Hitchens.  From all human perspectives, Hitchens "hung up" on God.  He said he was not an atheist...he was an anti-theist.  Not only did he not believe in God, but he tried to destroy the concept of God.

By all human perspectives, we can guess that Hitchens' soul will be separated from God forever.  He deserves that...but so do I.  Then I remember the Christian Hope.  That God will redeem all people.  No, I'm not a Universalist - I believe every person has a choice between God and No God.  I believe every person has the chance to decide his or her own fate.  Simply put, every person will have the opportunity to choose Heaven or Hell.  From what I know, I think Hitchens chose Hell.  But I hope that somehow, God got to him - in his last few moments - and changed his mind.  I hope that despite wasting his life to discredit God, in some way, God got to Hitchens and convinced him to choose God.

Hitchens had talents given to him by the Creator.  Hitchens heard the Gospel Message of Redemption.  By all signs, he rejected it.  By all signs, he didn't use his God given talents for God, but rather to mock God.  But still, until I face the Lord on judgement day, I won't know if Hitchens was somehow forgiven.  I can't know if he made a "deathbed conversion," or even if God showed him Divine Mercy despite all he's done.  That knowledge is not for me to know.

As Jesus said - Before you take the dust out of someone else's eye, get the plank out of your own.  I have enough of my own Christian life to fix before I can pass judgement on someone.  Even someone so easy to pass judgement upon - like Hitchens.

All I can know is that God will be fair in judging him.  And I know God will be fair in judging me.  I can know that through faith in Christ, I am saved.  I can have near certainty of what my verdict will be before the great Judge.  But, I'm not one of God's prosecutors.  I don't have access to the evidence in other cases.  All I can do is hope, for Hitchens' sake, that God was able to turn his heart before it was too late.

The Muppet Manifesto

I really owe a debt to Fox Business Network.  All of these years, I thought the Muppets were an innovative and entertaining bunch of puppets.  But, little did I know...They're Communists!  I am so grateful to the geniuses of the "Fair and Balanced" Fox network for showing me the err in my ways because obviously, I'm not smart enough to think for myself!

As a child of the '80's, among other Saturday Morning Cartoons, I was a fan of "The Muppet Babies."  Looking back, I remember their adventures on which they would embark in their imaginations in the confines of their nursery.  How was I, a mere child, to realize this was a cartoon enactment of a Marxist Utopian vision?  What is worse is that they had me indoctrinated.  Rather than choosing childhood friends for the necessary business networking I would need, I would play with everyone.  And to make matters worse, I shared my toys!  How stupid was I?  Shouldn't I have known that if a child couldn't afford certain toys, that was his or her problem?  I was only contributing to the welfare state through my sharing.

Come to think of it, my entire family is indoctrinated in Anti-American beliefs because of childhood cartoons.  Up until today, my children would watch "Dora the Explorer."  Thanks to Fox for opening my eyes!  I now see that through Dora's adventures (and her cousin Diego), they are preaching a doctrine of illegal immigration.  Through teaching Spanish, my children may grow to think that God did not ordain the English language to be the language of the Chosen Land - America!

I was too old for the "Telletubbies," but thankfully Jerry Fallwell, the great man of God that he was, proved to the world that they were promoting a Homosexual agenda based upon the dismantling of our Sacred American Values.

The article in the link above also shows how American Hating Environmental Extremists have infiltrated our minds in the childrens' network Nickelodeon.  How dare this second rate network teach our children that caring for the environment is not sinful?  God gave us this environment to do with as we please!  God ordained the Oil Companies to pollute...oops...I mean discard waste as they please!  Nickelodeon's "Big Green Help" is nothing more than an attempt to convince to our children that Large Corporations are not God ordained.  


So, thank you, Fox!  From now on, my children will watch ONLY the "O'Reilly Factor!" I wouldn't want them to do anything to protect the environment or those in need...because, after all...poverty is a choice!  All donations from this family to any charity are hereby cancelled!


Long live Big Business!

...And Knowing Is Half the Battle...

I think it's a well known and well established fact that I'm a Christmas Junkie!  For me, the only problem with Christmas is that it only comes once a year.

When some people hear me talk like this, they think I'm into Pagan rituals at worst, or too secular at best.  I suppose there may be truth to the secular thing, but really...If you think I'm going to worship a pine tree (no matter how well it's decorated), you are more crazy than I am (and trust me...I have issues).  If you think I'm going to pray to Santa Claus as my personal savior, then am I really the one with the problem?

Yes, Christmas does have some pagan traditions thrown into it.  Christmas is not a pure celebration of Jesus' birthday.  But, do you really think I can't separate the secular from the religious?  Does anyone really think that I bow down to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?  If you do, then kindly send me a letter or e mail with the following line:  "Dear Tom:  The purpose of this correspondence is to sever all ties between us.  Within the next few days, you will receive any and all items that I may be borrowing from you, and I ask that you reciprocated this gesture."

So...How does a Christian navigate the pagan stuff and the Jesus stuff?  How do we enjoy the secular parts of Christmas while still celebrating the birthday of the Lord?  Honestly, I don't think it's that hard.  So, I've neatly packaged some Frequently Asked Questions so that you too can enjoy the Christmas season and not have to feel guilty.

Can I still have a Christmas Tree and be a Christian?  
The long answer is "yes."  The short answer is "yes."  The first Christmas Tree that has been documented was put up in 1441 in Estonia.  In the Middle Ages, German Churches often used an evergreen tree in their Christmas Plays and called it a "Paradise Tree."  The Paradise Tree was often used to depict the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from the Genesis account of the Garden of Eden (Hardly a pagan tradition!).

Some will say that the Christmas tree originated as an Asherah Pole (a pole dedicated to a Pagan Canaanite goddess).  I can't rule out for certain that there isn't any crossover, but see the following images and decide for yourself:

Christmas Tree

Asherah Pole

Well, what about Merry Xmas...Isn't that taking Christ out of Christmas?

Well, in English that may be the case...or at least appear to be the case.  But technically, Merry Xmas may be more correct.  Try to follow me;

1. X is also the Greek Letter Chi.

2. Chi is the first letter in the word Christos (Greek for Christ)

3. The New Testament was written in Greek.

Therefore, while English speakers may have trouble seeing Merry Xmas, I would guess that Greek speakers (or those that know the above facts) would understand that Xmas = Christmas.

And while we're on the subject.  Jesus' name wasn't Jesus.  Try to follow this:

Yeshua

1. Jesus name in Aramaic (a cousin language to Hebrew) is Yeshua (a name that we would translate as "Joshua" in English).

2. When the New Testament was written in Greek, the name was translated into Ieasous (basically pronounced ee-Ay-sous).

3.  When Latin became the official language of the church, his name was translated to Iesu. (The jump from Greek to Latin isn't as easy as I described, but this will do for now).

4. Then, the name was translated into English, and we get "Jesus."  Again, it didn't happen as neatly as it appears here, but this is only a basic answer.

Well, someone may say, "The debate over Xmas isn't about the name "Jesus," but about the name "Christ."  OK...here goes:

1.  Christ (Christos in Greek) means "covered in oil," or "anointed."  Like I said before, the New Testament was written in Greek.  Jesus may have known Greek (It was the primary language of the Roman Empire after the fall of Alexander the Great's empire), but he would have spoken in Aramaic (similar to Hebrew) which was the "local language" in Israel.  

2. When the disciples and others realized who Jesus was, he was called "Messiah" (mashiach in Hebrew/Aramaic).  Messiah means "anointed one."  

3. When the New Testament was written, Christ was the closest Greek word to the Hebrew/Aramaic "maschiach."  

Jesus - though He probably didn't look much like this.

So, in all honesty, English speakers don't call Jesus Christ by a name that he would have been called back in the 1st Century. 

What about all the gift giving?  Isn't that a little too secular?  
Yes...you're right on that one.  This practice is probably from the Roman Custom of giving gifts on the New Year.  But, it's been adapted into Christian practice from the Gifts of the Magi (the 3 Wise Men).  Definitely, Americans tend to go overboard in gift giving and receiving.  This is where Christians must step back and realize that giving gifts is OK, but it's not the purpose of Christmas.

Isn't the Date of Christmas from a Pagan Holiday?
Maybe...and Maybe not.  First of all, I'd have to ask you which date are you talking about?  Different Christian traditions celebrate Christmas on different dates.  In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Christmas is on January 6 (others celebrate on January 7 or January 19 - all this is because of the use of different calendars).  I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you're probably wondering about December 25.

December 25 is probably not the date of Jesus' birth, but it was set as the date of Christmas somewhere in the 4th Century.  There are 2 theories as to why (I tend to believe that both have some truth to them, but having not lived in the 4th century, I don't know for sure.

1.  December 25 is exactly 9 months of the Church's Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Babies wait 9 months to be born in normal circumstances.  So, maybe when they saw the date of the Immaculate Conception, they counted 9 months and gave us Dec. 25.

2.  December 25 is also around the time that the Pagan Romans would celebrate the Winter Solstice.  It's possible that the date was set to bring Pagans into the Christian religion.

If you're a Christian, how do you justify engaging in practices that may be pagan?
Well, first of al, I don't engage in pagan activities.  All aspects of Christmas point me back to Jesus.  When I put up my Christmas Trees (yes, that's plural) and look at their beauty, I'm reminded of Jesus.  When I give gifts, I see Jesus in the eyes of others.  What some people call the "Christmas Spirit" (OK, I use that term too), I see as the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.  

If you need more justification, read 1 Corinthians 8.  Paul is talking about eating meat sacrificed to idols.  He basically says it's not a sin to eat this meat as long as you know the idol is nothing and that God is God.  But, he says that you shouldn't eat it if by eating it, you would cause someone else to worship an idol.  So, using that reasoning, as long as I know trees, gifts, Dec. 25, etc. are all because of Jesus; I'm not worshipping a pagan god.  If, however, someone comes to visit me and would start to worship one of my Christmas Trees, then I'd cover it up because it's causing that person to sin.

What about people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas?"First, "Happy Holidays" doesn't offend me because I know why I'm celebrating the holiday.  Second, most likely this person is just giving a customary greeting without much thought behind it.  For example, when someone says "How are you?" to me; do they really want me to tell them how I am? Or, am I just supposed to say "Fine," and move on?  Third, "Happy Holidays" can be a short-cut to saying "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" since they're so close together.  

Now, do I say "Happy Holidays?"  Not usually.  Actually, I can't think of a time I've said it.  But, I don't rule out that I may say it.  But, again, if I say it, I really mean "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."  

What if I'm speaking to a Jewish person? I'd probably wish them a Happy Hanukkah.  But that's not evangelizing the Gospel some would say.  Well, you don't get people to the faith by offending them.  God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are so good that I don't think we need to scare people or offend them into the faith, but rather show them how loving the faith is.  Insulting them is not a way to show how loving Christianity is.  Plus, we humans really don't convert anyone...that's God's job.  We just spread the message.  If it's a message of love, then there is no fear (1 John 4:18).

Is it a coincidence that Santa and Satan have the same letters?
Go away!

Merry Christmas!!!!