At my church, we have a traditional greeting on Easter morning. Instead of "hi, how are you" answered by "good, and you", people say:
"Christ has risen"
which others respond to by saying
"He has risen indeed"
This says it all on Easter and it says it all as to who we are as Christians. Without Christ having risen, our faith would be dead. Christ has risen, He has risen indeed!
I am writing and in some cases copying this message from a friend of mine, Kurt Ebert. He recently wrote an article which prominantly featured Abraham Lincoln's role in establishing thanksgiving, among other things.
Lincoln wrote:
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People."
Lincoln, the great leader who guided our beloved country through civil war, spoke openely and powerfully about the "Most High God" and "sins" and "mercy". As my friend Kurt pointed out in his article:
I'm standing out in the afternoon warmth and it is raining. At first I just felt something cold like a pin prick on my arm. It made me look up and wonder if that was rain. The clouds were not really thick or menacing and the air was calm. I wondered to myself and then I felt it again and quickly again, and so I knew that it was a sprinkle from the sky.
As I contemplate the interesting feel of a drop or two of rain, I hold my arms out to see if they'll be hit by a stray drop. And soon, it becomes apparent that it is now more than just a drop or two. It is undeniably raining lightly. Not enough to really matter I think. Not enough to even get my shirt noticeably wet unless I stayed out in the open for 10 minutes or longer. Mmmm, a nice light, comforting rain.
A whisper of a breeze from the northeast causes goose bumps to run up my forearm and around my shoulder to the base of my neck. My body has a mild uncontrollable shiver. The kind that makes you shake your shoulders a little but is gone as quickly as it came. It is that little breeze that is now turning into a light wind that perks up my senses just a little. Hmmm, is there something more going on here?
Properly warned, you may have thought I would have been on my way to shelter. But, I found myself almost unaware of what was happening around me; what was happening to me.
The northeast wind pushed the rain down hard from the sky now. It was really pouring. At
first, it dripped down the back of my neck and then within moments the drops were so big and the pace was so fast that there was no more dry to go with the wet. Who could deny the force of this water from the sky? I was soaking wet; I mean all the way to the bone. Hmmm, the sky opened and poured itself out on me. Relentlessly. Mercilessly. Or, perhaps mercifully?
That is my story. My story is about the relentless, merciful love that God shows us in our lives. Sometimes I have to lean back and close my eyes and say to myself, "Are you kidding me God?". I feel you lightly tap my shoulder with a drop of your love and I ignore it. And then, as you bless me, I turn away again. And, as I turn away yet again you pour your love out on me, even as I still try to deny it. Mercifully, grace-fully you love me still.
It is the Easter season and God is pouring his love out on us through the death and resurrection of his son Jesus. Let us worship him. Whether you are 12 years old or 21, 45, or 73, God does not care. If you have spent your life denying him, he will welcome you. Like a beautiful summer rain, God's love is ready. Are you?
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Just the other day I was speaking to someone (who does not read this blog). I know, I know, that seems odd in and of itself. Anyway, he told me something that made me scratch my head.
This man was saying that for him running was his religion. When he went running, the endorphins 
release was an experience that made him feel closer to the creator. Closer to his god. In fact, this man had spoken to an acquaintance that was a Buddhist that said that in the same way he felt because of the endorphins released during exercise, the Buddhist experienced this during intense meditation. In addition, this is the same reason, endorphins release, why Christians feel closer to Jesus during worship. So, I guess the point is that we should all freely choose our God. Not so we can freely show thanks so much as as to get our fix of endorphins. Truly, that would be one way to select a religion. I can hear it now. For those of you church goers think of the song "Praise God Through...." sing is with me now, it would be "Praise God through whom all endorphins flow, Praise God....".
My conclusion: Some people are so full of crap.
When our world becomes so intensely about ourselves, it is amazing how lost we get looking for answers. In fact, we become so lost that all roads point back to our own satisfaction. Think about it. It is "seeking", which can and should be such a good thing, turned inside out and focused in a way that becomes "I want to find myself". Hmmm, never heard that before. I submit that this behavior, when repeated over a significant period of time in life, becomes a blinding pattern that rejects anything that might point away from personal satisfaction.
Well, what is wrong with a little a self satisfaction anyway? Nothing, thank you very much. But, that's not what I am talking about. I'm talking about the thought process that spawns talk like "running is my religion". And the thought process that says, "everyone must seek out and find their own truth". Today, much of the society we live in seems to hold their own "personal truth" as their driving force in life. In fact, some will read what I just wrote and say "of course it is". I submit that someones "personal truth" is code for whatever makes me feel good. Most importantly, whatever helps me self validate, so I don't have to change. The big time emphasis here belongs on "ME".
Welcome to a world where concrete thinking regarding values is being called intolerance. You don't have to like it, but that is what is going on and I'm not talking about some isolated incidents on college campuses or back room talk in some liberal think tank.
Get ready folks, this is mainstream and it is scary. I hope you will stand up and be counted when you run into this kind of gobbledygook thinking. Go ahead and say, "What are you talking about". Go ahead and let people know that some things really are black and white. Oh, and running is not a religion, stupid.
I was passively listening to our bedroom TV while I was looking for a shirt and pants to wear to work the next day. My attention was caught when I heard the news person say that their was a new study out on Christmas. This new study showed that people's attitudes about Christmas were shifting from viewing Christmas primarily as a time of gift giving to viewing Christmas primarily as a time to spend with close family and friends.
I bet you have already figured out I am sitting here shaking my head sighing. Let's all say this together: Christmas is about the baby Jesus, Christmas is about the baby Jesus, Christmas is about the baby Jesus.
Whew! Thanks, I just so needed to get that off my chest. Can't you just imagine the poll they did for those results. It might of been something like:
Would you say Christmas is more about:
A) Blatant consumerism
B) Having a little extra time to finally clean the basement
C) Spending time with close family and friends
D) Good food and good booze
Hmmmmmm. Well, Merry Christmas! Let's celebrate the best gift in the history of the world. And, this gift really is for all of the world. Merry Christmas!
Would you do me a favor? I am requesting that you wish everyone you see today and for the next few days "Merry Christmas". What do you think? Are you already doing that? Hmmm. Or are you saying "Happy Holidays"? Or, enjoy "the holiday" or enjoy "your family"?
I have been in business as a sales person and a sales manager for 20 years. During that time I have heard it said many times that "Merry Christmas" might not be appropriate for the work place or especially when out at a client location. Who have I heard this from? Same place you have I bet, mostly from the media. This idea that it could somehow be offensive to wish someone Merry Christmas is really pathetic.
One Christmas season my wife and I went to the school to see our daughters "Holiday Play". It was a nicely done singing presentation that included a little something for those who might be Muslims, Jews, Christians, or people who practice Kwanzaa (as far as I know Kwanzaa only exists in the media....but I digress). So, the symbol used for Islam was what looked like a holy type book on a stand (the Koran I suppose), the symbol for Judaism was a Menorah (symbolizes the burning bush on Mt. Sinai), I honestly cannot remember the Kwanzaa symbol but it was probably the candle thing I have pictured below, and the symbol for Christianity was a......drum roll please.....come on what do you think the symbol for Christianity was.....not that hard to think of a symbol is it. Was it a cross or a Bible or a manger......no, no, ... it was a Christmas tree.
So, we have a Koran, a Menorah, and a Christmas tree. Reminds me of a song, go ahead and sing along with me...."one of these things is not like the other, one of theses things....." It was so stupid I just sat there and shook my head. The Christmas tree is not exactly a highly religious symbol. It has some connection to Christianity, but many other connections as well that have nothing to do with Christianity and were mostly pre-Christian. But, this is how far the tolerance farce had taken us. Right off the stinking cliff.
Back to my 20 years in business. I have wished thousands of people Merry Christmas both inside and outside the companies I have worked for. I have probably wished hundreds of Jewish people Merry Christmas and when I knew they were Jewish I threw in a Happy Hanukkah. I probably have wished thousands of people Merry Christmas that do not attend a church regularly and maybe even come across a few Hindus, Muslims, and others. I have not noticeably detected a single person who I have upset by wishing them Merry Christmas. NOT ONE!!!!!!! Isn't that interesting. Not a single one!
So, if you are not wishing people a Merry Christmas, why not? Has the media or PC crowd convinced you that it is offensive? Today, I give you permission if you feel you need it and encouragement if that helps and a reminder and an example of my life experience. So go ahead. Live a little. You can do it!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
At approximately 1:00 p.m. on December 9th, 23 year old gunman Matthew Murray ended the lives of sisters Stephanie and Rachel Works and seriously wounded their father outside of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Shortly after killing the Works sisters, Matthew was engaged by security officer Jeanne Assam and was shot several times. He apparently then put a bullet into his own head. Approximately 12 hours earlier this troubled young person killed two and wounded two about 80 miles north at the Arvada Youth Mission.
I did a "Google" search on Colorado church shootings and found 91,800 results. You can be sure I am not writing this to clarify the facts of these two horrible related events of a week and a half ago. Instead, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on what is going on in a world where young people decide to kill as many people as they can in an event that they must surely know will bring about their gruesome death.
One thing we can say for sure is that evil lives. We shake our heads and ask what is happening around us and we find ourselves asking "Why"? We think about the possibilities in our own lives of running headlong into a confusing scenario that includes a lunatic gunman.
So, evil lives. I am not suggesting that we give in. I am not suggesting that we relegate "evil" into a place that exists without challenge. What I am suggesting is that we acknowledge the idea that evil lives on and is not going away. Evil lives. Let's quit hoping that the next evil act will not happen. It will. My question is this: What are you going to do about it? Yes, what are you going to do about it?
Doesn't our whole discussion or thought process take on a different dimension when we allow ourselves to consider that we might be able to take some kind of responsibility and we could impact the problem? In some ways this is hard to consider. Often we find it easy to deflect responsibility to someone else or some other organization. How about not this time? How about this time we don't blame the National Rifle Association? How about this time we don't look to the next Brady Gun Control Bill to be the change that we need?
Don't get me wrong, this is not some kind of Second Amendment rant. Those two groups are just likely suspects as far as where we would like to lay the blame or call for "the solution". Laying blame will not help anyone.
Let's acknowledge together that evil lives. Let's agree that you and me can make a difference and let's get started today. What will you do? How will you get started? I surely cannot answer that for you. I can say with assurance though, if all we do is shake our heads and wonder why, nothing will change for the better. Ever.
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