Wildlife Watch, 12/26/07
26/12/2007 16:37 Filed in: Personal
I literally just watched six does playing tag in the
field behind the church. It was quite a sight.
|
Merry Christmastide
26/12/2007 09:34 Filed in: Church Life
Merry Christmastide!
What is Christmastide, perhaps you are wondering? In most protestant churches, we tend to ignore the "seasons" of the church that have historically been set apart as the flow of the calendar for Christians, but in some Christian churches (protestant, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic alike) a liturgical calendar guides how the different seasons of the Christian year are distinguished. Christmastide is the brief season from Christmas Day to January 5.
Also called Yuletide or simply the Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmastide marks the season during which the church has historically reflected on the significance of the incarnation. If Advent is a season of anticipation, then Christmastide is a season of fulfillment and a beginning awareness of what that fulfillment means.
Christmastide includes consideration of the various early events of Christ's life, including visitation from the shepherds, the visitation and gifts of the Magi, and the circumcision of Jesus. It ends on what has traditionally been called Twelfth Night, which is the eve of the day of Epiphany (which is sometimes called Three Kings' Day). Just as Advent is a season that culminates with Christmas Eve, Christmastide also culminates with the eve of the next season.
I think it is very helpful to observe the seasons, rather than simply celebrating the days and having a gap of time in between. For me, all that happens in anticipation of Advent is more than I want to contemplate all at once, so I'm thankful for a season of four weeks or so to consider it. Likewise, the significance of the incarnation is more than I want to try to think through on just one day (Christmas Day), so I appreciate having a season for reflection on that.
What is Christmastide, perhaps you are wondering? In most protestant churches, we tend to ignore the "seasons" of the church that have historically been set apart as the flow of the calendar for Christians, but in some Christian churches (protestant, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic alike) a liturgical calendar guides how the different seasons of the Christian year are distinguished. Christmastide is the brief season from Christmas Day to January 5.
Also called Yuletide or simply the Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmastide marks the season during which the church has historically reflected on the significance of the incarnation. If Advent is a season of anticipation, then Christmastide is a season of fulfillment and a beginning awareness of what that fulfillment means.
Christmastide includes consideration of the various early events of Christ's life, including visitation from the shepherds, the visitation and gifts of the Magi, and the circumcision of Jesus. It ends on what has traditionally been called Twelfth Night, which is the eve of the day of Epiphany (which is sometimes called Three Kings' Day). Just as Advent is a season that culminates with Christmas Eve, Christmastide also culminates with the eve of the next season.
I think it is very helpful to observe the seasons, rather than simply celebrating the days and having a gap of time in between. For me, all that happens in anticipation of Advent is more than I want to contemplate all at once, so I'm thankful for a season of four weeks or so to consider it. Likewise, the significance of the incarnation is more than I want to try to think through on just one day (Christmas Day), so I appreciate having a season for reflection on that.
Electability and the 2008 Presidential race
20/12/2007 07:12 Filed in: Culture
Why Huckabee COULD beat Obama, Clinton, or Edwards in
'08. And why it matters to us. Read
More...
Wildlife Watch, 12/19/07
19/12/2007 14:29 Filed in: Personal
I saw a doe this morning. It was sort of cheating on
my wildlife log, because it was just inside the edge
of the woods as I was walking out. I've started being
extra-quiet as I leave, so that I don't spook any
critters that are about, and I was able to watch her
walk for a few minutes as I walked down the sidewalk.
How Christians view marriage, part 1
19/12/2007 09:25 Filed in: Family | Church Life
...Protestants traditionally have interpreted marriage as a necessary way to quell the temptations of the flesh or as a natural union that will be dissolved in the afterlife...
Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, in "A Mormon President? The LDS Difference" from The Christian Century, August 21, 2007.
While I'll admit that this statement is not intended to be comprehensive-- and, in context, emphasizes an important difference between Protestant Christian views on marriage from Mormon views-- I would argue that Ms. Maffly-Kipp misses much of the core meaning of marriage for Christians, and thus misrepresents marriage entirely.
The view espoused by Ms. Maffly-Kipp is taken primarily from a single verse, 1 Corinthians 7:9, wherein Paul is discussing how unmarried and widowed believers should approach singleness. Paul says, simply, that for the service of the Lord it is better to remain single (v.8)-- this removes the divided focus of attention that marriage and family inevitably brings. Paul says, though, that if self-control is an issue (and here he means, subtly, sexual control) then they should marry, for it is "better to marry than to burn with passion."
Thus, one can argue that the above claim about the Protestant view of marriage is biblical. Why do I claim it to be inaccurate?
If for no other reason, than this is a chief concern: we should be very cautious (as in, I'll stop just short of saying "never do it") about deriving doctrines and positions from single verses. One of the key principles to understanding the Bible that we should all regularly employ is to let Scripture interpret Scripture-- in other words, the Bible, collectively and in context of itself, will instruct us on how to understand the meaning of texts.
In this case, one could argue that 1 Timothy 5:11 supports this claim of doctrine or position-- thus letting Scripture interpret Scripture. But in the whole context of the New Testament (and, indeed, the whole Bible) a much bigger and fuller sense of how and why Christians should marry emerges. In fact, a more comprehensive-- and I would say healthier-- view of sex emerges, as well.
Perhaps that's what bothers me the most about this quote: it seems to take a fairly cynical view of both sex and marriage, neither of which are portrayed in the Bible as the sort of annoyances that Ms. Maffly-Kipp seems to imply.
In a future post, I'll work through what I see as the "fuller sense" of how the Bible portrays marriage. Meanwhile, what are your thoughts?
Wildlife Watch, 12/17/07
17/12/2007 16:56 Filed in: Personal
Six does this afternoon. You might think that all six
were moving together-- but you would be mistaken.
They met up for a little mid-field frolicking, then
the pair (maybe a mother/daughter pair?) that move
together went their way while the others went theirs.
I've been watching these groups of does all fall-- the larger group was a group of five; I wonder if one met an early end. All of them are fairly young and pretty small, though there is one doe that is much bigger than the rest.
Every now and then, the bucks that hanker after them show up-- but these bucks are quite young, too; you can tell by the spread of their antlers they aren't but a year or so old. One buck, though, will be huge when he matures: his antlers are very narrow, but he's already a six-point.
I've been watching these groups of does all fall-- the larger group was a group of five; I wonder if one met an early end. All of them are fairly young and pretty small, though there is one doe that is much bigger than the rest.
Every now and then, the bucks that hanker after them show up-- but these bucks are quite young, too; you can tell by the spread of their antlers they aren't but a year or so old. One buck, though, will be huge when he matures: his antlers are very narrow, but he's already a six-point.
Haiku #6 (Advent Haiku #2)
17/12/2007 14:42 Filed in: Personal
Internet communities article
I've always been fascinated with technology, and over
time I've developed a lot of thoughts and ideas about
how faith and technology collide. A few of these
thoughts made their way into an article that I
recently wrote for ByFaith magazine, which
ended up being called, "Looking for Love in a Few Wrong
Places". That article, which focuses
particularly on how technology and the Internet
allow communities to be built in new ways, is
now available on the ByFaith website,
in case you're interested.
By the way, if you don't already subscribe to ByFaith, I would highly recommend it (and not just because I write for them)-- it is a good magazine that offers a helpful look at many diverse topics.
By the way, if you don't already subscribe to ByFaith, I would highly recommend it (and not just because I write for them)-- it is a good magazine that offers a helpful look at many diverse topics.
Code, ambiguity, and understanding each other
Yesterday, Marcie and I were planning to do some
Christmas shopping after we drove the kids to school.
Out of the blue, she said to me, "do you think that
store would have that thing?"
"What?!?"
We smiled and laughed, and eventually she gave me enough hints to decipher what she meant.
But it got me to thinking: a lot of times, one of us (in the church) will say something we think is entirely clear, and it will come across to others like Marcie's statement did for me. It's way too easy for misunderstandings to occur, and we need to be willing to give the benefit of the doubt in times like that-- and quickly work toward understanding.
"What?!?"
We smiled and laughed, and eventually she gave me enough hints to decipher what she meant.
But it got me to thinking: a lot of times, one of us (in the church) will say something we think is entirely clear, and it will come across to others like Marcie's statement did for me. It's way too easy for misunderstandings to occur, and we need to be willing to give the benefit of the doubt in times like that-- and quickly work toward understanding.
Wildlife Watch, 12/12/07
12/12/2007 19:59 Filed in: Personal
Hobbes lives at our house
12/12/2007 11:22 Filed in: Family
Jack and his dog are a living version of the Calvin
and Hobbes comic. Read
More...
Kate Snodgrass
12/12/2007 09:23 Filed in: Church Life
| Personal
Marcie has mentioned Kate Snodgrass to many of you;
Kate is someone we know from a St. Louis church where
we were members. She has been battling cancer for
some time now, and she has chronicled her struggles
(and the lessons God has taught her through them) on
a blog.
If you're interested, you may read Kate's blog at this link.
If you're interested, you may read Kate's blog at this link.
Wildlife Watch, 12/10/07
10/12/2007 09:19 Filed in: Personal
One of the "perks" of my job as Pastor of Hickory
Withe Presbyterian Church is the view I have from my
office window. I often get to watch wildlife eating,
playing, or just moving around in the field behind
the church property. I rarely tire of taking this in,
and I keep a pair of binoculars by my desk to
facilitate.
I want to keep a log of what I see, mostly for me-- though some of you might find it interesting too. So I'll keep my log on this blog. Here's the list for today:
16 wild turkeys, including 3 really big toms, 4 jakes, and 9 hens!
I want to keep a log of what I see, mostly for me-- though some of you might find it interesting too. So I'll keep my log on this blog. Here's the list for today:
16 wild turkeys, including 3 really big toms, 4 jakes, and 9 hens!
Stem cells and life issues
07/12/2007 14:13 Filed in: Culture
A primer on recent
advances in stem cell research and what they mean for
the ongoing debate. Read
More...
Food for the hungry
My friend Megan posted a challenging post on her blog
a few days ago. It turns out that Megan read
an interesting article in the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch about the struggles that
many food banks and food pantries face around
this time of year: they simply run out of food,
and are forced to limit their services or close
doors altogether.
The article points to the unexpected downside of our technological advances: the accuracy of inventory systems in grocery stores means that stores seldom over-purchase, and food packagers don't over-produce, in the quantities that they used to. The net result is that food banks and food pantries don't have the supply of food from the grocery stores and food packagers that they used to. As a result, they run out of inventory themselves.
Megan asks a hard question: what is their personal family responsibility for this problem? I love this question, as it reveals Megan's faith as real and practicable. I also love it because it forces me to consider this for myself, and my family.
In her post, Megan invites interaction about this subject, and I wanted to bring that discussion here, as well. I've also invited my friend Russell Smith to join the conversation. I'd like to work together toward some real answers to this problem-- something that we (as a community) can put into practice on a regular basis.
What do you think? We have a food pantry right here, through Fayette Cares-- my guess is that they are facing the same struggle. How can we answer? What should our personal responsibility in this problem be?
The article points to the unexpected downside of our technological advances: the accuracy of inventory systems in grocery stores means that stores seldom over-purchase, and food packagers don't over-produce, in the quantities that they used to. The net result is that food banks and food pantries don't have the supply of food from the grocery stores and food packagers that they used to. As a result, they run out of inventory themselves.
Megan asks a hard question: what is their personal family responsibility for this problem? I love this question, as it reveals Megan's faith as real and practicable. I also love it because it forces me to consider this for myself, and my family.
In her post, Megan invites interaction about this subject, and I wanted to bring that discussion here, as well. I've also invited my friend Russell Smith to join the conversation. I'd like to work together toward some real answers to this problem-- something that we (as a community) can put into practice on a regular basis.
What do you think? We have a food pantry right here, through Fayette Cares-- my guess is that they are facing the same struggle. How can we answer? What should our personal responsibility in this problem be?
Thoughts on the Golden Compass
05/12/2007 11:17 Filed in: Culture
What do we do with the new movie, The Golden
Compass, which many Christians perceive as such
a threat? Read
More...
Faith and Anxiety (and other emotional struggles)
05/12/2007 11:10 Filed in: Church Life
| Personal
Faith and anxiety are not absolutes. That is, if you experience one, you do not eliminate the other. Faith can keep company with many sets of ordinary feelings that can be handled and lived with but never removed. Those who insist on a "pure faith" unstained by human emotionality make the denial of reality a condition of faith. But the encouragement of the Scripture is to "take heart," not take cover. We take heart because we believe that human life in its totality becomes enormously fruitful in the hands of God through the power of God's gracious promises.
Peter L. Steinke, How Your Church Family Works
Haiku #4 (Advent Haiku)
04/12/2007 09:31 Filed in: Church Life
Why amen?
03/12/2007 08:42 Filed in: Ministry
What's the "amen" for in prayer and worship?
Read
More...