Month: December 2008

I am taking a respite from the humble ramblings for the rest of this year. Some accused me of already mailing it in by recycling some previous Christmas articles. However, I had to point out to those accusers that these are holiday classics! How does a blog become a holiday classic? It is easy. Start your own site, pay the server fee and you can call your posts whatever you want. Plus recycling those posts kept me from having to purchase carbon offsets to reduce my blogosphere carbon footprint. To be safe, I did plant a Chia pet.

To placate my sometimes needy tens of readers I have compiled a Baker’s Dozen of the most read articles of 2008. There is a snippet from each article and we begin with number thirteen.

13) Everybody Want To Go To Heaven?

A tune by Kenny Chesney is chock full of catchy rhythms and bad theology. The song is called Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven but the underlying theme is that nobody wants to go there right now. I think that is true for most of us. As long as God allows I want to live and serve here while I enjoy family and friends.

But what caught my ear was the theology. I am aware that Kenny Chesney is not a theologian so I am not throwing him under his tour bus. I found it interesting because the song reflects the theology of many people and churches in this nation. It used to be mine.

12) The Santa Clause Is Coming To Town Theology

I am a little too old and lot too cynical to be swept away by the latest fad in Christendom. I have sat on the sidelines while Jabez prayed, millions were purpose driven and others found their best life. I guess I was just left behind. Others were incredibly excited by one or all of these phenomenons.

So I was more than a little surprised to find that God has rocked my world through a ministry I knew little about.

11) Every Dad Leaves A Legacy

This series is not about being a perfect dad. If it were, I would be totally unqualified to write it. This series is not about piling guilt on you for mistakes made. I am not looking for the result like the boy who said to his preacher on the way out, “Boy, that was a good sermon. My dad slumped way down today.” This series is seeing what God’s plan is for leaving a positive legacy as an earthly father.

10) A “Bad Christian” Mini-festo

One central idea makes me shout AMEN loudly. That idea is that Evangelicals should be defined theologically and not politically, culturally or socially. Since I am not smart enough to produce a document as eloquent as the Evangelical Manifesto I have decided to issue my own smaller brain version.

9) Grace Between The Lines

I love this story. It is a wonderful metaphor for how the church should function. The Central Washington team could have stood by and done nothing. The players could have offered sympathy. They could have sadly noted how tough life can be. But they chose action. Compassion. And they chose sportsmanship that is extraordinary.

There is a good lesson for followers of Jesus. Caring is often appreciated but action is never forgotten. Too often we substitute a half sincere word of sympathy or we seek the emergency exit I have too often used. “I will pray for you.”

8) Ben Franklin’s Plan For Moral Perfection

I stumbled upon a fascinating History Channel feature on Ben Franklin. I knew Franklin as a brilliant statesman, inventor, writer and a bit of a scoundrel. But I did not know that in his autobiography the venerable statesman admitted a radical plan.

“I once conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.”

Wonder how that worked out?

7) Christians and Cussin’

Some say that any words other than taking the Lord’s name in vain are merely words. There is some truth to that. Jesus made it clear that what is in our heart is really the issue. So if you have profanity in your heart you might as well let’er rip. Right? Paul again moves from meditation to meddling with some more words to the church at Ephesus.

6) Dissin’ Jesus

I often get e-mails asking me to boycott, email, complain and mobilize to help stop an offensive program or event. I rarely respond. Am I a bad Christian? Do I not care? If you haven’t already launched a angry missive full of misspellings in my direction please allow me to discuss.

5) Be Good Just For Goodness Sake

(In response to an advertising campaign by American atheists)

I am sure that many Christians will be offended and make a ruckus about the campaign. I would suggest that you proceed cautiously and with grace. Angry Christians only confirm the perception of people of faith. I have long felt that billboards and road signs make little difference in people’s faith decisions.

In my neighborhood a local restaurant has this message on the marquee.

Jesus
Saves

Chicken Special
$6.99

I am sure their intentions are good but I don’t think that many people are being influenced toward faith by this sign. I can report the chicken special was excellent so that does give them some credibility. Nonetheless, I think most people’s decisions on such matters go a little deeper than a restaurant marquee or bus ad. So protesting this campaign is a battle not worth fighting in my view. I would rather mature in the grace of Christ Jesus and see if that will influence more people than even the chicken special sign. 

4) Spectacular Ceremony Sends Horrible Message

The opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics were truly spectacular. The creative genius of the program and disciplined performers left me awestruck. But a news story the next day left me  more than a little angry.

3) Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Illustrates Pretty Much Everything But Sports

This week marked a couple of rites of spring. The reporting of pitchers and catchers to spring training and the arrival of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. For me one is a “right” of spring and the other is becoming a “wrong”. I was on the road when the swimsuit issue arrived at my home. The lovely Mrs.Burchett led me into a marital minefield with this simple statement.

“Your swimsuit issue arrived today.” She waited. Work brain, work! Must step carefully. Following the lead of Nehemiah I “prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered”. My response was simple.

“Throw it away.”

2) A Gentle Balance To The Shack “Attack”

One of the dangers of Christian blogging is dealing with the spiritual hall monitors who seem to live only to smack your heretical knuckles with their ruler of truth. So I risk their wrath (carefully chosen word) with today’s post.

The novel The Shack has begun a wave of debate, hand-wringing, defensiveness and condemnation in Evangelical circles. The book has been called dangerous, subversive and heretical by many critics.

1) Should Christians Sit This Election Out?

A news story this week from Christianity Today amused me. The headline was provocative.

Super Tuesday Results Show Split Between Evangelicals and Their Spokesmen

I am an amateur evangelical anthropologist. Like Jane Goodall I go into their habitats and study their behaviors. Since I am one of the species it is easy to assimilate into their culture. My first journal, When Bad Christians Happen to Good People, was a result of my time spent with these fascinating creatures. From my observations a couple of immediate questions came to mind as I read the headline in Christianity Today.

I hope you found something to enjoy on that list. I will be back bringing sporadic joy and intermittent wisdom in the New Year.

Happy Holidays! May Grace Abound In Your Life!

Dave

I am a little too old and lot too cynical to be swept away by the latest fad in Christendom. I have sat on the sidelines while Jabez prayed, millions were purpose driven and others found their best life. I guess I was just left behind. Others were incredibly excited by one or all of these phenomenons.

So I was more than a little surprised to find that God has rocked my world through a ministry I knew little about. Their books and materials have not become an entire section at your local Christian superstore. And that is a shame. Because they have a message that needs to be heard by most of us.

The organization is called Leadership Catalyst and they have an incredible book called TrueFaced.  I don’t think I have ever had a book (not included in the original 66) impact me as much as this one. Here is how strongly I feel about this book and ministry. I have written two books. So selling a few books would be awesome for the fading retirement account. But if you only have the budget to buy one book in the near future I would tell you to buy TrueFaced. (That gives you a hint as to why I rarely am asked to do marketing seminars)

I am borrowing one little bit of content that is very timely during this month. John Lynch is one of the authors of the book and in this section he addresses how we are programmed from childhood to default to performance theology. He calls it the “Santa Clause is Coming to Town theology”.

You better watch out
Better not cry
Better not pout
I am telling you why
Santa Clause is comin’ to town
He’s making a list….checking it twice…three times…every day
Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice
Santa Clause is comin’ to town
He sees you when your sleeping, nows when your awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.

Oh, he’s watching. Waiting for you to screw up so you will get coal instead of a bicycle. You had better please him. And we teach our kids to put on the mask and be something they are not. Because Santa Clause is comin’ to town. This omniscient being who is judging our every deed is coming to town…and we learn to do the dance early. Buck up…be good. Don’t cry. Don’t pout. Santa Clause is coming to town.  (©Copyright 2003, William Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.)

He is exactly right. We learn that we get good things and receive love only when we are good. Santa is pleased (and we later substitute God) when we obey. So we learn early. We had better be good. Or least fool everyone around us to think that we are being good.

Ask any child this Christmas if they are being good and I will wager you will never hear this response.

“Well, to be honest, I am really struggling with the whole being nice thing. I have actually been pouty and I cried yesterday. It just isn’t working out this Christmas so I suspect the video game system will have to wait.”

Nope. What you hear is the lie that we learn early and too often keep handy in our arsenal for a lifetime.

“Oh yeah. I am being really good!”

I remember (vaguely) the tension of the Santa Clause years. I knew I hadn’t really changed much. I tried to modify my behavior for a week or two leading up to Christmas but I knew I had failed to really be good. I learned a couple of things early. I learned how hard it is to change behavior by sheer willpower and I learned that I could fool Santa by living a lie. I learned that that he would bring me presents in spite of my failures. I did not learn about grace. That maybe Santa gave me gifts because of who I was and maybe he came to my house because I was lovable instead of rewarding me for what I had done to please him. I figured I had fooled him and to get the good stuff I would have to continue to hide the little boy who broke an ornament and then hid it.

Isn’t that too often how we view God? We had better not cry. Better not sin. I’m telling you why. Jesus is coming to town. He’s making a list and He is checking it not once or twice but every moment of every day. God knows if you’ve been bad or good so if you want to be healed or happy or prosperous you had better be good for goodness sake. If I do mess up I am scared to death that I will get a bad life or miss all that God has for me. So I put on the mask and try to be really good for Jesus. If I can fool those around me maybe, just maybe, I can fool God too.

Satan sells the lie so convincingly. And we buy it for months and years and even decades.

But God and Santa are very different in their approach. God does not keep a list. He is not impressed by our hernia inducing straining to control sin. What God sees is Jesus in Dave Burchett when I sin.

Jesus offers us so many gifts. But the one we seem to have the hardest time unwrapping is the gift of grace. The gift that allows us to become who God desires us to become as we simply trust Him and quit trying to be “good” for goodness sake. We are saved by grace and faith in Christ. We become like Him by the same radical strategy. Faith that He has changed us into a new creation. And understanding the grace that gives us good gifts even when we don’t deserve them.

Don’t let the Santa Clause theology live into the New Year. Go straight to the gift of grace that Jesus left under the Cross. Open it. And clothe yourself in His salvation, acceptance and love. It may be the best gift you have ever given yourself.

 

I keep having a recurring dream about the Congressional hearings with the Big 3 Automakers. I know. I need a hobby. But I imagine that the CEO of General Motors is addressing the Congressional panel.

GM Dude: “So that is how much money we have to get right away.”
Congressman: (HUGE Sigh)
  “I’m not sure we can do that deal.”
  (Looks up and rubs chin)
  “Let me go talk to my General Manager and see if he will go for this.”
  (Gets up and leaves the CEO shifting awkwardly)

Wouldn’t that be a moment of healing for all of us who sat in the chair while a car salesman went to “talk” to some wizard behind the curtain? I suspect my little dream will not come true. But I have been having another dream that has a little better chance to happen. A dream that we would learn to trust God as we face difficult times.

This is a tough Christmas season for many Americans. The economy is struggling, jobs are hard to find and most investments are in the device that swirls water and flushes. It would be easy to feel anxious, frustrated and depressed. But for Christians that would be a really sad response to a great opportunity. That opportunity is a chance to trust God and show those around us what that looks like.

When Joni was diagnosed with breast cancer I remember saying this sentence to each of our three sons. “If our faith doesn’t work at moments like this then it is of little value.” Our faith in God did work throughout that life storm. And I learned that God’s faithfulness and loving kindness will trump whatever circumstance I find myself in. That is the abundant life. Knowing that I can trust God and be content in my circumstance. Paul wrote some really encouraging words in his letter to the church at Philippi.

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. (Philippians 4, NLT)

I am grateful for how Paul addressed this topic. He did not say I am “always content with whatever I have” in his letter. Paul wrote that he had “learned” to be content. It was a process for Saint Paul just as it is a process for Saint Dave. I can’t say that I have learned. I can say that I am learning. By the way, I doubt you will ever see Saint Dave as a church name.

Sunday a group of folks from our church went to share Christmas with a refugee family that had been relocated from the turmoil in Myanmar (Burma). They came to this country with nothing other than the clothes on their backs. We adopted this family to provide Christmas gifts and basic needs. We went to bless but we were blessed instead by their joy and gratitude. This family with almost nothing seemed happier than many Americans who have so much but think they deserve more. It is easy to lose perspective that even in hard times most Americans are incredibly blessed.

One of my Christmas movie memories is White Christmas with Bing Crosby. There is a song that applies for all of us as we approach a Christmas that may feel a little different from previous ones. When the character played by Rosemary Clooney frets and has trouble sleeping she is serenaded by Bing Crosby with this song.

When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

That is really excellent advice and pretty good theology. Even in adversity I have so many blessings I can count. Perhaps the following story is a bit indelicate but it always makes me smile. Ronald Reagan had a favorite joke that he told so often that the joke itself became a joke with staff members. The joke was told about twin boys who were six years old. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities — one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist — their parents took them to a psychiatrist.

First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. “What’s the matter?” the psychiatrist asked, baffled. “Don’t you want to play with any of the toys?” “Yes,” the little boy bawled, “but if I did I’d only break them.”

Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his out look, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. “What do you think you’re doing?” the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. “With all this manure,” the little boy replied, beaming, “there must be a pony in here somewhere!”

“Reagan told the joke so often,” Meese said, chuckling, “that it got to be kind of a joke with the rest of us. Whenever something would go wrong, somebody on the staff would be sure to say, “There must be a pony in here somewhere.’”

Things may be a bit difficult this year but I am trusting God that there is a pony in there somewhere. You don’t get that kind of spiritual insight in John Piper’s articles! Paul finished his passage to the Philippians that I quoted above with another great insight. After he had learned to be content in whatever circumstance he wrapped up the lesson with these words.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Count your blessings. Receive God’s love today and ask Him to love others through you. Perhaps this Christmas will be one of the best ever if we can lean on those simple actions and we can really believe that we can do everything through Christ who gives us strength. Merry Christmas!

 

 

This series was well received last year. You may view this as a repeat. I prefer to think of it as re-gifting.

Blessings and Merry Christmas!   

Dave

We are fast approaching the hardest day of the year for most men. Many of us men give gifts to our significant others with fear and trembling. Humor writer Dave Barry relates the confusion most men deal with when giving a gift to their wife.

He could tell by her reaction to the gift that she had not been dreaming of getting an auto emergency kit, even though it was the deluxe model with booster cables and an air compressor. Clearly, this violated an important rule, but the man had idea what the rule was, and his wife was too upset to tell him.

Barry continues his thoughtful treatise…

So why is the Christmas season so difficult for men? There are many complex reasons, by which I mean: women. The problem goes back to the very first Christmas. We know from the Bible that the Wise Men showed up in Bethlehem and gave the baby Jesus gifts of gold,frankincense, and myrrh. Now Gold is always a nice gift, but frankincense and myrrh – at least according to my dictionary – are gum resins.

 Barry asks the vital question…

Who gives gum resins to a baby? The answer is…Men. The three wise men…being men, didn’t even start shopping for gifts until the last minute, when most of the stores in the greater Bethlehem area were closed for Christmas Eve. The only place still open was Big Stu’s House of Myrrh.

Even though Barry’s interpretation of the Gospels might be a little suspect…I do think he is correct about the difficulty in finding the right gift to give to Jesus on his birthday.

On December 24th or 25th most of us will exchange gifts on Jesus’s birthday. Suppose you had a big party for me to celebrate my humble birthday this April. All of my close friends and acquaintances show up and you all start exchanging gifts on my birthday. But there is nothing for me. Oh, someone might mention my name now and then. But I just sit and I sit and I watch others open gifts. Then someone mentions how grateful they are for Dave’s birthday so we could all be together. I become hopeful. But then someone else yells that the refreshments are ready so everyone rolls into the kitchen and I am left sitting there….no gifts on my birthday. I wonder if we don’t do that exact thing to Jesus. We have reason for the season signs and all of that. But it is so easy to get all caught up and not even think of a gift for the guest of honor at our Christmas celebrations. 
  
So what can you give the Lord of the Universe? If you think your mother-in-law is tough to buy for what do buy for the Saviour who has everything? Believe it or not…I decided to go back to the Three Wise Men and see if there was more to their gifts than first appears. What is the story behind these gum resin gifts? What is up with the gifts presented by the Magi? The simplest meaning is that these men brought items which, in their experience, represented the greatest worth. All of these gifts were rare, precious and expensive. Whatever else we may learn from this story, we know that they gave their best in honor to the One they believed to be the King, the Messiah. It’s interesting that we don’t know the names of the Magi but we know what they gave. We don’t know where they came from but we know that they worshipped the  Christ child.
                      
They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshipped him.

The first important point is that the Magi did not visit the Baby Jesus at the stable so our Nativity scene on the mantle is chock full of Biblical errors. They showed up at the house and it is clear that the gifts were a part of their worship. They bowed down before Him, and they offered Him gifts. What an amazing spirit that must have surrounded that child that caused men of importance, wealth and education to fall down before Him!

The miracle of God becoming man… He became what we are so that He might make us what He is.
Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. Matt 2:11 (MsgB)

The first gift mentioned is gold.

Gold was the usual offering presented to kings by their subjects, or those wanting to pay respect. Gold has always held extremely high value – as long ago as 2,500 BC, gold was especially prized, and used as a medium of exchange. Even today when investments get shaky you start hearing about buying gold as a hedge against economic downturns. The value of gold seems to be a constant in our civilization. In both the Old Testament Tabernacle and the Temple, gold was used plentifully and was clearly associated with worship.

So should we give Jesus gold on His birthday? Most of us have a rather limited supply of gold. I am going to suggest that we give Jesus a commodity that is as valuable in today’s culture as gold was in the time of the Magi. That commodity of great value is time. When I think of gifts that we can give to Jesus…is there anything more precious than our time? 

When you love someone you want to spend time with them. If you say you love your wife but you go several days or weeks without talking to her she might be suspicious. When we say we love our children but we can’t work them into the schedule they begin to have doubts. When a young couple falls in love they want to spend every moment together. When they are apart they think of each other. As Percy Sledge famously sang that when a man loves a woman he can’t keep his mind on nothing else.

So we say we love Jesus. But we probably have little difficulty thinking of something else. We tell others that He is the center of our universe…but we can’t carve out the time to spend with Jesus to develop that relationship. I am confessing here that I have been guilty of this far too often in my journey with Jesus. My lips confess my commitment to Him but my time with Him reveals my true priorities. The uncomfortable truth for me as a husband…as a father…and as a follower of Christ is that my calendar reveals my heart. I make time for the things that are most important to me.

Gift suggestion number one for Jesus on His birthday…give Him a little time. Sit down with Him…talk to Him…enjoy His company.

And join us tomorrow for another last minute gift idea for Jesus. Perhaps it is not that hard to give something to Christ this Christmas. 

There has been a politically correct Christmas greeting that has circulated the internet for the past couple of years.

Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all.

Perhaps that should be adopted as official “safe“ greeting for all people who are spinally challenged.

This year’s big Christmas controversy has been the suddenly in your face anti-religion tactics launched by some atheists. I wrote about what I considered to be a mildly amusing advertising campaign by atheists in Washington D.C. But some people in Washington state have taken a rather ugly turn in their attempt to have a voice during the Christmas season. A group called Freedom From Religion placed this sign near a nativity scene at the state capitol.

“Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

Well alrighty then. That is certainly a textbook way to engender graceful conversation, soften hearts and open minds! Did they really think that sign was a good idea? Or was it an attempt to stir up an angry Christian hornet’s nest that would reinforce their stereotype of all religious people?

Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president, said he intended the sign to be a little controversial — though he didn’t expect this much. “We thought our sign was pretty mild. But some people thought it was pretty hard-hitting,” he said. “It’s a criticism of religion. I think people like O’Reilly confuse criticism with hate speech.”

I understand criticism. But I also understand civility, a commodity in short supply in this conversation. If you review my writing I hope you will find that I try to be respectful and extend grace. For me that is because my faith in Christ has softened my natural response to such challenges. What would that natural response be? Anger, sarcasm and wishing ill for all involved with the project. That is not my heart today. I am sad that this group believes this is a reasonable counter to a sacred symbol of faith for millions. Atheists have been rightly offended by angry and vengeful threats from religious people who seem to enjoy the prospect of eternal damnation for non-believers. That makes my heart sad too.

“Nonbelievers are a part of the fabric of America, and we claim our place at the table to exercise free speech and freedom of religion, which includes freedom from religion,” said Mr.Barker. The organization claims 12,800 members nationwide and 670 in Washington state.

I would suggest that you have your place at the table. Just have the respect not to make offensive noises while the rest of us are saying grace. I do understand that non-believers do not want faith forced on them but I don’t get the desire of many to remove my freedom of religion.

Michael Kinsley wrote in Time magazine about the anger that some folks feel toward Christians who seem compelled to share their faith.

 “You may not agree that your soul needs saving, but why is he wrong to try as long as he isn’t prying away your soul against your will? As an ethnically Jewish nonbeliever, I find this fuss over conversion utterly baffling…But an insult? In a way, it is insulting to Jews that Christians don’t try harder to convert us. Oh sure, they’re friendly enough now. But wait until Judgment Day. Then it will be, `Sorry, we seem to have lost your reservation.’ And from this perspective, the Jewish policy of actively discouraging converts to Judaism starts to seem like `theological arrogance’ indeed. At the same time, when you object to noncoercive conversion, it starts to look like the opposite of arrogance: theological insecurity. What are you afraid of? The decision will be made by you or by God, and in either case, there is no ground for complaint.”

I suspect that technique is too often the rub. I was a victim of over the top zealous religious people as a teenager. I am still a little amazed that I eventually came to faith. I wrestled with a period of intellectual doubt where I read the works of atheists and skeptics. I came out of my spiritual quest with the belief that Jesus is who He said He was. The Son of the Living God. I cannot “force” others to reach that same conclusion. But If I care about you I will naturally want to share the most important thing in my life.

I am all for being inclusive. Have a Hannukah display. Put up a Kwanza sign. Find a Festivus pole with a very high strength to weight ratio. Throw in Happy Holidays for the atheists and people of other faiths. But please allow the rest of us to mix in a Merry Christmas without insulting our intellect and judging our hearts. The date is a Federal holiday called Christmas.

In many ways Christmas has become an economic and not a religious holiday. There are so many icons like Santa Claus and Rudolph and the Grinch that are not at all related to the religious aspect of the holiday. I just find it hard to comprehend the argument that a nativity scene or a Merry Christmas sign is oppressive in this vast landscape of holiday icons.

One of the most powerful reminders of the message of Christmas comes from the genius of the late Charles Schultz. His classic show A Charlie Brown Christmas has a simple, elegant and classic scene. Charlie Brown has failed miserably in his attempt to find the true meaning of Christmas. But then Linus recites the following passage from the King James version of the Bible.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And then Linus says to Charlie Brown, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

That is what I believe Christmas is all about. I am willing to engage in civil conversation about religion in the public square. But is it possible to find the civility to not insult my faith at Christmas? Sadly, I am beginning to fear it is not possible. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has broadbrushed all people of faith with statements that are simply not true. Nonetheless I will treat those who oppose me with grace and charity. In spite of what some non-believers believe is true about me and millions of fellow followers of Jesus we will continue to model His grace. I choose to take the message to shepherds to heart today.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

During one Christmas past I posted a story about the decision by a Wisconsin elementary school to rewrite the lyrics of “Silent Night” to make it acceptable for the “winter program”. The unfortunate choice for a new title was “Cold in the Night”. And the new lyrics went something like this.

Cold in the night,

no one in sight,

winter winds whirl and bite,

how I wish I were happy and warm,

safe with my family out of the storm.

That is wrong on so many levels. Why not just have the kids sing “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and go on home. Some things just shouldn’t be done. It is like the old Jim Croce song…”you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and you don’t rewrite Silent Night” (New Revised Version).

Re-reading that post brought to mind a legend I had heard all of my life involving the real song “Silent Night” and a wartime Christmas truce. Here is a nice Christmas story for your Christmas celebrations to share at Christmas gatherings during this Christmas Season (was that anti-PC sentence a little too obvious?). I would normally post a story like this a little closer to Christmas Day but I just found out there is a movie depicting this event and I thought you might be interested in acquiring or renting it. There are some cautions for parents contained in this review in Christianity Today but the positives seem well worth the investment. Here is the story that inspired the film.

The year was 1914 and soldiers were having to spend Christmas Eve night on the battlefields of France during World War I, the Great War, as it was called. After only four months of fighting, more than a million men had already perished in the bloody conflict. The bodies of dead soldiers were scattered between the trenches. Enemy troops were dug-in so close that they could easily exchange shouts.

On December 24, 1914, in the middle of a freezing battlefield in France, a miracle happened.

The British troops watched in amazement as candle-lit Christmas trees began to appear above the German trenches. The glowing trees soon appeared along the length of the German front.

Henry Williamson, a young soldier with the London Regiment wrote in his diary: “From the German parapet, a rich baritone voice had begun to sing a song I remembered my German nurse singing to me…. The grave and tender voice rose out of the frozen mist. It was all so strange… like being in another world — to which one had come through a nightmare.”

Silent Night
Holy Night

A man named John McCutcheon wrote a song about the incident. These lyrics are from his work called “Christmas in the Trenches”.  His poem has also been released as an illustrated book with CD that you find at John’s website.

The cannon rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more,
As Christmas brought us respite from the war….

“They finished their carol and we thought that we ought to retaliate,” another British soldier wrote, “So we sang “The First Noël” and when we finished, they all began clapping. And they struck up “O Tannebaum” and on it went… until we started up “O Come All Ye Faithful” [and] the Germans immediately joined in …. this was really a most extraordinary thing — two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”

McCutcheon’s lyrics continue…

“There’s someone coming towards us!” the front-line sentry cried.
All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night.

It is recorded that enemy soldiers greeted each other in the no man’s land that was a killing zone on December 23rd. The soldiers wished each other Merry Christmas and agreed not to fire their rifles on Christmas Day. The spontaneous cease-fire eventually embraced much of a 500-mile stretch of the Western Front. According to the reports of soldiers at the scene, hundreds of thousands of soldiers celebrated the birth of the Prince of Peace among the bodies of their dead.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man’s Land.
With neither gun nor bayonet, we met there hand to hand.

Other soldiers told of how the “enemies” exchanged badges and buttons from their uniforms. Others shared photos of wives and children and some even exchanged addresses and promised to write after the war ended. The German troops rolled out barrels of dark beer and the British reciprocated with offerings of plum pudding. Some soldiers produced soccer balls and a spirited match broke out as fellow soldiers shouted encouragement.

At one location along the front the men who just the day before sought to kill one another now gathered together to bury their dead. Together, with heads uncovered, they held a service to memorialize their fallen comrades. A solitary voice began to sing Silent Night, in French. He was joined by another voice — this one singing in German — the words of a Christmas song known and beloved by all.

But the miracle of peace was temporary. Slowly, under threats from their officers, the troops returned to the trenches and the recoils of rifles split the temporary “Silent Night.” Some soldiers admitted aiming so their bullets flew well above the heads of the “enemy.”

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.
With sad farewells, we each prepared to settle back to war.

But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night:
“Whose family have I fixed within my sight?”

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell.
Each Christmas come since World War I, I’ve learned its lesson well:

That the ones who call the shots won’t be among the dead and lame,
And on each end of the rifle, we’re the same.

That is the message the Prince of Peace brought to us on Christmas long ago. Perhaps those of us who celebrate the birth of the Savior could learn a lesson from this Christmas miracle as we engage those who do not share our beliefs and faith in Jesus. Those on the other side of the cultural trenches are not unlike us. The message delivered in Bethlehem was peace and goodwill toward all men. When we fight the cultural war we need remember that the whole purpose of Jesus invading our space and time was to love and ultimately die for those on both sides of the battle.

But perhaps the biggest lesson is how the power of a unified focus on Jesus can unite even bitter enemies. My heart aches as I see Christians splitting ranks over things that don’t amount to a hill of beans on an eternal scale. I picture Jesus weeping over the churches of America like He wept over Jerusalem. I picture Him weeping over how Christians in this country divide over non-essentials and fail to communicate the joy and life-changing power of the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus gave this final command to His followers…

“Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28, The Message)

Pretty straight forward. Nothing in there about personal gain, power or prestige. The power of what happened on that Silent Night united enemies centuries later on a French battlefield.  My Christmas prayer is that the miracle of God becoming man will unite you and me, His followers, to seek what actually matters. To really make it about Christ and not about us. While we still have the chance. Miracles still happen.

Today’s Peanuts comic strip in the Dallas Morning News featured Linus, Charley Brown and Snoopy all laying down and propped up against a big tree. Linus, the philosopher, offers this question.

“If you work real hard and you get everything you’ve always wanted, it it worth it?”

Charley Brown looks thoughtful but Snoopy the pragmatist has an immediate reaction.

“Not if your dog doesn’t like you.”

Hard to argue with that. If your dog doesn’t like you there is a pretty good chance you are a miserable human being. Since I am widely known as a deep thinker I meditated on today’s Peanuts strip. Snoopy is certainly spot on in his analysis. But I would suggest the question impacts other relationships as well.

If your pursuit of possessions causes you to not have time to love your wife well then it is not worth it.
If you cannot spend quality time with friends and family it is not worth it.
If you cannot find time to love and serve others it is not worth it.
If you cannot find time to get to know God, receive His love and allow Him to love others through you it is not worth it.

I am not lecturing you as holier-than-thou guy. I am telling you with a sad heart that I have fallen short in all four of those categories as I pursued career and stuff. And I can tell you it was not worth it. Because of God’s grace, the love of an awesome wife, the patience of three incredible sons and the loyalty of dear friends I have learned what is really worth it. I wish I had a do over on a number of fronts. But I do not.

So here is what I can do. I can do all of those things above for the rest of my days. That is the next best thing to doing those things all of my life. The old Chinese proverb comes to mind here.

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is today.

Jesus had a few thoughts on this very subject.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Perhaps difficult times will send us back to what matters. You may be like me and you have lost some money and security recently. I still have much to be thankful for despite the portfolio plunge. But here is what I have that cannot be taken away by economic crisis or cultural opposition. My relationship with my Lord and my love for my wife, family and friends. I am wealthy indeed. And, by the way, my dog adores me.