World Views

A Christmas Story

'Twas the night of Thanksgiving and all through the house not a creature was stirring, just the clicking of a mouse. My wife was up past midnight performing her Black Friday ritual, while visions of bargains and dollar signs flashed 'cross the digital. Her fingers a blaze on the keyboard did race, casting a maniacal glow, a wreath round her face. She looked straight ahead as if possessed by flickering light, a digital dance that would last through the night. The scene before me, an existential fright, so I dashed to the back door and into the night. My steamy breath illuminated  by the pale moon's glow, trying to process what I saw, I just didn't know. I must have dropped off to sleep as I awoke with a jerk, I was cold, hungry and everything hurt. Allowing my head to clear, finally aware, I looked about trembling with cold or was it fear?  I was on a dark mountain when I looked to the right, a hooded stranger appeared, pointing to a bright light. My eyes gazed upward, I saw a star, bright like none other, that shone from afar. Looking to the horizon I did behold, a choir of angels proclaiming a word, "For this day, is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Whaaat, I thought as I could not speak, a warmth filled my heart as if from a burning fire, right down to my feet. Have I gone back in time 2000 years or am I just real tired? As if on cue in my brain did display, every Christmas before me, unpacked from Santa's sleigh. I should have been been happy but I grew very sad. I saw presents galore unwrapped in a frenzy and it didn't seem fun, when I just opened, a Red Ryder gun. My heart was in anguish as something was missing and I knew not what, my mind frantically fishing.  A buzzing noise soon filled my head and when I opened my eyes I was in my own bed! The alarm clock still buzzing, up I arose, slapped off the clock while stubbing my toes. Hopping on one foot, I fell, hit my head, and with a loud thwack the bright morning, went dead. A vision from the night swirled in my head as the hooded stranger pointed  and said, "Go back to the manger, there you will find the joy you have fled. "When I awoke, despite the knot on my head, I dropped to my knees and I prayerfully said. "Forgive us Lord for we have forgotten the Son you have sent us, that you have begotten. We replaced him, and we all followed, a shopping holiday that leaves us all hollow." 

May the light of the star that shone 2000 years ago on that first Christmas morn, rest and abide in your hearts, for that was the Light of the world, the true Light that pierces the darkness and brings hope, joy, peace, and life to all who believe. May the Good Lord bless you and your families this Christmastide and beyond! -Art

Fall

Fall comes slowly

                                              inching its way from summer's grasp

                                                            leaves fall

                                                                                        I guess it's aptly named 

                                               the dog days of summer slowly give way to a refreshing coolness  framed  by splashes of colored beauty

                                                                                                  a mosaic that is a delight to the eyes 

                                                                  cerulean blue skies contrast just right, providing the sun

                               a chance to direct its light through leaves that glow 

                                                                                      nature's cathedral stained glass windows

                                                                 a surreal mystical feeling  I surrender to,

                                        washing over me 'neath a canopy tunnel of trees

                                                                             stiff wind gusts carry leaves                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             swirling snowflakes

                                                  meeting obstacles they mount back up into the sky

                                                                                                                            a harbinger of the winter to come

                                                        I think it's called fall, because I fall deeper in love each year with the Creator of all. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          acf

The Great Divide II

I previously wrote on this topic two years ago (November 9, 2020). I missed the mark in that article by failing to expose the primary etiology of the Great Divide. I kind of danced around the edges of it. Politics as divisive as it can be is not the  issue here. Red states versus blue states and republicans versus democrats seems to be what we all focus on. Everything is not red, blue or even purple. No, we get carried away with this idea that everything will be ok once we elect our guy and hold on to power by knocking our opponent out of the majority. How is this working out for us? Not so good as far as I can tell. We are experiencing similar cycles that we have seen Israel experience with their Judges and Kings. Their issues were the result of a spiritual divide that led God's Chosen to their ultimate demise. They found themselves again and again on the wrong side of the divide, even after continuous warnings by the prophets sent by God to correct them. I contend that like Israel we have a spiritual divide in our country.

Psalm 1 outlines for us the divide. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night." Do we find ourselves mixing in and siding with modern day "Canaanites" and "Moabites," when we are called to be in the world but not of it? Are we spending time in the Word so that we can avoid the same pitfalls that Israel experienced? There is a blessing in it for us if we heed God's call to us.

What does the man who abides in God's Word look like? "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does , he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away." When we are nourished daily with living water we will flourish. The contrast couldn't be more clear here, we are to be, a bountiful tree that is deeply rooted and nourishes others, as opposed to the rootless dried out, dead chaff that is driven away by the wind. 

"Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." As Christians we play the long game because in the end we win. Christ has already won the victory for us on the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. Politics is like the chaff that is blown away by the wind. We must put our faith in the eternal not the ephemeral.

What side of the Great Divide do you find yourself on? If you find yourself on the wrong side there is hope for you. However, there is only one way over and that is through the cross of Christ, by putting your faith and trust in Him you can find the bridge that leads to life and life eternal.