Sheila's Dribs 'n Drabs

 A pastor said it was "odd" to celebrate communion during Advent. Christmas is a birthday party, he said, and communion is a funeral. Then I wished I were brave enough to speak up and disagree. Christmas is a celebration of birth, not a birthday party - the baby doesn't grow one year older every year. But that birth only matters, two thousand years on, because of the person who is born; because of heaven come down to earth; because of the promise embodied in the Christ. And communion? In communion we commit ourselves to be part of Christmas's promise; we "do this in memory" of him. We say yes, this matters. This changes everything. Without communion, Christmas doesn't touch us, doesn't have any effect. And without Christmas, communion becomes a commitment that's meaningless. Just social and fun (and still not a funeral). So no, it's not "odd" at all. Communion makes us part of the meaning of Christmas. We might call the season Jesus...

Law is the pit in the ground where we lie. Love rises up from the grave. Law is the mirror that proves we must die. Love takes our place and love saves. Law gathered stones all together for throwing. Love drew a line in the sand. “Let one who has no sin take up the first stone.” Law stepped away and love sang. Law hung my God on a cross on a hill. Love paid the price for my sin. Love rose from the dead and love weeps for me still. Love’s gonna change me. Love wins. Hallelujah!

 It we make right laws and force all to obey, will we save our nation, Or will we learn like Pharisees we’ve spurned that great salvation? Cry crucify and find the one we’ve crucified   was Him For we have crucified our Lord.

 I was there when they crucified my Lord. I was there; it was for my sins he died. I was there when they nailed him to the tree. All the times I’d blamed my neighbor—those the nails. I was there when they laid him in the tomb. Let me lay down there my pride; Let me kneel at my neighbor’s side; Let me no more stand in judgment For I judged Him and he died For you, for me. Let us no more stand in judgment You and I.

 I’ll take a stand on Him, for sure, then at his feet I’ll kneel And learn to wash my neighbors’ feet, until his love I feel Flow unobstructed through me, only then might I deserve To stand with him and serve with him and join him in his work. Till then I’ll bow my head and kneel beside my neighbors’ feet — I’ll kneel before my king.

 He rode no valiant warhorse. He bore no mighty sword. His glorious crown was made of thorns. His robes trailed in the mud.   He led no revolution His politics were love He offered absolution, mercy, Hope; for these he stood,   The stones would shout to praise him If people didn’t cry. Then palms be thrown. No golden road For donkey and its rider.   So, will we shout Hosanna Or turns our backs instead — Facing the crowd, shout “Not allowed,” Though for our sins he bled?   They cannot see our savior Who rides the donkey’s back — See only us who block the path With laws, with crowns of thorns.   They cannot see him. How can we Not weep?

I was concerned enough by a recent posting about Christian "witness" outside an abortion clinic, that I found myself asking, in the comments, whether such actions by Christians draw people closer to Christ or push them away. A pastor responded by asking me: "Well what would Jesus do? Would He speak up for children being murdered by adults for money?" Which led me to wonder, inasmuch as anyone can, what would Jesus do? I suspect he would first show the women how much he loved them. Else how would anyone expect them to believe he loved what they carried in their wombs? Wouldn't Jesus first show us, sinners all, that he loves us? We're told "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Those witnesses weep, with genuine love and care, for the unborn who will never live in our world. But I weep, in my heart, for the born who may learn to stay as far away ...

For all the times we misuse statistics and call them truth For all the times we quote fake science and call it truth For all the times we cling to political ideals and call them truth For all the times we sanitize history and call it truth For all the times we preach interpretation and call it truth For all the times we lead our neighbors to equate our truth with lies Oh Lord forgive us For you are the way, the truth, and the life; We are not; And you are love.

"I'm not a mathematician but these numbers speak for themselves..." How many posts and articles have you seen that begin this way? And how many times have you been encouraged to believe what the author says, as if that were truly what "infallible" numbers decreed? The richest 10% pay over 50% of the taxes, therefore the rich pay too much. If you self-publish you'll earn as much from 20 sales as you would from 200 traditionally published sales, therefore you'll earn more by self-publishing. The Bible tells us people's ages when they died, therefore we can work out the age of the earth. Of course, if three people each pay 10% in taxes, two of whom earn ten cents a day, and one earns $10,000 per day, then one who earns more will pay a long way over 50% of the total taxes, not because they're paying too much, but because the other two aren't earning enough to live on. Context changes everything. When it comes to publishing, if you can't sell ...