Wandering Elder

John Lennon, in his song Happy Xmas (War is Over) sang, "So this is Christmas, and what have you done?"  The way he sang those words has always haunted me.  Especially the opening line.  "So this is Christmas."  John, not known for his overt Christianity, sings the song as if he is asking those who do believe in this time as sacred to the Christian story, "So here it is.  So what?  What have you done with it?  What does it mean to you?"   He then sings that the war is over "if you want it."  Again, I wonder if it is a question directed at us alleged followers of Christ: do we really want peace?  World peace?  A Prince of Peace? Or are we only wanting peace when it suits our interests? I don't know if that is what he meant, but it troubles me all the same.   That's because I find myself asking similar questions as Brother John.  Are we sleeping?  Are we paying attention?  Does this season have any deepe...

If there is a phrase that has been over-used during the last year, it is "double down."  Throughout much of the election cycle the phrase was used to mean one of two things: (1) to become more tenacious, zealous, or resolute in a position or undertaking or (2) to engage in risky behavior, especially when one is already in a dangerous situation.  Usually these definitions were used in the reverse order - someone makes a claim that is patently false and puts themselves in a dangerous situation politically, then becomes more tenacious in defending the initial position, no matter what the actual facts might be.  The term works, but it worked too well and too often and it has lost its power. The term itself comes from blackjack, and was used when a player would double the original bid against the house in exchange for only one more card.  A risky move.  The fact that a gambling  term has come to be the common phrase utilized to describe the political behavior ...

I recently read a post about the pending demise of the United Methodist Church (on the Thoughtful Pastor blog).  In it, the author said that there is no future for the UMC due to the inevitable split between the conservative arm and the Reconciling Movement over the language in the UMC Book of Discipline over homosexuality. It was a pretty compelling piece, and a frightening one because what it represents is the acknowledgment that the far right and far left will tear the middle out for the sake of ideology.  The far, far right are using words like "cleanse" and "heresy" when talking about this issue.  The far, far left are using words like "openness" and "inclusive."  The issue of homosexuality, while addressed in the Bible, is not one that is spelled out as clearly as either side would like for it to be.  There are clearly passages that condemn it, and there are passages that condemn a particular understanding of it, and then there are passag...

Last week, I heard an interview with the president of Maggiano's, Steve Provost, about a particular scene in a Maggiano's restaurant in Washington D.C. where a white nationalist group had gathered and ended their time with some Nazi salutes as well as protesters who shut the restaurant down.  I felt really bad for the guy because he said the restaurant didn't know who it was they were hosting.  I believe him.  Why would they think to pay close attention to that?  But in the interview, discussing the issue of the white nationalists, Provost said that he was offended by their remarks and the Nazi salute and that it goes against their principle which is that "we welcome everyone." He walked right into a linguistic and ethical/moral trap.  I know.  I have walked into it myself a few times. One of the big points that churches like to make is that "everyone is welcome."  I once attended a campus ministry event at a Christian college in which the group pr...

The voting is over.  The reality of the post-election United States has yet to set in.  There is plenty of analysis to be offered, some of it might even be useful or insightful.  But if anything, what we have seen during this election campaign, besides lies, manipulations of systems, fear, and the worst mud-slinging for any campaign in years (possibly ever), is that we are a divided nation in many, many respects. So this morning I would offer two prayers with the knowledge that perhaps had I and we all been praying like this over the last 16 years, we might be in a completely different place.  Never too late to start, though. This is a prayer from Thomas Merton, who was a Trappist monk, a writer, and a mystic.  May we join our voices together in prayer. O God, we are one with you. You have made us one with you. You have taught us that if we are open to one another, you dwell in us. Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our heart...

91 degree weather in November.  A reality (but not really reality) television personality running for the presidency.  A political insider manipulates her way into the running for the presidency.  Persons being unable to function without their phones.  Guns all around.  Russia and America returning to Cold War tactics (encouraged by a presidential candidate, no less).  Africa running out of water.  Drought and disintegrating ice caps.  Wars and rumors of wars without end. It must be the end of the world. Well, in some ways, it actually is. The world I grew up in, in which television shows were "interrupted" by breaking news rather than having 24/7 "news" channels blathering on in partisan outcries against one another, was different.  Toy guns looked real and real guns were rare.  The Cold War was always threatening to turn hot.  The World's Fair was a big deal.  Saturday morning cartoons were funny, exciting, but not real...

Over the years, I have taken note of the changes in television channels and programming.  For example, TLC used to be known as "The Learning Channel."  It focused on education and was originally founded by NASA and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare !  The channel was originally called the Appalachian Community Service Network but was then bought by a private company and the name was changed to The Learning Channel, whose focus was documentaries on space, science, how things were made, and medical studies. By the mid 2000's, the format had almost completely changed.  The channel that focused on genuine educational materials became "TLC" and switched from documentary to docu-drama to just plain garbage drama with shows like "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."  Talk about devolving. But the same thing seems to be occurring on most of those kinds of channels.  Perhaps because education doesn't sell.  There has to be some twist, plot device, ...