The Last of 2006

Amid eagerly awaiting the fireworks, fanfare, and fellowship in the arrival of 2007, we also bid farewell to the past year.  For many, it was one full of mixed results.  Sure, the world was rid of a tyrant -- yet we passed another important threshold in the Middle East -- more dead in Iraq than on 9/11. 

There is no intrinsic significance on this day than on any other; nothing that makes it any different.  We could have picked any day as the start of a new yearI'm reminded of what the last day of the year allows us to do according to my wise (but not yet old -- give him 2 more years!) dad:  we can close the books on what transpired and start with a clean slate.  For some that means partying like there is no tomorrow.  For some that means making resolutions that will inevitably fail.  For some that means having their hearts renewed.  And for some that means nothing other than just another day.  But for all, it gives a reason to look toward the future -- for that's what a new year means.  It means we have closed a period of time and now can look to the one that is coming.

13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'

14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."

--Joshua 24:13-18

One way, and I encourage you to do so, to mark the new year is to renew your vow to the Lord. 

But if you would pardon me right now, I have a party to go to.  No, I don't have anyone to kiss as the ball falls -- maybe next year? 

Blessings and peace be upon you.  Welcome to the Year of Our Lord, 2007.

Sacred but also familiar

Here's an interesting article on translations of the Bible from the LA Times. Sacred but also familiar.

Living in the Comma

A comma is really small.  It makes us pause, slows us down, and takes up very little space.   Yet lots of things can happen in a comma.   Has anyone else wondered why it takes so long for things to happen?  Yes, time does seem to fly and things can change quickly -- storms can arise when things appear calm, "life-changing" events, etc.  What I'm asking, though, is does anyone else wonder why it takes so long for the "future" to come?  Case in point: around this time we take time to specifically remember when Jesus was born to Mary.  Part of that story is when Gabriel appeared to Mary and said that her (God's) son would "be great and... he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." (Luke 1:32-33)  Joseph was told that "[Jesus] would save his people from their sins."  (Matthew 1:21)  Yet that event was to occur over 33 years later.   Those 33 years would have amounted to about 2/3 of Mary's life up to that point, assuming she was around 16 years old when the angel sprang on the scene.  And Joseph very likely was not even alive! 

I must confess, that to be told that your fiancee's baby was not some other man's but was God's, and then (likely) never physically see evidence for that would have been disconcerting (to say the least).  Yet do we ever get antsy that the future isn't coming fast enough.  Even without an angelic proclamation we want to know the what, when, where, why and how the future is to come.

Looking again at Abraham...

Abraham was 75 years old when he was called to leave his father's house and go to the land that would be shown.  He was 100 when Isaac was born.  That means that he spent roughly 25 years living life between Genesis 12:7 (when Abraham arrived and was promised the land to his descendants)  and Chapter 21 (Isaac's birth).  What was he doing during that time?  He was living out his faith.  He was living in the comma. 

Sidenote:  I know that gramatically it should be a period, since in Hebrews the separate thoughts are in separate sentances.  However, since we think of them as commas, I use this title.  (Try it:  Abraham followed God, was given a son, and was tested.  See, we shorten the summary even further!)

Sure, it takes faith to leave all that you know and move.  It takes even more faith to continue to live after you've stepped out and not yet received what was promised.  Most of what we read in the Bible are just extremely short, episodic highlights -- if even that.  Look at Matthew 1.  In the first 16 verses, we read the names of a family tree -- 42 generations long.  Look at your own family tree -- look back just 5 generations.  How much "life" is skipped over in between each name?  Azor was a very important man -- he served an important purpose.  He was the great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of Joseph, the man God chose to protect His baby son.  He served as a link from Abraham to David to Jesus.   Yet nothing else about him is recorded in the Bible.   Does that mean he was bad -- that God didn't use him?  No.  I'm sure he had a normal life: joy, laughter, struggle, tears, love, and loss.

You can liken it to a mathematics student.  Even after five years (5th grade) of studying numbers and addition, that student is not yet ready for Calculus -- even if by that point they know they will learn it.  Calculus class is still at least 6 years away.  But we don't remember when we learned our fourth lessson of long division.  But we do remember that we learned it and that we moved on to algebra and so forth.

The time in the comma is not wasted.  It is spent learning, growing, and preparing on a daily basis.  Differential Geometry or Linear Equations are not learned overnight, nor does the "future" arrive overnight.  Sometimes we even feel (or are) stranded on an island for a time.  But that doesn't mean things are over for us.  See nikitoni's blog for an interesting view of John on Patmos.

As we approach the end of another short year, take time to enjoy the comma.  The comma is when growth occurs -- and trust me, when the time is right, the future will be here.  Will you be ready for it?

Worship Service Interruption

An unprovoked Muslim mob attack during a midnight worship service kills six Christians.

By Maria Mackay for Christian Today, with thanks to Jihad Watch.