Saturday, December 11, 2010

Private Christianity???



Christianity must never be identified with our private version of it, still less with our own social and economic background, that we assume is right.

Being an Americian does not make us a Christian. 
Too many of us forget that point and assume that all Christians must look like us. 
 There are Christians all over the world and most of them are not 
Americans and can never be. But thanks to be God who saves us all, 
we are all united under God's care and we are all one in Christ.

A Christian may make his or her religion a kind of projection of what we know. How can we think that all Christanity has to be like the church we belong to?

In 1Corinthians 9:19-23 Paul writes that he became all things to win others to Christ. He tries to find common ground with everyone to bring them to Christ. We can take this to heart and accept that faith in Christ works in all cultures.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Three Kings?

There are things we think we know about the bible because of art, songs and movies or plays.

I was at a clergy meeting last year when one of our number gave out a Christmas Bible quiz loaded with trick questions.

One question was: "How many kings visited Jesus in the stable?"

Sadly - most of us answered 3. Well you know the song, "We three kings of orient are."

Actually the bible does not say kings. It says that "Maji" or wise men came looking for Jesus. It does not say kings nor does it say how many wise men there were though the word is plural. They brought three kinds of gifts so we assume one gift from each wise man but you know all about assumptions.

In addition to that it was pointed out that the bible never says Jesus was in a stable, only that his crib was a manger. Which could have been brought in to a house to be used as a crib. Yet every Christmas the stable is part of the scene. 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Overwhelmed?

One can feel overwhelmed by all the economic news on a daily basis. Not enough investment and too much debt. Should taxes go up to bring the debt down or be kept low to spur on the economy? We hear many experts saying opposite things and that causes us to worry. Fear and pessimism could easily grip our souls.


To over come the overwhelming fear our focus must be to center ourselves on our faithfulness to God. When we do that then we will keep our personal physical and financial house in good order. Be prepared for any possibility.


We have seen that the world economy can be put in to collapse and natural disasters can create havoc all around us at any time. Fire, flood, winds and ice can create conditions that make us feel helpless. The life that is without spiritual strength will falter while the one who is centered in the spirit of God will strive through anything.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Kentucky Colonel

I received my commission as a Kentucky Colonel in the mail today.
This happened all because I sent a Thank You note to the governor after receiving a from letter congratulating me on my election as Mayor of Bellemeade.
 Now I need a new frame.