Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

I had to apologize to Jacki. O, I didn’t want to apologize because I had only been the victim of not paying close enough attention. You see, I had bet Jacki a million (not real but hyperbolic you-bet-I’m-sure-on-this-one) bucks that the song we were listening to was not Burl Ives singing but Gene Autry (the singing cowboy) belting out the “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” lyrics. I was wrong… it was “curse that Sam the Snowman” Burl Ives! I can just hear that goateed fake-snow gliding stop animated troubadour chiding me with, “Have a holly jolly Christmas...” I tell you if I wasn’t the minister for the Roseville Church of Christ… Hey, wait a minute this is my last Sunday maybe I’ll pancake that orbed holiday nuisance and silence his cherry little tune! Yes, yes, yes… I’m just kidding and I really do believe in the next Johnny Marks’ lyrical line, “It’s the best time of the year!” Christmas has its fair share of bad traffic, bad attitude shoppers, bad Santas and holiDAZED nonsense but it still is the best time of the year!

Johnny Marks wrote the song “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” along with the lively “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” His lyrics are simple but really do invoke the Christmas spirit in us all. The fascinating thing about that is that Johnny Marks was Jewish and to my knowledge never wrote a Chanukah song. However, that really is the Christmas story after all. Now, don’t get me wrong I believe that the reason for the season is Jesus. Whether historically inaccurate or not the celebration of the Christ child is the glory of the season. If angels could sing from on high of this glory we should celebrate the holy night as well. With that said… the real spirit of Christmas is the spirit seen in the Christ child, in a jolly elf named St. Nick, in a Dicken’s character scrooged up with greed and in a Jewish lyricist that proclaims it’s the best time of the year. It is the human spirit freed from sins darkness and warmed by love, kindness and joy. It is a summon to know the power of giving and the unity of sacrifice that dissipates the general sad state of affairs. It transcends ethnicity or cultural bias and unites mankind in the joy of a season of love expressed and generosity unchained. It really is the best time of the year!

So… in this last article that I will write for the Roseville Church of Christ my home for 23 and a half years let me say with the angels on high, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:14).” It really is the best time of the year! -DAN

The Party's Over

On December 5th in a hospital in Santa Fe New Mexico Joseph “Dandy” Don Meredith at the age of 72 succumbed to a brain aneurism and as his wife reported, “We lost a good one.” I have to believe that with a quiet and reverent homage many whispered, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.” Dandy Don brought to football what many lament is missing in this over compensated narcissistic media driven menagerie of prima donnas who see football as entertainment more than a man’s game. Meredith played hard, played injured and played for the team whether he was on the gridiron or in the sportscast booth. He was “entertaining.” But not driven by a spotlight but rather a passion and love for the game. He is well known for singing Willie Nelson’s lyrics when it was obvious that a game was over… “Turn out the lights, the party’s over!” Rest in peace “Dandy” Don and we’ll turn out the lights and never forget how many times you took us to the party.

“They say all good things must come to an end” are the next lyrics in Willie Nelson’s song. And though I’m at a place in life where many of those who formed my history now make up the obituaries I’m glad that my faith anchors my soul with eternal life and the hope of the resurrection. The Holiday season is always a tough time to lose a loved one. My mother passed away in 1999 the day before Christmas. We were devastated but assured the party was not over but closer to starting when we all will be assembled at the wedding feast of the lamb. The lights weren’t turned off they were burning bright making heaven that much more dear to us! I’m in no hurry to fill my place in the obituaries but I am excited about going to the party. Maranatha is more meaningful to me each passing year… yes, Lord come quickly!

The rest of the lyrics of Willie Nelson’s song are a lament about losing a sweetheart because he had more care for the party than for his gal. Life was more about having fun than it was about making sure his love was true. Sadly, that’s where Nelson’s song leaves you… with the lights out and the echo of “it’s over.” I’m glad that after the gospels we have Acts one reporting the ascension and the comforting words, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven(Acts 1:11).” Jesus IS coming to gather those who made sure that their love was true and are ready for the party to begin… an eternal party of praise, adoration and service to the exalted one! The catch phrase for the NFL now days is, “Are you ready for some football?” More importantly are you ready for heaven’s party? The lights will be on and for eternal days the party will be celebrating the victory of faith! -DAN

Can I Get An Amen?

From time to time you hear from those who stand to proclaim good news before the gathered faithful, “Can I get an amen?” This solicitation of enthusiasm infused approval for the point being made is intended to evoke not only agreement but is also intended to be a call to action. That is, the amen (“let it be so!”) is faith’s witness to one another that we’re serious about what has been spoken. It affirms that God’s people are by nature those who let their yes, be yes and there no be no (2 Corinthians 1:17-22). We’re not just about bold rhetoric but are courageously committed to walk the talk. Now with all that said, the preacher often just simply reflects with “Can I get an amen?” that the pew is all too often silent! Stoic frozen faces that refuse to reflect the passion of the message are a dissonant cry that feigns apathy or at best that the lights are on but nobody is home. Maybe the absence of the amen in our assemblies is reflective of the information overload of the world that surrounds us? Is it possible that church has become the final frontier where we boldly go where no man has gone before in silent protest to a world of talking heads, blaring commercials, silly soaps and indifferent newscasters that overwhelm us with talk, talk, talk, talk? Is our silence more protest than decorous politeness? Well, can I get an amen?

If this might possibly be true that we have by silence voted for a word to be spoken that is not hyped, twisted or taken out of context… then we’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater! If corporate worship is both vertical and horizontal in its nature (that is, we worship and adore God and in the joy of praise encourage one another) then how can it be anything other than vocal. The sermon doesn’t have to be a monologue. The preacher really does want to get an amen… not because he wants to feel that what he is saying is getting top approval ratings but because he is passionate about the message and wants to know others are too! Sharing the bread of life is a stirring experience and most of all a shared experience. The sermon is not rote liturgy but the witness of faith… faith in a Word from God that will delight, challenge, shape and affirm the soul who has discovered over and over that these words are words of life! The sermon is not about a spotlight on the entertainer but light from above that baths us all in its warmth and illumination of truth. Well, can I get an amen?

Can a sermon punctuated with a liberal dose of amen become so much talk, talk, talk, talk? Of course. But not if the amen comes from the heart, inspired by the Spirit and shared with passionate affirmation of one’s faithful witness. The amen is one’s signature on the declaration of the hour! It is citizens of heaven exercising their right to vote for the truth and rally for the cause. It’s the heavenly way to cheer for the team. It’s worship with a double shot of excitement to help us spiritually stay awake for the day. It’s one of Jesus favorite words! Well, CAN I get an amen? -DAN

The Waning Years Of My Calamistrate

As I have been cleaning, culling, and reducing the clutter that my office had become I have discovered a chronicle of my almost quarter of a century with the Roseville Church of Christ. One prize possession that was excavated from the cavernous mounds of artifacts was a California driver’s license that revealed that I am not only a greater man than when I first arrived (by pound that is) but I’m certainly in the waning years of my calamistrate! Okay, Dan, we know how much you love odd, strange, obtuse and dust covered words of the past… pray tell, what is your calamistrate? I’m so glad you asked… as you remember from your High School Latin the word “calamistratus” means “curl” usually as regards hair and is a word borrowed from the calamus reed that resembles in fragrance and color a cinnamon stalk. Yes, yes… I’ve lost much hair and thereby much curl! I’ve gone from redheaded to deadheaded and thereby are in the waning years of my calamistrate but wait… there’s a special nexus with Scripture here that must not be missed: One of the ingredients of the anointing oil (Exodus 30:22-33) is calamus (NIV has “sweet cane”). Like cinnamon, calamus is reddish in color and therefore what I’ve experienced is an anointing of fragrant oil that has consecrated me as Roseville’s priest while honoring my redheaded past and recognizing my graying and sparsely curled present… or maybe not!

I hope what I have illustrated is not just my creative abilities to twist the truth until it fits my curly nonsense but what I’ve been trying to preach and teach these many years. It’s been a few years but I have always offered the wager that one could give me any wild idea they could conger up and I could find Scripture to back it up. O, it would be twisted, curled and out of context but it would be convincing enough to fool some. My wager has never been for entertainment or to promote the twisted postmodern view that there are no absolute truths just individual perceptions… but rather to point out that we must be careful with God’s Word and listen more than we speak, digest more than we divest and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 119:97). If it is a two edged sword then we need to handle it with care realizing its power as well as its beauty. Above all else we must maintain its simplicity and resolute truth and free it from our wandering complexities and juvenile incessant questioning of peripheral trivialities that miss the forest for the trees!

Paul uncurls it this way, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).” -DAN

Love The Look

Recently, Sylvia Garza reported one of those I’m-thrilled-to-be-a-mom moments on Facebook. Lizzie tugged at her heart when she proclaimed to Sylvia about her sister Katie, “I just love the look of her!” I can just hear the song from “White Christmas” with Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen singing, “Sisters, sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters… Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister.” O, don’t get me wrong I’m pretty sure that Lizzie and Katie will have some knock down drag out fights ahead of them as well as some tug of wars over clothes, boys and car keys but I have no doubt that they will be a close loving duo that will always have each other’s back. And no doubt they’ll love the look of each other!

The early church was maligned as cannibalistic incestuous insurrectionists because outsiders didn’t understand the symbolism of the Lord’s Supper, the spiritual ties of being brothers and sisters in Christ and their ardent devotion to Jesus as Lord. Outsiders were often confused but inside the family of God brothers and sisters loved the look of one another. Because they knew where the look came from… “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).” Yes, Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sisters and brothers in Christ!

Paul puts it this way to a Roman church that he had not even yet visited, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly (and yes, sisterly) love. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10).” That is, love the look of one another! A look with patience when you would like to twist off their stubborn thick head… A look with care when you know they’re hurting… A look with encouragement when you know their struggle… A look of pride when you see their passion and compassion… A look with joy when you join together in the battle… A look of satisfaction when you see in one another the glory of our King and you love one another with the love of the Lord!

I said all of that to say this… I love the look of you! You make me glad that I’m a follower of Christ and rest in the company of those who want to be like Him! -DAN

Really?

I’m sure you’ve seen the Windows 7 phone commercials where various people who should be paying attention to the business (or pleasure) at hand are instead focused on their cell phones oblivious to everything else. Occasionally those nearby in utter frustration blurt out, “Really?” They hang on to these two syllables with such distain and physical punctuation to evidence their disapproval with a dramatic flair that only a mother who caught her child sneaking a cookie could muster. The problem here is that this commercial underscoring our love affair with our cell phones suggests the only way out is to have a better cell phone operating system… Widows 7. Can someone call the irony police because we have a crime scene here… REALLY!

When did we convince ourselves that cell phones were vital to our existence? When did little Johnnie and Missy start packing Ma Bell in their elementary school backpacks? And for the love of irony how in the world did our youth turn the telephone back into the telegraph with their texting craze? Really? I mean REALLY! Okay… deep breath –I know this is the information age and our cell phones have become info central with access to the web but can I get just a whisper of an amen that maybe we should slow down on the information highway and pull into a rest stop and check the map to see where we are headed? Can we talk about the spiritual consequences of the cellular craze, mobile mania and texting taciturnity? Can we take a moment and get real?

Here is what I think is real… the need to communicate. Not better, faster or heavenly cell phones paving the way for coded text language (lol) or icon emotions :) or even actual dialogue wearied by, “So, what cha doin?” But a renaissance of conversation that longs for the sharing of ideas and faith and hope. Minds meeting in the arena of possibilities sparring with their dreams and challenging each other with insights. I think that’s what Solomon had in mind when he wrote, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).” Really? …yes, REALLY! -DAN

Asthenopia

Do you ever do a double take when you hear something in a commercial that you’re not quite sure you heard correctly? I recently heard the phrase “vision fatigue.” That perked up my theological ears because it seems that God’s people have suffered from a lot of things but “vision fatigue” is not one of them… maybe, “vision failure” or “vision over analyzing” and of course the dreaded “vision by committee” but certainly not “vision fatigue!” Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand that I’m being a little harsh (and a lot tongue and cheek) but the old preacher line from the King James translation of Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” may be an exegetical stretch but never-the-less a true statement. The church must have vision, an indefatigable vision that rests in God’s providence and relies on the Spirit’s lead. The medical term for vision fatigue or eye strain is asthenopia (literally in the Greek –weak eyes). The church must have strong, clear resolute vision that keeps it pressing toward the goal which God has called it “heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14).”

When my first child came into this world I was not only proud, thankful and hopeful but I wanted her to know the Lord so I lobbied for biblical names. I liked the sound of Leah Michal McQuiddy. It worked! She loves the Lord and serves His kingdom but unfortunately she early on learned the history of Leah, Jacob’s less than favored wife and Michal, David’s less than favored wife. But what really boils her grits (I’m not sure that’s a saying, I think I just made it up) is that Leah is Hebrew for “weak” and specifically Genesis 29:17 asserts that it is a reference to weak eyes… asthenopia, vision fatigue! Leah has grown to love her name but not the “weak eyes” implication because she is a woman of God with vision!

So, here’s how this all shakes out (I’m pretty sure that’s a saying)… the church, individuals, communities and all on a journey need to keep their eyes on the destination. They need to stay not just focused but alert to those things that can slowly blur their vision. One large group of individuals who suffer from “vision fatigue” is professional drivers who spend a great deal of time focused on the road. Yes, the truck driver secret is to not keep your eyes on one spot but to scan your entire surroundings while keeping the wheels headed in the right direction. So, keep your eyes on Jesus but see Jesus and the need for Jesus in your entire surroundings. Now, that’s a vision that doesn’t suffer fatigue! …And Leah, sorry about the weak eyes thing! -DAN