Author: Fred Shope

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Christmas Poem

People rushing to and fro
Traffic steadily building

Black Friday is going to save us all
Buy, buy, buy

Can’t afford it? No matter
Take a year to pay the bill

It’s your patriotic duty
Spend, spend, spend

What are we thinking?
We’re missing something here

Do we have a clue?
Do we know what Christmas means?

The prophets knew
They predicted it

The angels knew
They sang about it

The shepherds and the wise men knew
They came and worshipped

Herod knew
He tried to have this rival killed

Christmas is a celebration because
The King has come

Yet we enthrone our own comfort
Worshipping the golden calf of Wall Street

We lust after power
Political, economic, social

We have forgotten something
We have forgotten this

The King has come
All the kingdoms on earth are His

The King has come
We are His

The King has come
Let us celebrate Him!

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TGIF

I’m sorry there was no TGIF last week. The weekend was crazy busy and there was no opportunity to sit down and list the good links. Here they are for this week:

Todd Hiestand realizes the significance of Christmas. Alan Hirsch writes about Watership Down, and TSK thinks the Magi had mullets.

Brother Maynard reviews Dunn & Crowder and The Voice. I learned some things from The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words (HT: Brother Maynard). Here are some Spectacular Christmas Lights From Around the World (HT: Amy).

Women’s Minstry Christmas Tea. Here’s a good cartoon from Nakedpastor. Don’t plan to be ignorant.

Are you “Christianized”? Brant Hansen has another blog post from Jesus. Grace takes the middle ground. Franklin is glad God won’t go away, while John Armstrong has a five part series on the resignation of Richard Cizik from the NAE. Part one is here.

Mangerology from John Frye. Scot McKnight on conversion. imonk writes about Baptist additions to doctrine, and the Biblical command to holy joy. HOMEpdx could use some help. John Fonville writes on spiritual terrorism.

Dan Edelen has a good post on the parable of the two sons, and Josh wonders if there is a connection between hell and torture.

That’s it for this week. I hope each of you has a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of the King.

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Christmas Favorites

Amy has a Christmas meme of sorts over on her site. It’s a good way to think back over some memories and favorite things about the season. Feel free to jump in and post some of your own memories and favorite things.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Egg nog on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, hot chocolate the rest of the time.

2. Does “Santa” wrap presents or just put them under the tree? Our presents are wrapped. We enjoy the process of unwrapping. Of course, sometimes the wrapping consists of gift bags.

3. Colored lights or white? I enjoy seeing a lot of colorful light displays, but I also like the white lights. White lights seem more peaceful to me.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. No particular reason.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We used to put everything up a week after Thanksgiving. Now we get them up whenever we can find the time.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (including dessert)? I really enjoy all the cookies that are so prevalent this time of year. I like the fudge too.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? There is no one memory that stands out. I remember Christmas as a time of joy and love. My family was close and Christmas was always a good time.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don’t know. We always emphasized the birth of Jesus Christ. Santa was just something added on.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We each open one gift.

10. Do you place a nativity set anywhere in your home? We have a number of nativity sets and we place them around the house.

11. Snow. Love or or hate it? I like snow for Christmas or at other times during the winter, as long as it doesn’t stay around too long. We used to live in Cincinnati and grew tired of the snow. Now we live in the South and would like to see a little more.

12. Can you ice skate? Nope. Bad ankles.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I’ve received so many wonderful gifts through the years, and no single gift stands out above the rest.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? The birth of Jesus, and being with family.

15. Do you mail out Christmas cards/newsletters? We send out cards every year, and insert a letter letting folks know what has happened in our family udring the year.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Reading the Christmas story on Christmas Eve, and having a big dinner with the family on Christmas Day.

17. What tops your Christmas tree? An angel.

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. I love seeing other people open their gifts.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? “Silent Night”. I know a lot of people don’t like it, and I understand the reasons why. To me the song speaks of the holiness of the birth of the Savior and King.

20. Candy canes. Yum or yuck? I love candy canes.

21. What do you want for Christmas? My two front teeth, or a hippopotamus. 🙂 Really, I’m not picky. Just spending time with my family and friends is enough.

22. Do you attend a Christmas party? Usually a couple every year.

23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear pajamas? We go to a Christmas Eve service every year, so we dress up a little.

24. Do you own a Santa hat? No.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? My family.

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Jesus

This past Sunday, our pastor was talking about everything being wrapped up in Jesus. Since then I’ve been wondering how true that is. Is everything really wrapped up in Jesus?

I know it should be, but when I look at my own life and the lives of those around me, I have to wonder. Is our life wrapped up in Jesus? Is the totality of our existence really all about him?

This time of year we hear a lot about Jesus, how he came to be born as a human, how he came to save us from our sins. Is there more? Is the Christmas story only one of God coming to earth, being born in a stable, and dying on the cross so we can go to heaven? I think there’s more, but we have a tendency to pick and choose the parts of the story that make us feel good.

Some like the story of the little baby lying in the straw, with the shepherds and animals gathered round. They like the idea of peace on earth and good will to others. Add the ingredients of the American cultural Christmas and you have the makings of a nice holiday that makes most people feel rather good about themselves.

Some go a little further and emphasize the story of this little baby growing up and then dying to save us from our sins.They like the idea of avoiding Hell and going to Heaven. Couple that with a certain prayer to say and a set of propositions to assent to and those who have done that and are “in” can feel superior to those that are “out”.

It’s easy to forget about the three years that Jesus spent walking this earth teaching his disciples about his kingdom. It’s far too convenient to focus on the beginning chapters in the Gospels and ignore that this child was born to be King, that he was the Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament, that he is Lord over all creation. It’s also easy to concentrate on the final chapters of the Gospels and ignore that Jesus taught about the present reality of his kingdom as well as the future fulfilment.

Both extremes forget that, as Lord and King, Jesus calls us to move beyond the baby in the straw. He calls us to not be too preoccupied with the future. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords calls us to follow him.
A disciple follows his rabbi, his master, with the goal of becoming like him and being able to go make other disciples that will also become like the rabbi. An ancient Jewish saying stated that disciples should be covered in the dust from the feet of their rabbi.

Getting back to the idea of being wrapped up in Jesus; that is how our lives should be lived. To be wrapped up in Jesus means that we seek to live every moment in his presence, and seek to do every action with the same attitude that our Master has. We should strive to follow our Rabbi so closely that the dust from his feet covers us, so that when people see us in our day-to-day they see Jesus. It is not as easy as worshipping a baby in a manger. It is harder than agreeing to a set of beliefs or saying a certain prayer. It will cause us to lose our life. But, Jesus said that those who lose their life for his sake will find real life in him.

The world, and the church, needs people whose existence is wrapped up in the One who is setting all things right and who is coming again to finally bring his kingdom once and for all.

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TGIF

I had a rare evening free, so I went to Books-a-Million for an hour or so. The shopping center was packed! I guess one advantage to having something going every afternoon and evening through the week is that I don’t have to deal with all the holiday shopping traffic.

It’s been unseasonably cold here in the sunny South. I think someone went north and brought the cold weather back with them. What has been warm is the blogosphere. Here’s a taste of what’s out there:

Dan Edelen writes about “persecution.” John Fonville has a good post on the nature of the Gospel.
Here’s a good poem from Jamie Finch. Julian Newman has some thoughts about partisan prayers, while Ben Girdler prays with eyes wide open.

Todd Hiestand has some good advice for leaders. Tony Jones is blogging from the Great Emergence National Event in Memphis. I hope he doesn’t get BBQ all over the keyboard. imonk may have touched a nerve with this post. Check out the comments.

Scot McKnight thinks we should all use fountain pens. John Frye starts his own movement. Grace wonders if we’re making disciples or converts. Are we bored?

Naked Pastor has an idea for churches.

In all the hustle and bustle of the coming weeks, don’t forget those who have nothing to give.

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Mary’s Song

The other day, I was thinking about the song of Mary in Luke 1. It was actually a pretty subversive thing to say in that day. I was wondering what Mary’s song would sound like in the 21st Century.

Who would be the rulers in today’s world? Who would be the proud? Who are the rich? Who are the humble and the hungry?

What in our consumer driven culture could the song speak to? What would Mary have to say to the Church?

What does it mean today that the King has come and is coming again? What would happen if those of us who say we follow this King lived as if we really did?

Just some questions rolling around in my head.

Any thoughts?

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Happy Birthday, Jennie

This is a couple of days late due to too many things to do in too little time.

Twenty-four years ago, on a cold December morning – the only kind of December morning in Cincinnati – a baby girl joined our family. We named her Jennifer. Little did we know what we were in for.

We welcomed an individual who was happy most of the time, who sang herself to sleep at night, who awoke with a smile. We also learned what it was like to deal with a very strong will. We prayed that that strong will would be used for good and not evil. 🙂

As the years passed and we learned more about this girl, and she learned more about us, we grew to love her more and more each day. Although there were moments of conflict, we were thankful for the joy that she brought to us. I think we learned to squeeze a little more fun out of life ourselves.

This little girl grew into a teenager, and the relationship deepened and matured. We knew that the time was coming quickly when she would make her mark on the world. Through high school and college, she matured and began to seek out her path.

Now this little girl is a lovely young woman. She is full of questions, as all young adults are. Some of them I can answer. Some, only God can answer. I firmly believe that her Father will draw her close and let her know how much he loves her.

Jennie, I can’t begin to tell you how much Mom and I love you. You are a true blessing from the Father. We are proud of you.

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TGIF

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at Jan’s sister’s home in West Virginia. Today was a busy day. We traveled home and then I went to basketball practice. Our first game is Tuesday, and I hope we’ll be ready.

There’s a lot of good stuff out there. Here’s a sample:

Pam the Cleaning Lady.

Good article from John Ortberg. (HT: Scot McKnight)

Jeff McQ on messed up people.

Jonathan Brink is abandoning conservatism.

Len at Next Reformation is hearing rumors.

Hidden Worship.

Brother Maynard has a new God.

Cool church architecture. (HT: Brother Maynard)

Have you seen the Hitler video with the different subtitles? The emerging church version is here.

This is just so wrong. (HT: Jared Wilson)

Karen Swank says, “Today, I will love.”

I hope your weekend is wonderful and that the Father blesses you.

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Thanksgiving

This is the time of year when we stop and take stock of the blessings God has given us. While many just give lip service to the concept of giving thanks, gratitude is vital to our emotional and spiritual health.

I am thankful for many things. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife who puts up with my foibles and all the changes in thinking I have been going through. Jan’s love is a major blessing. The Father has allowed me to be Dad to two fantastic children, Josh and Jennie, who have grown into adults who love Jesus and who will be used by God for his kingdom. My sister Debbie, and her family are a blessing and I am thankful for their love. Jan’s mom and dad have always treated me as a son and their love and support is huge, and her sisters and their families are a blessing as well.

I am thankful to have grown up in a family where there was unconditional love, and where an example of simple, true faith was evident. My mom and dad are the major factor behind who I am today.

I am grateful to the Father for adopting me as his child and showing me that his love and grace are bigger than anything I have done or will do. God has worked in me the past four years and has brought me out of a performance based mindset into a relationship of love, a relationship that sees God as Abba, not as someone who is always looking for how many times I screw up, and waiting for me to “get right with him” before he blesses me.

I am thankful for the (thousands?), (hundreds?), (tens?), ones of readers who are a little bit interested in my babblings.

There are so many things that I am thankful for. To list them all would take too long and tax your patience beyond reason.

What are you thankful for?

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TGIF

This is actually being posted on Saturday because Firefox kept closing on me last night and so I couldn’t finish until today.

Today was one of those days when TGIF is really meaningful. The kids at school were a little antsy. Maybe it has something to do with the break coming up.

Here are my suggestions for some good weekend reading:

Interview with Jim Palmer.

it’s amazing what you can buy these days.

Interesting things going on in Greenville, SC.

The ball has been dropped.

Pam muses about just us love.

imonk writes about the unresolved tensions of evangelicalism. Part 1 is here.

Breaking news from Chicago.

A coffee analogy from a non-coffee drinker.

A great idea for Christmas.

Irony from robbymac.

Church architecture. (HT: Brother Maynard)

Jared Wilson on numerolatry and the church.

A new network that sounds very interesting.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving next week.