Welcome to the back porch, seems like each week something kind of gets to us and we can’t really have a good conversation. Of course our conversation means pondering, we like to ponder on things as they are, we have no solution. We just talk about them and ponder. It’s just a few of us this time on the porch and how we ever got into this I’ll never know but of all the things in the world to come up of course was the condition or shape of our nation today, what’s going on across our land. We all agree that we most likely are seeing a society that’s in collapse. It was brought up about the Opium Wars. I guess if you ponder along enough, you can kind of make the connection between that and the drug wars that we’re involved in today in this country so I want to read you a little piece of history. The very first opium war was fought from 1839 to 1842 between China and the British empire it was triggered by the Qing governments campaign to enforce its prohibition of opium, which included destroying opium stocks owned by British merchants, and the British East India company. Now I think you could pretty well imagine this was a little bit over the head of most of us old duffers here on the porch, but we listened while the gentleman explained to us why he felt it was important to us to understand. They were actually two wars 1839 to 1842 and then again in 1856 to 1860 and they were conflicts between Great Britain and France in the second war and China’s Qing Dynasty, it was brought about because of China’s attempts to stop the British from illegally smuggling opium into China, which caused massive addiction and severe trade-in balance. The influx of drugs was destroying the Chinese society. They were weakened by this influx of drugs, which was destroying the people’s ability to function. They had in time moved from a strong dynasty to one that was weakened by this influx of drugs that was destroying the very fabric of their society. That brings us to our very first Ponder …sound familiar. We have an administration at the moment that is honestly trying to put an end to this influx of drugs into our country. The biggest amount of opposition to this is coming from of all things within. We have an element of folks in this nation of ours who have grown to disrespect the law and are agenda driven for whatever reason it may be but it just seems the destruction of the United States as we’ve known it all these years is pretty much their goal. This is a pretty heavy subject I think it would be fair to say that it takes pondering to another level. All of us here on the porch this evening agreed that we’re seeing the slow collapse of our society. It’s not so important to enforce the law as it is nowadays to debate the law. Make no mistake, our nation has been weakened by people who are not disturbed by rape, murder, robbery, and general disobedience of the law. 

So far, I figure this particular meeting on the back porch has descended into ramblings and rants and we all agree that’s not a good thing. If you have time look up the different generations that’s a big thing nowadays, we have baby boomers generation , millennials generation, Y generation, Z generation A, and now we’ve got a new one, Beta. There is a trend or as I happen to feel like a habit to blame the generation now and their cohorts as being responsible for the shape we’re in. All of us here on the porch agreed that we all spend too much time blaming somebody else for something. We should’ve been paying attention a long time ago. Most of us, here on the porch, were born in 1943 or earlier. Today we are kind of shuttled aside. We don’t see as well as we used to nor do we hear as well but for the most part, we’re not senile individuals. So I’ll close with this. If you were born in 1943 you belong to the Silent Generation. This is a group typically defined as those born between 1928 and 1945, following the greatest generation and proceeding the baby boomers, we are characterized by traditional values, hard work, and reliance after growing up during the Great Depression and World War II.  The birth years that are being considered are 1928 through 1945. We have some key characteristics. I’m not bashful. about it. I’m going to go ahead and list them right here. We were hard-working, loyal, modest, respectful of authority, patriotic, self-reliant, and disciplined. Those of our generation experienced the hardships of the depression and World War II and it fostered within us a sense of duty and perseverance. A book was wrote about us the “Greatest Generation”. I know that’s up for debate, but I’ll leave you with this Ponder for the day. We’re beat up, in many cases ignored and put to the side, but one thing is certain. Ponder this…

We are proud of our Faith, Family, and Country. To the best of my knowledge and those here on the porch with me 45% of the people in our country today don’t feel that way. How did this happen?… Ponder That!

Kurt

This week we’re out of the pew and back on the road looking for the Good Way. This week we add to our roadmap, Proverbs 3…when we read this proverb, we see the author Solomon encouraging us to put wisdom first over self reliance, and living a life of integrity, which brings peace health and divide guidance. The key to much of this is our acknowledgment of God in all things which leads us to a straight path, honoring him, and the blessings to come by living in such a manner. There are, of course, some key themes here, they include the value of wisdom, acknowledging God’s discipline as love and finding favor by fearing the Lord and helping the needy, and understanding God exults the humble. Now there are many things that point to the good way but trust in the Lord is one of the most important and not leaning on our own understanding. Wisdom is presented as more valuable than silver, gold or jewels bringing long life with riches, honor, peace, and security. This issue of divine guidance is extremely important when we acknowledge God in all that we do and look to him for guidance, such behavior  keeps our paths straight. The word fear is used quite often in the Bible, but it really refers more to being in awe of the powers and blessings of God when we follow him. This fear of God leads to us turning away from evil and bringing health to our bodies and refreshment to our lives. We must realize that discipline is God’s way of showing His love for us, it’s a sign of his love and it’s not something to be despised. We should be generous in our lives, giving unto God that which is his, and to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. It’s almost inseparable, but kindness and humility they go together, and they uphold truth and kindness. God will always favor the humble and oppose the proud. Solomon in this proverb is teaching his son that true success and good life comes from seeking divine wisdom, trusting God completely and living righteously, promising blessings and security for those who follow this path. Life will always present us with challenges, and there will always be God’s discipline to keep us on the Good Way.

Please read Proverbs 3, God’s word is better understood when we sit quietly and read His word allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us to His Divine Guidance. 

Life is Good

jk

Well, it’s time for a year end back porch and I think I can pretty well share with you the overall opinion of most of the guys that get together on the back porch when weather permits. I think what we would like to do is to just simply list very quickly some collective thoughts. We find ourselves in this country at this time where the legal debate exceeds, even probably the most ardent debates in Greece back in the day, the Greeks were known for their love of debate, which sometimes would kind of rattled the apostle Paul. First off, there are only two genders. We can debate and add many different angles to that, but it all comes down to one thing… you can add to, take away from, do whatever you want to do but your gender symbol never changes. You are the way God made you and the human mind, body and resources can’t change that. Then the other one that catches our attention every time, and we were absolutely amazed by it is the fact that the law in this country simply states that you must come in through one of the centers or areas that we have designated legally to obtain a visa are a work permit. If you come in any other way, that is illegal. I will give you some ground here, coming in by unauthorized areas or ways does not make you illegal, after all God created you and you are equal in God’s eyes, but the human side of this, the secular side of this, however you want to put it says that we have these laws that regulate the way you enter our country and if you don’t follow those laws then you’re here illegally. Let us  try to be a little clearer with that. You are not illegal, but you are in this country illegally. Now here is something that you can as they say “take to the bank” there are nations that will shoot you if you cross their border improperly. If you’re still not convinced, google it. The other thing that gets our attention is the passion that has suddenly developed within our country to debate the law. Now there is no sense in putting a lot of statistics before you we are trying to explain something that I don’t completely understand and neither do the rest of us, but the only people it seems to benefit are the lawyers. I do not wish to overwhelm you with a bunch of old men’s pondering, but we do ponder about the fact that there seems to be a large group of people in our country from all walks of life who don’t seem to be bothered about rape, murder, public disorder, disrespect for public order, and those that enforce it. I’ll close out in a manner that for many of you may seem controversial. There are those in our country today that disrespect our God burn our churches disfigure our synagogues and in general have no respect for others in any way. So I ask you to ponder this.

We don’t like you…but this is your Ponder for today.

God says we must love you…Why?

This is a repost from a few years ago…It has become a tradition to post it each year at at Christmas. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas…Praise God for his son Jesus Christ!

I am constantly searching the internet for little gems of knowledge and wisdom that will enrich and encourage us ordinary folks whose frantic pace in this life causes us to rush by without even taking the time to “smell the coffee” so to speak. Well over fifty years ago we were introduced to the world of Charlie Brown. Charles Schultz created a community of loveable misfits each with their own recognizable frailties’ of mind, body and spirit, in which many of us saw a part of ourselves in the characters and took this lovable bunch into our hearts. Unlike some of the modern animated cartoons of this day the brilliance of Charles Shultz shows us our faults in a gentle and endearing way. Charlie Brown also helps us see the real value of community, the need we have for others and the power of a simple love that transcends the norms of this day. Having said all this let me introduce you to a brilliant post of December 14, 2014, by Jason Soroski. I have edited his original post for space requirements and encourage you to go to the posted url to read it as posted. (jasonsoroski.wordpress.com)

Here are some excerpts from that post.

I was in the first grade back when they still performed Christmas pageants in schools (less than 50 years, but still a very long time ago), and our class performed a version of the Charlie Brown Christmas. Since I was kind of a bookworm and already had a blue blanket, I was chosen to play the part of Linus. As Linus, I memorized Luke 2:8-14, and that Scripture has been hidden in my heart ever since. But while working so diligently to learn those lines, there is one important thing I didn’t notice then, and didn’t notice until now. Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.

Throughout the story of Peanuts, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and others all work to no avail to separate Linus from his blanket. And even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to give it up. Until this moment. When he simply drops it. In that climactic scene when Linus shares “what Christmas is all about,” he drops his security blanket, and I am now convinced that this is intentional. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, “fear not”

 Looking at it now, it is pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it’s so simple it’s brilliant.

The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears.

The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves.

The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and take Jason Soroski’s advice and “drop the blanket” in the coming new year. Again I encourage you to go to the url posted above and read some more of this gentlemen’s writings and activities.

Life is Good

jk

 

 

It will be a busy week-end for most of us, thus I have decided to post this week’s blog a bit early. Next Tuesday I will publish the blog for December 27. Merry Christmas and God Bless.

 That is the secular term that we are accustomed to. Included in this season of bright lights and trees, gifts and holiday cheer  lives, some things to note. I started almost by habit to include the opening to read as such…For those of the Christian faith, there are many important events that will occur during this season. Now, I honestly don’t know if this will make sense and it is certainly not intended to offend anyone but the important thing right now is during this season we celebrate the birth of Christ, and I actually believe it’s really a season for all the people. The birth of Jesus Christ was for all the people of the world because Christ was sent to bring salvation to all. There is much in biblical history that leads us to the Good Way.. as we in the Christian community go through this season of Advent, let us look at a couple of more things of note. I would like to take us from the Pew to the city of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’s birth.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, Jerusalem was a bustling, significant city, but we know that Jesus was born in nearby Bethlehem, a smaller town about 6 miles south, which was Joseph’s ancestral home known as David’s town, and prophesies as a Messiah birthplace. There is so much information available today because of the Internet, sometimes we may be repetitious in sharing some of that with you, please excuse us for that. Jerusalem was the capital under Herod the Great, featuring wealthy upper city areas, and crowded lower city markets. Bethlehem was a modest settlement on a trade route, famous as the ancestral home of King David, and were Shepherd’s visited Jesus after his birth. Let’s compare these two cities of note. At the time of the birth of Christ, King Herod had transformed Jerusalem with grand projects, including his magnificent palace in the upper city. Now the city had a wealthy upper class so to speak with villas and and the and the poor crowded lower city was the location of many of the marketplaces and hotels or hostels as they were called back in that day and time. There was a religious center. It was the hub for the Jewish faith with the temple mount as its focal point. When we turn and take a quick look at Bethlehem’s significance, it was a humble town small not a major city like Jerusalem. Bethlehem was the ancestral home of King David making it significant for Joseph’s registration in the Roman census. It was Micah, who prophesies that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David’s town. (Micah 5:2.) The connection between these two cities were really very simple. Joseph and Mary had traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem it is recorded that the Wisemen first went to Jerusalem, asking for the new king which we find in the Bible and in the book of Matthew. And now let’s take note of Joseph and Mary’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. 

Historical accounts of the land at that time and the conditions that it put upon people was that it was a difficult and hard trip for the both of them and was estimated to have been a 70 to 90 mile trek. We must be a very careful when we talk about these situations. We really don’t know what the trip was like, but because of historical an archaeological writings, we do know the terrain and the conditions they probably would have faced was as we said,  the distance being about 70 to 90 miles and it’s estimated that it would’ve taken 4 to 5 days potentially a bit longer depending on pace and conditions. Most scholars say it would’ve been about 10 to 20 miles a day under the best circumstances and it’s highly possible that Mary was riding a donkey. In fact it would have been the only way she could’ve done anything like that because of her condition at the time. Joseph walked, at the time most people walked everywhere and they would’ve traveled through varied terrain. It was difficult terrain, plus the fear of bandits, winter conditions which amount  to rain and cold and Mary’s advanced pregnancy made the journey exhausting. Another important note that we do not want to dismiss was the route that they took. The route was from Nazareth in Galilee south to Bethlehem and Judea a journey often described as going up to the hilltop town. One of the reasons was possibly to avoid Samaria due to tensions at the time. After their travel, or journey, whichever word you want to use over some very difficult terrain they arrived in Bethlehem. They found that the city was overcrowded because many travelers had been brought to the city because of the census and they were filling all of the inns and lodging at that time. The term that we’re used to hearing is that there was no room at the Inn. Now there are too distinct opinions of this about where the actual birth took place. Most all accounts relate to Jesus, being born in a stable and placed in a manger. There is another theory or opinion that we can take from Jewish custom at that time in the area that Mary and Joseph reached at the time of Christ birth, we can use the word stable, but add to that the possibility that the stable was actually a cave as the area was one of heavy limestone formations.

I want to include a note about Bethlehem-Judah. The information that I will share with you now is from a website called Bible Hub, please make note of that. Bethlehem.-Judah is often referred to simply as Bethlehem. It is a significant location in biblical history, situated in the territory of Judah, which is approximately 6 miles south of Jerusalem and its name…Bethlehem means House of Bread. Bethlehem.-Judah holds a prominent place in the biblical narrative and it serves as a backdrop for several key events and figures. We know that it is the ancestral home of David. This connection to David establishes Bethlehem as a city of Royal lineage. When we read the book of Ruth, we are provided a very touching narrative set in Bethlehem.-Judah about Ruth a Moabite widow, who returns with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, where she meets Boaz. You can read about that in the book of Ruth 1: 22 where it is stated. “so Naomi returned from the land of Mohab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabites’s. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” We also note that Rachel’s tomb is there, Rachel was Jacob’s beloved wife and you can read the account in Genesis 35:19. Bethlehem-Judah’s has been continuously inhabited since ancient times and there have been excavations there that have uncovered artifacts and structures that attest to its long history. The city, of course, had a very strategic location because it was near major trade routes, that contributed to its development and it’s significance in the region. The other interesting thing about this area is its cultural and religious impact and its role in biblical history has made it a focal point for Christian pilgrimage. It is here that the church of nativity is built over the traditional site of Jesus’s birth place and it is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. So to  conclude this little deep dive into Bethlehem-Judah, it is a place that is rich in biblical heritage and it’s association with key figures and events has made it a cornerstone of the Judo- Christian history. It’s legacy continues to inspire faith and devotion among believers worldwide.

There are many ways to celebrate the approaching remembrance of the birth of Christ. The verse will be celebrated in many different ways in many different places, but there is one commonality that united all this. Our God, incarnate came among us to bring his love for us and to offer to us the forgiveness of our sins. Through the birth of this child and his pursuit of The Good Way. We thank you very much for joining us in the Pew and we wish for you and yours, a very happy and joyous Advent and Christmas Day.

Life is Good

jk

Within the Christian communities throughout the world for many this is Advent, a time of preparation, expectation and great joy. It is a time within the faith when we speak of the Christmas story. We usually begin the story at really the midway point with these words, “There is born to you this day in the city of Bethlehem” this is the starting point for the greatest story ever told. Today we’re going to take a little time upfront to look at the people, the places, and of course the birth. I guess we should start by first of all sharing that most likely the best Christmas story in the Bible is found in the first two chapters of the books of Luke and Matthew. Luke is often considered the primary source for the familiar nativity elements like the manger the shepherds and the angels while Matthew has a perspective of the wisemen, and Jesus’s Royal lineage. Most of the Christmas narratives are familiar with and will blend details from both of these Bible books creating a richer story from Luke’s humble beginnings and Matthews, theological depth, this according to the author Rachel Wojo in her blog.

Luke’s Gospel chapters 1 and 2, they’ll focus on humility and joy and God’s love of reaching the common people, their key events, such as the Angel Gabriel visits Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, the birth in the manager due to no room at the inn, the Angelica announcement to shepherds and their worship. He creates a special atmosphere in the sense that emphasizes Jesus’  unassuming arrival, he comes as a gift for all people, not just the powerful ones. We read Matthews gospel chapters 1 and two, that focuses on Jesus as the promised Messiah, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy. Joseph’s perspective on Mary’s pregnancy the visit of the Magi from the East their gifts and the flight to Egypt are the key events that Matthew shares with us. You might be tempted to pick the best one. Let’s summarize it this way. Luke provides the core. The heart warming scene of the manger. Matthew adds the royal visitors, and messianic context, making both essential for the complete Christmas story that we cherish so much today. I would like to share with you first of all is a result of a great deal of reading of different articles and blogs and information, quite a large body of it to be very honest with you and much of it is gathered from, others blogs which are really opinions just as a lot of commentaries are opinions of interpretations, so I encourage you to go to your Bible, Read the story and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to the truth.

If you have read the story before or if you are familiar with it from Sunday school, in Bible studies at your church and other things, you may have read and studied, join us now as we take just a little bit of a deep dive into some of the things that are packed in to this narrative. First, we’re going to look at Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary and Mary was the mother of Jesus. What about Joseph? We don’t really know a whole lot, but we know that he was a carpenter from Nazareth a descendent of David and is described in the Bible as a just and righteous man who obediently follows God’s will. Now as best as I can ascertain Nazareth, where they would eventually settle was where Joseph earned his living. One of the odd things about all of this is that wood was very scarce in that part of the world, and most of the people around there during this time were stonemasons, and it was a very very lucrative trade so we can assume that Joseph stayed very busy at his trade and in the later years after the birth of Jesus what little we know about Jesus and his childhood leads us to believe from Jewish customs and practices, that he would have learned his earthly father’s trade. There are some records according to ancient traditions that suggest at the time Joseph married Mary, he was a widower with children. Now according to the Bible, Mary was engaged to Joseph before they lived together, and when he initially learned of the pregnancy he had initially planned to divorce her and to do it quietly. But after the angels message in the dream, he took Mary as his wife. So what exactly was Joseph’s role in Jesus’ life? Well, Joseph served as an earthly father to Jesus, raising him and teaching him his trade as a carpenter which would have at that time been the Jewish custom. Let’s look at some very important folks in this Christmas story. Now there’s lots of information and lots of controversy concerning the “shepherds in the field”. According to some of the things that I’ve been reading many large cities or cities of that time did not allow livestock within the city itself. Now that is disputable, but in the area of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, most sheep were kept outside of the city and in some essence is quite a distance from any settlements of any kind. And there were two kinds of shepherds actually three, but we’ll talk about the first two. There were the hired shepherds and then there were the shepherds that owned their own flocks. The difference in care and concern was much greater by those who owned those flocks. The third group of shepherds I will get to in just a moment. Let’s look at the biblical account if you will please. The shepherd’s primarily refers to the humble sheep shepherds in the bibles nativity story, Luke two is where we’re looking right now. These were the shepherds that were visited by angels, announcing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, becoming the first witnesses and reporters of the event. This is very significant in the sense. it’s symbolizes God’s message, reaching the marginalized and the lamb of God fulfilling sacrificial, prophecies. They were by most accounts, ordinary people in a low social class who responded with immediate faith and praise going to see the baby and spreading the news a story essential to Christmas and representing Hope humility and the universal call of the gospel so the very first outside of the family of Mary and Joseph to hear the divine news of the Messiah’s birth were the shepherds in the field. Their duties often kept them from regular attendance at the synagogue, and it also hampered them from the traditional prayers and routines of the Jewish faith, just for those reasons they were not particularly looked upon with any favoritism at all by the faithful in the synagogues. But because they were chosen, it made the point that Jesus and the salvation he brought belonged to everyone, they knew what to look for, a baby and swaddling clothes, and they hurried off to Bethlehem. It demonstrated a quick faith coupled with a quick action, unlike the more relaxed seeking of Christ by others, and after seeing Jesus, they returned glorifying and praising God and sharing the amazing news and all who heard it were amazed, turning them into in a sense early evangelists. Now let’s get to that third group, and I must preface this by saying this is considered to be controversial and not accepted in all groups. According to tradition, they were Levitical shepherds in Bethlehem, and it was their job to make certain that the young lambs were swaddled in strips of cloth, often old priestly garments and place them in mangers to keep them pure unblemished and calm for the temple sacrifice. The assumption is that the sheep in and around Bethlehem were temple sheep, and they were being attended by temple shepherds. Now I’ll go over this one more time, even though it’s repetitions. There was an issue of purity for sacrifice so these labs intended for temple sacrifice had to be without a spot or blemish. So by wrapping them is in swaddling it prevented them from injuring themselves are getting dirty in these rock caves where they were born you see the shepherds would keep an eye out for ewes that was ready to give birth, and they would take them to a cave, normally a cave that was kept very clean and they would wrap them when the lamb was born. They would wrap it in swaddling cloth to protect it from any blemishes. This was symbolic and  the shepherds understood this pointed to Jesus as a perfect lamb of God, born in the same manner as the lambs they attended, fulfilling the prophecy, so here one of the differences is of course, the symbolism, but also the effort to make certain that these young lambs were not marked in any way. Some scholars liking this to Mary’s desire to protect the baby Jesus and it was an indication of the love she had for this child. All right, again we will deal with repetition. Please be patient with me. When we look at the Levitical shepherds in the Bible, it was referring to the tradition that the shepherds who visited baby Jesus in Bethlehem again and Luke, were not ordinary, but specifically trained men, tending flocks, raised for temple, sacrifice, ensuring lambs were on blemished. Tradition holds at the shepherds, possibly came from priestly families, and they was swaddled a newborn lambs in cloth, just as Jesus was and place them in mangers to protect them, making the angels he swaddling cloth, uniquely significant to them as they awaited the lamb of God. Now, while the Bible itself does not explicitly call them, Levitical, Jewish tradition links these shepherds near Bethlehem to the temple. Now the wrap up this part of the blog let’s just answer one more question. Why Levitical? Well, that comes from Jewish tradition and it suggests that these weren’t common shepherds but were those associated with the temple, the reason for that assumption is that normal shepherds wouldn’t typically keep flocks so close to town unless they were special, valuable, and temple, bound animals. The connection to the temple makes the appearance of angels to these pacific shepherds, a powerful yet simple account of the coming of the Messiah and the end of animal sacrifices.

We will close the blog today by looking at the place, the place being Bethlehem. Now we’re going to look at the key aspects and characteristics of Bethlehem. It was a small modest village likely with 2000 to 3000 people, it was not a major city. It was located in the fertile Hill country of Judea about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Now, many of the homes were built into the natural limestone caves, which also served as shelters for animals. The significance tied to in the Old Testament was the fact that it is known as the birthplace of King David (the city of David) and the ancestral home of his family fulfilling the prophecy about the Messiah. It did well in its location because it was an important crossroads city. There was fertile land and they had a rather robust pleasant local economy. We know that Mary and Joseph have traveled there in order to comply with the census that was ordered by Cesar Augustus, which required everyone to register in their ancestral town. Back in the day, because of that law,  there were a lot of people that came into this small town and there were not any any rooms available by the time Mary got there, so it is written that she gave birth in a stable cave where animals were kept. This is another point that we could really delve into, but there isn’t time. So it’s a very humble setting yet divinely ordained. It would be here in a stable cave that Jesus would be born and placed in a manger. So the very last thing we leave you with is that this was a fulfillment of a prophecy which you can find in Micah 5:2.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s blog as we’ve set the scene for the next few weeks of celebration and preparing ourselves for this most wonderful day. This is probably one of the longest blogs I’ve ever written. To those of you who stayed with it to the very last word, thank you. I do hope it has been helpful and that you will come back and join us in The Pew next week.

Life is Good

jk

 

December 7, 1941, 84 years ago and time has weakened the memory of that day and left it to custom or tradition, both rely on the living. It has been written that history will always be written by the victorious and by the same token, custom and tradition is established, maintained, and preserved by the living. As a nation, we remember Pearl Harbor and it is enshrined as a national holiday of remembrance. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2403 US personnel. It included sailors, soldiers civilians and additionally 1178 people were wounded. There were 129 Japanese soldiers killed in the attack. As I remember history or the stories and accounts, I seem to remember that the aircraft carriers which were the main target for the Japanese to attack had all been put out to see and were not in the harbor at the time of the attack. It was a very successful attack and caught the United States completely flat footed, we lost a number of ships as well as people.

After the attack, one particular ship the Arizona was left, resting on the bottom with the deck just awash. In those days and weeks following that attack every effort was made to recover the bodies of the crew and the ship’s records. It finally came to a point where there was nothing else we could do and the further recovery of bodies became fruitless and the number of bodies that we estimate could not be recovered were at least 900 crew and they remained in the ship. There is a memorial there this day, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It’s here that we honor the lives lost in the December 7, 1941 attack. It was a pivotal moment in history because it ushered in the United States entry into World War II. It impacted nations and communities worldwide. There were a lot of other things I was going to include in today’s Back Porch, but out of respect for those who died there I will not muddy the water, certainly may they rest in peace and  their families know that there are still those of us alive that thank them for their sacrifice and service.

Kurt

Those of you who have followed the pew over the years may have noticed some subtle difference in the past few weeks. I am trying very hard not to overwhelm you with scriptures, but to share with you, God’s word in a layman’s way. This week our journey continues. Now of whatever faith do you belong to denominational wise? I’m going to start this blog off as we continue our journey by acknowledging the fact that this past Sunday, November 30 was the first day of the Methodist Church year, and it falls on advent the first Sunday. Advent is a four week season before Christmas. It is the Christian season of preparation and anticipation for Christmas that begins on the Sunday closest to November 30 and it lasts until December 24. It is used as a time for spiritual reflection and prayer and celebrating themes of Hope, peace, joy, and love, often symbolized by an advent wreath with four candles. I’m going in this direction because very soon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be born and with his birth, he begins his own journey of the Good Way. A source for part of what I will share with you today comes from the book by Kathy Lee Gifford with the Rabbi Jason Sobel. It’s a great book. You can find it on Amazon and get more information about it. It is called the “Rock the Road and the Rabbi”. 

This week we’re going to pick up on a new term. It’s not all that unusual and those of you who read the Bible particularly the Christmas story will recognize immediately what it is we will be looking at. Does the term swaddling clothes resonate with any of you? In the Bible story, swaddling clothes are long strips of cloth wrapped around an infant for warmth and security. It is symbolizing Jesus’s humble humanity, maternal care, and vulnerability. There are some other things that are attached to that term, but that’s speculation and opinion and we won’t get into that. Swaddling clothes were used to wrap an infant tightly,  the idea in that day and time and up for a long time was  swaddling helps a baby transition from the womb to the outside world and swaddling clothes are still used today, but with some modifications. The biblical passage that refers to that can be found in Luke 2:7 and reads as follows…and she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn…

We’ll give a short recognition to probability or supposition, we can probably assume from the fact that Mary swaddled the baby that she was an attentive and loving mother. We know for a fact, according to scripture that the angel who spoke to the shepherds on the hillside mentioned, swaddling clothes as part of the sign to the shepherds that they had found the Messiah. That can be found in Luke 2:12 now there are naturally some very interesting theories about the detail that Luke goes into about Jesus and swaddling clothes. It would be fair to say that some people have pondered that the swaddling clothes were a foreshadowing kind of a prophetic reference to Jesus’s burial clause. The Greek root word is not in the Bible, describing these swaddling glows and it too means strips of cloth. We also must know that that word, the Greek word is never used in the New Testament to refer to burial cloth. The Bible describes the burial of Jesus with different phrases, and it all that comes down to basically saying wrapped in linen cloth. But like most things this is conjecture supposition or just good old boys pondering the possibility. What we can be sure of is when Jesus came into this world, He had loving parents who sought to meet His every need. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, which was a custom of the day and an action that shows the tender care and affection of his mother.

Now I want to add to the blog this week some of the things that are from the book “The Rock, The Road and The Rabbi.” You can Google information about the Rabbi if you choose to. First, we’ll start by going back to the book of Luke 2:4-7. For Jesus it all began in Bethlehem.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because she belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledge to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a major because there was no guest room available for them. 

We have read these verses now for many years over and I’m going to share with you a perspective that maybe you had not thought of. I like the pairing of theological knowledge with the common sense of everyday customs and manners, according to the time frame. Now we’ve heard that Jesus was born in an upstairs room, in stable, and in a cave. The truth is we really don’t know, but we do know that it was in Bethlehem. The Rabbi points out that most likely it was in a cave, and there was a reason for that, of course, we know the reasoning given would be that there was no room in the inn. Now the shepherds and the sheep resigning in that area at that time will not be ordinary, shepherds or ordinary sheep. The shepherds were under the direction of the Temple, and those sheep were used exclusively to supply the temple for the sacrifices to God. We all know that they’re supposed to be without blemish and common sense knowledge tells us that caves some which were cut out of solid rock would be some pretty rough ground. The shepherds would bring the sheep into the cave as they came near to birth, and when that birth occurred, those lambs were wrapped in cloth to protect them from the jagged edges and rough terrain in which they would come up, I guess you might say the shepherd’s version of swaddling cloths. You got to admit that it’s an interesting thought concerning the swaddling cloth. It is from this point that Jesus began his journey on the Good Way. 

Please come back next week here in The Pew and join us as we continue our journey and we take the time to look at these next few weeks before the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Life Is Good

jk

Welcome to you but not necessarily to the back porch, it’s just too cold. I guess what we’re gonna have to look at is maybe putting a wood-burning stove there on that back porch cause I don’t have any intentions of closing it in. Anyway, I’m about the only one here right now everybody’s kinda hunkered down inside. Most southern people don’t have any problem with the fall and really not much problem with the Winters, as they’re usually mild in this area even here on the plateau just outside of Nashville. When the fall gets here for southern folks the low 60s and then into the low 50s that that’s heaven itself and we enjoy every minute of it. The magnificent colors of the trees and for those of us that can get there that fantastic mountain air that just seems to have a different vibe to it than that city stuff. Now I have no absolute idea about what we would’ve talked about tonight except for one subject for sure and that’s the election in my area for the seventh District congressional seat. We’ll get to that in a moment. You know the holiday season used to be a time when   people came together and there was a just a general feeling of kindness and courtesy towards everyone and of course it was always a very special time for families. I remember the older shopping malls before they became shooting galleries, they were usually L shaped U shaped or in some cases they were simply a half circle. The idea was that all of your favorite stores would be there. I kind of referred to them as strip malls, and then somebody came along and decided let’s put an extended roof on this thing make some concourses to travel back-and-forth and add another floor and some escalators and we’ve got a winner, oh, and don’t forget the food court. The strip was gone, and here was the mall in all its glory. Now going to the mall to shop was a family event. They’re all kinds of things there, all kinds of stores and all kinds of people. Now you have to be careful but one of my favorite things to do at the mall was just simply to sit on one of those iron or wood benches and just watch people. I begin to notice over the years, people had a more distressed look on their face. You could see people that there was no doubt that they were sad and weren’t feeling too good about things. Then they were those smiling laughing really enjoy being together and being among people. Whether we admitted or not, man was created to need fellowship. So…. If you enjoy being among people, the mall was a place to be. But then along came the Internet and with it a familiar term, “what can Brown do for you?” We began to hear more and more people share with each other in groups or family gatherings. Oh, it’s so much easier to shop by Internet, and that is what they were doing. The fellowship, the being among people, getting out and enjoying all the different venues that were available were slowly narrowing down to coffee, shops, and donut bars. And then came the hammer, with a weird name and an unbelievable inventory. Amazon,  it was very much like a jungle with all kinds of animals, but the animals turned out to be products, things people were looking for and wanted. Now they were various costs or fees that were associated with this modern day convenience but it wasn’t long before those little blue trucks or big blue trucks with a big smile on the side were running around in everybody’s neighborhood delivering everything you might need and if that wasn’t enough, sometimes you can get it the very next day. All this convenience and all these products all this availability, somewhere in all of that we lost our community. It became rather fashionable to not have to mingle with crowds and quite frankly the uncertainty of your own safety in some places which kept people away. My sister refers to it as “going out there”, there being the Internet. For some of us older folks it’s all really confusing. They’ve got a couple of stores that you even can buy membership, now let’s be honest you have to buy that membership because that’s the only way you can get in the store. It’s a mystery to me. It’s almost like there’s something uplifting or something special about having to pay be among a lot of people.

And now for that other thing that I was suggesting we talk about, actually ponder. There was a special election in the seventh district to fill of vacancy from a resignation of a gentleman from Congress in that district. You had the usual two candidates well a lot more than that, but the two major candidates in the Republican and Democratic party running for that open seat. Nashville, Tennessee, which one of the districts in this congressional district and it’s grown by almost 300 people a day over the past few years and that may sound kind of ridiculous to you, but the figures are government figures if that means anything, and that explosion in population was due to people fleeing some of the more regressive blue states. These folks wanted relief from high taxes, they want better school systems, and they were looking for a cheaper cost of living than what they were accustomed to. The democratic candidate, a lady who would really be classified as a new breed Socialist Democrat was making quite an impact on the election. Now here’s the ponder of the day. As I said earlier, Nashville is in within the seventh district. It is now become a kind of democratic stronghold. In other words it’s gone blue. I am not sure about the actual percentage, but I know it one time while I was watching the returns come in last night. The Democratic candidate at one time had 84% of the vote for that district. Now as some of us old folks here in the south would say “here’s the short of it”. The Republican candidate won the election for that vacant congressional seat but only by 9%. Here again is your Ponder for the day.

 Why would you travel all of the distances that many these folks have traveled only to vote for what you were running from?

Kurt

I had not planned for this, but the truth is as we travel on this road along the good way we’re gonna find some places where it might the best to just stop and reflect a little bit about the journey we’re on. Why don’t we take just a bit of time here and look closely at what the Bible says about healing. I am sure that many of us have been in a church when someone requested that the congregation come together and unite in prayer for a brother or sister who is having some serious life problems. There are many folks within the Christian community that have never experienced a healing service so to say, or have you ever been present for the anointing of oil and other Christian rituals that have been passed down over the years. There are times that there are just services for prayer. To pray for someone’s needs and I’ve known enough times when it is a church wide service. Prayer for healing is a spiritual practice for a person or persons to ask for physical, emotional or spiritual restoration from the divine power. This can usually involve specific prayers for wellness, seeking a shift in mindset towards a more positive and whole person outlook, and trusting in a higher power for strength and guidance.

We acknowledge the different traditions of various prayers and rituals, the common themes such as asking for healing strength, the restoration of joy and the ability to bless and serve others in renewed health. Prayer is a very powerful source of being as close to the Father as we can possibly get. We have prayers for a physical healing, for emotional and spiritual healing, for strength and guidance, maybe a prayer for a shift in the way we live, in our mindset the way we’re looking at things letting go of past mistakes and looking for a better way as we’ve said, looking for the good way. There are some key aspects of prayer and it is the “Pews” view that prayer at its best is a sincere honest and heartfelt conversation with our God. Our prayers should of course, rest on faith and trust. Our traditions, our knowledge have told us that prayers are more effective when offered in faith. It should be a faith that knows God, trust God, and has every confidence that God will hear our prayer. Be aware that a lack of faith can inhibit healing. We have community prayers coming together as a community to provide support, especially when one’s own faith is weak. There a better way to put it simplistically speaking in a secular mode and that is there is always strength in numbers. Our prayers should be seeking divine will. Some suggest praying in accordance with the divine will can be part of a larger process of spiritual transformation. And lastly, that not being an indication of importance, but the exhibition of a trait that we all should try to cultivate. We must understand, patience, and time, some aspects of healing are immediate, while others may take time, as part of the longer journey of transformation. That kind of brings us back to the fact that God may not answer our prayers as we expected, God’s will, and desire may differ from ours.

Now moving along what exactly does the Bible say about healing? I have done my homework all this so to speak I’ve searched for scriptures about healing, and I’ve tried to understand. Sometimes healing doesn’t take place, and that is sometimes seized upon by unbelievers. I think the best way to close this out is to understand God still performs miracles, God still heals people, sickness, disease, pain, and death are still realities in this world. It should be a common understanding among all Christians that until the Lord returns everyone who is alive today will die, and the truth is that includes Christians. The majority of them will die as a result of a physical problem, disease, or sickness, injury, it is not always God’s will to heal us physically. For me as a layman, in the simple view of things, and not from a theological outlook, I’ll bring it down all of it to one thing…Revelation, 21:4 and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

There may be detours, some pauses along the way, but the good way leads us to the promise of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There shall be life, everlasting, promises kept.

Life is Good

jk