Pharisaw

 We don't know a lot about Nicodemus from the Bible, but John introduces us to him in chapter 3 of his gospel.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a learned Jew that studied and taught the Old Testament scriptures.  He became aware of Jesus when he saw Him teaching others and saw the miracles that he was performing.  He approached Jesus under darkness to try to find out how the miracles were performed, believing that Jesus must somehow be connected to God to have such amazing powers.  Jesus explained, "unless one is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God".  Nicodemus was confused, thinking that Jesus was talking about a physical rebirth, but Jesus clarified, saying that he was talking about "being born of the water and the spirit."  Jesus then spoke the most widely known verse in the Bible.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him shall note perish, but have everlasting life."  I think I can learn something from Nicodemus.  As much as I think I know about God, the world and myself, the miracle of Jesus is still almost unbelievable.  How could it be that God elected to come to the broken world in the form of a baby, born of a virgin mother, die on the cross and then rise from the dead?  And how do His actions pay the penalty for my sins?  I don't know exactly how it works, but I believe it does, because I know when I am attempting to follow Him, I feel the peace that only He provides.  I am meant to be with Him.

At War

I came across a Vietnam War documentary on Netflix this week.  I am embarrassed at what I must have learned and forgotten, and more embarrassed about how much I never cared to know.  Not just the details, but the major storylines were brand new to me, as if it was a fictional film that had just been released.  The war started with a fear of communism in the north threatening something like democracy in the south.  The United States takes notice and fears that if communism can move through that country, that it can spread through the rest of the world.  US war specialists are sent to "advise" South Vietnam, but not engage in combat.  That lasted only a short time until young boys and men began being drafted into active duty.  Many felt that blacks were being drafted at a disproportionate rate to the whites, which angered blacks back home, creating the first round of dissent for the war.  As a response, the "birthday lottery" was established to quell the protests.  Each day of the year was placed into a rotating basket, and drawn out one at a time.  If your birthday matched the one drawn, it was your turn to be drafted.  Success in Vietnam was measured by body count - who was killing more people.  Soldiers had areas where they could kill anyone they saw without determining whether it was the enemy or not.   The sheer brutality led many soldiers to resort to alcohol and drugs to soothe the pain.  Opiates were legal and readily available in Vietnam at that time and a jelly jar full of heroin could be purchased for five dollars.  The political leaders in the US were warned that there was no way to win the war, but they deceived the public so that support for the war would continue.   The political cover up began to be exposed, and as it did, protests erupted.  One of the worst was at Kent State University where 4 students were killed.  As soldiers returned home, instead of being honored for their service, they were spit at because of the stories of the atrocities that had been committed.  Many soldiers were already addicted to drugs.  Many more became addicted to drugs after returning and and some committed suicide.  I know that the boys and men that went to Vietnam had different experiences, but I have never heard of anyone that went whose life wasn't changed forever.   This soldier from Australia talks about his experience there which is nothing less than gruesome.   I hope things are better now, but I don't know if they are.  

Talented

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents.  A man gives three workers five talents, two talents and one talent respectively.  A talent was a common unit of measure in that time, probably about 75 pounds, and was used mainly to measure precious metals.  Before doing some research today, I thought a talent was a type of coin of marginal worth, but as it turns out, a talent could represent multiple years of wages for a worker.  The man giving the talents left for a long period of time, and upon his return, found that the workers who had received five and two talents had doubled their value while he was gone.  The man praised them saying "Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much."  But the worker who only received one talent buried it in the ground and earned nothing more.  The man scolded him calling him a wicked and slothful servant.  In the parable, the man giving the talents represents God, and the talents represent all of the gifts that we have been given by God.  The parable is about stewardship and our responsibility to use those gifts for the good of others.  Jesus echoes the instruction reported in Luke when he says, "to whom much is given, much is required."  Some may think, "I don't feel like I have that many talents to share".  Talents come in many forms.  Do some soul searching and think about what you are good at and what you love to do.  If you  need some help, ask close family and friends what they think your talents are.  Then find a way to do those things more, thereby creating an offering to God.

Renewals

I love the New Year's holiday.  Not only is it preceded by the second best holiday of the year - Christmas (Easter is #1 for me), the calendar starts out at 1/1 and offers the chance for renewals.  A renewed focus on family.  A renewed focus on friends.  A renewed focus on diet.  A renewed focus on exercise.  A renewed focus on work.  And most importantly, a renewed focus on God.  I think about these things almost every New Year and make progress on some, but not others.  But no matter what my track record is, the New Year offers hope.  Hope for a better me in the coming year.  I hope you have hope for the New Year, and I hope you have success at improving any of the things that are most important to you.  I encourage you to write them down and/or tell someone you trust about them. Happy New Year.

The First Christmas

 

On December 25th, we celebrate one of the most important days in the history of the earth - the birth of Jesus.  One third of the world's population believes that Jesus is the son of God and has chosen to follow him.  Over the last 2000 years, we have added a lot to the celebration - Christmas trees, gift giving, card sending, Santa Claus and eggnog to name a few.  It's easy for even the strongest believers in Jesus to become distracted, or even overwhelmed, by the accoutrements.   David Cunningham is a film producer and recently released a project called "The First Christmas" with Kevn Costner hosting.   David starts with the text found in the Bible, but then weaves it together with historical facts to help paint a picture of what the first Christmas may have actually been like.  Jesus was born into a brutal world that desperately needed to be saved.  The First Christmas is streaming on Hulu and Disney+, and is also available with commercials at ABC.com.  If you are interested in finding out more about the project, you can watch an interview with David here.  I would love to hear what you think if you choose to watch.  Merry Christmas.

Sounds Like Christmas

I love the Christmas season for a lot of reasons, but I particularly love the part that music plays in it for me.  This week, I got to go see my grandson, Levi, play the trumpet in his middle school band's Christmas concert.  The finale was Sleigh Ride, which my wife and I played when we were in the band together in high school.  Tonight, I get to go see two of my granddaughters sing in their school's Christmas production.  Listening to these groups perform warms my heart knowing the hours of preparation that was required to present something that is meaningful and well done.  I don't have recordings of their performances, but I do love to return to one of my favorite Christmas songs, "Mary Did You Know?" every Christmas.  This arrangement is amazing.  The voices are near perfect, and the message of seeing the birth of Jesus through Mary's eyes helps me to focus on the reason for all the celebrations this time of year.  I hope music is a part of your Christmas this year.

Artist Skyrocketing

If you follow the Christian music charts, you probably noticed there is a new artist skyrocketing to the top.  Solomon Ray, from Mississippi, holds the top spot for new single with, "Find your rest".  Most of the reviews are positive, but some have complained that even though the songs are promoted as soul music, Solomon has no soul.  And that would be technically correct.  You see, Solomon Ray is an artist whose image and music are completely generated by AI.  Of course, AI is exploding into every part of our lives.  You can choose to use it or not use it (sometimes), but there is no debate that it is here to stay.  The ethical debates about how far it should go are here and escalating.  While many have commented that it is not right for AI generated music to potentially reduce demand for music from real people, Solomon's creator disagrees.  Christopher Jermaine Townsend is the soul behind the avatar, and he feels like Solomon is just an extension of his creativity.  I think there is a lot to work out, but if Solomon/Christopher can deliver a message to someone in need of it, I think God can find a way to bless it.