I don’t have anything deep rumbling around this week.  I’m just going to go wherever my fingers take me.

Why do we insist God is in “control” and then pray that Tria (Greek for Three, my stumbling attempt to avoid sexist language when referring to God because He/She/It do not work for me) change our circumstances?

Also, we ask God to change the people around us, when in reality, it is “me” who needs to change.

Why do say that we want “Christ” back in Christmas?  Did Christ go somewhere?  Christmas isn’t even “Christian” anyway.  Emperor Constantine made December 25 “Christmas” to combat the pagan Winter Solstice celebration, which most “Christians” were participating in.  Someone asked me once if my particular sect worshipped trees.  It did seem like a lot of Christians and churches put a great deal of time and effort into their Christmas trees.

On that note, why does the Church seem to combat something with which it disagrees by co-opting it and changing it into something “christian”.  Really?  Can you see the Apostle Paul going around and saying “Lets take Caesar’s Birthday and make it a “christian” holiday by giving each other gifts in Christ’s Name.”  I don’t think so.  Some of what the church does needs to be thought out better.

Why has the “modern” church thrown tradition out the door?  I know that the Church needs to evolve, as any growing organism must, but why toss out all those things that make church “Church”?  I went to non-traditional churches most of my life.  I kinda missed all the symbols of Faith that adorn traditional places of worship.  Yes, the Church needs to be less stuffy, but at the cost of all those centuries of tradition?

I do have to give kudos to the modern church, though.  Without the visionary leadership of men like Bill Hybels, so many people  would be without any support group.  Hybels and women and men like him went against the grain and began to seek out people who were seeking something to give life to their lives.  They went beyond “church as usual” to reach out to ones who were being underserved and unreached by traditional church methods.

When did it become a “right” to have presents at Christmas?  A lot of Christmas movies and TV programs and even charitable giving organizations try to guilt us into giving toys to kids at Christmas.  What about the rest of the year?  I’m not saying that Toys for Tots and other programs for children are not doing good things, just that we have made a whole generation of people feel that they deserve something at Christmas they don’t get the rest of the year.  We have corporately made our children greedy little graspers at Christmas time.  What if we encouraged them to give instead of get?  I don’t know, just saying, that’s all.  My own children never went without so I’m not one to cast stones.

I appreciate our veterans.  My older son served in the Navy during the September 11 time of grief.  I personally salute all those who served and those who died to keep us safe.  I don’t think, though, that the Church should be the flag waving patriotic voice of the United States.  I personally think the Church should be and stay apolitical.  I don’t mean that we should ignore societal needs, but become an agent of change by making people free from hunger and disease and poverty and prejudice and hate.  The Church in the US has become a political force and I’m not so sure that has worked out as well as it was supposed to.  The Church should heal the hurting, not help legislate morality.

I’ve mused enough and selah-ed enough.  Come back next week.  I may not always write things with which you agree, but I try not to be boring.

* Selah is a Hebrew word of unknown origin which may mean to stop and reflect, the meaning used here.