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December Focus - Shut Up and Sing
Our Priest Executive Maly Adams has a bumper sticker on her car that reads, "Shut up and sing!" This exhortation fits Maly's style and outlook on life perfectly. It involves a mixture of no nonsense realism: Shut up! And transcendent grace: Sing!
It makes a perfect advent theme.
Our tradition holds together two diverging statements about the nature of reality. The first: Life is hard. The second: Life is blessed. Separate these themes and we loose the inspired genius of the Biblical witness.
Life is Hard
Over the past several months George W. Bush has challenged the United Nations to hold Sadaam Hussein accountable to live at peace among the community of nations. The President believes Hussein is pursuing a program of developing biological, chemical and perhaps even nuclear weapons. Congress has approved the use of America's military might to assure Hussein does not succeed.
Is the President out to expand America's empire by controlling Iraqi oil? Or is the President out to safe guard the lives of little children all around the world?
Which of the two scenarios is true? Does it matter? Whether the latest world empire egoist is named Bush or Hussein it underscores the point: Life is hard.
That life is hard does not primarily mean that life is difficult. Difficult can be fun after all. Easy games are no fun at all. Challenge applies energy in the game.
That life is hard involves a difficulty that includes a quality of meanness. That life is hard indicates that at times it is both difficult and hurtful. This is a basic insight of the Hebrew prophets.
Personal experience and the even the shallowest appreciation of history confirms the insight of the prophet Amos, to take just one example.
Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
And see her great tumults within her,
And the oppression in her midst.
"They do not know how to do right," says the Lord,
"Those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."
Folly closes his eyes to life's hard edge. Wisdom opens her eyes and acknowledges the reality of sin. At times a faithful covenant community must stand up in the chaos of a difficult, hurtful world, stand up in the midst of the masses of self-centered egoists who clamor for power and prestige and shout, "Shut up!"
Life is Blessed
The agenda of the President of the United States has a way of dominating the front pages of newspapers. If that agenda threatens war, so much the better. It makes a good story.
On the morning of September 11, 2001 very few newspapers across the country carried the story of where the President would be that morning. We only know what the President was doing because it happened to be where he was when the airliners struck the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
The President of the United States was in Florida sitting in a chair surrounded by a group of children reading them a story. After the President was informed of the crisis what did the President do? He finished his story.
Cynics say the President was reading a story to children in order to garner political points; the fact that he finished reading the story to the children demonstrates his incompetence as a leader.
Or, perhaps the President of the United States was reading a story to the children because he loves children. Maybe he finished reading the story because it was a good book and because children who do not understand terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. deserve to honored.
Which of the two scenarios is true? Does it matter? Whether the President was garnering political points, or whether he truly loves children it underscores the point: Life is blessed.
If the president garnered political points in the effort it is because people recognize the power of blessing children with presence and attention.
A blessed life in no way denies the truth that life is hard. The Hebrew prophets carried this paradox and found God faithful to bless.
The unnamed prophet who cried over the destruction of Jerusalem in the book of Lamentations is a poignant example,
Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
Folly closes his eyes to life's goodness. Wisdom opens her eyes and acknowledges the love of God at work even in the most painful situations. The story of Jesus' cross and resurrection can be found in the same book.
Once the faithful covenant community gets the attention of the masses what does it say? "Sing!"
Sing because God is good, not because we are. Sing because God calls us together, not because we particularly even like each other all that much. Sing because a higher power calls out of complications of our individual pettiness, not because we have the solution to all the world's problem.
Our advent theme this year: "Shut up and Sing!"
Come sing with us.
Monthly Focus Archive
2006:
Easter Focus: New Covenant
Lenten Focus: A Covenantal Response to Poverty
February Focus: Moving Forward
2005:
December Focus: Longing
November Focus: The Gift of Years
October Focus: Stewardship
September Focus: Foundations
Summer Focus: The Book of Acts
Easter Focus: Tapestry
Lenten Focus: Rule of Life
January Focus: The Next Wave
2004:
December Focus: Surprising Grace
November Focus: Free Indeed
October Focus: Money Madness
September Focus: The Outrageous Promise
Summer Focus: Into the Fullness
June Focus: Thick Faith
Easter Focus: All Things New
Lent Focus: A Hungry World
February Focus: Commitment
January Focus: Unity
2003:
December Focus: Hope
November Focus: Worship
October Focus: Stewardship
September Focus: Seasons of Faith
Summer Focus: The Gospel of John
May Focus: Faith
April Focus: Resurrection
March Focus: Truth
February Focus: Covenant Groups
January Focus: Sabbath
2002:
December Focus: Shut Up and Sing
November Focus: Spiritual Gifts
October Focus: Stewardship
September Focus: Intentional Faith
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