The Lion, the Witch, the Grand Canyon, and Christmas

One thing that stands out to me about C. S. Lewis' book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the way Narnia changed because of the coming of Aslan. Remember? Prior to his arrival Narnia was a cold place, a dark place, a place where it was always winter and never Christmas.

But after Aslan's coming, Christmas returns, and shortly thereafter, Spring arrives, the snow and ice melts, rivers start to flow and everything begins to bloom again. Birds sing, skies are blue, the days lengthen and warm. The wicked queen is vanquished and the four children sit on the thrones of their castle at Cair Paravel.

Aslan's coming changed so much about the world of Narnia. But Aslan's coming pales in comparison...

Think of the difference the day Jesus was born, Christmas day, made!!! Christ's influence on the world was immeasurable. The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and an empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

I think of the old pioneer who was travelling westward across the southern part of our great country. One day he came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the Grand Canyon. He stared, unbelievingly at the sight before him: a vast chasm one mile deep, eighteen miles wide, and stretching left and right farther than the eye could see! He gasped, “Something must have happened here!” What if, a stranger to Christmas, came upon our celebrations and observed our lives? Would that stranger gasp and say to themselves ”Something must have happened here!”? And would that something be something that changed the world?

We Catholic Americans lament the loss of a religious “Merry Christmas” to the lowest-common-denominator “Happy Holidays” as a greeting at this time of year. We may be disappointed when some forgo the expressions “B.C.” (Before Christ) and “A.D.” (Anno Domini—In the year of our Lord) in favor of “C.E.” (Common Era) and “B.C.E.” (Before the Common Era). We find the diminishing influence of Catholic values in American society disconcerting. Many are angered at the removal of the manger scene from public property.

I have come to wonder at the same time whether or not it also represents a kind of seismic shift in the foundations of our lives as Church. Have we Christians begun to cease reckoning time and history on the basis of the birth of Jesus? After all, have we not long since ignored what Jesus taught? What is the point of pretending that his birth is the center of history, if his teaching, particularly his teaching of non-violent, active love of friends and enemies, fails to occupy a central place in our lives, both individually or communally?

And yet, the point that I am trying to make is that something definitive, irrevocable, and extraordinary did happen on that night in Bethlehem. Human history is divided into time "before Christ" and time since his coming, and, we believe, history itself will come to an end with his second coming. The Incarnation is the critical point upon which the entire human story is bent, as a door opens and closes upon its hinges.

Do we Catholics continue to live with the same old fears that have haunted humanity from the beginning; have we have ceased to reckon our history from the perspective of the birth of Jesus Christ? Is it any longer the unique, decisive moment in human history for us and for the world, the moment in which everything changed once and for all? Our witness to hope and against fear has faltered. As a consequence, the rest of humanity is able to put Jesus on the shelf alongside other gods and heroes in its pantheon of powerless deities. And Christmas becomes just another of the "happy holidays" among all the others observed around the world.

Perhaps, however, Christmas can be different again, and perhaps we can make it so. We can make the difference of Christmas apparent to the world around us, to those whose lives touch ours. In order to do this, we do not have to join the chorus of voices that demand that Christmas and the Church be restored to the place of privilege and prestige that it had in American culture at one time. Still less are we under a divine calling to spend like crazy, as if the nation's economic recovery depended on whether or not we buy that flat-screen TV for Christmas. Nor does it do any good to lament the diminishing influence of Christian values in society, as if it were society's fault that the Gospel finds less and less of a place in it.

On the contrary, it seems to me more of the blame for that can be can be found in the fact that we, who know that we are called to become Love, cannot even cease waging war, practicing torture, divorcing, and aborting our children at about the same rate as non-believers, and committing the myriads of acts of violence and cruelty that spring from our own nature and fears. The fact that we sometimes attempt to justify it in the name of Jesus only serves to render him less credible to people everywhere.

Ultimately, it makes no difference to the Catholic Christian whether the world sees in the infant Jesus the source of all that is. It makes no difference to the Catholic Christian whether the world reckons its history from the unexpected miracle of His birth. It makes all the difference in - and to - the world that you do, however.

To this end, may the Divine Presence be yours this Christmas Day.

The Patiently Waiting Patient

Dear Readers,

Waiting is one of the most difficult characteristics of life. We wait for the bus to come; we wait for class to start; we wait while someone is in the bathroom ahead of us; we wait for the dough to rise. Wait, wait, wait, wait, and wait.All this waiting requires a great deal of patience.

I have heard patience described as, the ability to live peaceably with situations or people we do not like. I can buy that definition. This sort of waiting, with patience, makes all of life so much easier when we can actually achieve it.

This patience needs to be examined, however. Sure, it is a necessary part of most processes. And it is of primary importance when dealing with the sorts of processes surrounding many of the events and conditions encountered in the hospital setting. How could we say otherwise? Decisions that affect our life and death, and the lives of all around us, cannot be taken lightly.

Dilemmas such as experienced in cases of terminal illness tear me apart intellectually. All such moral problems do, as I suppose is the same for many, if not all, people. I try to have a consistent worldview. Sometimes this is easy. For instance, part of my worldview consists of the belief that human life is special, more so than any other life Earth. Being made in the image of God, placed as stewards of this planet and each of its inhabitants, comes with great responsibilities as well as privileges. Thus, it follows that I believe human life is to be protected at all costs and in all cases.

Often the decisions to be made following this worldview are no-brainers. Abortion, for instance. Wrong in all cases; a no-brainer. In no instance does abortion not destroy a human life.Sure, there may be sticky instances such as threats to a mother’s life. These instances are infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things. Most such abortion decisions are made simply for convenience’ sake, which in no instance is a valid reason for taking a human life.

On the other end of the spectrum are the cases of terminal illness and end-of-life decisions. They are not always so clear-cut, waiting becomes a crucial part of the process of decision-making. The differences from the above abortion example are many. The most important difference, though, is that in these cases a human life will be lost, no matter what. The paths that must be taken are not so clearly seen as when we are protecting a life, made in the image of God that in one sense, has yet to be lived.

I believe, now, the emphasis shifts to taking care of a life, still made in the image of God. This life, ending now, must be protected in a different way; one that preserves the human dignity and eliminates suffering.Patience now can appear to be a refusal to deal with circumstance and make decisions that are unavoidable. Patience now is no virtuous trait. Patience stymies our growth, frustrates our desires, and just generally makes us crazy waiting for something to happen or get done.

Who knows how I would react when actually faced with the decisions that must be made in these terminal cases. I sit here now with as clear a mind as I can have, and believe that part of preserving my dignity and that of those around me would be to see the inevitable and not avoid seeing it. There is no dishonor in laying down your king and surrendering to an opponent who has played a good game. Exit stage right.

I simply hope that I know all the conditions of the game I am playing; that the doctors and nurses and families helping me play this game, will speak frankly and clearly to me of all that I face in the game; that they will support me in the decision to lay down my king; that they will help me see that I have played the game with dignity, and am now ready to go on to the next game.

Your Hospice-Friendly, Neighborhood Apatheist,

~Bill

The Power (sic) of Babel. AKA The Top 10 Myths of Church Building Projects.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves…” -- Genesis 11

Myth #1. This new facility will be used to reach the next generation of young people, the young and the unchurched in our neighborhood.

Buildings do not reach the next generation, or even our neighborhood. People reach other people. Ask around; find out how many trips have been made into the vicinity surrounding St. Luke. What do these non-actions mean? That we are ashamed to invite people into the building we have now? That we have nothing to offer them if we don’t have a basketball court? And then, ask around and find out how many people in the neighborhood actually attend SLUMC, even on an irregular basis. If they aren’t attending the church that is essentially right next door to them now, why do we expect they will in a cool new pile of bricks?

Myth #2. Once we build this facility, more people will come.

I know it has become part of our cultural vocabulary, but too often I think we get fooled by the old cliché that says, “If you build it, they will come”. As if it’s a magnet or something? This isn’t “Field of Dreams”.

Remember when Elijah met God in the mountains? There was a fire, an earthquake, and mighty wind, but God was not found in the spectacular display. He was subtle, and non-abrasive. God does not need a banner. What do we think? Don’t you think that the creation of heaven and earth is a good enough banner to advertise God?

A church needs to prove it can bring people in, first.

Myth #3. This will help us reach our city.

Unless the building picks itself up and starts rolling around the city by itself, the building will still not help us reach this city. Let’s face it: most churches grow membership these days by unsatisfied folks transferring membership from other churches. Essentially all we are doing is shifting people around buildings. Someone tell me why this is a productive Christian enterprise?

Myth #4. This is God’s Storehouse.

The storehouse in the Old Testament was the place where the Levites had stored what they had collected in tithes and offerings from the nation of Israel. Somehow in the New Testament, we’ve come up with a transferable analogy that the storehouse in the Old Testament is a picture of the church building in the New Testament.

I have no clue where this idea stems from, because clearly the verse, straight out of the red-letter section, talks about our eternal storehouse. “…lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven”, is the proper view of what our storehouse is today, “…not…treasures here on earth, where metal rusts, moths corrupt, and thieves break in and steal.”

We need to stop dignifying the perishable church building as a religious idol. The world doesn’t need another idol. It only needs Jesus.

Myth #5. God wants us to build his kingdom.

This is from those who think that God meant building His infrastructure on earth. Donald Trump, not God, needs to take advantage of the real estate bubble and low rates to build an empire.

Let’s pretend for a minute God really meant buildings and not souls. Now we have a biblical prescription for obtaining buildings to grow the kingdom. If we’re going to be all about biblical prescriptions in the one case, let me ask the question: What about the biblical prescription for tithing?! We could do this whole thing on a cash basis, if we were following that one!

Myth #6. Our renovated and upgraded sanctuary reveals the glory of God.

We act like we are recreating the holy of holies or the temple of Solomon!

New buildings are nice, but once you walk out the doors on Sunday, what is it to you then? What is it to God then? God doesn’t sit up in heaven and just stare down at all the beautiful churches, as if he were walking through a gallery admiring all the works of art. (Contrary to what the building team leader said last night!)

People renovate churches for many reasons: real needs; keeping up with the Southlands; ego-trips; being able to put a building project on a resume for bishop; imagined needs. I imagine the savior needed a bigger birth place than that cave 2,000 years ago, but that cave seemed to have sufficed. (BTW—there are no intentions in the new plans, to upgrade the SLUMC sanctuary!)

Myth #7. We need to invest in more room to fit our congregation.

Well, I really don’t know what to say about this one. So I’ll just repeat what the SLUMC choir director said last night: “At the 8:30 and 9:45 services we still have room for hundreds of people in worship!”

Some time ago, plans were dropped for a balcony in the sanctuary of SLUMC, because attendance at the church was down. Current attendance has still not reached those historic levels. Yet we need this room? Is it because Americans are becoming more obese? Because we just don’t want to sit next to each other? BO? Or, because there isn’t enough room in the back row?

Myth #8. The debt will be worth it.

There can be much said on this subject alone. The current math going around adds up to about $13,333 dollars, per person, for building plans at SLUMC. There has been conversation about idols recently. Allow me to shift our attention to another topic: slavery. We are slaves to whatever captures our time and energy. The borrower is slave to the lender.

I’m no economic genius, but here are a couple things I know: companies with a lot of debt are not as attractive an investment as those without; and, credit agencies consider you a bad risk if you have too much debt. Why, if God’s biblical prescription is to avoid debt, and the world’s money gurus even recognize piles of debt are bad in principle, do churches begin to think it is a good thing?

Myth #9. Our growth will allow us to birth more programs and functions.

In other words, “If only we had more, then we could do more for those who don’t have what we’re going to have.”

Let’s not forget about what will be neglected because we have to pour so much of our money into paying off this debt now. Who will go hungry? What ministries and missionaries will be sacrificed? Are we neglecting the one good to do different good? What will you have to sacrifice from your family so that your church family will have? Are you leaving an investment for your children or are you considering this church building your investment for them?

Myth #10. This is the will of God.

I get no joy in questioning peoples’ motives, their prayer lives, or the word they say they hear from God; so I’m not going to do that here. But what if it isn’t? Some have claimed that if God isn’t behind it then it will not come to pass. Can we be so certain? Others claim God gives us free will, and I suppose that means the freedom to make mistakes right?

What if that is what is going on here and now? What if we get all pumped up, we pledge a lot of money…then all of a sudden the bills start to hit. Now the pastor is preaching the tenth sermon this year on giving, and people aren’t so on board with it all. Maybe they didn’t come when we built it; maybe they came but didn’t bring their money with them like we counted on. Who knows? What happens to that church then?

Your Friendly, Neighborhood Apatheist,

~Bill

Beyond moths, corrosion, and thieves: Treasure deceives.

Question: John Paul Getty was once the richest man in the world. How much money did he leave when he died? Answer: All of it!

Dear Readers,

Everyone has treasures. It is an essential part of what it is to be human. To be human is to have treasures. They are our special considerations, to have them pried into is an intrusion; to have them taken away is degrading. They are connected to our spirit and our will, and a main part of intimacy with another person is the sharing of treasures and the creation of mutual treasures.

No one is without their treasures. I'm finding many of mine now, as we pack to move. Some of them are treasures, such as the china and silver we have, which may really be treasures. Other things, the girls' artwork ( and their messes) or Jennifer's "sanctuary" near the computer (and her messes ) would be worthless to others. So these are not so much my treasures, as they are my treasurings. They are not just physical goods, they are my dreams and memories, and the fundamental parts of my soul. They relate precisely how I live in the world right now, but they also impact the extent toward which I can live focused on the eternal realm.

Jesus tells (present tense) us that is is not a smart treasuring strategy to treasure the things on this earth. This could be very depressing, if there were no alternative. We invest in our jobs, our houses, our friends and family. We also care for the rich, beautiful world itself, of which all these things are a part. Some of these things, surely, are a portion of what God also treasures. Yet all of these things, everything and everyone I value, will one day pass away. I cannot but serve my treasures, so what will I do when they have all gone? Cannot I somehow, deter thieves, protect against rust, hang up a bug-zapper for the moths? Must it all be vanity?

The extent of my investment knowledge should impress you: I know that when stocks are high they will be more expensive, and when stocks are low they will be less expensive. Jesus' investment strategy is for me to "lay up for yourself treasures in heaven...", and he tells me "where your treasure is there your heart will be also."

Perhaps we can treasure this world and the invisible, eternal world as well. Perhaps we can serve both. Perhaps my heart can be in two places. Perhaps there will come a time when Scotty can beam me up. Scientists are already telling us electrons can inhabit two positions at one time. Perhaps we can make our heart be in two places, for a while. But there will come a time when one of our treasures must be subordinate to the other. Can I serve God and things of the earth? Their requirements conflict so easily and often.

It is vanity to seek after perishing riches and to trust in them. It is vanity to hunt after honors and to climb to high degrees. It is vanity to mind only this present life, and yet be careless to live it well. It is vanity to set your love upon those things which so speedily pass away.

If Jesus tells me I cannot serve both God and mammon, and the first of the commandments says, "You shall have no gods who take priority over me?", then why am I packing all these boxes?

Your movable, flexible, ever-tolerant, Apatheist, ~Bill

P.S. This post seems as disjointed as my piles of boxes. As always, my efforts may simply be so much striving with the wind

It's still vanity.

Dear Readers,

The hunger for titles and public awards in our human lives--indeed, even in our religious lives--is simply astonishing. The bragging and exhibitionism that goes on around the water cooler or the golf course, the almost routine puffing-up of resumes, and much of what passes for normal in our culture of self-esteem, are a part of life with no sense of our standing in the presence of God.

The desire to have religious respect or reputation, and the approval of others will put us out of the sway of God's will back into the barren desert of the rightness of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus revealed much of most of the religious observance of his day was a sham. In particular, he used the term "hypocrites". Interestingly, Jesus seems to be the first one to have brought this term into the moral vocabulary of the world. Originally it had meant (in Greek) anyone who acted on stage. The Greek actors routinely wore gaudy masks to conceal their true identity, and an actor might change masks one or more times within a play. Jesus utilized this vivid image that would have immediately grabbed the attention of his hearers because of their familiarity with stage characters. They recognized the acts of the scribes and Pharisees who "do everything they do with the aim of being noticed by others. They enlarge the religious symbols on their clothing. They like to have the most prominent seats at dinners, and they relish being called "Professor" or "Doctor".(Matt.23:5-7). Jesus made repeated distinctions between our face to the world and our person before God.

The public forms of our Christian devotions are often all too similar to the kind that Jesus pushes aside. But if you have to bet on the sermon subject for next week, don't bet on this one. But the refreshing thing is knowing that we are not in bondage to external forms, or to their absence. Forms could be wrong and the heart right, or the form right and the heart wrong.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being known, as a scholar or excellent character. The issue here is one of intents and purposes. Why have we done that good deed? If to be seen by men, God will gladly stand aside and grant our wish. He knows where He is wanted and where He is not, and He doesn't like to be present when He is not. He will eventually have His "day of the Lord", though.

Part of being truly humble requires adhering to the principle of "the Audience of One". We are on stage, the performing hall is empty with the exception of One. But He fills the room, and His applause or displeasure determines the success of our show.

And another thing. Life becomes much simpler, when we no longer live for the desires and approval of others.

Your Resident Apatheist,

~Bill Longworth, Esq.

Chairman, local chapter of Apatheist's
Club President, KY Chapter of Bill-lovers
Supreme High Commander
Chief Cook and Bottle-washer

Ain't rampant credentialism lovely?

"For you have only one teacher, and all of you are students." Matt. 23:8.

All is Vanity!

Vanity: 1. The quality or condition of being vain. 2. Excessive pride in one's appearance or accomplishments; conceit. 3. Lack of usefulness, worth, or effect; worthlessness. 4. Something that is vain, futile, or worthless. 5. Something about which one is vain or conceited. 6. A bathroom cabinet that encloses a basin and its water lines.

Some say pride was the original sin. Maybe it was. There is something missing in the definition of pride, though. Pride, in its proper sense, can be a good thing. In fact, Dictionary.com gives only one definition, in which pride might be seen negatively. It is described as a haughtiness or arrogance, in attitude or conduct.

Vanity, however, encompasses this definition, and more. Like the Preacher from Scripture, Dictionary.com also understands the lack of usefulness, or futility, that vanity describes. This further development more accurately describes, not only the original sin, but all of man's strivings.

All we are naturally inclined to do, or think, or feel, is worthless, without the proper regard for our position before a Holy God. A true understanding of our station, an honest humility, is the quality which will draw us closer to Jesus.

But it isn't natural, is it? Humility happens to be one of my greatest qualities. More to come.

Your Resident Infidel,

~Bill

"I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. --Eccl. 1:14.