Problems are for Solving

that George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, and Charles Manson all drink water? I think there’s some kind of vast, murderous conspiracy going on . . .

Guilt by association is back en vogue!

I know people who voted for Ron Paul. You know, the Ron Paul who was endorsed by Rolling Stone because he’s against the war and for the legalization of recreational pharmaceuticals? Some prostitutes and racists voted for Ron Paul, too. Therefore the people I know who voted for Congressman Paul must be racist adulterers, right?

I also know people who voted for John McCain. Senator McCain sponsored a bill that limits free speech. He voted for taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. Therefore those people must be pro-choice, anti-baby and fascists who want to limit free speech, right?

The internet is a wonderful invention (thank you Al Gore!) but it’s also a cesspool. If you know somebody, don’t believe what you read on the internet about them–ask them face to face and give them some benefit of doubt if you’re not willing to bring it up to them personally. And if you read something about me on the internet, it might be true. But then I know people who are racist adulterous freespeech hating, baby hating fascists so I must be one too.

If you’re my friend I’ll ask you about yourself and generally trust what you say rather than what people who don’t like you say. And I’ll do that no matter whether you voted for Ron Paul, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama or whatever. I’d like to hope my friends would do the same for me.

Oh, and by the way. I’m a sinner. And so are you and all my friends. And somewhere there’s a few things written about sin and what we do about it. Now where was that book…. oh right. It’s the Bible.

Last week I posted a note about a new album that I’ve been burning up. Not really burning up (though doesn’t that conjure up two entirely antithetical images? And wow–did I just use antithetical in an actual blog post?) literally of course, but listening to a lot.

In the fourth song, Hymn, Anthony pens the line:

Rise up o Church
And grab the sword
Stand up and fight
This glorious war

The whole verse that contains this line is fantastic. I can’t get all the words down for sure and I’m too lazy to run get the jacket and look and see if they’re there (I think they are), but the line just inspires me.

Rise up Church! Grab the spirit’s sword! Fight! We’ve been called to a glorious war!

And a war it is.

I’ve known those who are angry at the Church. Those who think she’s become the whore of Babylon or just filled with false teachers and so not only can but ought to be avoided.

But Jesus builds the Church. And He is. She is far from perfect, but she is His Church. And she is at war.

War conjures up many images for me, but the one that is conjured up right now is of a rag tag group of men fighting to save their homes from an oppressive invader. They didn’t ask for the fight and they don’t want to fight, and they would much rather be home living in peace. These men probably wouldn’t be friends in most situations. They come from different social strata and have varying educations and opposing opinions in a broad spectrum of topics. They probably would argue tooth and nail about all kinds of matters and would generally avoid being around one another.

Except for the pesky war. Because of this war, these men who wouldn’t be friends in a normal, peaceful situation become a band of brothers who are willing to die for one another. Because of the war, the unfriendly become life long friends. Because of the war, they learn to get along and in fact grow in love and devotion to one another, trusting their lives into each others’ hands.

And so to those of you who claim Christ’s Name as that alone in which you find your salvation I say this:

You’re at war.

And because you’re at war you need to tend to your weapons and your fellow soldier’s in this army of rag tag people that you often don’t like and that you’d rather were someplace else. Why? Because they’re not the enemy. They’re the ones that will watch your back when you’re asleep and who will engage against the foe for your sake, whether they agree with you about secondary and tertiary matters. So stop fighting in the camp, and take up the weapons that the Commander has given and fight the glorious war. I’ve got your back, even if I disagree with you. If you’re in the General’s Army, you’re my friend. Army, navy, baptist, presbyterian, whatever the label–if you’re Christ’s, I’ll watch your back.

It has been a full and sometimes difficult year, and we are thankful to have made it through to this lovely time where we can celebrate our Savior’s birth and rest from our labors, or at least my labors in my vocation.

Jesus has come to bring light and life into a world filled with darkness and death. May He bring both to each of you!

We have finally come to the point where we have Christmas traditions that we hold tight as a family:
**Christmas eve (last night) we enjoy a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner with the Ben-Ezra family in their home.
**Each year we purchase a Christmas tree late, so that it will last through the 12 days of Christmas, including Steven-mas and Gabrielle-mas.
**We decorate the tree together. I put on the star last as we sing As With Gladness Men of Old.
**We have the traditional NOEL vs. LEON battle held on the mantle in the burnt plum room.
**We have Christmas morning together with presents
**Christmas brunch including the Ben-Ezras and anyone else who was invited in a given year, including biscuits and gravy and kringle pastries (this year we made our own!)
**Reading the story of Stephen the martyr and singing Good King Wenceslas on the 26th. (there are others, I’m sure, but I’m not remembering them at the moment)

Whatever your family traditions, join in celebrating the love, light, life and peace that Jesus has brought into the world today and every day–and may His love capture your heart and life so that you celebrate as one of His saved souls.

O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!

Merry Christmas from our house to all of yours!