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Christmas Greetings
Posted by civil truth on December 25th, 2008
Between out-of-town guests and significant end-of-the-year decisions, I suspect I won’t be back in the saddle here at ARS much before New Year’s. Though if the news coming out of Washington and Sacramento remains as sucky as it has been this month, it’s going to be hard to resist the temptation to stick my head in the sand. But enough of that for now.
Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The Jewish nation was under the heel of a brutal occupation by Rome (and make no mistake about it, Rome’s era of dominance had one of the highest body counts of any long-time empire in history). In the midst of all that, this herald proclaimed that a poverty-stricken child from the hick outskirts of the empire would change the world. Not the child of a military leader, not one born into hereditary wealth, not a celebrity, but a despised Jew.
(Any similarities between 1st century Palestine and Alaska are strictly coincidental, aren’t they?)
So our nation stares into the abyss that a feckless political elite, a whoring media, and a complicit electorate have brought it to – in such times, we are forced to turn from the baubles and distractions and stuff that the powers of this world have anesthetized us with and confront the necessity to take a stand as to what values we will hold to when all the familiar structures threaten to crash down around us.
A time to confront what – or rather Whom – we will put our trust in. And that is the beginning point for us to take another look at the Christmas story – and the narrative that follows which leads to the Cross and to Resurrection beyond – and the promise of His coming again and a new heavens and new earth.
A time to reexamine what role we have to play in this drama.
And best wishes for the coming New Year in case I don’t return before 2009.
P.S. I almost forgot my Christmas gift – this fresh look at the character of Scrooge – very thought-provoking (H/T).
December 26th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
CT, I get the sense of doomsday. I feel it. I smell it. It’s difficult to live in these times when we just know Barry will destroy so much of America.
We march on. Live by the principles that make us honest people. Stay independent. Refuse to be lazy.